Latest Reviews for Koh Samui

Just returned from 2 weeks at Tongsai Bay, Ko Samui and would recommend if you are looking for a quiet holiday in a nice location.

1) Hotel set on hill side in private bay - so may not be ideal for elderly/infirm or small children as numerous steps. However the views are great from the higher suites and there are golf buggies to taxi you around some of resort. We stayed in suite 305 - 80 steps from suite to road then another 100 to pool!

2) Restaurants are great - huge selection of food, reasonably priced, excellent service, great locations within resort so lovely views. Chef Choms serves a buffett breakfast which has a large and varied selection with lovely views.

3) Peaceful resort - not much evening entertainment (suited us!) but if you want more Chaweng is only about 10 mins away by taxi. This resort is mainly about relaxation and quiet.

4) Pools are great - main pool just off beach with an adults only half moon bar further up the hill. The hotel is set on its own private bay so no beach hawkers etc. Sand is not the powder type - bit more coarse and the sea can be quiet rough, however they do provide life vests for children to use in the sea so they are safe and there are always a minimum of 3 life guards on duty.

5) Rooms - we had a cottage suite. Its was a good size open plan arrangement with the living area separated from the bedroom area by a split level. Large bathroom. A/C, fan, hairdryer, tv, cd/dvd, fridge etc. Large balcony with good views over bay.

Overall this is a lovely resort with excellent service standards, everyone is really friendly and keen to make your stay as good as possible. For those looking to go someway to offset any carbon footprint from a long flight, the hotel is big on being as environmentally friendly as possible and more about this can be read on their web site.

We returned to the hotel for the third time in four years and were pleased to find that nothing had changed, (The hotel was previously part of the Le Meriden Group and had left the group 1 week earlier).
The staff are more than helpful but not intrusive - only concerned with making your holiday a wonderful experience.
Three restaurants are available but due to the hotel only been 50% occupied only two were open - not a problem! The Promenade by the beach is a super way to spend an evening - good food, by the beach, listening to the sea, the Lom Talay which is set in the 'main' part of the hotel overlooking the sea is also wonderful. There is a wide choice, both Thai and European, all served beautifuly and worth working through the menu!
The Verandah bar also looksout to sea and is a wonderful place to watch the sun set, there is a 'Happy Hour' between 6.30 and 7.30p.m. so do take advantage, well worth it for the photos.
There are two main pools, one by the beach and one on the hillside and plenty of others dotted around the grounds - never a problem finding a bed and a brolly, towels, iced water and fruit kebabs are given out on a regular basis.
We were in a deluxe room in the main building which has fabulous views,
plenty of room and all the facilities you need to enjoy your stay. Last year we had a villa which was fab but you do need to be fit as the hotel is on the hillside and depending where your are there is some 'climbing' to be done and plenty of steps! (There are golf buggies around if you don't want to walk)
There is not much outside the hotel grounds within walking distance but the hotel provides daily shuttle buses to Nathon and Chaweng. Nathon is not as commercial as Chaweng but worth a look. Chaweng gets busier and noisier each year but has some great places to eat and shop so is worth at least one visit.
Once again we had a wonderful time and look forward to returing soon.

This hotel is fabulous. We flew with Thai Airways. Best airline we have ever flown with! We were originally booked into the Central Samui and are pleased that the agents moved us. We were in a premier room, huge, beautiful bathroom and showers!

Staff couldn't do enough for you, always rushing to put umbrella's up and coming to take an order for drinks and food. We didn't eat in the hotel restaurant much as it was expensive. We found the restaurants on the beach were so cheap. Wine in Thailand is good too (not like visiting Europe). We were paying about £15 (including drinks) with loads of food.

There is a large hut by the pool and beach attached to the hotel for massages. They cost about £4 for an hour so we were having one a day! Heaven!

It rained for 1 whole day and a couple of mornings but apart from that the weather was excellent! Didn't think much of Chaweng during the day but we did find some nice restaurants in the evening. Shopping there was dull - same old shops -fake t-shirts and handbags but nevertheless came home with some!!!

Great time of year to go too as the hotel was only a third full - so not rushing to put towels on the beds etc.... Would love to go back someday.

Oh - and don't dress up, no need.

Firstly I must say that Thailand really is the land of smiles, the people are beautiful and cannot do enough for you they are always polite and never agressive etc. Treat them with respect!

Koh Samui is a beautiful island and it seems to be getting more and more popular as you will see around the main beach road there are numerous developments but not to worry as there are still green palms as far as the eye can see.

