Set in the jungle clad hills above Sairee Beach, Koh Tao Star Villa offers unique accommodation on Koh Tao. spacious, modern, fully furnished apartmens with western standard bathrooms all designed with the ecology of the island in mind. Enjoy beautiful sunsets from your terrace and enjoy free use of our games room and BBQ area. And this very peacful setting, is only 3-4 minutes by bike or ATV from the centre of Sairee Beach - truely a great combination.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Modern
Languages Spoken
English, Thai
Location
11/18 Moo 1, Koh Tao 84360 Thailand
Name/address in local language
Koh Tao Star Villa
276 reviews
Getting there
Good for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
The villa we stayed in was spacious, with a living room / kitchen and a good sized bedroom with en suite bathroom. Beach towels are provided which is useful. The fridge is stocked with beer and soft drinks which aren't largely marked up in price like in hotels.
Alan and Heidi, the British couple that run the place picked us up from the pier and were friendly. They turn the lights on outside the room if it gets dark when you are out, and the room was made up every day when we were out.
There is nice furniture and a big TV with an amazing selection of movies and TV shows available.
Alan is friends with a great motorbike rental shop, and will keep your passport so you don't have to surrender it at the shop.
You will need a bike to get to and from the villa if you don't want a longish walk up a long very steep hill track. You also need to be a confident rider.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have been living at Koh Tao Star Villa for approximately 3 months now and it has been absolutely fantastic! Heidi and Alan have been the most perfect landlords we could have asked for. They are very nice and attentive to anything that we may need from them. It's safe to say that they are more than willing to go out of their way to ensure that we have the most comfortable stay possible. They also have some great recommendations around the island whether it be a good place to have a drink at, or a reliable electronics store to fix a broken phone/laptop.
As far as the actual property goes, we could not have asked for a better place. The view is absolutely stunning. We love waking up to such a picturesque view in the morning. The amenities in the apartment itself are great and we are more than happy to be able to call this place home. Nothing beats a really hot shower and an extensively furnished apartment on Tropical Island! Heidi and Alan also clean once a week which is included in our lease and something that we are very appreciative of.
We highly recommend Koh Tao Star Villa for anyone wanting to have their own place here on Koh Tao. We definitely do not see ourselves moving elsewhere anytime soon.
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Date of stay: September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed here and rented a room quite a long time ago! But only just thought about writing a review! But it had amazing views over Sairee Beach 🏝️, which is the center of Koh Tao! And it’s right near the central area, just up the hill, for the beautiful views of the bay! And really really nice staff, who became our good friends! And then my son, was also created there! So big respect and Thank You 🙏! 10 out of 10*!!!
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Date of stay: August 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Really nice staff and amazing views and short ride to the hub of koh Tao, except it’s nice and...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This hotel could feel like a five start resort if the owner trusted the visitors. I understand both sides to the coin here but having travelled through Thailand using the number one Tripadvisor recommendations, this was the only one that fell short. The scenery, location and accommodations do not have a downside. The fact that Heidi and Alan drive you into town totally makes up for the trek to the town. And, although this was greatly appreciated, the numerous signs, agreements and rules superseded their hospitality. In each room there were at least three signs directing how to use the fixtures in a specific way. For example, above the toilet, above sink, above toilet paper. The rules are also in the initial agreement you sign AND Alan reiterates them then has these signs everywhere. For my boyfriend and I who are doctors and 31 this was completely unnecessary and felt sterile. Although not mentioned to us he kept our passport hostage until we left in case of unpaid incidentals. I asked for it back and he said he would give it back in the morning instead when he got our money (the last day). We felt extremely uncomfortable with someone else holding our passport. I understand some people may have changed his behaviour- but having stayed in other locations which do not do this we found the attitude and mistrust to be unnerving. Frankly we felt it necessary to appreciate the great surroundings and try to avoid a confrontation on our relaxing trip. I wont return or recommend this spot due to the uncomfortable feeling my boyfriend and I received from Alan.
