Cape Fahn Koh Samui = A Private Island Entirely to Ourselves

Cape Fahn is an island off an island – a private resort about 150m away from the shore of Koh Samui which provides a unique experience and I can recommend it.  The hotel was recently opened in 2018 so everything is still in great condition and fairly modern.  When staying at Cape Fahn a lot of what we pay for is the location, however we should be aware that it’s not the best place for sea views unless booking the highest room types.  During our stay we were the only guests out of 22 villas so we had the whole island all to ourselves – it was a fantastic experience which might not be repeated again in our lifetime.  I would also note that dining was excellent and worth a detour even for people who are not guests of the hotel.  

Cape Fahn can pick up guests from the airport but we had a rental car as part of a mattress run in Koh Samui.  In order to reach Cape Fahn we drove passed a manned gate and they had a parking lot near the beach.  The Cape Fahn arrivals lounge was empty due to lack of guests but they had a phone for us to call the hotel to get the shuttle boat to reach the hotel.  This is where it got unusual: the arrivals lounge was right on the beach so I can imagine an older couple dressed up in nice clothes expecting luxury might not be well prepared if coming straight from the airport with dress shoes for example.  For us it was fine because we were driving from Conrad Koh Samui therefore I was wearing shorts and sandals but in different circumstances I might have been caught off guard.  During low tide they use some kind of amphibious vehicle to cross over to the private island which is in the background of the picture.  However they do not use it when it’s high tide; instead it’s a dinghy which can be an adventurous ride in windy weather.  Staff carried our bags on their shoulders from the parking lot to the boat and not to jinx them but I could foresee one day a small mistake which would result in a guest bag ending up dropped in the sea.  Once arrived on the other side they had a small foot bath to remove sand from feet and sandals before walking to reception, once again a quite nature-oriented experience and maybe not a pure luxury one.  

If I am not mistaken Cape Fahn might be the second most expensive resort in Koh Samui after Four Seasons, in normal times room rates are over $1,000 per night.  Even now in covid times the prices are near $1,000 on both SLH.com and Hyatt.com but if paying cash it would be much better to save money and book directly on their website for about $300 and simply forego the loyalty program benefits.  In high season booking with 20k Hyatt points would be an exceptional value for the money, at the moment it’s not too bad either and this is the option I chose.  

As per the normal Hyatt rules I received a one-category upgrade to the deluxe pool villa and I was told we had one of the nicer ones.  We had partial sea views on the right side which were nice but not as impressive as some other hotels such as Conrad.  The villa was in good condition with pleasing soft color tones and a large 10-meter long private pool which also had a section to sit down with jacuzzi jets for a back massage.  While the resort itself could hardly be more private, if the hotel had been full it would possibly not be as private as one can imagine because the villas are somewhat close to each other and we could see the pathway or the entrance door of some neighboring villas if moving to the edge of our pool or our terrace.  For example we had an outdoor shower but it was probably intended to be used to rinse off before and after using the pool while still wearing a swimming suit because you could see the pathway through the wooden sticks from there.  

As in many worthy luxury hotels they had an extensive pillow menu and air conditioning was powerful so we could sleep very well during our stay.  Some of the furniture was good quality with marble tops but some cabinets had more of an Ikea-style feel however.  

One minor issue where they perhaps are not doing themselves any favors by giving guests a non-luxury feeling is advertising some minor items for sale for example the bag covering a toilet paper roll for 200 THB or selling slippers for 160 THB which did not appear to be new.  

The bathroom amenities available in the room were nothing to write home about but the artisan soap selection available at check-in for various skin types was definitely a nice feature which we appreciated.

Non-alcoholic drinks from the mini-bar and snacks were included and refilled daily along with beer.  

Breakfast was offered in the main restaurant entirely a la carte and this was definitely a stand-out.  The menu was very extensive and allowed a lot of variety from one morning to another to sample different dishes; we could order whatever we wanted from the menu.  The presentation was excellent and the quality was very good – this is the kind of breakfast which is worth for non-hotel guests to come over to enjoy the food and the venue as well.  

For dinner they had a second restaurant called Long Dtai by chef David Thompson on the northern side of the island but unfortunately that restaurant was closed due to low occupancy and the menu was only available at the main restaurant.  

The main restaurant also had its own dinner menu with various Southern Thai specialties which were tasty.  Considering that guests are semi-captives on the resort (we could go on the main land whenever we wanted), I was surprised that prices were quite reasonable especially by Koh Samui standards.  It would be one more reason why I would recommend to outside guests to come over and try one of Cape Fahn’s restaurants if not staying at the hotel.

Since we had our private pool we did not use the main pool of the hotel but it was quite nice near the beach with views and there was also had a smaller one for children.  Nearby there were other common areas for relaxing or reading a book.  The beach was decent and overlooking the main island whereas the other side of the island was rocky with big waves on the side of the Long Dtai restaurant.

As can be imagined, service was flawless during our stay since we had the entire staff all to ourselves.  Given our interactions I suspect service would also be excellent at this property in times of high occupancy.  In addition I received a nice polo shirt as a souvenir of the hotel which was a nice touch.

Wifi was fast with download speeds of over 100 Mbps and upload about 20 Mbps, however there were occasional disconnections.  

For Hyatt loyalists, there is an upcoming Hyatt Regency which is supposed to open mid 2021 but I don’t think Cape Fahn competes with that style of large hotel however, in fact Cape Fahn is a one of a kind with unique strengths and has clear value as part of alternative options in Koh Samui for members of the Hyatt loyalty program.  Regarding cash reservations I am not sure how much Cape Fahn charges in normal times but at the moment they might as well not be part of any loyalty program since the premium when booking via Hyatt or SLH is illogical.  I would not be opposed to returning on a cash reservation even if booking direct however because of the amazing location which is really what we pay for when staying at Cape Fahn.