Pimann Buri Pool Villas Ao Nang Krabi

The Pimann Buri Pool Villas experience begins at Krabi Airport (or the pier or bus terminal, depending on where guests are coming from). Hotel drivers pick up arriving guests and shuttle them to the property, where another staff member leads guests to one of eight gated pool villas. Sheltered by hedges, the modern, spacious, and full-kitchen-equipped villas are meant to feel like mini worlds unto themselves. The overwhelming consensus is that they succeed, with past guests often describing them as a "home away from home." Outside of the villa walls, there is very little scene to speak of. A casual all-day restaurant is the only real common area, as guests are either holed up in their villas or off on Krabi excursions. One-bedroom villas are popular with couples and honeymooners, while the two- and three-bedroom options make sense for families and friend reunion groups. All villas are luxurious, but what really earns Pimann Buri distinction in Ao Nang's saturated hotel market is its extraordinary level of service. In addition to airport pick-ups, the hotel serves customized breakfasts in the villas and offers on-demand chauffeur service -- handy, considering the hotel's suburban location nearly an hour's walk from the beach. Genuinely kind and helpful staff members go out of their way to accommodate guest requests. Though the beautiful villas are large, private, and tidy to a T, it's the hospitality that makes guests return year after year, or at least dream about it.

Pimann Buri Pool Villas is located in a suburban area between Ao Nang Beach and Krabi Town. Guests would probably be bored by the location, were it not for the hotel's free shuttle service to the beach and back. The hotel is off of a rural backroad with no sidewalks and little else around besides other resorts and a few houses. Should guests want to walk to the commercial heart of Ao Nang and the beach, it would take nearly an hour's walk along the highway. To this end, the hotel's on-demand chauffeur service is its saving grace. By hotel van, the trip to the beach takes 10 minutes. The hotel is a 25-minute drive from the airport. 

Pimann Buri's eight units are all luxurious villas with full kitchens, living rooms, and garden pools enclosed by greenery. Villas have either one, two, or three bedrooms. All have white tile and glossy cherrywood floors, and a subdued color scheme of lavender, gray, and cream. Kitchens are fully equipped with modern appliances, including a full-size refrigerator and stovetop, plus a full set of cooking and dining utensils. Drinking water, coffee, tea, and minibar snacks, like Pringles and nuts, are all free, and wine and other alcohol are available for a fee. Living rooms have sectional sofas, cushioned wicker armchairs, and flat-screen LED TVs with satellite channels and DVD players. Safes are free to use. Peek-a-boo bathrooms have separate showers and soaking tubs, and toiletries, hairdryers, bathrobes, and slippers are all provided. There are also outdoor showers by the pool.One-bedroom villas clock in at 1,185 square feet, and feature a king-size bed in the bedroom. The two-bedroom configuration adds nearly 300 square foot of space; their master bedroom has a king-sized bed, while the second bedroom has either two twins or one queen. Kitchens at this level and up have microwaves, toasters, and coffeemakers (one-bedrooms have electric kettles for coffee and tea). Three-bedroom villas are 2,142 square feet, with a king bed in the master bedroom and a queen and two twins in the second and third bedrooms. The top (and most popular) category is the 2,605-square-foot Deluxe Three Bedroom Villa, which has three and a half bathrooms and a bigger swimming pool with gushing fountains.Wi-Fi is free in all of the villas.

The only real common area to speak of is A.ska.ra Bistro, the hotel's casual all-day restaurant. Guests can opt to have their free breakfast in the restaurant, but most prefer to have it served in their villas. The hotel calls the night before to inquire about what guests want for breakfast and what time they want it delivered. The restaurant delivers the requested meal at the requested time, along with pastry and fruit platters (sliced watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe), toast, and juices. Pimann Buri will provide room service throughout the day (other meals cost a fee), and will arrange private in-villa dinners for couples or groups or private cooking classes on guests' pool decks, for a fee.Besides the restaurant, the only other public spaces are a bar area with a pool table and board games (last order in the restaurant is 9:30 p.m., but the bar stays open until midnight) and a tiny fitness center. There is no spa on-site, but the hotel will provide free transport to and from Boossabakorn Spa, a massage center closer to town. More importantly, Pimann Buri provides free pick-up service from Krabi Airport, the pier, or the bus terminal, as well as free on-demand shuttle service to the beach and back. Guests who want to get out on their own can rent cars or motorbikes through the hotel or borrow one of its mountain bikes for free. The hotel will also arrange custom-build tour itineraries for guests based on what they want to do and see in Krabi. Paid laundry and dry-cleaning service is available. Wi-Fi is free throughout Pimann Buri.