Sumali Villa Sing Buri — A French-Owned Villa with a Garden Pool by Wat Phra Non Chakrasi
Drive through Sing Buri and you'd be forgiven for assuming the whole province offers nothing but plain shophouse hotels — but there's something different tucked away in Chakrasi sub-district. Sumali Villa is a large two-storey house run by a French owner named Philippe, who split the home into a handful of guest rooms, each named after a flower. What guests mention again and again is the freeform garden pool that's genuinely well kept and the landscaped garden that feels more like a holiday home than a guest house. One thing to flag up front: it takes cash only and breakfast is charged separately — worth knowing before you arrive. But for a quiet garden stay in a small upcountry town, this is a different world from the roadside hotels.
Sumali Villa isn't a hotel block — it's a large two-storey house that a French owner built in Chakrasi sub-district, Mueang Sing Buri, and divided into a handful of guest rooms. Each room takes the name of a flower — Lupin, Lis, Laurier, Rose — and runs to around 25 sqm with a private balcony, a lounge corner with a sofa, and a flat-screen TV with a DVD player, plus a fridge and minibar. The detail guests bring up most is the bedding: Frette Italian linens over a pillowtop mattress, which you don't often find at this price in this part of the country.
The house sits in a garden the owner clearly tends himself, the way you'd look after a back yard. A curved outdoor swimming pool runs across the front, clear water and tiled edges, ringed by clipped shrubs and palms. One corner of the garden has a carved sandstone Thai-Khmer relief panel with a small lotus pond and ceramic jars set out as decoration — the sort of touch that tips the place from guest house toward holiday villa. Guests say the same thing repeatedly: a morning coffee by the pool here is quiet enough that you forget you're in the middle of Sing Buri.
"We stayed two nights at Sumali Villa as a couple, stopping off on a drive north, not expecting much from a town that is not on the usual tourist trail. By the time we left we both agreed it was one of the best unplanned stops we have made in Thailand. The property is a proper two-storey house set in a garden that its owner clearly tends with care — trimmed shrubs, palms, ceramic jars arranged along the walls, a small lotus pond, and a carved sandstone relief panel that you could easily spend half an hour studying. Right at the front of the house sits a curved outdoor pool with clear blue water. We got in just after eight on our first morning and had it entirely to ourselves. Quiet enough to hear birds. A cup of fresh coffee was waiting on the pool terrace when we got out. That alone would make us come back. The room we had was Lis, around 25 square metres, with a private balcony, a sofa corner, a flat-screen TV with a DVD player, a fridge, and bedding that turned out to be Frette Italian linen over a pillowtop mattress. For around 1,250 baht a night that is genuinely surprising. The owner, Philippe, is French and runs the place himself with a small team. He speaks good English, greets you personally, and brews real coffee in the morning, which he brings out to the pool terrace — not something you find at a roadside hotel. Bicycles are available to borrow and we rode them to Wat Phra Non Chakrasi Worawihan, a five-minute pedal away, to see the large reclining Buddha. The area around Chakrasi is quiet with almost no traffic and the evening ride between the local temples was one of the more enjoyable parts of the whole trip. The second morning we were up early again, back at the pool before anyone else, and it struck me that the garden at that hour — with the light just coming up and the birds making noise in the trees — was the kind of calm that you normally have to pay a lot more for. A few things worth noting honestly: the property takes cash only, no cards at all, so withdraw enough before you arrive. We nearly came unstuck on this because there was no ATM within easy walking distance of the villa, though the town centre is only about two kilometres away. Breakfast is à la carte and charged separately at around 270 baht per person — decent enough though the choice is not extensive. The room curtains are on the thin side and morning light comes through early, so bring an eye mask if you sleep late. The Wi-Fi is free but patchy; we managed light browsing and messaging without trouble but anything bandwidth-heavy needed the mobile data connection, so factor that in if you need to work remotely. Some rooms apparently differ from others in terms of what is provided — we had tea and coffee supplies in the room but a friend who stayed a different time in a different room did not. None of these are reasons to avoid coming, but they are worth knowing in advance so nothing catches you off guard. We would stay again without hesitation — Sumali Villa is a quiet garden stay in a small Thai town done properly, at a price that makes the whole thing feel like a real find rather than a compromise."
The atmosphere and the welcome are what reviews praise most. The French owner and his small team look after guests personally, and families get the run of the place — there are bicycles to borrow, babysitting on request, and activities laid on for children. The communal areas include a small bar and a coffee shop, and there's a fitness room if you want to keep moving. If you'd rather grill your own dinner by the pool, BBQ facilities are available for an extra charge. The overall feel is quiet and private, suited to people who actually came to switch off rather than to find a scene.
Sumali Villa sits in Chakrasi, just outside the town centre of Sing Buri. It's a short walk to the Sing Buri Buddhist Monument around 330 metres away, and to Wat Phra Non Chakrasi Worawihan, home to a large reclining Buddha, about 500 metres on. The Chao Phraya River and Wat Pikul Thong are both a 5-minute drive, the Bang Rachan war-hero camp is roughly 20 minutes, and Wat Ampawan — popular for meditation retreats — is about 13 km away. There's also a free shuttle from Sing Buri bus station, around 2 km from the property.
The score sits at 8.3/10 on Trip.com and 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor, which ranks it the number one villa in Sing Buri. The garden, the pool, and the welcome consistently rate highest. The honest part: there are repeat complaints worth knowing — Wi-Fi that isn't reliable, thin curtains that let in early morning light, and room amenities that aren't identical across the house. Some rooms come without the tea and coffee kit, robes, or slippers that a few guests expected. Better to know before you book than to be surprised on arrival.
The point to underline is that this place takes cash only — no cards — so bring enough with you. Breakfast is an à la carte Asian spread charged separately at around 270 baht per person, and a few guests note the choice is limited. Bottled water in the room is sometimes charged at a few baht a bottle too. None of this is a dealbreaker, but knowing it in advance makes budgeting the stay a lot easier.
The bottom line: Sumali Villa works best for anyone after a quiet garden stay in Sing Buri rather than a roadside hotel — a pool in the garden, well-furnished rooms, quality linens, and an owner who runs the place like you're staying with a friend. At roughly ฿1,150/night it's good value for the atmosphere you get. But if you need strong working Wi-Fi, the ability to pay by card, or the full amenity list of a chain hotel, this may not match what you're picturing — you have to be comfortable with a private home first.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Garden pool genuinely attractive and well maintained
- ✓ French owner welcoming and hands-on
- ✓ Spacious, well-furnished rooms with Frette linens and soft beds
- ✓ Quiet and private — good for switching off
- ! Cash only — no card payment
- ! Wi-Fi not reliable
- ! Breakfast charged separately and limited in choice
- ✓ Landscaped garden that feels like a holiday villa
- ✓ Quiet, private setting that suits families
- ✓ Bicycles to borrow, babysitting and children's activities
- ✓ Walkable to Wat Phra Non Chakrasi and the Buddhist Monument
- ! Thin curtains let in early morning light
- ! Amenities differ between rooms (some lack tea/coffee kit or robes)
- ! Only a few rooms — book ahead on holidays
- 💡If you're staying here — bring enough cash, because the villa takes cash only and does not accept cards → withdraw from an ATM in Sing Buri town before you arrive to save the hassle
- 💡If you sleep in and dislike early light — the room curtains are fairly thin and morning light gets through → pack an eye mask, or ask for a room that doesn't face the morning sun when booking
- 💡If you need working Wi-Fi — the signal is unreliable by several guest accounts → for online meetings or heavy uploads, bring a mobile data backup to be safe