We did worry about the weather as we arrived in Samui 4.9.06 but it was gorgeous absolutely lovely hot sun. quite humid at night but lovely and warm - sometimes too hot. It rained 2 days in the evening and one afternoon but you are glad of a refresher to clear the air and it doesn't ruin anything.

The Chaba Samui is what I would say the best position on the main Chaweng Beach resort road, right in the middle of the shops and bars etc and on a beautiful stretch of beach with white sand and shallow water. The hotel is in two parts (either side of the road) we stayed in the Ocean Wing where the pool is right next to the beach and steps lead down to the beach bar / massage area and then onto the sand. There is a shower and a foot bath for cleaning off sand when you come back to pool area and there are free sun beds and umbrellas on the beach. What is great is that there is a line around the loungers which the beach sellers cannot cross unless they are invited by you. They do not pester you and they are very polite, simply say no thank you. You should have a look tho as some things they sell are great and really cheap. The pineapple, coconut and corn on the cob are fabulous!

The hotel itself has a lovely pool and swim up bar with a great happy 3 hours every day (3 for 2) so you can have pina colado in th pool. The snacks are great too and will be served to you on your sun lounger if you wish. There is a nice atmosphere and again the staff are friendly and polite and great service.

The breakfast was good too. The rooms are great spacious nice bathroom etc cleaned every day and free water in fridge etc. Umbrellas and free use of pool towels / beach mats. It really was everything we wanted out of a holiday.

The hotel has some great bars and restaurants around it but we enjoyed the hotel meals and evening entertainment a few nights too, this is great - Thai dancing / acoustic guitar set / dance shows etc with lovely food and service. you can pick your own dish from the selection and they cook it fresh you get a jacket and free salad bar - great !

The three monkeys bar (left out of hotel) is great their green and red curry was to die for. also Tropical Murphy's really is gorgeous food - great breakfast too if you in need of a decent fry up.

Their is plenty of western food available but we tried to eat as much Thai as possible as it just so delicious and fresh tasting. The spring rolls with chilli dip at the chaba samui are the best I have ever ever tasted!

The massage on the beach at the hotel are great - the girls are so friendly and really relaxs you lying there listening to the sea etc - heaven!

There are so many great places to see on Koh Samui - we hired a moped and went all round the island - I am just dying to go back!

I highly recommend the Chaba Samui to anyone and would definitely go back !!!!!!

Arriving in Koh Samui the weather was beautiful and the island looked gorgeous. We had flown in from Bangkok and the service was fantastic from start to finish. Samui itself is brilliant however the area that the Central Samui Village was in had nothing really to do. It was very quiet and the nearest town was Lamai which was a good 15 minute drive. Apart from that the hotel was gorgeous, the perfect retreat if you are looking for somewhere quiet, tropical and relaxing. Right on the beach and with 3 swimming pools this is a really nice, good value hotel and the service was great.

We stayed at the Samui Island Resort, Chaweng, Koh Samui for two nights in October 2006.

The resort itself is located out of the way so necessitates a need for taxis to get you to the main strip (the lack of footways makes it unsafe to walk). The pool is tiny and looked dirty. Breakfast on the first day was covered in flies and on the second day we found an ant trail accross the bread shute on the toasting machine. The staff were generally very friendly however when we reported problems they suddenly didn't understand! Their English had been particulary good until that point. The manager was particularly unhelpful and rude.

We booked a bungalow and were extremely dissapointed with the accommodation provided. Because of various problems including building works in the adjacent bungalow (which commenced with drilling and sawing at 700am and a mosquito infestation we had the privilege of having three different bungalows over two nights. Whilst the resort itself (which includes the bungalows) is advertised as three star I would be surprised if the bungalow(s) that we stayed in managed to achieve 1 star. The beach huts further along the bay advertised at 500 Baht or less per day actually seemed much nicer (and also located in a much better area).

In short the bungalows are small, dark, extremely dated, smell foisty, are poorly decorated and furnished. The bathrooms are disgusting (our seciond bungalow had brown water coming out of the tap). This particular bungalow was also infested with mosquitos (we killed over 20 and then gave up, requesting a further room change). An attempt to prevent mosquitos accessing the rooms has been made by covering the windows with a metal mesh. However this made the bungalows dark and feel more like a prison. The 2cm gap above the front door of this bungalow probably didn't actually help the mosquito situation. To top it off, the manager then actually had the cheek of acusing us of leaving the door open which had let the mosquitos in.

