In Samui, The Headland - A tranquil family friendly villa
Located on the west (and more tranquil) side of Koh Samui, The Headland is a home away from home and everything we could have asked for when it comes to a family-friendly villa. It took a bit longer to get to that corner of the island from the airport (about 45-min to 1-hour drive), but it felt good to drive through (and leave behind) the busy touristy strips of Chaweng and Lamai, and then subsequently through lush greenery and plantations before arriving at The Headland.
In our search for a place to stay for this holiday with our extended family, we knew we would love to have a family villa in order to make the most out of our time together. Somewhere a little less touristy and with easy access to the beach. Going through listing after listing on Google and AirBnB, most of the villas were either too expensive, or frankly, look a bit like a dodgy rental (which would be fine if it's just the two of us travelling, but with babies and an extended family, maybe not). Chancing upon The Headland put an end to our search, it looked just like what we were looking for.
THE VILLA
The website itself describes it very well:
"Resting on a natural plateau over Baan Taling Ngam Beach, the Headland estate enjoys the most spectacular panoramic sea views and enchanting sunsets in Koh Samui, looking out to the famous crags of the Five Islands and Ang Thong Marine Park in the Gulf of Thailand.".
The Headland consists of 5 individual private villas perched up on a hill and maintained in a way that blended very well into the greenery and tropical surroundings. Each villa is slightly different, in configuration and in size, has abundance of light and air flow, and comes with fully-equipped kitchen. All the rooms (living, dining, bedrooms) all come with full panels windows that can be opened fully during the day and closed at night and blends the indoor/outdoor living really well. We booked Villa 3 for our stay - read more about it here. (And a note on toddler safety - due to the direct access to the infinity pool, if you're travelling with toddlers/babies, please DO NOT leave them unattended).
THE SURROUNDINGS
Charming and tranquil to say the least. I love waking up to the unobstructed views of Gulf of Thailand and then watching the sun sets at the end of the day from the villa. A 5-min walk down a few flights of steps takes you directly to the beach, and a pier which extends out to the sea, popular with as a platform for people to jump off and swim in the water. The 5 Islands make for a great day trip combined with snorkelling and swimming.
THE FOOD
There's no lack of good options around. For dining out, there are restaurants lined along the beach and for dining-in, Lek, the villa manager, will be able to help order in (make sure you ask for Mum-A-Roy, a local Thai restaurant which by far has the best take-outs during our stay). And the market is just a 5-min drive should you fancy sourcing fresh local ingredients for a BBQ or some villa cooking.
Above all, the staff at the Villa (led by Lek, the villa manager) were absolute stars. We got to know them a little better throughout the stay and they took care of us as they would take care of their family, which really made all the difference between a good stay, and a great stay.
The Headland Villas aren't exactly cheap, but it was worth the price for what was a very special family trip in a very beautiful part of Samui.
The Headlands
Address: 296-45 Moo 3, Taling Ngam, Koh Samui, Thailand
Phone: +852 6019 9166
