Rayong City Beach Hotels

How do I even begin! I went to Koh Samet with no expectations, but Le Vimarn Cottages & Spa is supposedly the second-best resort on the island. My overall impression wasn't great, mainly due to how the resort handled the broken air conditioning in our bungalow on the first day. We took a private car from downtown Bangkok to Ao Prao Pier (the hotel's private pier, which has its own lounge). Following the resort's email instructions, we boarded the 1:30 PM boat to the resort, which took about 15 minutes. The welcome drink upon arrival was quite good. The resort isn't very large, and there weren't many guests. When we discovered the AC was broken, we immediately contacted housekeeping. From housekeeping to engineering to the front desk, and then to Ctrip, we spent an hour in the sweltering room and outside before finally being moved to another room. It seemed like Ctrip had to intervene to resolve the issue before the front desk staff led us to our new room... The whole process was incredibly frustrating due to the heat! Later, the front desk found me on the beach and offered us an upgraded room. I went to see it but declined, as it was quite dark inside, and I prefer bright, airy rooms when I'm on vacation. She told me the room would be held for us if we changed our minds. Because I didn't move, the front desk came to find me again on the beach and offered a complimentary pizza as compensation. This proactive attitude was a definite plus. We stayed at Le Vimarn for three nights. The rooms are simple, Thai-style wooden bungalows. The 1.8-meter bed was just right for a family of three. The mini-bar is chargeable. If you're visiting Koh Samet, remember to bring a filtered shower head. Breakfast was pretty much the same every day, but it tasted good. We had dinner at Buzz once, and the food was good, but with a 10% service charge and 7% tax, it ended up being a bit expensive! The resort is a 15-minute drive from the main street (where the 7-Eleven is, 200 baht one-way). The front desk can arrange a taxi. Later, we rented a scooter, which we could park on a slope about a 2-minute walk from the front desk. I scraped my foot on a coral reef while swimming, and the front desk provided basic first aid. For the last two days, we stayed at Paradee Resort, which is a sister hotel to Le Vimarn, so they offered a free transfer. However, if you're traveling with kids, I'd highly recommend Paradee Resort – the environment, facilities, and staff are all much better.

Pros: The hotel features an all-wood design, and the ocean-view rooms offer a truly pleasant experience with stunning sea views and the sound of the waves. I'd expected the bedding in the room to be damp, but to my surprise, it was dry and fluffy. The hotel restaurant: The dining environment is spacious and comfortable, with a pergola and tatami seating right on the beach. The chef's culinary skills are excellent, with both presentation and taste being perfect. Both hotel and restaurant staff are incredibly polite and friendly. Right next to the hotel is their company's pier for guest transfers. The hotel provides free shuttle service, boat rides, and luggage handling, making island access and departure very convenient, hassle-free, and effortless. Cons: The hotel offers paid laundry service, but there's no self-service laundromat. The nearest 24-hour self-service laundromat on the island is a bit far.

At first was skeptical to book because many reviews regarding climbing up hill, turned out it was not an issue for me, it’s a nicely paved easy climb however, it could be challenging if you have back or knee problems. My stay considered lucky and excellent to have met this front desk lady, she was undoubtedly friendly and helpful. Detached chalet so no worries about noise next door, but in general the resort is quiet, everyone minds their own business, with only bird chirping. The surrounding is very green with well maintained plants, an oasis and I like it. The facade of the chalets is modern and clean looking with clean white and black finish. Every chalet has a big balcony but be mindful of mosquitoes in the evening. Room was clean, beautiful ambiance lighting feel luxury, comfy bed, and bathroom was spacious with ambiance lighting that I could do push up and yoga, nice touch of wall and tiles’ colours in the bathroom too. Amenities such as toilet roll, dental kits, hand soap, body wash, shampoo and conditioner are provided. Good water pressure TV comes with Thai channels only, not a problem for me as most of the time I’m on my phone and book. WiFi is strong and fast. The beach and the sea is clearly visible when walking down the stairs already, lovely! 1 beach towel is provided each guest per day. Privacy? Just close the curtain. 2 bottles of water and 3 in 1 coffee provided everyday, the water boiler was old but works well. 7-11/walking street within 7-10 minutes walk, from the pier within 15-20 minutes walk.

Even though Koh Samet isn't a very large island, after exploring a bit, my favorite spot was definitely the beach right in front of the hotel. The waves were gentle, the sand was clean, and it wasn't as crowded as Diamond Beach. While it's about 2.5 kilometers from the main street, the hotel front desk can arrange scooter rentals or help you call a songthaew for 200 THB one way. There's also a small pier directly in front of the hotel, so you can take a speedboat straight from Ban Phe Pier to the hotel for 300 THB one way. If you plan to use this service for a round trip, it's best to confirm the times with the hotel in advance. The hotel's breakfast selection was really limited, but honestly, that's pretty standard for the entire island. My family of three had a perfect 5-day stay here, and my child absolutely loved it. All the staff at the resort were very nice, especially the young man at the front desk who provided excellent service.

