As you stroll around the grounds at Gecko Villa, keep an eye open for the brown, fat, cucumber-shaped fruit of the climbing loofah vine. If you pick one of these, then crack it open and peel back the dry, woody skin, you will quite readily be able to extract the internal sponge - a natural, sustainable, eco-friendly garden spa product!

Hold it upright to shake out the seeds to encourage further growth, then use the loofah in the shower or bathroom, or in the kitchen. As a natural sponge, when soaked in water and frothed up with soap, the loofah from the garden and grounds of Gecko Villa acts as a perfect exfoliant. 

If you'd like to take one home, soak it, flatten it and dry it in the sun. When you get back home after your holiday in Thailand, simply quench the sponge's memory with a good soak in water, and it  will puff back up to its original shape.

These fruit are in fact edible when harvested early in the season when they are still green, and you may here them referred to as Chinese Okra.

The local wetlands near Gecko Villa are almost completely hidden from view by the dense vegetation that grows around their peripheries, where tall elephant grass sprouts whispy white flowers.

Venturing out into the vast expanse of lake on a traditional wooden boat, you are rapidly transported into another world: the absolute tranquility is broken only by the lapping of the water, the daring darting of birds and flitting of waterfowl - and a magical pink carpet of lotus flowers unfurls before you.

The best time to visit this extraordinary spectacle is in December to March, with early risers the most rewarded. Book Gecko Villa early in these months and do set aside time for this boat trip!

Visit Gecko Villa for more details on Thai birding in Northeast Thailand.

Holidaymakers who choose a villa over a resort or hotel are, according to one survey, "well-off, well-educated, and they travel – a lot. Nine in 10 take at least four leisure trips a year". Over the years, guests at Gecko Villa have given us a variety of reasons as to why they  prefer a holiday villa over a hotel vacation:

• Authenticity. We want to experience Thailand as and with the locals, not from behind a screen. One of Thailand's major charms for us is the Thais themselves; we could  never have  got to know them  by following the herd. Gecko Villa hits the "authentic button" square on!
• You offer something unique. Previously, we have always stayed in hotels as I want my husband to give me a break from washing and cooking. But at Gecko Villa you do all this for us at no additional cost, so we get the best of both worlds...
• We like the concept of responsible travel. We'd rather the money we spend go directly to help the local community, rather than into a multinational. Visiting the school and being able to help the children directly was one of the highlights of our trip.
• Luxury is -  space.  Holiday villas offer ample space even when compared to the largest of hotel suites, and we want room to relax.
• Three is not a crowd at a vacation villa. With several bedrooms and bathrooms, we get to spread out and relax when traveling with friends and family. At the same time these holidays allow us a rare opportunity to reconnect.
•  We're foodies. As traveling gourmets, we want access to our own fully equipped kitchen so we can experiment with unusual fresh ingredients from the local markets. And when we saw fresh coffee, fresh fruit, and a host of other goodies in the refrigerator, we immediately felt at home!
•  We hate packing. Having access to our own washing machine (or in Gecko Villa's case enjoying your free laundry service) means we can pack less and do not get charged extortionately to stay clean. Hotels often charge more to launder a shirt than it cost in the first place!
•  We come and go as we please. Vacation rentals used to insist on a week long stay, but not any more.  We can travel as we please and perhaps stay only two or three nights, even over festive periods, and we hate the idea of hotels'  "compulsory" festive dinners!
•  Value for money is important. Your villa is spacious, has a private pool, full kitchens, three bedrooms, and you offer  free transfers and all meals and drinks. We just did the maths!
•  We value privacy. We don't want to risk noisy neighbours and wanted somewhere quiet we could call our own.
•  Travel should be an experience. Villas embrace the local culture, whereas hotels offer homogeneity. We want to meet the locals, not tourists!
•  We can bring our pet!

We were delighted to be selected by Thai Airways' inflight magazine as one of the Top 10 Green Destinations in the world, in the July 09 edition of Sawasdee magazine.

Gecko Villa, near Udon Thani in northeast Thailand, was praised for being a "perfect antidote to hotel holidays" and for the distribution of revenues amongst the local villagers participating in the villa project.

Other winners included The Serena Serengeti Lodge in Tanzania, the Hotel Budir in Iceland, and La Residence Phou Vao in Luang Prabang in Laos. This last property is now accessible from Gecko Villa via three weekly flights connecting Luang Prabang and Udon Thani on Lao Airlines.

The BBC film crew stayed at Gecko Villa during the filming of the "Rice" episode of the Channel 4 series "Blood, Sweat and Takeaways."

Gecko Villa became part catering facility, part translation house and fixer, and accommodation provider to a rotating crew, who were either working or relaxing at the villa or out in the field filming.

The house rented by the British particpants in this reality TV documentary was located in a nearby village, and the rice paddies in which they were set to work were also in close proximity to  the villa.

Whilst viewers were entertained by the sight of a somewhat fractious group of young UK visitors trying to eke out a living in the rice paddies of Isaan, the local villagers found it a hoot to watch the tears and tantrums of large foreigners unable to work in the paddies, terrified of unseen spiders, complaining about the hot sun under which "farang" would normally sunbathe (whilst the Thais will cover up to avoid darkening the skin), or to keep up with their Thai counterparts. Only one of the participants earned their respect, throwing himself wholeheartedly into ensuring that the work required of them was completed whilst facing any hardship with a "stiff upper lip" attitude that the programme would seem to suggest has disappeared from English culture.

Yet the local villagers were also impressed that a reputed overseas news channel should deem their small rice farming village of interest to their international viewers, and thoroughly enjoyed watching themsleves in the programme on a DVD kindly sent to Gecko Villa by the production house, Ricochet.