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Date of stay: August 2014
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from AlanKohTao, Owner at Koh Tao Star Villa
Responded Aug 11, 2014
Thank you for taking the time to write this review. We are sorry that you did not feel completely at home at Star Villa like the vast majority of our guests do. You say that you understand both sides of the coin as if you work in the hotel industry but actually this is not the case (you are doctors) and you obviously do not understand. Fresh water is a major issue on Koh Tao. It is one of the driest places in the whole country (we had perhaps 6 hours of rain the first 6 months of this year) and apart from shipping fresh water in by cargo boat, there is no other supply. So, being environmentally responsible, we do ask our guests to be ‘considerate’ in their use of it. And, because of this recent drought, there was (at the time) a polite request to refrain from hand washing as this is very wasteful. Oh yes, and we also insist that toilet paper is put in the bin and not flushed down the toilet. There is no public sewer system on Koh Tao so everyone is ‘off grid’ or ‘on cess’ (has a cesspit). A cesspit is very poor at dealing with toilet paper so toilet paper, etc must go in the bin. And the same is ‘requested’ across the island. We don’t feel that any of this is unreasonable, indeed they are important. We are disappointed that you do not appreciate this. We also ask that guests close the windows and doors to the bedroom if they wish to use the air-con. Air conditioning works a lot better if it is used this way, and although most people know and understand this, most still need a reminder. Oh yes, and ‘No Smoking’ in the apartments. Arh, and please put recyclable waste in the separate bin so that it can be…. Recycled. And, please don’t use the white bathroom towels as beach towels. If you need beach towels, we do have them available. Just ask. So yes, I would say you are quite correct. There are a number of simple, common sense things that we ask of our guests and there are some that are specific to Koh Tao, given that we do try to limit our impact on the ecology of the island. We make no apology for this. It is a beautiful island and we would like all our guests to do just a little bit to help keep it that way. We are sorry if these requests were below you, or were perhaps phrased inappropriately for you. Regarding the passport, yes we do keep one passport as a kind of security deposit. We don’t take any other form of security. Most hotels will keep a swipe of your credit card, but we do not take credit cards. It is not held to cover ‘unpaid incidentals’ as they tend to be negligible, however in your case the balance of the rental was still outstanding. In ALL our previous emails we made it clear that the balance was payable at check-in but you did not have it – OK, no problem, pay it later or tomorrow morning. Fine. But you did not. Indeed it was not until the last evening that you told us you had the cash available. I asked if you could hold it until the morning at check-out and you asked about your passport. I asked if it was ok to return it to you at check-out in the morning and you said this was acceptable to you. So to now say that we ‘held it hostage’ is a bit over the top frankly. It goes without saying that we want every single one of our guests to enjoy their stay at Star Villa. We do our best to make this happen and for the vast majority of our guests it works. We are sincerely sorry that you were the exception to this rule.
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This was one of 6-7 accomodations we stayed in during our 2 week Xmas trip from Bangkok to Singapore via Hua Hin and Ko Tao/Samui in 2012/13. There were five of us including my parents who are healthy but in their mid 70s. I choose the accomodation based on good review on Tripadvisor and Booking websites. The accomodation is a two storey villa built onto a very steep hill side. Top storey is a two bedroom penthouse unit that the owner couple usually lives in and lower storey are two one bed units. We booked the penthouse unit and one of the lower floor units. The villa itself is design and engineering wise quite impressive and the owner couple must be given credit for that. The problem is that this couple are too attached to their property. The photos shows the draconian House Rule you are required to sign as well as surrender your passport. Alan the owner admitted that he charged extra for a guest who regularly used his aircon with the window open. There are also rules about turning off all lights and all aircon that are not immediately required. The door to the room that has aircon on must be closed. The aircon temp must not be below 25 degrees or so. The remote to the penthouse living room aircon could not be found and there is no aircon in the living room of the one-bedder. These rules are enforced as the couple live in a small detached builing nearby while they rent out the penthouse. I always had the feeling we were being watched like a hawk the whole time we were there. Very uncomfortable as I dont know these people and there are no other people about. One of the reviewers mentioned that he walked back from Sairee beach. Amazing as it exhausted me just coming back squeezed in the owners old suzuki because of the slopes that even the four wheel driven car struggled with. Most serious problem for our group was the stairs. The steepness of it the length of it the slipperiness of it and the narrowness of it. Potentially deadly for my elderly parents and not that comfortable for me and my wife as well. My parents very carefully went up to the penthhouse unit and did not come down until it was time to leave the next day. We were booked for 2 nights but cancelled the second night for this reason. We offered to pay the advertised 30% cancellation fee and even 50% but unfortunately the owner couple wanted 100% and will not budge. I explained that if they had told us about the stairs we would not have booked this accomodation and that the owner should have highlighted this when we told them we are a family group. The owner threatened to call the police and did make a cal in front of me which I now believe to be a fake call as police never arrived and when I told them we will go to the police ourself they refused to go with us. The sympathetic Thai police mediated and ordered the couple to accept our 50% offer.
