Gecko Villa offers guests the chance to experience traditional rural life in the rice-farming heartlands of Northeast Thailand, yet in comfort and style. The villages of Isan are rarely visited by tourists and offer a marked contrast to developed tourism destinations. As a standalone property, Gecko Villa offers visitors the possibility of integrating themselves into the local community via a Thai host family, whilst the impact of tourism is minimized by the deliberately small size of the property.

Guests may participate in traditional activities, such as working in the rice paddies or sugar cane plantations, or may learn how to prepare local Isan specialities and more typical Thai dishes - identifying and collecting produce in the organic gardens and then following the cooking through to the finished dishes. Guests may also particpate in local festivals and celebrations, or in the daily rituals of village life. Trips may be arranged to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ban Chiang, to local silk and khit weaving villages, to prehistoric landmarks and to the listed wetlands nearby.

The villa has three bedrooms, a spacious living and dining room, wooden decking and a large, private, salt-water swimming pool. It stands on extensive grounds surrounded by rice fields, plantations, grazing grounds, orchards and gardens. Nearby are a forest temple, three typical small villages, local markets and village schools. Stays are fully catered with all meals freshly prepared by a local family.

All revenues are distributed within the local community, all employees are from the immediate neighbourhood, and the majority of produce and services at the property are sourced locally.

Gecko Villa - http://www.geckovilla.com