Even though we very rarely ventured out of our villa the 14 nights we spent there were not enough.

After a few days of hustle & bustle in Bangkok it was great to relax by the pool or in the sala on the roof. We were fortunate to have a villa on the perimeter of the property overlooking fields from the sala, and as the place was virtually empty the only sound was from the occasional hotel buggy passing by for those who required transport to the restaurant/reception area (max 5min walk)

We only used the restaurant for breakfast as included in the price. Unusually there was no buffet, and despite it being very quiet the service was very hit and miss.

The focal point of the resort is the swimming pool but we never saw anybody using it

Outside the resort gates -just a small community of Thais who were very friendly as you walk by.

There is a regular minibus to Hua Hin approx 15 mins which must be booked in advance at a small charge

The villa was top quality with comfortable bed and separate living area with bar, television (too small/poor reception) and DVD. It was an experience to share the outside bath and shower with various creatures in the greenery surrounding.

Housekeeping was generally good but occasionally we had to ring as they had forgot to replenish items, for example towels
Tip - If you are not going out request housekeeping to call at a specific time to do the room so you are not disturbed -we tried and usually succeeded in having the room done whilst we were at breakfast

We thought the place was a bargain for the price paid although no doubt prices will rise as the name gets known and more widely marketed.

Having said that given a choice and money not an issue we would return to the Evason Hideaway rather than AKA.

if you want a truly relaxing holiday, to get away from it all, AKA is the destination. it is not just a place to sleep and put your things. it would be a waste to stay at AKA if you're looking for an activity packed aventure/cultural holiday. rather it's a place to just be and enjoy the company of those travelling with you and experience the outdoors in a relaxing and stress free way. as it states in its website, it offers a tranquil retreat. and that is exactly what i got.

i've stayed at other secluded resort/villas in asia before, such as the evason in hua hin and como (begawan giri) in ubud, just to name a few. what i got that was "more" at AKA compared to the other resorts was the total ease i experienced during my stay.

there was no screaming children as the resort is massive and the pool villas are big enough for children to play within their villas. even in the common areas, the open design allows the gentle breeze to carry any noise away.

the gentle breeze was a pleasant surprise as even sometimes on beach front properties, it can get stiffling hot while you're trying to get a tan. as a spoilt city girl, sweating buckets trying get a tan is not too appealing. no such problem on my holiday as the weather was truly perfect.

furthermore, i've had horror stories with insets at other secluded resorts where my doctor had to prescribe me steriod creams and antibiotics as i was attacked by swarms of mosquitos (even w/ repellent). i've also been chased off my tanning chair, jumping into the villa pool with book still in hand by giant egg sized flying animals (too large to be called insets). this happened repeatedly over the course of an afternoon trying to read my book and get a tan so i ended up indoors.

of course AKA had some tiny insects but definitely nothing out of expectation for exposed to the nature. what was out of expectation at AKA was the amazing food! the french food on offer was sophisticated, fresh with well paired ingredients. my meals were on par with the top tables i've eaten at around the world, including foodie meccas like ny and paris. the wine selection was surprisingly decent as well.

the thai food offering was better than expected for luxury resorts, not too watered down for non-thai tastes. for the setting and ease, i had no problems eating thai at AKA. although i did venture out to the authentic thai restaurants in town, it didn't look very clean and felt the need to wash all utensils once over w/ boiling hot water. no such stress had i stayed in to eat at AKA. they had enough variety of food for me to eat every meal at the hotel should I wish to during my 4 day stay.

the spa was also very comfortable and the masseuse were professional and had strong hands. the massage rooms were very open but you don't feel over exposed. i've stayed at other award winning spas which had exhilarating view of a river valley below but as i showered buck naked above the river's magnificence, i don't hear the roaring of a river but instead, voices of locals coming from a few feet way from my completely open shower!

most importantly I never felt AKA was trying to gauge me by pushing all these activity books on me, making me feel guilty not to pack my days with over priced adventures. no pressure here.

and in the end, i got the perfectly relaxing, stress free, tranquil holiday i was looking for.