All in all a very uncomfortable stay for us and our version of Hotel California.
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Date of stay: January 2013
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from AlanCassarKohTao, Owner at Koh Tao Star Villa
Responded Jan 31, 2013
Thank you for taking the time to write this review. We thought long and hard as to how to respond to it. We even considered trying to get it removed as clearly its sole intention, was to discredit our hard earned good reputation and to damage our business. We were not even sure if we should dignify it by responding, but then came to the conclusion that it was an excellent opportunity for us to reiterate much of the information already available about Star Villa. You see, although we regret that your experience of Star Villa was not what you were expecting, we also find it very difficult to understand. We state very clearly, more than once, that Star Villa is ‘off the beaten track’ and that it is ‘not suitable for young children or for the elderly or infirm’. You state that you have read the reviews shown here on TA, and there is a lot of information contained in those reviews about the set up at Star Villa. So let us now take this opportunity to reiterate that Star Villa is built in the side of a hill so therefore, you have to go up hill to get to it which affords us our wonderful, panoramic views. For this reason we supply a free taxi service twice a day into Sairee. We also therefore, have stairs, some without railings. Deceit is not our game. We put a lot of effort into our website to ensure our accommodation is accurately, honestly and fully described as we would rather our customers have all the information before they book. We offered to take you back to town to find more suitable accommodation when you stated upon arrival that your parents would struggle with the stairs (though you would have to pay the cancellation fee) but you refused. We also suggested you put your parents in the apartment on the lower level instead of in the Penthouse at the top of the building, again you refused. A strange thing to do we thought when you were claiming that your parents would struggle with the steps. We made it quite cleat that we do not accept bookings for less than two nights and it was explained to you that if you stayed for the one night that you would have to pay for two but you insisted on staying. As for our “House Rules”, they can be seen on our website. They are simple, common sense things like: ‘No smoking inside the apartments’, ‘Please do not use the white bathroom towels for the beach’, ‘please be considerate with your use of water’, ‘please use the recycle bag provided for cans and bottles’, ‘if you are not using something (electrical), please turn it off’ and ‘if you wish to use the aircon, please close the windows and doors’. None of them are Draconian (great word by the way) unless you wish to see them as such. Koh Tao is a beautiful island but it does have issues – lack of rain fall (its only source of fresh water), poor electrical supply from highly polluting diesel generators and huge rubbish handling problems. We are very proud of the efforts we have made to make Star Villa as ecologically friendly as possible – ecologically sustainable tourism is our goal – but we do need help from our customers to achieve this. We state that we ”reserve” the right to charge customers that repeatedly and flagrantly disregard these requests. Actually, we have never had to resort to this, as 99% of our customers are over the moon about our commitment to keep the island in its current (beautiful) state. We are sorry that you do not seem to be like minded. We (as you can see from the other reviews) go out of our way to take outstanding care of our customers and do our best to ensure that they leave Star Villa with many happy memories. We have met many, many lovely, genuine people and have made many new friends along the way. “Hotel California”? I am sure that many of our guest wished is was as they would gladly love to stay longer. May we suggest that before booking your next holiday that you do a little more research to avoid more disappointment or conflict. Heidi & Alan Owners
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My husband and I stayed here in December 2011 for a couple days in the 1-bedroom apartment (the one with the shared terrace). It was a large room - with complete separate kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. It was pretty clean and your only visitors are the cute little geckos that you'll see everywhere else on Koh Tao. There are house rules you have to follow, like a 10 baht charge for disposal of drinks that you bring onto the premises.
