With beach-front land in Hua Hin being scarce, hoarded by many speculators, buyers today need to travel a bit farther out to secure unspoilt beach front.

In Pran Buri, about 30 kilometres from Hua Hin town, Supharat Development has found such a site for its seaside villa project.

The company's managing director, Sumeth Sukapanpotharam, said the estate offers some of the best resort residences in this relatively pristine part of Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

"There are many reasons why local and foreign buyers will want to consider buying our project. Among them is the short distance from Bangkok. It takes under three hours by car. Other plusses are a pristine environment that is unpolluted. The beach is clean and peaceful. Our neighbours are also reputable hotels."

One of the more famous hotels nearby is the Evason property, with rooms that go for several hundred dollars a night.

Called Pran-A-Luxe, Sumeth's project contains 43 superbly designed villas with built-up spaces ranging from 174 to 680 square metres.

Harvard-trained Sumeth, who has an architectural degree in urban design, emphasised that his company has not compromised on delivering unique forms and shapes, with curved roofs, large windows and sturdy materials that will go to make the homes excellent investments.

The entry price to Pran A Luxe starts with its smallest bungalow with two bedrooms and three bathrooms, which costs Bt7.6 million. The units are furnished but exclude loose furniture. Everything else, from air-conditioners to kitchens, are fitted.

"All the buyers have to do is walk in with their bags," he said.

For those seeking more exclusive beachfront homes, Pran-A-Luxe offers five prime spots near its clubhouse.

These five homes provide luxurious living at the estate's 30-metre beachfront. All these large houses contain 680 square metres of built-up space.

They are all 4-bedroom, 5-bathroom units and they sell for about Bt20 million each.

The clubhouse will include a 27-metre lap pool as well as fitness room, sauna and Jacuzzis.

Pran Buri is a more "appropriate" seaside getaway than Pattaya, said Sumeth, as the latter has degenerated in recent years to become an exceedingly congested place.

Some parts of Pattaya are terribly overbuilt and shockingly filthy, with rats roaming the prime Beach road area, he said.

Pran Buri suffers none of these pitfalls. The unsavoury type of tourists, touts and rowdy migrant workers who give Pattaya such a nasty image are absent here.

 "In Pran Buri, one can really relax," said Sumeth. Buyers can avoid being stressed out, which is not the case in Pattaya. with its crowds, noise and traffic jams.

Pran Buri remains a clean community because villagers and residents respect nature and the need to protect it, Sumeth said.

When questionable authorities tried to construct a power plant some years ago, the locals were smart enough not to believe their claims that the project would not hurt the environment.

Greed and corruption, so prevalent in urban areas, hold little currency for southerners such as those living in Prachuap. To them the value of natural resources far outweigh avaricious ambitions by shady operators who sometimes resorted to coercion to get their way, Suthep said.

Tourism projects, as long as they respect the land and its people, continued to be welcomed in this area, he said.

Itthi C Tan

The Nation