The River Retreat Koh Mak

Should have paid attention to the reviews that told us to stay away. We ended up trying it on a whim and were very sorry. Never ever go there. There are a ton of Thai owned restaurants to support instead of rude europeans.

I was there during the festive week! Stayed at The River Retreat was so comfortable, private, quiet at night and totally snug ! It's also close to the beach, local restaurants, bars, massage shops and supermarkets. Staffs were loveeeeely.

Lovely place, very clean and very comfortable, absolutely great WiFi in the room and in the common area, I was able to comfortably work remotely :) we slept so well as the bed and pillows are very comfy! Really love this place and would deffo come back! Would be great if the common area eventually served coffee and breakfast as it’s such a lovely space!

My personal heaven on earth and the most beautiful place I stayed at during my trip with so many lovely details that show the love that was put into creating this paradise! I especially loved the decoration, the super comfy bed with fluffy pillows, the stunning bathroom with separate hot and cold showers, the terrace with seating and a hammock as well as a water bucket to clean your feet from sand before stepping onto the porch, the free tea & coffee with water kettle as well as the refillable glas bottles in the fridge with a water dispenser at the reception. The location is perfect with tons of restaurants and cafes around, an amazing massage place right beside (Jan Jao Massage), lots of scooter & bicycle rental options a few meters away (I rented my scooter from Totti and had a great experience with the owner giving me an introduction & driving lesson as it was my first time to ride a scooter) as well as a well stocked pharmacy. I also really enjoyed an evening of great cocktails and live music at Khun Mam‘s Kitchen close by. You can easily tour the whole island from here and come back to this little paradise after a day out. Keep in mind that you are in a wooden hut in the jungle so insects do come in no matter what.

The hotel was a Covid casualty and reopened under new ownership in Dec 23. Rooms have all been refurbished and in Feb 24 they were just about to open the bar/restaurant again. We found Ko Mak to be very busy and expensive when looking for accommodation. The price of around 1400 THB per night was higher than we usually pay but seemed one of the cheapest in the main village. Upon arrival we were met by Reuben one of the owners and he told us the history of the place. He and Tatiana who helps run the guest house are US/European heritage so obviously speak perfect English, plus French I believe. Our room was one of 4 set around a fairly stagnant river, cottage style, very large with ac, fans, fridge and a patio with chairs and hammock alongside the river. The bed was large and comfy with crisp clean sheets but the mosquito net was a little too small to cover it so we ended up using our own. The bathroom was large with separate shower/wet room so the whole floor didn’t flood. We never managed to get hot water but that wasn’t a problem in the heat of February. The location is excellent, minutes walk to bars and restaurants and a nice beach but quiet too. The rooms are set amidst woodland so there’s a constant soundtrack of birdsong which adds to the peaceful ambience. Being situated next to a river is obviously going to result in a lot of mosquitos and that’s one area I think they need to improve on. There was a small sachet of repellent provided but that wouldn’t be enough for one person for one day. As previously mentioned the mosquito net was a little small for the bed and there were a lot of mosquitos in the bathroom. I asked one of the staff if they had an insecticide spray but he said they didn’t so I had to buy one. I understand not everyone agrees with chemical insect sprays and prefer a natural approach but maybe the hotel could hold a stock of spray for guests who request it. Maybe also a plug in device would be useful too. In summary, its a well run place with nice rooms in a good location. It’s early days but the signs are this will become a really nice place to stay when initial teething problems are overcome.