Villa Tawai is a unique two bedroom off-grid luxury eco villa nestled in the rainforested foothills of Khao Ko mountain overlooking the fishing village of Chaloklum, Koh Phangan.
Villa Tawai is a home and is only available for rent a few months each year.
Is Tawai for you?
Villa Tawai is an off grid eco villa, so attention must be paid to water and electricity use (see the 'Off Grid Living' section below). If excessive solar power or water is used then extra charges will apply for diesel to run the generator or water deliveries.
The two resident cats are fed daily by the maintenance team, but if you are allergic to or do not like cats then Villa Tawai is probably not the ideal holiday home for you.
Access to Villa Tawai involves driving up a fairly steep road. The villa also has a very steep driveway. Many people prefer to walk up the the driveway as it is not suitable for beginner bike riders or car drivers. Please see here for more details.
For safety reasons, Villa Tawai is not suitable for children under 12 years old.
Off Grid Living
Villa Tawai is 100% off grid. This means that there is a limited supply of electricity and water. To ensure that neither run out, it is essential that the following guidelines are followed:
1: Save water in the shower:
- The water heats up quickly so there is no need to run the shower and wait for the water to get hot
- Turn off the water whilst applying soap and or shampoo
2: Do not turn off the bedroom air conditioners. Instead, increase the temperature when the bedroom is not occupied. The most efficient way to use the bedroom air conditioners is to always leave them running between 27 and 29 degrees when unoccupied. A temperature range of 25 to 29 degrees is recommended when the rooms are occupied.
3: Avoid using the oven and / or washing machine on rainy or cloudy days (or in the evening after). Local laundry services are cheap and reliable.
4: Only flush human waste. The waste water treatment system ends with the waste leaching into the ground in the surrounding forest. It is therefore essential that the following items are NEVER flushed down the toilet. Please use the bins provided for the following:
- Toilet paper
- Female sanitary products
- Bleach or 'blue toilet water' tablets
- Anything else that does not come out of your body
5: Be mindful of leaving high power devices on by accident to avoid draining the solar batteries. Examples of high power devices are:
- Oven
- Washing machine
- LKD (Living Kitchen Diner) air conditioner
6: Save water in the kitchen by:
- Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need. An over-filled kettle takes much longer to heat up which wastes both water and gas
- Use the dishwasher instead of washing up by hand. Washing up by hand uses more water
Finally, please do not use these:
Any abrasive sponge or pad will damage the white quartz kitchen work surface. They will also damage cutlery, taps (faucets) and other surfaces. Please do not use them anywhere in the villa.
Villa Tawai from the air
What makes Tawai an eco villa?
Green Electricity
Villa Tawai is not connected to the grid electricity supply. Instead, the villa is fitted with a state of the art solar system controlled by a custom smart home solution. The system has the capacity to run the villa for up to 48 hours without sun, but should the batteries ever go flat, a 3-phase generator provides sufficient backup power. The generator is rarely necessary outside of monsoon season.
Sustainable Water
Villa Tawai does not use ground water, as in the long term the island's underground water supply cannot support the number of villas and swimming pools that have been built over recent years. Instead, Villa Tawai has a large-scale rainwater collection system capable of collecting and storing over 100 tonnes of rainwater. The water is filtered through two settling tanks and a sand filter before being supplied to the villa. In addition, to save plastic bottle use, Villa Tawai also has a drinking water tap in the kitchen where the water has been further filtered through a particle filter, carbon filter and finally a UV filter.
Waste Managment
Villa Tawai does not pump black and grey water into local rivers or the sea. Instead, modern cesspit tanks are used in combination with traditional Thai leach tanks so that the nutrients contained in the villa's waste soak into the forest's soil without creating unpleasant odours. Villa Tawai also has a grease trap fitted to the kitchen sink waste disposal to ensure the optimal functioning of the leach tanks and to protect the biome in the cesspit tanks.
Insulation
Villa Tawai is constructed with insulated double-skin walls. This provides both heat insulation and a good degree of sound insulation.
Saving Trees
Villa Tawai was built was built around the surrounding rainforest with minimal disruption. Only two, small, non-native trees were cut down to make space. Re-wilding is taking place in areas where the subsoil has been exposed by applying coconut husk mulch and planting out.
Wildlife
Villa Tawai is surrounded by rainforest. Nature lovers may get opportunity to see:
Macaques, Slow Loris, Giant Black Squirrel, Grey Squirrel, Large Birds of Prey circling over the village
Warning: Beware! You may also encounter snakes, centipedes and mosquitoes