The Ritz-Carlton Hotels in 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

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.

What an amazing hostel. Everything was beautiful. The lockers were the biggest lockers ever. It was literally 2 lockers put into one for those who had a suitcase yu r in luck. 2 pools and a beautiful bar overlooking out into the ocean. The only hostel that i need in koh samui. This is for a fact “the spot”. Whether youre backpacking and need a bunkbed or if u just want to get drinks or food. They got a huge selection of drinks and food. Amazing spot.

This hotel was absolutely fantastic!! The service and staff were super friendly. We were served at all times of the day and even at one point one of us lost our passport on the day of our departure and in the last hour the hotel staff personally came to the airport to drop off our passport before our flight. Talk about amazing service. Thoroughly impressed!

It was decent experience staying there with family. Main focus of the villa was large pool which was excellent though not as private as we thought. Views were amazing from room and pool though partially obstructed by other villas. Drawbacks were mediocre food options but overall decent stay for the price point of view

Location is highly strategic, cleanliness is excellent, and the rooftop infinity pool is breathtaking. But the best part of staying in Cosi is Khun Cartoons at front desk; she is one-of-a-kind, her smile, personality, and service spirit. are in different level. She deserves a promotion and a hefty raises. The hotel is very lucky to have her on the team. Definitely return to see her again.

Recently stayed at this hotel for 1 week, arrived from the Airport with no luggage as Bangkok airways lost it, checked in to the hotel and was met by a lovely member of staff who was waiting for me, she offered me a welcome drink on arrival which was very much appreciated after a long flight. After check in, was shown to my room which was a pool side deluxe room with Double bed and En-suite. Room was very clean, spacious and came with Fresh towels, Toiletries, a Mini fridge stocked with beers, satellite T.V, Aircon and some free drinks/snacks. My stay came with free breakfast every morning, which was very handy and the selection was always really nice. Lots of fresh fruit, cereals, pastries, eggs cooked to the way you wanted along with a choice of tea/coffee and fresh juices. Staff are soo friendly and welcoming, they clean your room everyday and provide fresh sheets and towels as well as toiletries. The Hotel is quite modern and staff had decorated the reception for Chinese New Year with lanterns and fairy lights. The position of the hotel is good, about 10 min drive in a taxi to Fisherman's village, which is full of bars/restaurants and shops. The hotel is also right on the beach, so you have the option to swim in the sea or the pool and look out onto the amazing views. I loved my stay at this hotel and would highly recommend! (Only negative thing I can think of is that the Pool Bar was never open, so it would be good to see this open in the future).

Recently stayed at Centara for our honeymoon and it was indeed the best hotel we stayed in Koh Samui. Was greeted by Mr Neil and his staff during our check in. We had a really comfortable stay and staff were always ready to assist with any request. Love the idea of “surprise of the day” button in the room, where they deliver different types of chocolate each day. One of the highlights of my stay was the food. We went to salt society restaurant for two consecutive nights as they serve high quality food with big portions. It was also refreshing to try out so many salt flavors for our meal. Overall, my stay at Centara was nothing short of exceptional with their great hospitality. Highly recommend this hotel!

Excellent stay at this hotel. The staff make it all worthwhile in particular the staff at The Level Lounge - Selena, Banana, Eye, Bay, Makam just to name a few. They were so accommodating and ensured that we had vegetarian food for our group at every afternoon tea and evening cocktail. The pool area is great for families and has a large shallow area for babies to splash around in. Special mention to pool staff Bow who works his socks off to happily accommodate for every request. The pool access rooms are large, spacious and have everything you need although I believe they could be updated and modernised. Overall a fantastic stay and we really hope to be back soon