In 2008 we began to look for a vacation home that was not on the other side of the world. Once again we took to the internet in search of affordable locations in Southeast Asia, reasoning that having a 'holiday home" that we could  travel to numerous times a year would make more sense than the cost of resort stays. In February, Dale spotted some architectural renderings of a place called The Beach Village, located on Dolphin Bay, about an hour south of Hua Hin and 4 hours south of Bangkok. At the time we contacted the sales agent in Hua Hin, there were three blocs (A, B, and C) with each having 7 units (3 doubles and 4 singles) around a common pool. At the time Dale spoke with the agent there were numerous units unsold, and the price was about as much as a mid-sized sedan. Feeling no sense of urgency, Dale went off on the Singapore American School Interim Trip, sailing the Andaman Sea.  When he returned a week later, a quick check of the website revealed there was one unit left. A mad dash to the airport ensured, and we flew to Bangkok and took a taxi to the agent's office in Hua Hin. In the photo to the left a somewhat skeptical Tracy points to advertisements for the units. She was definitely not impressed with the artist's rendering, which to be fair, was underwhelming. Still, it is better to be lucky than good, and we had already purchased a house in Mexico that we loved over the internet without having ever viewed it. So what is there to lose? Her skepticism melted away when the agent took us to the top of the Sam Roi Yod beach, and we realized it might be possible to own a house in such an idyllic spot. When she saw the view in the photo to the right, she exclaimed she was willing to look at anything that gave us this view.


On our trip we met the architect and builder, Maurice de Jong, and discussed the particulars of construction at Lealawadee Restaurant and resort, which he was also managing at the time. Satisfied with what we heard, we toured the site and saw the first rudimentary outline of the townhouse that was to become ours. The photo to the left shows the arched entryway to A bloc, with the empty pool visible in the right hand corner. Our unit is located directly behind the only palm tree on any of the decks, so we get additional shade! The photo to the right shows the back half of the bloc, including a larger view of the pool and a view of the coconut grove that provides a scenic background when lounging by the pool.

We purchased the unit "off plan," real estate speak for buying before the townhouse was built. Indeed, there was not much in the way of a resort when we sat down and signed the papers. Compare the view to the left to the virtual tour or video below--the road that now leads to the check-in and the restaurant had not even been started. At this point there were only three blocs, and all were under construction. The photo to the right shows the early stages of construction on the bathroom. At this it was a little difficult to envision the final product. By the time we returned to school in August the interior was finished. finished living room and we began to shop around for furniture, spending the stipend Dale earned teaching summer school. The photo to the bottom right shows our very first purchase, a palm tree lamp shown to the left, forlornly sitting in the finished living room along with a lamp and wardrobe destined for the bedroom. On a later trip to Vietnam we picked artwork to decorate the living and bedroom areas, and the house began to look like a home.







All was not ideal in those early days. Our first four or five trips were disappointing as the unit was not finished, despite the developer's assurances. Rolling with the punches, we spent some quality nights at the nearby Evason hotel (shown in the photo to the left) as we awaited the unit's completion. Once completed, the place still ran on generator power as further development was hit by the 2008 recession. Still, we stuck through the lean times of intermittent power and dirty pools, and now (three resort owners later) we have the benefit of a resort with full amenties, and neighbors from around the globe we look forward to seeing every winter. The photo to the right shows the finished product. We have been vacationing there 5 or 6 times a year for the last ten years, and it has proven to be a wonderful holiday home.





Virtual Reality Tour for VR Headsets:

There is also a version of this tour designed specifically for VR headsets such as Google Cardboard, and it works with both iPhones and Android devices. It may be access by scanning on the QR code to the left. If you are viewing this site on a mobile phone, you may access the VR tour by following this link.

For iOS devices: scan QR code with your device's camera app, tap on the prompt to open Safari. Select "Allow Device Motion" and the next prompt, "Allow Access to Motion Orientation." Turn the device to landscape mode and a split screen will appear. When the screen turns white, swipe up for fullscreen mode, and place in headset. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]

For Android devices: Open the camera app and use the built-in scanner to scan the QR code above. Confirm that you want to open the website, and wait for it to load--it should load in stereo view. Select the fullscreen ("X" option) from the menu at the bottom. Turn the device to landscape mode and you are ready to go. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]


If you would like to see more of the Beach Village Resort, follow this link.