We stayed from April 15-17 in a family room on the first floor. There were three of us, and I can't imagine how four people could fit in there—the room is tiny. There's one armchair right outside the room, and that area is also very cramped, with people constantly walking by. There's no restaurant, only drinks available. The sun loungers are quickly packed away in the evening. There's a lot of hustle and bustle nearby; if you're looking for relaxation, this isn't the place for you. Honestly, for this price, you can find a much better hotel on this island. The hotel is definitely in need of renovation. The staff, however, were lovely ❤️

We traveled with a rather complex group: my mother plus two children (ages 9 and 14). During our stay, we were very impressed with the high quality of service: we were met at the pier with sun umbrellas, and the housekeeping was excellent. The room was in good condition, everything was clean, and there wasn't much wear and tear. We handled meals this way: we had dinner at the restaurants (there are 3, one for each hotel), and both times it cost us around 1500 Baht for all three of us, which was comparable to what we spent in Pattaya, where we also saw a show (on Fridays). If you don't have kids, you can rent a scooter and go to the other side of the island where there's a huge selection of places to eat. For lunch, we had fruits, yogurts, salads, snacks, etc., which we bought once at 7-Eleven on the other side of the island; the round trip cost 400 Baht. Compared to Pattaya, the sea here is incredibly clean and clear – true relaxation. I was worried the journey would be difficult, but we traveled in the middle of the day when you can't do much anyway due to the heat. It was 1.5 hours from Pattaya, 2 hours to Bangkok, and then a quick 10-15 minute boat ride. The hotel has its own pier, which is cool, clean, and offers inexpensive drinks. For those who are panically afraid of lizards, snakes, and other critters, it might be best not to go to this island, as they can crawl into the room. And mosquitoes (!) – there's a fumigator and repellents in the room, but I still got bitten (though I always do; for example, the children weren't bitten). In all other respects, it was a magnificent trip, and the boat ride to the island was an attraction in itself. I plan to repeat this experience and stay for 4-5 days next time.

Stayed for 2 nights and 3 days. You can snorkel directly in front of the hotel, and there are more fish near the coral reefs, but I wouldn't recommend going there if the waves are big. It's best to wear long pants and diving socks to avoid scratches. The sand right outside is very fine and soft. Breakfast is served by the sea with ocean views. The bar street can get a bit noisy at night, so it might not be suitable for light sleepers, but since we usually go to bed late, it didn't bother us. A major plus is that the bedsheets are changed for every new guest. The room has many windows, making it bright and airy. The only downsides are that the shower only has a handheld showerhead and the water pressure is a bit low. For shopping, try to go to the 7-Eleven on the main street, as the supermarket here is about a third more expensive. Overall, it offers great value for money and is perfect for a relaxing holiday.

The front desk was unstaffed at night, requiring a phone call to get assistance, which was inconvenient as we didn't have a local SIM card. Breakfast was quite mediocre, and the hotel's appearance didn't quite live up to the polished photos. Our room had only a small window, making it a bit dim with no view. The location was decent though, very close to the beach. The family room was fairly spacious, and we could push the beds together, which was enough for our group of three adults and two children. We booked primarily for the pool, but it turned out to be quite small, only suitable for kids to splash around in. Housekeeping staff were friendly; they'd fold towels into animal shapes if tipped. The shower pressure and overhead shower were much better than in other hotels we've stayed at. What's more, our 10-year-old wasn't charged for breakfast, whereas other hotels charged for the child in a 2-adult, 1-child booking.

This is our second time staying at this hotel. Upon arrival, we were initially checked into a bungalow, which we didn't like – it was very dark and cramped. We requested to be moved to the main building. They put us on the first floor, which wasn't ideal, but it was okay. Everything in the room felt old, and during cleaning, the toiletries and tea weren't replenished; we had to ask for them. The breakfasts are good, and sometimes there's live music, which is a nice touch. There's also live music on the beach and a fire show in the evenings. The hotel is just a stone's throw away from 7/11. Overall, it's a decent hotel.

Small island, max. 2 nights booking. Beautiful views nearby. The hotel itself offers good service but there weren't many people staying there. You can eat at the hotel, but at other restaurants, there are people trying to attract customers, whereas at the hotel, there's no one. The food prices are also higher than at other restaurants. Overall, it was a pleasant stay.