Maenam Villa is the most magical and confusing place I have ever been to and the first place in all my travels that I have vowed to return too. Part of me wants to keep it a hidden secret just for me to savor as my own private paradise, but a more sensible part of me knows that I should and need to tell the world so that I can ensure they stay in business until I return. Luckily, I don’t think too many people read my blog so writing about it here won’t damage the secrecy too much.
Finding Maenam Villa was nothing short of a fated coincidence as they have no online presence, no signs on the road (which is very hard to get to), and they are not even exactly a running hotel. Maenam Villa as it was formerly known closed down years ago. Unfortunately, I do not know the full story, only how we got there. Our traveling companion Lisa didn’t have a place to stay so we walked down to the beach with her and started asking around. A man at the Silent Bungalow (whose own sign was overgrown with weeds and had hanging electrical wires four feet from the road across the entrance) called and said there was a room for her. We just had to walk down the beach until we saw a red roof.
A little confused, we started walking along the beach, but had to climb over the walls and barriers of the fancy resorts that dotted the shoreline. Once there, we were greeted by a very short old Thai woman whose English was prety good and referred to herself as Mama. Lisa stayed in a minimalistic bungalow for 500 baht a night. A crazy good deal considering it was several meters from the shoreline. Later when we stayed there, she offered us 400 baht and asked us to stay for another week. Our bungalows were on the side of a very steep hill so we had to climb these rickety uneven steps to the porch where we had a table and a few chairs. Inside were two twin beds, an end table, two towels, and a fully functional bathroom with no hot water. You could also get wifi from the, as Lisa would say, “bourgeois” resorts next door.
Depending on your point of view, you might find my description to be appealing or not, but it was all we needed to get away from the world, swim everyday, read on the beach, and get massages while looking out at the ocean. Aside from the freedom to just jump into the picturesque blue ocean whenever such a whim floated across my mind, what really made this place so amazing for me were the people. Mama was very kind and because her English was good, we often talked to her asking about what the hotel used to be like. Now the residents of the bungalows are Thai people that lived there permanently. Some seemed to be relatives of Mama and others worked at the resorts next door. There were also a lot of dogs that lived there, some were mean, some were nice. Although their kitchen was closed, Mama made curry dinner just for us and we ate it while watching the sun set over the water.
The only road to it winds up and down some of the steepest hills I’ve ever driven on, through the back of several fancy resorts. The only way to find it is if you know it’s there. Once you drive past two of the fancy resorts (W Retreat and Fairhouse), through the back of one, you encounter a terrifyingly steep hill, then once again go past another resort (Escape), then you will find a large gate which may be open or closed but always unlocked and that is how you drive to Maenam Villa. Otherwise, you have to walk along the beach until you see the red roof and Mama.