The reason I give this place an Average rating though is because of its location. True, it's up on the hill and that gives it good views of the island/beach, but it also makes it very difficult to go to and from Sairee Beach. Alan & Heidi are a nice couple and they offer a free ride every day, but then you also have to coordinate schedules with them and it felt like I was imposing on them when I asked for a ride. The point of our trip was to go diving and relax on the beach - if that is your goal as well, I strongly recommend getting a different hotel that's on the beach itself. Otherwise, it is too much hassle going back and forth up the hill (and believe me, it's a trek that you don't want to walk yourself - or even entrust a random taxi driver to drive).
Conclusion - think about the reason you want to visit Koh Tao. If it's for relaxing on the beach and the occasional diving, then don't stay here. If it's for a nice view and alone time in the jungle (not on the beach), then stay here.
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Date of stay: December 2011
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:All the rooms have the same view.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from AlanCassarKohTao, Owner at Koh Tao Star Villa
Responded Jan 17, 2012
Thank you, Shirley, for taking the time and trouble to write a review for Star Villa. It was a pleasure having you and Tomer stay with us and we are sorry that you were not totally satisfied with your short stay with us. We do try and make our guest’s stay with us memorable and as pleasurable as possible. Over the years Star Villa has found it necessary to introduce basic house rules to protect ourselves and our property. Most of these are common sense things like no smoking inside the apartments, and be respectful in your use of fresh water as there are no mains or sanitation systems on the island – a fact that most people visiting the island are unaware of and having endless fresh water is taken for granted by many. We also ask that you use the recycle bag for all bottles and tin cans and that when you are not using something electrical, please turn it off. At Star Villa we are committed to sustainable eco-tourism and we ask that our guests help us in this endeavor. And yes, one of our house rules is that we reserve the right to charge a corking or disposal fee should we feel the need to, (all waste on the island has to be managed - at a price). We have never charged this fee, but reserve the right to do so. Also, we charge 50 baht for a beer (Tiger, Singha, Chang) and 25 baht for a can of soft drink. This is cheaper than most of the bars along Sairee. So customers can relax on the terrace, enjoy the ambiance of the surrounding jungle, watch the boats meander past the island, and enjoy a nice cold beer without running up a huge tab. We are glad that you enjoyed the wonderful views from Koh Tao Star Villa - so much so that you commented on how wonderful it was upon your arrival, but such views can only be obtained due to our location. Indeed our website states this very explicitly on at least three pages. We also state that it takes about 15 minutes to walk from Star Villa to Sairee and that customers may wish to consider renting a motorcycle or ATV. So no one arrives here and feels that they have been duped in any way. Some of our customers rent transport, many opt for the free taxi and many find it pleasurable to take a stroll down through the coconut plantation and even walk back up, but this is a choice not a requirement. We supply each apartment with a mobile phone so that guests can contact us if they have any questions, or require a taxi ride. We provide two free trips to and from Sairee a day and we can usually run this service at a time to suit except for a couple of hours in the evening when we are eating ourselves and not after 10.30pm, when you can use one of the taxi’s provided on the mobile. Not unreasonable we think. We do ask that we be given a little notice when requesting a taxi, but this is not always necessary. And, yes, there are odd occasions when we may ask a customer to wait an extra 15 or 30 minutes, and, for most people, an extra 30 minutes on the beach, or having one more beer in a bar, is not an issue. I know you had this situation occur and we are sorry if this short delay was a problem for you. Regarding the road to Star Villa, it is in fact one of the better roads on Koh Tao even though it is only a minor road. The main roads to Mango Bay, Tanote Bay, Sai Dang, Laem Thien, and Hin Wong are all far, far more difficult to navigate. That is why all the taxis are 4WD. There is not a taxi driver on the island that cannot manage the road to Star Villa. However some do ‘try it on’ as far a the price goes, which is why on the mobile phone we provide, there are telephone numbers for some of our more reliable taxi driver friends. Koh Tao is a beautiful island, with as much or as little to do as the individual prefers and at Star Villa we give you the opportunity to do exactly that. You can relax on the beach all day (indeed we often take customers to some of the more beautiful, secluded beaches that they might not otherwise get to); drink, eat and party on Sairee and then – when you have had enough, or want a break from it – you can walk or take that 5 minute taxi ride up the hill and escape from the noise, people and hubbub of Sairee to the isolation and tranquility of the jungle that surrounds Koh Tao Star Villa. Koh Tao Star Villa is now entering its fourth year of supplying wonderful, memorable holidays to many, many people. We are, therefore, truly sorry that you were not totally satisfied with the accommodation or the service provided, and hope that it did not spoil the rest of your enjoyment of this wonderful island.
