Relax at this unique and tranquil getaway. If peace and quiet, sat on a raised deck (aka patio) overlooking the forest, book in one hand favourite drink in the other, birds singing all around you, is your idea of paradise, then you may have found it! A sanctuary, away from the buzz and bluster of city living, but close enough to a village to scoot for supplies, or to find a cafe for a change of scenery. And only 20 mins to the City if you need some retail therapy. Please read on. The space A mainly wooden construction makes this a delightful cabin-like property. A small run of steps can be found on each side of the property, taking you up to a raised covered deck which we loosely call the patio (aka porch or balcony) which is your outside lounging area. The deck has a suite of wooden furniture, consisting of a sofa style bench and 2 armchairs encircling a coffee table. In addition, there is overhead lighting and a floor standing fan, with accessible electrical sockets should you need to charge your mobile phone outside. There is also a mosquito lamp (aka bug catcher) for your added comfort. Another one will be found inside the property. The main access door off the deck (patio) leads into a large room which doubles as your indoor lounge/bedroom. It comes with a good size double bed (which will have freshly laundered linen) and incorporates bedside cabinets, a large wardrobe and a dressing table. A wide screen lcd tv can also be found here, along with a DVD player and a small selection of movies for our guest's entertainment. We also keep a handful of novels available for the bookworms that come to visit. It is fully air conditioned and has a portable fan for cooling should you prefer to sleep without the air conditioning turned on. There is a small kitchenette area to one side, with a kettle, toaster, fridge/freezer and a microwave. Sufficient cutlery and crockery is provided here (not forgetting the all-important bottle opener and corkscrew) to prepare drinks or a light meal (eg. tea and toast) without having to revert to the adjacent kitchen. There is a 2-seater breakfast table nearby for your dining comfort, or you may choose to eat 'alfresco' out on the deck. There is a private bathroom with toilet, basin and hot water shower to the rear. This is accessed directly from the bedroom in en-suite fashion. A supply of towels is provided for guest use and a starter pack of soap, shampoo and body-gel will be supplied, along with toilet rolls. A separate door leads to the self contained kitchen. It has a 2-ring gas hob for cooking (boiling/frying) a convection oven (for baking/roasting) and a rice cooker. It is fully equipped with the necessary array of pots and pans to appease the keenest of cooks. There is also a sink with running water, storage cupboards and an area set aside for food preparation. This was purposely designed as a separate annex to the main hub, so as to keep the heat and odours of the kitchen away from the living/sleeping area. The larger than average deck fronts the full width of the property and is roofed to protect it from the elements. This provides an elevated view of the garden area and the forestry beyond. It provides a shaded outdoor living space that is protected from both the sun and the rain, which means it is usable regardless of the weather. There is a floor standing fan dedicated to this area for your comfort when you are relaxing out here. It's the perfect setting to sit and soak up the sounds that mother nature serves up. In fact, by day you will be hard pressed to hear anything but the birds and the bees, and in the evening the orchestra of grasshoppers that fill the night sky! We should mention that all fixtures and fittings (including the kitchen/bathroom) and all of the aforementioned furnishings and white goods are brand new this season. The property has a large garden space which has an array of fruit and vegetable producing plants, as well as some floral bouquets. This includes banana, tapioca and papaya trees, some Thai cucumber, lemon grass, and chilli bushes to name a few. We are even experimenting with a coffee tree! A selection of these have been included in the photo section to give you a flavour. We will be adding to the vegetation later this year by introducing some mango trees, lemon / lime bushes and some tomato plants. We will also be expanding the existing herb garden. Once these become properly established our guests will be permitted to try some of the produce (straight from the tree as they say) but restrictions will be in place in the short term to allow the plants some time to develop properly. For guests arriving by car, there is a large car port that provides dedicated parking, on one side of the garden. This provides the necessary shade for your vehicle when it's parked up. This is an extremely important feature given Thailand's tropical climate. Direct exposure to the morning sun (even for a short time) can make your car extremely hot and uncomfortable very very quickly. It may then take 10-15 minutes before your aircon can bring the cabin temperature down to a tolerable level, which prevents you from simply jumping in the car and commencing your journey. The shading doesn't completely eliminate cabin heat of course, but it does help the efficiency of your aircon and you'll be on your way much quicker. A top tip if you are hiring a car in Thailand, avoid any accommodation that does not provide on-site covered parking. There's nothing worse than walking up to your car and getting into what will feel like a furnace. Your clothes will feel like a wet suit in less than 90 seconds and you'll be headed back to