This was our place to go whenever we visited Koh Samui. This is a small, quiet beach front boutique hotel. The staff have always been very friendly and will try their best to accommodate you. This visit we felt very unwelcome. Considering this was our 5th visit, and we were excited to be back in Koh Samui, I was expecting to have been welcome back in a nicer way. No, that did not happen. We found our bathroom was dirty, especially around the toilet, and immediately I contacted Reception, who sent someone to clean it and then asked if we wanted to change rooms. I asked why the toilet had not been cleaned in the first place, and they could not answer. I was so disappointed. I then started to notice other things that I was not happy about. We asked for the manager, who we know well and has always been very hands-on and always came to welcome us back when we returned for a visit, and they said they would send a message. The manager sent us a bottle of wine and an apology note. Well, that was very presumptuous of the manager because I don't drink!!! We returned the bottle!!! I eventually met the new manager, he's new from England. I did let him know how I felt and told him it was not very nice to step into an unclean bathroom. Excuse was they just done maintenance, I told him that's not my concern it should have been cleaned, and he accepted this should have been done. The hotel is looking very old and does not have the wow look anymore, and considering we've visited many times the hotel did have refurbishments in the room, the rest of the hotel definitely needs refurbishment. You would have thought this would have been taken care of during the lockdown. The sky roof in the breakfast area needs cleaning. The swim up bar the tile fell off and one of the guest had to show the staff member what had happened because it was sitting in the bottom of the pool which the guest went and pull up and gave to the staff member. So, to be honest it's a lovely hotel but the manager is an office person and does not really engage well with guests, which is a shame because for a small hotel he definitely needs to be ensuring his guest know who he is and to also welcome them back or thank them for visiting. He did, however, come and wave us goodbye, I suppose he's hoping we will be back. We are not sure we will visit again. We went and checked out another hotel and found other hotels charging the same and are much nicer. Changes bring better, but it did not happen on this occasion, unfortunately.
Wow. Ok, where to start? I read a LOT of TripAdvisor reviews when planning a trip, and understand that reviews are often a result of the expectations one sets for themselves when anticipating a trip/vacation. That said, while most of the reviews of this property are 5-Star, after researching the property, my own expectations were simply premium accommodations, a quiet retreat-like atmosphere, and a good restaurant. What my wife and I experienced was a full-on 5 (6 if the scale were higher) star resort in every sense. If you are looking for a peaceful, discrete and rejuvenating retreat complete with outstanding and prompt personalized service all in a lush natural tropical setting with supreme ocean views, then look no further, Banyan Tree Samui is it. I could write at length about our experience here, but I know you have a lot of reviews to read if you're like me. So here are most of the Highlights: 1. Fabulous accommodations - super comfortable bed/linens; separate bedroom/living/bath areas all with floor to ceiling windows offering spectacular sea views (IF you get the best villas). Walk-in shower w/large rectangular rain showerhead was brilliant. Pool was sparkling clean and allowed for ultimate cooling/relaxation in the warm temps all while taking in the incredible views. Additional outdoor seating area(s) for enjoying the outside. 2. Staff - Wonderful; THE epitome of hospitable. Super friendly, and always eager to immediately assist with even the smallest of requests. Dada (villa host), Golf, Lek (massage therapist), Jane, all serving staff and buggy drivers, even landscapers we passed throughout the grounds - ALL incredibly pleasant and eager to please. 3. Dining - Breakfast spread (hate to call it a buffet because that makes it sound tacky) was incredible. Multiple hot and cold options, western and Asian dishes, full baked goods/pastries selection, fresh fruits, cold cuts, fresh juices, multiple coffee options. Dinner at Saffron was outstanding. A few reviews have mentioned Saffron as being just average, but the food (including portion size), flavors, and as aforementioned, the servers were all terrific. Yes, it's more expensive than getting dinner at a local Thai joint in town (an obvious point made in another review), but you're at a 5-star resort with top-notch service and very special ambiance being pampered as a resort guest. But to give you an idea of ”expensive” (a very relative term): two appetizers, two soups, two entrees, and two desserts, plus non-alcoholic beverages - $105.00 US dollars. Any fine dining, high-end restaurant in a big city in the USA will cost you triple that. 4. The Spa should not be missed. Incredible massage treatments/experiences provided by very experienced and professional therapists all done in traditional Thai fashion. Wonderful. 5. Incidentals: The resort is mostly non-walkable meaning that you are either in your villa (but that's why you come here; your villa is an oasis) or at one of the
ผผู้เข้าพักI read many reviews about this resort and studied the Mantra Samui website, but never learned until after I booked (4 nights stay) my room that they had cancelled , during Covid, the regular shuttle that took guests down the hill to Fisherman Villa. I learned this because I called the hotel before my trip to ask some questions and also ask how to reserve a place on their shuttle. The resort does have one auto/driver that will drive you down to the bottom of the hill if it is there, and if it is not picking up someone at the airport. The shuttle delivers you directly to the bottom of the hill, is pretty much is just a local road. Then you can wave down a taxi and negotiate the price. Some fun! The Mantra Sumai should update their website to say the regular shuttle has been cancelled, and replaced by their maybe available one car. Continuing my story... We booked a massage at another hotel that is about 20 minutes away, and gave ourselves one hour to get there. So the night before we reserved to get the ride down to the bottom of the hill for the next day afternoon. When we went to reception, we were informed there was an accident, which was a flat tire, and the tire 'might' be fixed in half an hour and then another 20 minutes to get back to the Mantra. They apparently felt no responsibility