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They have got very promising reviews here in Tripadvisor and I was looking for some really nice hotel as I have tried some others on my previous trip and was not good experience at all. So trusted reviews and high price to ensure we get best value for money and service, but…
Road to this place is somehow proper off-road as soon as you drive off the main road!! Don’t think of walking to Sariee as it is kind of hiking as road is very steep! We rent an ATV as I am not good at bike and don’t think a bike could take two people up there if you are couple!
I was actually expecting kind of hotel! But it is not really! It is more like guesthouse or homestay? Since they have only two, one bedroom apartment (suit) sharing one balcony and I believe up stairs is their own house, To be honest, I did not like it, as there is not privacy there, all can be heard and seen by your neighbour!!
There is really bad smell in bathroom when you take hot shower, it is just disgusting, every time I took shower I could not stand the bad smell.
Local neighbours are having few chicken so be prepared to be waken up at 4 or 5 AM by them, if not the monk of temple on the hill side around 7 AM will turn on prayer CD player, which is disturbing, he will have that CD playing till evening time (maybe 4-5 PM). Do not expect any breakfast there, you have all equipment there to make it yourseif but no one will make it for you!
There are lot of Dogs and cats around, so watch out for them as well if you are not big fan of pets ! They are not for the owner we were told maybe neighbours!
Definitely not worth the money I have paid for it, you can get much better deals in the island with lesser price! We moved to Haad Tien strongly suggest look into it as well.
At the end I must say Alan and Heidi are such a lovely couple and been very helpful and kind to us while we stayed there.
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Date of stay: January 2014
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:If you decide to stay, get the room on right hand side as you walk the stairs, so more privacy...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from AlanCassarKohTao, Owner at Koh Tao Star Villa
Responded Feb 4, 2014
Thank you for taking the time to review to Star Villa. We are very sorry that your stay was not everything you were expecting it to be. We are also very confused, as our website makes it very clear that we are not a ‘normal’ resort. Indeed you also say you were using Tripadvisor to assess our accommodation, but if you had actually read any of the reviews, you would know the style of accommodation that you were about to book. And the more observant would also notice that we were listed under ‘Speciality Lodgings’ and not ‘hotels’. We take great care to try to ensure that we provide our guests with exactly what they are expecting, so it is a serious disappointment to us when these efforts fail. Again we apologise that we were not even more explicit in our property description but we can only provide the information, we cannot force anyone to read it. And just to cover one more point of this subject, you are quite correct, there are only 2 one-bedroom apartments at Star Villa but, actually, the level about these apartments is our superb two-bedroom Penthouse apartment. This accommodation was not taken at the time you stayed with us. We live on the grounds of Star Villa in a separate bungalow. This allows us to quickly respond to the needs of our guests should they have any. Yes, as we state on our website, we are off the beaten track and yes, some of the road is steep. This facilitates the fantastic views that we enjoy at Star Villa. For your information and for the benefit of others reading this, it is a 15 minute walk from Star Villa to Sairee (though it will take a little longer to walk up the hill); yes a good scooter will get 2 people (of normal western stature) up the hill; we do also provide a free return taxi service to Sairee town twice a day for our guests (at a time to suit them) and we provide them with a mobile phone so that they can contact us for this service. If guests do want to rent a scooter, motorbike or ATV, we will also taxi them over to a very reliable and honest rental shop, which brings us to our next question: You rate the ‘Service’ at Star Villa as 2 out of 5. So when we say, ‘if there is anything you need, or if you have any questions, please just ask’ and after we taxi you free of charge to the ATV rental