The place is very far from the city. Hotel charges Bh. 100/- per person in their bus. You are stuck to their restaurant if you dont take a ride to the city.

The place is completely unsuitable for vegetarians. The waiters have absolutely no training; completely careless; dont even know how to smile.

Most unfortunately, the waiters were racist towards us being Indian. This is surprising since we were in Asia ! The European customers were very well looked after though.

The pool in the villa was very good. The rooms were spacious but toilets were very unkempt. Insects, leaves, and natural dirt kept flying in throughout our stay.

The TV was not working. The staff came in and went out. Nothing was done about it.

Spoke to the manager. Even wrote to the hotel after our stay. No compensation, discount, nothing. Had decided to go to review this as a possible location for our company conference.

Would not recommend this place.

Stayed 2nights after a 3night stay at the Ananatara.

20minutes from Hua Hin town in countryside.
Isolated and serene.

Open air reception area with very, very small
lobby area. Adjacent business centre and
the sole restuarant and bar.

Check in efficient and friendly. Golf cart
ride to our 2 Bedroom Deluxe Villa.
Cobbled pathways and white walled
villas lend a pleansant village ambience.

Double wooden doors a small bridge lead
into our Villa. 2 Bedrooms in one building.
Ensuite in each bedroom but only 1 TV in
the master. Master has a wetbar .
King bed dominated the room. No seating
in bedroom. Night tables too small of
use(for glasses, watches etc).
Ensuites have double sinks. Black is the
thematic colour. Black marble countertop
that shows every speck of dirt and water
spots. Outdoor sunken tiled tub, in black
accessed by sliding glass door. Outdoor shower
stall with rainhead of course in black tile accessed
by a single opaque glass door. W.C. in alcove.
Bright and airy with all that glass. Fixtures and
toiletries of high standard.

A dearth of storage space. One smallish closet
in the ensuite. Perhaps 4 drawers and 2 shelves.
Left much of our clothes and sundries in our
suitcases.

Electronic mosquito repellent. Nice .

Separate living room with T.V., sofa ,
2 chairs and a large cocktail table.
Facing the lap pool.

Fair size lap pool with a raised dais at one end
with a soft comfortable mat . 2 chaise lounges
on one side of the lap pool with an shade
umbrella and table... A table and 2 chairs
beside the entrance to the master bedroom.

Housekeeping not on par for the reputed
status of the property. TV in master had
the cable unplugged. TV in the living room
had the wrong remote control. One bedroom
had robes the other one diidnot. 1st evening
housekeeping set up the electronic mosquito
repellent....second night didnot.

Insufficient comfortable public areas, presume
that everyone hangs out in their villas.
Business centre the exception. Large, comfortable
and a/c. 3 PC's with free internet access and
a bit of a library.

Didnot have the opportunity of using the Spa.
But did provide a meal for mosquitotes at dusk
one evening at the Spa while using the wireless
access(free in public areas). Access from Villa
at a cost.(not really expensive but a tad annoying
when some areas of property were free)

One restuarant. Had a Thai menu with some
continental selections. And a French menu.
Thai was good but not outstanding. The French
approaches spectacular. Creativity, choice of
small plates or large plates, variety and presentation.
Wow. Deserts you want to order doubles...
And quite a remarkable price point. Almost cheap.
A high point for sure and all menus are available
for in Villa dining.

One flaw in the F&B was the service which failed
to meet the standards set by the Chef and his
kitchens. Lack of fluency in English, slowness of
service and an air of inefficiency detracted from
but didnot dampen the enjoyment of the meals.

The servers, housekeeping and engineering staff
were not the fault ...This is a managment issue.
The staff were friendly and accommodating.

Beautiful yes...comfy..not quite.

I donot know how we would have fared for
a long term visit. Limited storage space
in the Villas. Not truly comfortable areas
to just flat out lay about. And one great restuarant only.

High style over comfort...

If one wants to do the Greta Garbo,
'I vant to be alone', and one has books,own DVD's and
plenty of tunes, perhaps.