to contact us. Just wait for the guests to show up and then tell them. They felt no responsibility to call the driver for any update. They then offered to call a taxi, but that would take about 20 minutes to arrive. Also when you call a taxi there is no opportunity for negotiation. My hour was dwindling. Well 20 is better than maybe 30 + 20 minutes. So they called the taxi. Luckily the Mantra driver showed up after 15 minutes, and the taxi was cancelled. My conclusion, after all the interfaces with reception, is they have a poor sense of responsibility and lacking the ability for logical thinking to provide a good guest experience. There are other examples beyond the above. Our suite room was in good condition, and everything functioning. Well, except the phone did not work, but I did not need that. The suite has a king size bed and a separate built in bed in the back of the living room. OK, so 4 people can stay. But the flaw in the suites is there is only a 2 person love seat to sit on. There is no chair, and no desk. It is no fun to use your laptop when the coffee table level is below your knees. A simple 4 leg table for a desk, and a simple chair would be nice, and not cost very much. They do have an on-site co-work room somewhere, but I did not use it. I think it is an extra cost and I did not have that much work to do anyway. The highlight of the Mantra Samui was the included breakfast. There are many cooked to order choices plus a buffet of juices, fruits, cereals, yogurt, pastries, and several breads you can toast yourself. We tried every item on the breakfast menu and all were nicely done and tasty. Very good coffee and tea made to order i
ผผู้เข้าพักThis is the best resort I've ever stayed at for relaxation. Was at Ritz Carlton Maldives last year and I enjoyed Conrad Koh Samui more. We were at another resort and was not happy so booked Conrad last minute which was the best decision that trip. Stayed in the Premium Ocean View room 218. The location of this room type (213-223) was perfect. It was a flat walk to Zest where we had breakfast and dinner. It was also an easy walk up and down to Azure where we had lunch and also the beach which we enjoyed every day. We only used buggies 2 times when we arrived and departed. The beach was small but nice. The resort was full but we hardly saw other guests at the beach. Gym was very well equiped and free weights go up to 25kg. Every single staff was lovely. One reason I did not like Ritz Maldives was a few staff there made us feel uncomfortable trying hard to get us to buy resort activities but here the staff didn't bother us at all. They were really nice, friendly and accommodating. We didn't get to try Jahn but food at Azure, Zest and room service was great. Room service did not take long. I wish there were more restaurants/food choices though. We bought some food and snack in town at Tesco before coming here. Bought wine from Winepro nearby and there was also Wine connection in the same area. Good wine at the resort was expensive. We enjoyed Pomerol there (around 5000THB) while watching Sunset from the room. 3 days was not enough. I think you need at least 5. We already booked Conrad for our next trip in January 24. Can't wait to visit Contad Koh Samui again.
ผผู้เข้าพักWe had a short but an absolute great stay. The hotel facilities makes you feel one with nature. The classic red bricks gives you the vibes of the olden days yet still meet your necessary needs of modern tech. However, on that note, the hotel needs an upgrade like smart TV's cuz you can't watch netflix while spending time inside the room. Anyways, the hotel provides the basic amenities. They have this app Handigo that you can order or send requests whenever you feel like it. Lastly, I give a perfect clap for the staff service.
ผผู้เข้าพัก My wife and I recently stayed at Fairhouse Villas and Spa for our Honeymoon. We stayed 8 nights, 3 nights in an ocean view suite, then the remaining 5 in a beach front Villa. Things we loved! - THE GROUNDS AND ROOMS: Fairhouse is IMMACULATE. It is a literal tropical paradise, it is clear that the staff take great pride in their workplace and work diligently to make it a beautiful place to stay and work. The villa itself we stayed in was stunning, great facilities, the bathrooms are beautiful, the pool and cabana are magical, the bed was VERY comfortable and pillows were of high quality - BREAKFAST: Fairhouse provide a comprehensive daily breakfast buffet, Complete with a chef that will make your eggs the way you like. It was a relief knowing we could attend breakfast every morning and eat well in a tranquil outdoor restaurant (this also saved us from spending unnecessarily travelling elsewhere to eat out) - THE POOL (and poolside service): Though we had a private pool for most of our honeymoon (which was also awesome). We loved the atmosphere of the main pool area. The beds were comfortable, with ample shade. There were options to face both the ocean or the pool and to sit poolside or on sand. There was a swim up bar, pool toys and ocean toys such as kayaks and paddle boards that were of free use to hotel guests. - TRANSFER SERVICE: my wife and I chose not to hire motorcycles or cars, though these were readily available for hire through the hotel. They also offered a comprehensive transfer service to all the popular destinations around the island. It was easy to organise and very affordable. - SPIRIT AND ACTIONS OF STAFF: it was so pleasant to be greeted by broad smiling face everywhere we went, offering a cheerful “Sawadee krap/ka”. Restaurant staff were friendly and attentive, particularly the egg chef, who makes a mean omelette and had such a kind face, the bar staff who are EXPERT cocktail makers (I recommend the Singapore Sling and Mai Thai), the concierge who on our last night drove us up to the W hotel for our final meal (betrayal, I know!) Things we didn’t love: - our honeymoon got off to a rocky start, when we were left at the airport by the hotel. We had booked and paid for an airport pick up and we had to call the hotel - who made us prove we had booked it before coming to pick us up. (We were offered a free transfer to Bophut Fisherman’s Village to make up for this mistake). - inconsistency of the restaurant. Apart from breakfast (and the cocktails) we had mixed experiences with the restaurant. We had some quite good food (club sandwich and and EXCELLENT chicken satay) we also had some quite average meals. The wait times for room service, cocktails and food was often quite long - we understand that there is one restaurant/bar serving a whole resort, but we were often waiting 20/25 minutes for cocktails made in a bar a 20 second walk from the pool. We chose to only eat at the restaurant once for dinner - consequently. - THE