All in all an apauling resort. We'd strongly reccomend that you stay away.

We decided to try Poppies in Koh Samui for a change from Bangkok before going to Patong. Poppies is not a hotel but 24 cottages set in a tropical garden at the south end of Chaweng. The cottages are superb with bathrooms that have a `outside garden` and sunken bath. Newspaper,2 computers with internet,bottled water,fresh fruit,chocolate or cookie and a `Thought for the Day` is supplied free. Each cottage is reached by a winding path that takes you over a couple of small wooden bridges (water is stocked with coy carp) that lead to the swimming pool,restaurant and breakfast area which all look out to the sea. The next step takes you straight onto the golden beach which has plenty of sun loungers, towels and iced water supplied free of charge.

On our second night we recieved an invitation to `Barefoot at the Beech` which is free drinks and snacks on the beach, this is great for meeting other guests and making new friends. We will definately be back soon.

Apprehensive about this hotel initially as had seen some poor reviews. However, this hotel is fantastic!

rooms spacious and immaculate, the grounds are also very impressive. Own private beach with security, although the hawkers oblige if you say no thank you. The pools also deserve a mention, as they were spotless, cannot say anything bad about this hotel, which is quite rare, as i complain about anything. The staff are all very helpfull and informative, the chap who turns your bed down is a character. Felt really safe and secure in this establishment,even on the busy road outside, you would not believe the noise outside from bars, traffic and people in general, however, as soon as you enter the hotel Silence!

Loads of places to eat, drink and be merry! breakfast in the hotel well worth getting up for, something for everyone. Also, try the corn on the cob and fresh pineapple that is available from the beach, the lady is gorgeous, just like her food! Would deffo go back to chewang regent if visiting Koh samui again, however, been twice now, so trying pattaya in november, hope its as good as my previous experiences of thialand.

Steve and Khian run the beautiful BandB in Lamai Thailand. We stayed for seven weeks as part of a six month trip. It was the most friendliest place we stayed in. Nothing was too much trouble and Steve went out of his way to show us the Island. We had a great breakfast everyday and had a choice of anything we wanted including a full English if required. Steve and Khian provided entertainment and put bar-b-cues on for us guests. We went out to Sunset Beach on a Thursday taking plastic tables and chairs for sunset drinks on a beautiful remote beach that we would otherwise never have found.

The place was kept in imaculate condition and I can honestly say I have never seen a pool cleaned so frequentley. the rooms are spotless thanks to Khian and Ghee the maid. We could play pool in the pool room and Steve arranges reliable cheap car hire. I spent most of our time here laughing and Steve and Khian became very good friends to us. I was very sad to leave our little Thai 'home' and miss both the hotel and Steve and Khian. I fully recomend this place to anyone. I am only worried it will become so popular that we will not be able to book again. Steve also provided pick up from the port and dropped us of at the airport for our return.
If you go say hi from Kim and Jay.I am only jealous i am not there with you.

We started our holiday at the Amari Watergate in Bangkok, hotel was great but Bangkok was horrible.

We stayed at Amari Palm Reef for 12 nights for our anniversary and one word sums the hotel up - OUTSTANDING.
The staff were friendly and helpful, as were the people of Thailand in general, it was the only time we have been on holiday and made to feel welcome everywhere. The hotel is located in the North end of Chaweng about a 10 minute walk from the main resort centre where all the bars are.

The rooms looked just like the pictures and were exceptional, the upgrade to the deluxe room was well worth it. Our favourite restaraunts were Poppies (quite expensive 4000 Baht/£60 for 3 courses and wine) but excellent food and service, also Snapper, Rice, Budsaba (real Thai food and ambience), and Cocos for Chinese, a good 3 course meal and wine will usually cost 2000-3000 Baht(£30-£40) but there are cheaper places to suit all budgets a Thai curry will cost 300 Baht (£4.50).

There are loads of massage places to try the cheaper ones are on the beach, the best being 'family massage on the beach' about 20 meters from hotel, 250 Baht for 1 hour Thai massage.
Chaweng is a busy resort with lots to do at night something to suit all tastes in music from house (our favourite) to commercial RandB, pop and dance.

Try and go when a full moon party is on, we missed it (but not next time!!!). We did catch a Black moon party - Brandon Block was DJing. Other things to do at night (there are many!!) include ldy boy cabaret (good for a laugh and free), Thai boxing, and many bars around the Green Mango which were very good, Ark bar on the beach was also good and plays good music.
If you are thinking of staying here DO IT!!!!