shop (and get you a discount at that shop), and after we advise you on alternative dive operators after you were let down by another, and after you were offered ear plugs to help you sleep (offered to your girlfriend, who refused them saying ‘No, don’t worry, it’s not that bad’…..???), and after you were met at the pier at 7.00pm, and after we readily agreed a late check-out for you; how do you come to the conclusion that this rates as 2 out of 5. Again we were left confused. No breakfast available??? Did you read the information pack that was pointed out to you? There is a breakfast menu in there. Or you could have asked the question. Bad smell from the shower??? We could not detect that. Neither could our current guests. Neither did our previous guests. And again, why not ask the simple question: ‘is there anything that can be done about the smell in the shower’? Again your review has left us confused. We feel we must also point out to other people reading this, that your original booking was for 6 nights. You reduced this down to 3 so that you could spend the other 3 nights at a resort with a swimming pool as there is no swimming pool at Star Villa. Needless to say, we agreed without reservation (issue). And this change was made long before you arrived on Koh Tao. Unfortunately, your review may give some the impression that you left because of the issues you felt you had. Nobody that runs any form of business with their hearts likes to hear that a customer has left dissatisfied with their experience. But this disappointment is multiplied by the frustration felt when the customer has at no stage mentioned that they have had an issue and it is made worse still when those issues were not (or should not have been) there in the first place. I guess the bottom line is we feel aggrieved that whilst you were here, you said nothing about the issues you felt you had, and yet, two seconds later you are stomping up and down making exaggerated or fabricated statements on Tripadvisor. This is sly and disingenuous.
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Wll what can i say.... perfect paradise! I'bve travelled all over the world and dont think ive ever met such great hosts as Hiedi & Alan, we will be friends for life :)
From the moment we arrived they were there waiting for us to arrive off the ferry, then we were in the back of Alans landrover getting a quick tour of the Island, and stopping off for a suger dohnut en route to the villas, the landover itself was an experience, great fun holding on as your wisked up into the hills!
The apartments were beautiful! so luvly, with great attention to details, ive stayed in Koh Tao and have never experienced such a luvly looking place, with great views!
Your up in the coconut plantation so are surrounded by all the wildlife, its great, just like your staying in a jungle, but in a amazing villa!
Heidi and Alan really couldnt do enough for us, we were taken up and down to the villa and called alan if we needed a lift. we all went snorkelling together to Shark Bay - and had a few nice meals out together and rinks on a t time on the lovley balcony overlooking koh tao. I got really ill from one of the cafes one day and got food poisening - and all i can say is thank god for heidi!! she really did look after me, they were bot coming to check on me all the time, bringing water, tablets, sheets :-S they wanted me to go see a doctor but i refused as could barely walk, but they really did take care of me, And when my mum and sister stayed in whilst i was ill they took good care of them, getting them takeaways, films whatever they wanted :). such nice freindly genuine people!
Ive been back to Koh Tao since in the summer but stayed somewhere else as was backpacking and on a very low budget, but sure enough heidi and alan were down to see me the night i arrived, making sure i was ok, asking if i needed anything etc :) we all went for a few meals together and drinks, afternoon cocktails with heidi catching up was great. They are great friends! I'll be seeing you both again soon!
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Date of stay: March 2011
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:all of the rooms are amazing! the top floor villa is really out of this world!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I was informed by Alan; the owner of this villa, that I am honoured to be the first guest to this villa as a Japanese. That's why I decide to make contribution from the value perspective of Japanese.
