Hotels near Ketmanee Spa, Koh Samui

I 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

This hotel is located out of town on the far end of Mae Nam beach, close to the ferry terminal, it is well presented with a lovely pool over looking a small piece of private beach. The staff are pleasant and helpful and the accommodation is nice with rooms and bungalows available, our bungalow had a fridge, safe, good bed, hot shower and complimentary tea, coffee and water. Breakfast was included and was very good, overall the hotel was good value for money.

Hotel is conveniently located with easy access to everything in the centre of Chaweng. Rooms are in good condition, even towels were new and pure white. AC worked perfectly. Normal water pressure. With the window facing the lake I did not hear the noise from Samui Central mall, where they have live performances of musical bands. Staff was nice & cooperative.

Great Boutique hotel in Chaweng. Excellent value. The room were sparking clean and has everything one needs including beach towels and umbrellas. There is a pool but not gym which is fine. It is centrally located. The breakfast is OK but sufficient. Had a quick dinner meal one night since it was raining and had a long day and did not want to venture out to the many restaurants in the area. There was no one else so we did not have high expectations but the meals were excellent and my friend raved about the drink he got. The entire staff were excellent and so kind. Front desk were efficient and warm. The concierge had GREAT recommendations on tours. We took all the ones she recommended and were not disappointed. This part of Chaweng beach is OK. Not a swimmers beach, more of a just a dip in the ocean place. I was not able to take advantage of the Kayak but did that anyway on one of the tours we took. I love Samui and will definitely return and if staying in Chaweng will definitely want to be at The Stay again.

We stayed in a King Pool View room which was very spacious, clean and comfortable. Amaya Restaurant was excellent. There were many options for breakfast and the meals were great. Prego Italian Restaurant was exceptional, both in terms of food and service. Couldn't fault any of the Amari staff. Fantastic service and friendly smiles from everyone including Management, Reception, Restaurant staff, Spa staff, Road Crossing staff, Maintenance and Housekeeping. Special mentions go to the lovely hosts Wee and Keng who went out of their way to make us feel welcome and helped us with anything we needed to know. Also Noung who we nicknamed ”the hardest working man in Thailand”. He never stopped as he worked tirelessly in Amaya Restaurant and around the hotel grounds. The resort was a little away from the hustle and bustle but an easy walk into the centre of town. Would recommend Amari to anybody thinking of staying at Chaweng and look forward to returning there in the future.

For a backpacker, it truly doesn’t get better than this. I stayed in a private double room and it was fantastic, clean, modern, with all the amenities you could want (plug sockets by the bed, hangers, hair dryer, balcony and drying rack). The pool area was a lovely place to sit and I regularly got up for breakfast before 8am. I’d typically be the only one awake at this time. For a sunbed, you’d better be at the pool by 10am for a good spot as it does get busy. However, there were some downsides. I booked 6 nights and although I loved it, the construction noise from the plot of land next door was unbearable. 8am to 8pm, drilling, banging, hammering, shouting. You could hear it from the pool too, so not exactly the “relaxing” stay I could’ve got by staying in a resort 2 doors down. I was also disappointed that the beach terrace was closed for the duration of my stay. They said maintenance was working to fix it but I never saw anyone working. I was really hoping to sit on those hammocks over the ocean. The WiFi also cut out every day and I needed to get a new passcode 4 times throughout my stay. Not great for remote workers. Although; staff were friendly, food delicious, and great nightlife vibes in the heart of Chaweng Beach. Definitely would stay again… but not until that construction is complete.

We stayed at this newly built hotel for 5 Nights in October 22 which is usually OFF season (instead of offering for free upgrade they asked us 300 Thai bath for an upgrade). the hotel is extremely beautiful, but location is not good, even for 7/11 Shop you need to walk for 15 min up and down hill. there is no restaurant for dinner outside the hotel. No free shuttle to main shopping area (Central Sumai). rooms are nice and clean (no coffee creamer though they send you COLD milk in your room). there are few areas that need to be improved. House keeping is average. All the staff is very polite and helpful. we had free buffet breakfast which was bellow Average. our stay was long 5 Nights and during our stay we never ever had HOT tea or COFFEE. it always took at least 15 minutes for them to serve you coffee. Breakfast scene is pretty chaotic . pools are very very nice and clean, they have very small private beach. but the view from each room specially the lobby is to die for. overall i will still give it 8/10

We had the most amazing 3 days 2 nights spent at The Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui and we are so glad we made the decision to stay here for our honeymoon. The service provided by the staff was exceptional and greatly appreciated. They have demonstrated outstanding service which truly made a difference. Their attentiveness and hospitality made our experience even more memorable. Special mention to the Reservation Manager, Gine Castillo Aguenza and reception officer, Yady for their hospitality. Little touches such as the double room upgrade, bouquet of red roses, evening cocktail drinks at the lobby, cake in room, daily activities and the shuttle bus to Chaweng Beach did not go unnoticed and these are what made Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui so special! We look forward to returning in the near future!

Away from the hustle of central Chaweng, so is a good spot to be based for quiet times and used as a base to explore the island. Beachfront pool villas are nice, large and great views of the ocean. Private pool is a bonus and well worth the upgrade. Hotel was busy when I stayed and everyone seemed to be happy and enjoying themselves. The pool isn’t the largest but plentiful for the amount of rooms. Don’t forget, there are the villas with private pools, so a fair number of guests will be in their own area. Access to the beach is not directly in front of the hotel, but that’s a good thing otherwise I would be hearing everyone in front of my villa each day. Access is the side of the resort just past the restaurant. Along this stretch of beach has a few other hotel bars and restaurants to eat and drink in and if you head to the furtherest headland point, and head inland, you will come across a handful of bars and restaurants. As many people have said, the hotel is next to a road - but like most hotels in Samui, it’s just the design of the island. You can avoid the main road for your walk to the local area by going along the stretch of beach. And when you are on the island, why wouldn’t you want to walk along the beach?! So don’t listen to those comments about nothing nearby. If you want the hustle of the nightlife, Chaweng central is 15 minutes away. Get on the shuttle or order a taxi for 300thb. It’s a 4 star hotel, trying to get back to some kind of normal after covid and over time, I am sure the owners will reinvest their money to make improvements where some other guests have commented about in other posts but I do think it is dependent on the room type you book and/or are assigned as most of them are fine. Give it a go, it is worth it. I’ve been to many hotels over the years - more than the average Joe - and it’s only recently where I’ve checked in and out of two hotels on the same day in all these years.

Centara Life Samui have renovated an existing building and added new areas as well. They opened Aug 18. We found there were a few 'teething' issues but still enjoyed our stay. Staff are so friendly, nothing was a problem. Breakfast selection was good however, more Asian inspired and not as good as others we've stayed at but I'm sure this will improve with time. Nate and May looked after us very well. Cleaning staff were so friendly and happy also. Ladies in reception did everything possible to improve our stay contacting maintenance and technician as soon as we spoke to them, issues were fixed immediately. We booked direct using Centara1 card (15% off, joining free) but also had opening special as well. I hope we can get similar prices next year! We have stayed with Centara in Chang Mai and Kata Beach, they are all very good resorts. Centara Life may get a little overcrowded this time next year(I hope not), they only have 1 pool, you have to walk to beach but there is a building underway on the beach for Centara Life customers.