Jasjot Sadana

Hi,I am planning a trip along with my wife and 1 more couple for august first week with 5 days leisure time spending Hilton points at Doubletree by Hilton Kuala lumpur,followed by next 5 days in Phuket or Koh Samui
I am not sure which of the 2 would be better considering the rainfall/weather at that time of the year.
I am looking for 2 nights in Intercontinental Samui on points followed by 3 nights on a pool villa somewhere,just cant decide the place,as of yet
Does Renaissance KOH SAMUI offer pool villas ? resort looks decent enough AND have read good reviews about it on tripadvisor.It does mention having pool access on the pictures attached with room description,but from what i have heard they are shared pools within rooms and not personal pools,AM I RIGHT ?
Looking for some other resorts,which offer good pool villa accommodations.Any help would be appreciated

bigjim

Check out Le Meridien Koh Samui Ocean Front Pool Villas. They have great personal infinity pools. One of the more affordable properties for the type of room that you are seeking. There is a rather extensive thread in the Starwood forum.

Jasjot Sadana

Is the pool big enough to actually call it a pool or its basically just a plunge pool ?
I had already checkd it out but wasnt so sure about the location of the hotel

olisch

Not Phuket, but Khao Lak: Katiliya Pool Villas Khao Lak (formerly Le Meridien Khao Lak)

tempt

I stayed at the Banyan Tree Double Pool Villa in March for 5 days. It is the perfect experience. If you are traveling as 2 couples, you can get the more expensive Two Bedroom Double Pool Villa or just pay I think around 400$ more per night at the Double Pool Villa and get a second bedroom prepared (we had it that way, it was comfortable).

The house butler service was superb. I'd recommend a stay.

bigjim

Much more than a plunge pool. Traditional infinity pool (actual measurements are on SPG website). Not sure what you mean about location...it was convenient to airport and taxis were relatively inexpensive anywhere you want to go. I didn't see anywhere in Koh Samui where I wanted to be walking. But, we were much more focused on enjoying the luxury of the villa (instead of all things Koh Samui) after having toured Singapore and Cambodia...

jasonvr

A little late, but I'll throw my advice into the ring. I spent some time debating on staying at a chain resort in Phuket or Koh Samui. After a lot of investigation, I changed tactics. I decided that, for the first time ever, I was going to look into renting a private villa/house instead of a chain hotel. I spent weeks hunting thru TripAdvisor, Airbnb, and Homeaway. I had some basic criteria:

• Price
• Close to the Beach
• Private Pool (not just a plunge pool)
• Whole place to ourselves (wife and I)

As I searched, I bookmarked a bunch of places, but none of them gave me that special "warm and fuzzy". And then I found one that did. I ended up finding a place right on the water with a nice pool well within the price range I wanted. Now granted, I won't get there until July to see just how wonderful it is, but from the pictures and reviews, I don't foresee problems.

While it can take a fair amount of work, and will take a little leap of faith (and won't earn any hotel points and you'll have to actually lay out some cash ), but it is certainly worth looking into.

TravisSC

Also a bit late and not sure if you've already made your bookings but I thought I'd weigh in on the Renaissance Koh Samui since my wife and I just returned from a trip with 4 nights there and an additional 2 at the Conrad Koh Samui. My 'in a nutshell' opinion is that the Renaissance is a great little resort. We had an ocean front villa with pool. It had a smallish personal infinity pool with views of the lagoon. I'd call it a large plunge pool but can't recall the dimenstions- plenty big to comfortably float around in though. I've no input on the Koh Samui vs Phuket since this was our first trip to Thailand. Let me know if you'd like any other details about the Renaissance and I'd be happy to try and help.

roneyc

How was your experience at Conrad Koh Samui Travis SC? I have option of Phuket or Koh Samui this November and only hotel status is spouse's HH gold + 2 weekend night certificates. So naturally we're leaning toward Sat a.m. - Tues a.m. at Conrad, unless there are compelling reasons to head toward Phuket.

A little profile info - mid-50's, enjoy fine dining/wines but not hard partying, moderate physical activities such as snorkeling, walking, and bicycle tours but not mountain hiking - in other words, we're no spring chickens but not ready for walkers yet. This part of vacation is sandwiched between 1 week in Bangkok and 2 weeks in motor home touring New Zealand. Anyone with recent experience with one or the other who can provide advice? TIA.

TravisSC

I can't make a compairson with Phuket since Koh Samui was our only experience with Thailand but I can say that I was blown away with both the actual resort and service at the Conrad Koh Samui. My wife and I were only there for 2 nights but will definetly make a plan to get back there. We were in unit 312 and I have to say that as a 'hardproduct' the villa was phenominal - add to that the level of customer service from the staff and it really was amazing. We made use of the free boat to the 'private' island along with some snorkelling along the way and also did the jetski trip to the 5 islands. From your profile comments, I would think that the resort would suit you two well - there are enough activities around the resort to keep busy but it's also quite secluded from the hustle and bustle of the main beaches. If you're leaving Tues. AM try to make sure it's not too early so you can have breakfast. As HH Gold it's a nice perk but our flight out menat that we left the resort at 6:30 - before they opened. Another note to keep in mind is that the beach in front of the resort isn't actually that long so walking for hours on it isn't really an option (unless of course you're going at a true snails pace) but take the free boat over and walk for miles on the secluded beach there if that's your thing. I'm hoping to get a trip report up in the next week which might add more detail and photos but in a nutshell, I'd go back there without question^

deadinabsentia

AirBNB or such.

Lots of proper homes with pools that can be rented for less than hotels, and with much more space.

newaarondavidson

Yesd the Koh Samui has Pool Villas. We loved ours. The main public pool is also very nice. We debated the JW and Ren for a bit and in the end very grateful we chose the Ren. There is free transportation between the properties if you are looking at the JW for a dinner.

exmike

got stays at the conrad koh samui and w retreat koh samui coming up, but the private (non chain) villa idea sounds intriguing. please let us know how it goes

tjhorner

Stayed at the Renaissance Lamai Beach and the Intercontinental Taling Ngam. We did 3 days at each last September.

At the Ren we had a beachfront villa with private pool. No beach access from villa, but a short walk around to a small almost private feel sandy beach. The pool is a large "plunge" pool. The courtyard space is very large with table and chairs and loungers, outdoor shower. The Villa itself is large and has a very nice luxurious feel. Bfast buffet was nice. ^ self serve bloody mary bar. Ate dinner in restaurant, it was ok. A couple of restaurants down the road, we ate at one European/Thai/?, good food and atmosphere. However, there are many other options down the big road. The staff at the Ren were fabulous, as expected. I really liked the overall private feel of this property.

The IC was great as well... We stayed in a standard ocean view room. I am a Plat with IHG and was hoping for an upgrade, but the room was fine. Great views, large balcony/patio. Nice bath. Bfast buffet was ok. Food on beach was good. Dinner at the beach bbq restaurant was amazing. Not much nearby in this area but the f&b options make up for it, if just for a few days. Great infinity pool, great main pool, great beach, great staff..... and a really cool suspension bridge from the main property down to the beach area. More of a lively feel at the property.

HTH

remymartin

Threadjacking a bit.

Looking to help a family that wants a pool villa for 4 with two kids 6yo and under.
- solid kids club
- private pool
- space for 4
- golf possibilities
- budget under 500€/nt


Any suggestions highly appreciated.