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Villa For Sale
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"You pay fifteen million baht to look at the sea on this island. I'd rather keep that money in my pocket and drive the two minutes to the beach. "Colin Mackay, of Asia Island Homes, speaking in reference to his villa for sale in the Surin Springs Estates, which is just around the corner from Surin and Bangtao beaches, an area which is definitely booming. " |
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"Surin park is going to be renovated, possibly restored to the fine pitch and putt that it once was, back when the King golfed there, and two new resorts are under construction. A five-star and a four-star, which will bring more restaurants to this area already home to more than its fair share of Phuket's finer global cuisine. "For sport and jogging, the Bangtao area is really very good, "says Mackay, "and it's not sleazy up here. " Surin Springs Estates was MacKay's second project, following the nearby Baan Chai Naam. He built it, in large part because he needed an office and a place to stay. Three years ago, the cost of purchasing land here was only a million baht per rai, as opposed to about 2. 5 million today and the price was right. Asia Island Homes bought the swamp land, dug a lake, and filled around the shore. In the process they hit a vital ingredient for a development, fresh water springs. Around their spring-fed lake, they built eight villas, all of which sold quickly. Each plot is just under a rai and the villas are 300-350 square metres, all with their own swimming pools. Each was individually designed, each with its own, unique character. Swedish, Japanese, Malaysian, and in MacKay's case, African/Philipino, but they all have a tropical slant. It's turned into quite a nice little community, he says, with good people. All owners commonly control the company that they lease the land from. Phuket Island Properties Services, "the best on the island, by a long shot, "manage the properties at cost on the condition that they receive the revenue generated from rentals.
It's amazing how quickly, in Phuket, you can go from developed, resort areas, to farmland, the countryside of yesteryear. In the early days of Surin Springs Estates, Mackay had problems with the water buffalo from the neighbouring farmland wandering into the development, but he's since remedied this by planting trees and bamboo along a fence. More growth looms on the immediate horizon, as a road is being built through the farmland, which is prompting him to plant yet more trees to preserve the villa's privacy. In normal years, the lake spills over its containment damn, giving it an infinity-edge, but last year's drought and the lowering of Phuket's water table as a result of wide-spread development, has shrunk the lake to almost a third of its former size. Recently, Mackay dug an artesian well so as to avoid further strain on the natural springs. With the more typical rainfall of the past month, it seems certain that the lake will be back to normal quite soon. You can actually swim in the lake when it's full and Mackay used to train for triathlons here. He even built his own beach along the shore, but it has since filled in with mud and grass has taken root.
Mr. Mackay has constructed a sala between his swimming pool and the lake. Thai triangle cushions lounge about the floor, inviting one to chill out with a book and a cold beer, enjoying the cool breezes from the sea. The sala can also be used for much less tranquil pursuits. He enjoys live salsa bands here for parties. This is an excellent house for entertaining, with its open spaces, allowing the living areas to spill out into the garden, the pool lapping at the edge of the dining area. Pool parties here must be awesome; one could practically use the dining room table as a diving board! Water and air are the major elements at work here-the entrance is set midway between the first and second floors. As you walk in, you are flanked by cascading pools lined with potted plants. The floor downstairs is black slate, the kitchen area is all black and stainless steel and the support columns have a grey stone veneer. The effect is very cool, in terms of both temperature and style. The floor-to-ceiling windows and doors all open up and the breeze is ubiquitous, miraculously fresh enough to keep the mosquitoes at bay.
Downstairs, two bedrooms share an outdoor bathroom, which is really a marvel. Completely private, protected by tall cement walls, the commode, shower and free-standing bathtub are all in the open air, creating a real sense of freedom, of incredible space. The third downstairs bedroom uses a more traditional bath, though the outer wall of the shower's stall is a wooden, vine-covered portcullis. This floor is also home to the entertainment palace, a room that is easily shut off and air-conditioned, with plush couches fronting a massive home theatre television. Unlike some home theatres, one could be equally comfortable relaxing and talking with friends here as watching a movie. Follow the winding staircase to the second floor, domain of the master bedroom. The ceiling above the stairway and entrance hall is a wide cone shape, covered in faux thatch, imparting a primitiveness, a reminder of the latitude we inhabit. The style of the house is not really Thai, rather more Kenyan, MacKay's birthplace, South African and Philipino. The master bedroom is a palace, spacious, elegant, sexy, with walls of glass doors and mirrored closet space. The doors open to a balcony overlooking the lake, the buffalo field and the lush jungle beyond. The bathroom is built against a corner and can be accessed from entrances on either wall. It, too, is generously apportioned, featuring a raised jacuzzi seemingly extending beyond the confines of the property.
There is a real flow about the design of the entire house, the way the pool curves round to kiss the dining room, the curves of the entranceway, the fact that all the walls open to the breeze and that there are few walls to impede movement. The final design quality, which sets this villa apart from so many, is the amount of built-in storage space. The bathrooms are full of cabinets and cupboards, the bedrooms have large closets and there is a storage room for keeping mountain bikes, golf clubs, hiking boots, gardening tools and supplies situated off the car port. I asked Mackay if the recent war in Iraq or the SARS scare have negatively impacted Phuket's property market and was surprised to learn that the opposite is true. "This is a great time for selling. It seems no matter what happens, the Asian crisis, the World Trade Bombing, now SARS, the market here keeps going up. It's been bullish through all that, imagine what happens when things get back to normal. "In fact, he says, over the past few weeks, they've been seeing more buyers than ever. His villa is on the market now for twenty-four million baht. It will offer a seven percent yield if purchased solely for investment. Currently, Mackay is working on a new home nearby and is in the process of winding down his business dealings. He is looking forward to spending more time writing and relaxing. "Building houses is my hobby-to get them right you've got to move in, though. I'd be quite happy to move into places for one year, then move on. " Which is pretty much what he is doing. He really has created a masterpiece, here on the range, where the buffalo roam.
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Tropical Living: June 2003, Volume 3 Issue 1 |
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