Karmakamet Aromatic Hotel, Bang Rak

Karmakamet Aromatic Hotel, Bang Rak

This hotel has a couple of things going for itself, it's a guest house like small hotel with only 15 rooms, but each room is making you feel very welcome and has it's own oily smell which is very pleasant and you get soap etc that goes with the smell of your room. The place has a warm atmosphere reminiscent of the old ancient colonial style.

It's also very conveniently located near the airport, Bang Rak with all it's restaurants and (limited) nightlife and not too far away from Chaweng neither, with it's hustling nightlife if you need a change of pace but also very near the romantic Bophud/Fisherman's Village, all in all a good location indeed but it comes in handy to have some form of transportation.
The in house restaurant Le Jaroen gets excellent reviews although it's considered slightly expensive.

The 15 rooms consist of 3 beach front suites (one local and two Western style) and 12 Sea Breeze suites (6 Chinese style, 5 local style and 1 Western style).
It comes with a slight price tag but therefor you get a warm, nice and quiet environment, money well worth spending!

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Bedroom local style

Bedroom Western style

Le Jaroen restaurant

The pool

Hotel exterior

The Tongsai Bay Hotel, Tongsai Bay

The Tongsai Bay Hotel, Tongsai Bay

The Tongsai Bay hotel is one of the few hotels on the island that can boost it's own private beach front, the Tongsai Bay. It's also one of the very first exclusive and top of the range hotels on the island.
All of it's 83 suites and villas spread out over 25 acres of land are designed under the 'Great Outdoor Living' concept and consist of 4 main types of accommodation; 24 Beachfront suites, 41 Cottage suites, 9 Tongsai Grand Villas and 4 Tongsai Pool Villas.

Apart from the standard room amenities, each unit has a spacious terrace with a bathtub and other open-air facilities to ensure a perfect leisure stay. A range of facilities the resort provides to maximize guests’ relaxation include sailing boats, canoes, windsurfing equipment, snorkeling equipment, swimming pools, children’s wading pool, tennis court, Jacuzzi pool and a Spa with sauna room and massage treatment programs.

There are three restaurants: Chef Chom's Thai Restaurant near the lobby, Floyd's Beach Bistro where you can dine on the beach, and The Butler's Restaurant serving daily European dishes. There are also two bars for guests to enjoy.

This eco-friendly resort truly offers hospitality, privacy and a beautiful location on a secluded area of the North Eastern part of Samui island but it does come with a nice price tag, it's worth the luxury and exclusivity however that can be enjoyed here.

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Pool Villa bedroom

Grand Villa bedroom

Pool Villa

View from Cottage Suite

Beachfront in front of the hotel

Anantara Resort & Spa, Bophud

Anantara Resort & Spa, Bophud

This resort is located at a beautiful stretch of beach on the Northern part of the island, along Bophud beach. There are a few other fave resorts of mine along this same stretch.

Koh Samui’s version from this popular chain more than lives up to the reputations of its sister properties. With a top location on the island on Bophud beach, the Anantara Si Kao Resort & Spa offers you plenty of opportunities to take advantage of the beach and water with windsurfing and kayaking topping the list of pursuits and the nearby Fisherman’s Village offers a chance to get out and about and mingle with the locals.

The lay out of the resort is also very convenient, and it's a nice walk through the resort to the beach unless you booked one of the beach villas or rooms.
With it's 82 guest rooms, 18 Anantara suites and 6 Royal Anantara suites, two with their own pool and terrace near the beach, you will find the ultimate in luxury and a perfect getaway.

In the meantime, back at the Resort, you will never tire of the staff’s extreme dedication to service, the high-class spa and the variety of delicious cuisines offered at several fine restaurants. After a stay at the Anantara, your only regret will come when you have to pack your bags and go home.

Worthwhile booking this resort for it's nice location and luxury on offer.

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Resort entrance

Deluxe room

Deluxe Ocean room

Romantic dining on the beach


The pool

Santiburi Resort & Spa, Maenam

Santiburi Resort & Spa, Maenam

The Santiburi Resort in Maenam is one of the hotels that I used to work at as a dive instructor and I have fond memories of this hotel. It's one of the earliest real luxury resorts on the island, being build in 1993 and they were already offering spa services before it became trendy and they're still going strong and serving an outstanding service and experience.