To my positive surprise, the roome was upgraded to penthouse for solo traveler. I visited several high-class hotels in Koh Tao, but the view from this penthouse far exceeds that from any other top-notch resort. It really deserves "breath-taking". Surrounded by jungles I can overview the sea which changes its looking from morning through the evening. At night, I realize the reason to name this villa "Star Villa". Just within five minute of bike ride from Sairee, I am embraced by thousands of stars in spacious balcony.
Turning my eye into the room, it is too spacious with sophiscated AV equipments. Alan kindly instructed how to use these equipments, but I found it needless because diverse sounds of the nature heard from the outside was hard to miss. Although only air conditioning in a bed room works, breeze from balcony was so comfortable and amazingly I did not see many bugs within the room in the morning even though all the windows were open through the night. I had a dinner with Alan and Heidi; they are nice couples. They directly took care of everytying during the stay, so guests will become intimate to them.
To make this comment unbiased, let me touch on a couple of potentialy negative aspects.
The access to this hotel depends on the offered rides by Alan or Heidi. For non-experienced drivers who don't want to take risk, the villa can not be independently accessed by rental bike. You cannot disturb their dinner tine by asking for the ride.
This villa sounds like a private property of Alan and Heidi and carefully maintained by them. After being intimate to them. it is hard to behave as typical hotel guests. You may need to pay reasonable attention to the maintainance of this property as if you are a member of family of Alan and Heidi. This may makes it difficult for you to be relaxed and lead uncontrolled life during holidays as well as in typical hotels; in other words, you may feel like lead an ordinary life with mom and dad at home.
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Date of stay: May 2011
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Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Internet access is not stable. Directly call.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It's so difficult to know where to start with all the amazing things I want to say about this place!!
Firstly, the service we received from Alan and Heidi before we even GOT to Thailand was outstanding, they arranged to pick us up from the ferry on the day we arrived and were polite and friendly from the start. We were transferred up to the villa by the 4x4 (and it IS quite a hill, but then if you have read the property details you'll already know that) and shown our apartment by A&H. (Fabulous people by the way!)
It's more than comfortable, excellent fixtures and fittings and decor and to be honest, it feels like a home away from home.. There are rules to be aware of, as other people have mentioned, but it's about being sensible than anything else! They are things you would do in your own home, nothing draconian!
We took advantage of the generous offer of a lift up and down to Sairee Beach twice a day (included in with the booking), very much appreciated after a day scuba diving, and one night we even went out for a meal with Alan.
Breakfast was delivered to us on the veranda (Heidi, the toastie was awesome!) and we were grateful of the beers in the fridge (minibar) which were definitely not the extortionate prices you'd expect to see from such a lovely place!
The view is amazing, we even took a walk up to the rock that is on the property (see the pictures) Actually, I say walk, it was more of a climb and not for those with vertigo!! But absolutely fantastic nonetheless. Sadly, we came just after a bit of a storm, so everything was a bit hazy and we didn't get to see one of the famous Star Villa sunsets, but that just means we'll have to go back and try again.. :)
(In the interest of being balanced, there are quite a few stairs up to the villa, so please be aware of this if you are looking for somewhere with a flatter approach)
Personally, A&H are lovely people, full of useful information and always wanting help, (They have a very interesting story about how they ended up in Koh Tao, so make sure you ask them all about it..) and their pride at living on such a beautiful island is clear to see.
Thank you Alan and Heidi, for taking the plunge, moving to Koh Tao and building this epic villa, you made our holiday.. See you again in the future!
Heather and Ned
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Date of stay: September 2015
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from AlanCassarKohTao, Owner at Koh Tao Star Villa
Responded Oct 25, 2015
Thanks Heather and Ned. Firstly thanks for being great guests and secondly, thanks for your awesome review. Needless to say it will be lovely to see you again and don't forget that returning guests get extra discounts (just book direct next time). Love the pics by the way. Alan & Heidi
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
There are more places to choose from in the Koh Tao area.
LOCATION
ThailandSurat Thani ProvinceKoh Tao
NUMBER OF ROOMS
3
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