We had a wonderful time at this hotel from the moment we arrived until the time we left. It was a magical experience in many ways.

We were collected from the pier and boated out to the island. Be ready to get your feet wet! There was someone waiting for us when we arrived to wash the salt water off our feet and to sit us down with a tropical fruit juice while we registered, however, which was a wonderfully personal touch.

The staff were very friendly and helpful and the service in general was very flexible and accomodating. The only flaw, really, was that sometimes the food service was very slow. The food is all cooked fresh but there still seemed to be unneccessary delays at times. As you are on a small island, you are not really in a rush, usually, though so just try to relax and enjoy the pace.

The rooms were nice and each villa has it's own balcony and open-air bathroom. I recommend having breakfast delivered to you balcony. It's a great way to start a magical day on the island. The only thing we didn't like about the room was that the bed was very hard. That only really bothered us for the first night, though. The room was cool and comfortable.

The beach is a little bit rocky but is full of wildlife, we saw birds and three different varieties of crab. We even saw a monkey on the beach. We left the swimming for the lovely pool, though.

The wildlife was one of the main attractions for us with frogs, butterflies, dragonflies, birds, geckos and even an iguana. This really was a piece of quiet paradise for us and any of the minor flaws or inconveniences were easily compensater for with the genuine and friendly service and the feeling of relaxation we achieved there.

We stayed in a Beach Front bungalow for 4 nights from 25 February 2007. Loved the bathroom, once we got used to it, but didn’t like the room so much – dark, with very dim lighting and unbelievably hard mattress!
Rooms and resort were clean and well kept.
The beach was disappointing, sharp coral with rocks below the water line, making it unsafe for swimming. We liked the pool area which more than made up for the beach. The food was excellent, international or authentic Thai – which could be hot or toned down if requested. The staff were friendly and helpful.
Not a sophisticated resort – but highly recommended for relaxing quiet holiday with good food and friendly staff.

We stayed at the Baan Mai Cottages for the first part of our vacation and loved it.

When we first arrived, the tide was out so we had to wade in from the boat to shore. This caught us off guard because we were in running shoes (direct from airport) so we had to open our luggage to get out our sandals as there was a lot of rocks and coral when the tide was out that far.

The cottages were basic, but lovely. Each has a front patio with a bench seat and two chairs, perfect for relaxing. There is a screen door if you like to sleep with the door open. We were a bit worried about the Balinese style bathroom, but it was awesome. The sink/toilet/shower area is covered by a roof, so only the outside edges would get rained on if it were raining.

Each cottage has chairs for the beach and either 1 or 2 hammocks. The cottages are set back from the beach only a few feet, so you can hear the waves and see the water. The cottages are set far enough apart so that you can see your neighbors, but not hear them. The mattresses are Very Firm here!

The beach is nice when the tide is in, and the resort will transport you to a beach nearby for free if you want total seclusion or a good snorkelling beach. They'll also pack you a picnic lunch and give you an umbrella for shade, etc.

The resort also offers a cooking class for an additional 10% of the menu cost. We took a course and learned to make Thai Cashew Chicken.

The island is Muslim so a few times a day you hear their call for prayers over the loudspeakers, but we only really noticed it around dusk. The cicadas on the island are quite loud and we were shocked the first time we heard them, but got used to them quite quickly.

The staff were fabulous and we would return here without a doubt. Very private and away from the bustle of the Patong area, but still within easy reach of the shore. The resort's boat will transport you back and forth at any time, and it's only about a 10 minute boat ride to the pier on the other side.

We can't wait to return one day.