Le Murraya Resort, Chaweng

Le Murraya Resort, Chaweng

One of my dive students was staying over Christmas 2009 in this resort and had a very postive experience during his stay.

The resort is not located at Chaweng beach, which is just about a 5 minute walk away but it is located directly opposite the Laem Din market, so very centrally in Chaweng. Despite being next to a hustling and bustling road connecting Chaweng beach road to the ring road, he stated that you only hear the street noise once you're directly on to the road. Pending on where your room is located though, you may have some noise levels from one of the Muay Thai boxing stadiums that is located next to the hotel.

Every room in the hotel offers guests non smoking rooms, air conditioning, internet access, television, bathtub. Shops, executive floor, elevator, restaurant, car park are some of the extra comforts you'll find at this Samui hotel. Guests may take advantage of sporting or leisure activities such as gym/fitness facilities, pool outdoor at this hotel. With its commitment to service and focus on hospitality, you'll enjoy your stay at Le Murraya Resort at reasonable rates.

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Deluxe room

Junior suite

President suite interior

Swimming pool

Lobby

Sandy Resort, Bophud

Sandy Resort, Bophud

This charming, low cost resort on Bophud Beach enjoys access to a secluded beach area and is smack in-between World Resort on one side and Zazen Boutique Resort on the other side. The price difference in the rooms sets all three resorts apart with Sandy Resort being the budget option. I had a few of my IDC candidates stay here, a PADI dive instructor course that I conduct in World Resort next door and they where happy with the quality of the rooms and the money saved.

The Sandy Resort is located right on a quiet stretch of Bophud Beach, a short distance from the Fisherman’s Village, where you will find a host of reasonably priced Thai and seafood restaurants and bars to choose from. The beach in front of the resort is ideal for swimming and extremely child-friendly, as it is quite shallow and the currents are not too strong. The resort offers modest but clean and comfortable bungalows, with a choice of air-conditioning or ceiling fan to suit all types of budget. The beach-facing swimming pool is immaculate and wouldn’t look out of place in a more upmarket place.

A good budget resort with a nice and quiet location in the North of the island and family friendly.

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Room

Room

Pool

Beach

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 Chaweng's 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

Ark Bar Garden Beach Resort, Chaweng

Ark Bar Garden Beach Resort, Chaweng

The place to be if you want to be close to the action and have a good party atmosphere. Mainly frequented by a younger crowd the Ark Bar is centrally located in the middle of Chaweng beach road.

The resort has a small pool and a restaurant that is the middle point of a lot of Chaweng action each night, it's a great place to start an evening out and the place is always hustling and bustling with activity.

There are 50 rooms pretty much facing each other over two floors on the way down to the beach. Don't stay here if you want to enjoy a quiet night, this is where Chaweng is happening. Prices are under 2.000,-THB at the moment per night.

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The entrance almost 4 years ago

Guest room

At night this turns into a cosey all floor seating open air happening

The pool

The bar and restaurant at night

The Library Hotel, Chaweng

The Library Hotel, Chaweng

This is probably the most stylish and hippest hotel currently in Chaweng. It's modern and minimalist concept is fascinating and wonderful at the same time and the impact on the ecology is minimal. There's some real thought put into the design of the Library and the project was inspired by the basic way of life of the hotel's belief that 'the real happiness is not complicated at all'.

One of the things the Library is known for is it's 'red swimming pool' with a great view of Chaweng beach.

The 26 suite/studio cabins that comprise the Library are spread across an area of lush vegetation. Each cabin comprises of a ground floor suit and a sea view cabin upstairs. The minimalist style of each cabin is made complete with a personal computer, plasma screen TV, a walk in rain shower and a Jacuzzi. It's luxury for sure and it also comes with a nice price tag. It's definitely upscale.

Highlight of the project is 'The Library Building' located by the beach and is named after the projects title. The white building with high huge ceiling equipped with glass window pane all around will enrich purity, serenity and peace.

The Library Building consists of three box-style units adjoining together where the middle box is an open-air serving as mini-cafe.

The other two boxes are the huge Library for not only books but also other entertainment media such as music CD and DVD.

There's also an excellent restaurant at the premises, The Page, a lovely beach front restaurant with an aircon room and open air space located at the beach.

If you enjoy a great modern, minimalist concept and you have the means to afford it, this an absolute must straight in the middle of Chaweng and all it has to offer.

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The hotel entrance

The Studio

The Suite

Restaurant The Page

The Red swimming pool