Fun in the Sun on Koh Samui

“Stayed at Sala Samui for last two nights of our holiday to properly relax before going back to work. Absolutely gorgeous place. Stayed in Garden Villa Suite which was exactly like the pictures on the website… personal pool, open air shower and bath, luscious bed etc etc. Service at Sala Samui was fantastic, from chauffeur (Pwe-Nai was so nice and so helpful) to room service (fast, efficient and helpful). The hotel facilities were picturesque, two stunning pools (like swimming in a Conde Nast Traveller picture), with Thai massage beds nearby and centimeters from the beach. The food was the best of the holiday (and that was just the starters!). Unfortunately I have nothing to compare Sala to. I have never stayed somewhere this expensive, so my expectations were a lot higher, but then I wasn’t disappointed. The only negative points were easily turned to positive… Choengmon Beach was busier than north Chaweng.. but then you do have your own private pool at the villa. Massage at the hotel was expensive.. but then it was fantastic, and the cheap places are only 2mins down the beach. Mosquitoes were/are evil.. but Sala fogs every day and provides coils to burn. It was just great.” C. Davies, February 2005.

About Sala Samui Resort & Spa

Sala Samui Resort and Spa is a pool villa resort at Choeng Mon Beach in the North of Koh Samui. The hotel has 53 villas with private pool, including enormous two-bedroom villa suites which are ideal for a family vacation. In addition to the private pools there is one lap-pool and one beachfront pool on the complex. Sala Samui’s excellent restaurant features an impressive wine cellar which is open for tasting. Mandara Spa is on-site at Sala Samui Resort and provides heavenly wellness, beauty and health programs.

Pool villas at Sala Samui cost approx. 10,000 Baht (220 Euro) per night or up during high season. Detailed pricing, travel seasons, and online reservation are available at the hotel booking form.

For several years now tourism infrastructure development on Koh Samui seemed to be concentrated on the classic Koh Samui destinations Chaweng Beach and Lamai Beach resort areas. In this rush a very scenic beach cove a few kilometers north of Chaweng was almost overlooked: Choengmon Beach. The half-moon shaped bay with a sheltered, smooth sandy beach remained a true hide-away with only a few hotels and bungalows, fishing huts and local seafood restaurants.

The White House Hotel with its lush, tropical gardens, Thai sculptures and artifacts, and the Imperial Boat House Hotel with exclusive accommodations in authentic rice barges were the first two luxury resorts established at Choengmon Beach. Even more secluded because separated by a rock crest is Tongsai Beach, venue to a sole resort hotel, The Tonsai Bay Cottages and Hotel where guests indulge in absolute tranquility, relaxation, spa pampering, fine cuisine and outstanding service at a private retreat.

Two up-market hotels are the newcomers to Choengmon Beach area: The Samui Peninsula Spa & Resort and Sala Samui Resort & Spa. Samui Peninsula is situated on the hill slope with stately private villas overlooking the beach and the sea. The most recent addition to the Choengmon Beach resort scene is Sala Samui Resort, a pool villa resort right at the beachfront. This hotel has its guest rooms built as private villas with a private garden and pool. Sala Samui deluxe hotel facilities include Mandara Spa, Sala Samui Restaurant, a gourmet beachfront restaurant with its own wine cellar, and two magnificent large swimming pools.

Choengmon Beach today is still a tranquil resort, yet it offers the full range of luxury services and facilities expected by the sophisticated traveler. However, for an evening out with disco and nightlife entertainment a trip to nearby Chaweng is still required.

Chaweng Noi Beach is a truly picturesque white sand beach bordering the south end of Chaweng Beach. The hotels at Chaweng Noi Beach tend to be a bit more composed and less cramped than the ones on the main beach further north (Chaweng Noi Beach means Little Chaweng Beach). All hotels here seem to be unique in style and character, such as The Imperial Samui Hotel.

First you may be surprised to find Mediterranean architecture on a Koh Samui beach. And although this resort is quite large for Koh Samui standards (144 hotel rooms and suites), its low-rise structures are totally unobtrusive and blend harmonically with the tropical landscape. The resort is a luxurious retreat with a magnificent, well groomed beach, and a sea water swimming pool embedded into the natural granite boulders strewn along the shoreline. A fresh water pool with Jacuzzi is situated in midst of the hotel gardens.

The Imperial Hotel has two restaurants: Le Jarmjuree for buffet breakfast or Thai cuisine and Le Tara serving seafood, Asian delights and international favorites at the beachside. A floodlit tennis court and recreational areas with snooker, table tennis, badminton and volleyball fields are waiting for the sports enthusiasts. The hotel also operates a PADI scuba diving school and sailing/windsurfing water sports. Wireless LAN with WiFi internet access covers most public areas of the hotel and also many guest rooms.

All rooms at the Imperial Hotel are air-conditioned and face the beach and the ocean. Hotel rooms and suites are equipped with satellite TV, telephone personal safe and mini-bar. Guests at the Imperial choose from four room categories: Premier Seafacing, Garden Terrace, Junior Suite and One-bedroom Suite. Mid year prices range from 5,800 to 10,000 Baht per night. Review the hotel reservation form for year-round prices and hotel booking at special internet rates.

Koh Samui’s Amari Palm Reef Resort is an elegant, up-market hotel at the northern section of Chaweng Beach. The hotel is partitioned into several Thai-style buildings, surrounded by well tended tropical gardens and tall swaying coconut palms.
The hotel has more than 180 rooms in two main categories:

Superior rooms in the older main block have private bathrooms with bathtub or shower and a private balcony or terrace. All superior rooms have air-conditioning. satellite TV, telephone, personal safe, mini bar and hairdryer.

Deluxe rooms either have a mezzanine floor, for extra space for families with children, or feature oversized sliding glass doors that fill the rooms with light and an airy atmosphere.

The Amari hotel has a range of sports and recreational facilities such as two free-form swimming pools, a children’s pool and Jacuzzi, an air-conditioned squash court, Padi dive and water sports center and a tropical day spa.
Sivara Spa offers a full range of massage and body treatments. These apply traditional natural remedies and the delicate scents of aromatic oils and subtle herbs and spices.

Dining at the Amari hotel is another delight. The two hotel restaurants, Merante Seaside Dining and Prego Italian Cuisine are prominent on Koh Samui and attract many patrons from other hotels as well as local connoisseurs.

Further details and pictures about the Amari Palm Reef Resort hotel are available on Samuiwave.com. The site also presents the hotel room rates, and offers online reservation through the secure R24 reservation network.

Laem Samrong is the headland at the northern tip of Samui Island, approximately six kilometer from the airport. This panorama estate resort with dramatic views is the home of the newly opened five-star Sila Evason Hideaway Samui.

The exquisite resort covers an area of 20 acres and is surrounded by the sea on three sides. White cliffs rise from the ocean to the tropical landscape and gardens of the luxurious holiday villas of the hotel. The generously spaced villas encircle the gently sloping peninsula, which gives a maximum in privacy and unsurpassed panoramic views.

All villas are split level with a sundeck and an open-style bathroom. The design creates an atmosphere of space and light in the room, and also maintains views of the surrounding seas and islands from almost every location in the villa. Infinity edge private swimming pools in most of the villas blend into the horizon and help maintain a feeling of seclusion (pictures).