Their 71 rooms are amongst Koh Samui's most luxurious hideaways, the Santiburi Resort & Spa in Maenam blends 23 acres of tropical gardens with a river gently meandering down to a private 300 meter white sand beach. All units at the Santiburi Resort are superbly designed Thai-style Villas, built to be in harmony with their surroundings, and feature beautiful wooden floors, opulent Siamese furnishings, and a large private terrace. For a long time they had the largest swimming pool on the island and they have various sport facilities including tennis and squash courts.

If you like to be pampered and you can afford it, this is a good place to stop at.

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Garden Villa Room

Bathroom Garden Villa

Beachfront Villa with outside plunge pool

Ocean View villa with pool

Sunset

Samui Palm Beach Resort, Bophud

Samui Palm Beach Resort, Bophud

Is located between Bophud and Maenam and is practically neighbours with World Resort.
The hotel has a spacious environment and the various wings have luscious green in between.
Samui Palm Beach Resort is situated directly on the serene beach of Bophud, a much quieter alternative to Chaweng, perfect for those in search of a quiet and peaceful holiday, away from the busy beach crowds

The resort has recently built a new Royal Wing, offering brand new stunning guest rooms with the same stunning views of the beach. The free Internet connection in the resort’s reception area comes in very handy for keeping families and friends back home up to date with your beach holiday.

The resort supports 32 Deluxe rooms, 36 Villa Rooms, Beach Front 8 rooms, 20 Garden Cottages and each 1 Presidential and Royal suite.

According to culinary excellence, the Samui Palm Beach Resort is proud on the outstanding quality of the cuisine. While the Trade Wind offers the finest international cuisine, the Tom Yam provides the true delicacy of Thai cooking and finally Guilin is a celebration of authentic Chinese dished. Additional to the restaurants are the Beach Pub, and the China gate bar to meet friends, have a chat and a drink.

If you are looking for a nice and quiet beach, away from it all, starting at medium ranged rates, this is a good option for you.

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Deluxe hotel wing

Villas

Presidential suite

Garden Cottage

Pool

Al's Resort, Chaweng

Al's Resort, Chaweng

Has a perfect location, smack down in the middle of Chaweng, with a very nice stretch of beach in front of it, near the coral. It's also located next to or almost is part of Al's Hut. A review of this resort is to follow at a later stage.

The 43 rooms at Al’s Resort in Chaweng have a style that is both simple and charming and each is equipped with the standard amenities to make guests feel comfortable and right at home. The restaurant affords a beautiful view of the sea and both local and international cuisine is available. The spa facilities at Al’s Resort offer Balinese-style massage, various aromatherapy sessions and a selection of body scrubs and facial treatments.

Al's Resort offers 5 studio rooms (25 sq m), 21 Deluxe Garden view rooms (20 sq m), 12 Units Villa Deluxe (28 sq m) and 5 Units Villa Suite (56 sq m).

Well priced rooms for the location!

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Deluxe Garden room

Suite courtyard

Deluxe pool yard exterior

Swimming pool overlooking the beach

Resort exterior

First Bungalow Beach Resort, Chaweng

First Bungalow Beach Resort, Chaweng

Is located as the only place in Chaweng at the connecting point of Chaweng Beach and Chaweng Noi Beach at the Southern end of Chaweng beach. Although this is not entirely true, since Samui First House shares the same premises making it another unique experience, two hotels sharing the same premises run by the same family.

This is another place I used to work at during as part of my ongoing dive adventures on Koh Samui and I conducted some PADI IDC's here for a short while.

Right now an old friend from the Netherlands is visiting me on Samui and he's staying at the First Bungalow resort. They enjoy it although they also have a commonly heard problem with the hotel, which is that the mattresses are very hard! Other than that, they enjoy their stay very much and the premises are really nice.

The resort was the one of the very first resorts in Chaweng, hence the name and has been around since the 1970's.

It provides 147 tastefully-designed rooms, fully equipped with air conditioner, hot and cold water bathroom, cable TV, minibar and IDD telephone. 42 beach bungalows, 14 Sea View bungalows, 11 deluxe Bungalows and 80 Deluxe rooms. The resort also boosts a very nice and big pool and the beach is wide and big with plenty of space.
This all comes in a very reasonable price range and is recommendable.

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The big and spacious pool, surrounded by green and buildings

Deluxe Bungalows

Chaweng Noi beach

Pool side bungalow room

First room