your room to shower and change before you can go anywhere. And in the meantime your car will continue to heat up! It's worth mentioning that the car port also has overhead lighting, running water (a tap) and an electricity supply. Car ports in Thailand are considered to be 'outdoor garages' so tend to be built with these facilities in mind. This is perfect for guests that would like to wash or valet their car during their stay. And for those that don't have the energy, we can arrange for someone to come and clean it for you by arrangement. Guest access Guests have full use of the whole property and will not be sharing any space or amenities with other guests. Keys will be provided to both the front and rear access gates as well as the main living / kitchen areas. Guests will have complete privacy during their stay, though we are only a phone call away should they need anything. Other things to note In an effort to provide exceptional value to our guests, our homestay comes with a few extras, such as the following.... 1. Welcome Pack (Stays of 7 days+) We will provide a 'welcome pack' to ensure you have a small supply of daily essentials when you arrive at the property. So if you are desperate for a cup of coffee, a bottle of water, or perhaps you are longing for some tea and toast, or maybe you are a fruit freak, something satisfying will be on hand. This will hopefully give you time to draw a breath and relax a little, before venturing out to the village to fill the larder. Note: Guests can 'tailor' the welcome pack by prior arrangement at an added cost. This will clearly vary dependent upon individual needs. Please discuss this with us prior to completing your booking if interested. 2. Transport The beauty of our homestay lyes very much in the peace and tranquility of its village environment. The downside to this is that you don't have easy access to public transport. Hence, we are resolving this by offering guests that book our accommodation (for a minimum of 14 nights) a free loan car for the duration of their stay. We believe this is a benefit which isn't offered by many, if indeed any, Airbnb hosts in Thailand. This is a unique feature, that will not only save you a substantial sum of money (car hire costs for a week being around 10,000 baht depending on the vehicle) but it could turn an otherwise 'good' holiday into a 'really great' one! Please read the section under 'Getting Around' to learn more about this offer and the terms attached. 3. Mobile Phone We will loan our guests a mobile phone (handset + sim) connected to a local mobile phone network for the entire period of their stay with us. This negates the need for guests to purchase a sim upon arrival, or to sacrifice their home country sim to facilitate a local sim. The loaned phone will facilitate free local voice calls in-country and will be their primary source of contacting us in the event they have a problem or need some advice. Perhaps more importantly, it will include a generous data allowance, so you can enjoy internet access whilst in the property (WiFi). This also allows you to use apps on your home phone when you are on the move, by simply 'hot-spotting'. This will help avoid the risk of returning home to find an astronomical bill from your local network provider because of an inadvertent overseas network connection. This also provides guests with an invaluable tool for mapping and navigation purposes, should they wish to visit some of the local attractions on a self-drive basis. The phone will be supplied to guests completely free of charge. This is on the proviso that they do not exceed the pre-advised limit for texts and voice calls, in which case no payment is required for this service. However, in the event that these limits are exceeded, then guests will need to cover any excess charges incurred by the host (in local currency) so as to continue using the phone unhindered. In addition, guests must undertake to replace the handset in the event of loss or theft, or if any accidental damage should occur whilst it is in their custody. In proceeding to book our accommodation, guests are deemed to have accepted this undertaking. 4. Laundry At present, the homestay does not have a washing machine on site. This is a feature that we hope to add fairly soon, but it is unlikely to be available in the current season. In the past, guests that have stayed with us have not been overly concerned with 'doing laundry'. Indeed, in our experience they tend to pack with sufficient clothes and effects to 'eke it out' until the end of their vacation. So it is perhaps the last thing on their mind. However, we realise that some people like to travel light. Or perhaps they regret soiling their favourite tee-shirt (or favourite pair of jeans) so early into their holiday and have a desire to renew their wardrobe before it's time to go home. Or maybe you are country hopping and are arriving with an existing backlog of laundry that needs attention. With this in mind, we are offering guests a low cost option to have their accumulated washing laundered offsite during their stay. This would involve collecting bagged washing from the homestay and returning it freshly laundered within a 48-72 hour window. Collections would normally be once per week, but can be tailored to meet our guests specific requirements. In essence, the service would run 'by arrangement' and we would always do our best to accommodate your needs. In this respect, 'laundered' means washed and dried only. It does not extend to an ironing service. Guests should note that they do have access to an iron / ironing board on-site for pressing their own clothes