Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Hotels and Places to Stay > Hilton | Hilton Honors
Reload this Page >

[ARCHIVE to 2017] Conrad Koh Samui {THA}

[ARCHIVE to 2017] Conrad Koh Samui {THA}

Old Sep 6, 2017, 11:37 pm
  #1921  
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 33
Anyone stay at the 3br villa/any reports? I see loads of reviews of the royal 1BR and 2BR but not much about the 3, and I have a stay coming up (booked @ $750/night all in ). I've seen the stock pictures and floor map, but how does it compare to the standard rooms in terms of view? Is it too high up (I think it's "6" level), or is the extra height a good thing?
elsaball is offline  
Old Sep 7, 2017, 4:17 am
  #1922  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador, Radisson Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 3,621
Originally Posted by mnredfox
Not sure when someone last had free drinks at HH but currently B1G1 cocktails and beer only. And no you can't use the cert for the paid drink.

No lucky draw and no Shanghai Tang either (out of stock).
Oh I can confirm no lucky draw and no Shanghai Tang when I was there last week.

Also, I had a bit of difficulty using the four free drink coupons at Azure and Zest. The staff would happily take the coupons when I ordered the drinks but then the cost of the drinks would appear on the bill anyway. It happened at both outlets. Keep an eye on that.
jphripjah is offline  
Old Sep 7, 2017, 7:06 am
  #1923  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: Aegean Airlines Silver, British Airways Gold, Virgin Atlantic Silver
Posts: 1,740
Best Ocean View Retreat Pool Villa?

My wife and I (HH Diamond + Silver) will be spending our wedding anniversary at CKS very soon.

We were wondering which OVRPV to request.
We are both quite fit so don't mind walking / stairs. We would prefer somewhere secluded / private where the sun is on the pool / sundeck in the afternoon.
Anyone recommend a villa fitting these requirements please?

Thanks all
gallagher is offline  
Old Sep 7, 2017, 9:41 am
  #1924  
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,412
Originally Posted by jphripjah
Oh I can confirm no lucky draw and no Shanghai Tang when I was there last week.

Also, I had a bit of difficulty using the four free drink coupons at Azure and Zest. The staff would happily take the coupons when I ordered the drinks but then the cost of the drinks would appear on the bill anyway. It happened at both outlets. Keep an eye on that.
Thanks for the tip.
mnredfox is offline  
Old Sep 8, 2017, 3:03 pm
  #1925  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 465
I'm making a rezy for next march but points or $ are both non-refundable? Never was this way, is this new?
ChuckMango is offline  
Old Sep 8, 2017, 6:54 pm
  #1926  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 465
*******
ChuckMango is offline  
Old Sep 9, 2017, 5:31 pm
  #1927  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,481
Originally Posted by ChuckMango
I'm making a rezy for next march but points or $ are both non-refundable? Never was this way, is this new?
I have a reservation (points) for March as well. You have to cancel a points booking 7 days prior arrival to get your points back. Same for the best available $ rate.

For another booking in May ($, Honors early saver) I have to prepay 30% of the total price for the stay, which I won't get back in case of cancelation.
thbe is offline  
Old Sep 10, 2017, 6:15 pm
  #1928  
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,412
Exclamation

Ok, did a TR for Maldives, so thought I would post my thoughts on CKS here. First off, it's truly hard to compare this property to the Conrad Maldives. I know they are considered two of the top beach destinations for Hilton hence the urge to compare, but they truly are two different properties. The Maldives has ocean, beaches, and excursions (nothing can beat the blue of the Maldives) - but you truly are secluded and can't really go anywhere. This is good and bad of course (you're nearer to other tourists and see them all the time). At CKS, you have the option to go off resort and do excursions on your own. CKS seems to be more quiet regardless of occupancy which we enjoyed more. I think it generally fit what we wanted for the end of our trip. Anyway, enough about the two, here goes the review:

The good:
Upgrade, got UG from std room reward to 2-BR residence (room 504)
Service - honestly the staff was outstanding here.

The bad:
I wouldn't call it bad, but we were disappointed with breakfast at Zest. Perhaps it was because we were used to what we had at CMRI, but it has neither the variety as Atoll nor quality of Vilu. Anyway, breakfast was fine, but the made-to-order items were a disappointment.
And while I can't complain about Diamond treatment given our UG, seems like other benefits have been reduced given the loss of lucky draw and drinks at HH.

Room:
Again, got an UG to two bedroom residence room 504. We loved this room (shouldn't even call it a room). HVAC worked great and we loved having all the options we had (upper room in side, balcony outside, oversized infinity pool, etc. Reports of the building being dated were true (outside deck needed wood replaced, some worn areas like bathroom grout/caulk, some dry wall etc). But none of this was something that really took away from the experience for us. Fresh fruit on day 1, beautiful elephant decorations with towels and roses in the BR on day 1 (for our honeymoon). Cookies given daily on turndown and towels were replaced regularly along with new amenities. Plenty of water refilled daily as well.

Food:
We ate breakfast at Zest daily, dinner at Zest once, and had HH at the Mainlobby/Zest/Azure. Service was always good. Already talked about breakfast - overall pretty good but areas of disappointment. I thought we should have seen more fresh fruit (never saw fresh mango) and the OJ was the standard carton OJ you see in Thailand - would have hoped/expected for fresh squeezed OJ. But good selection of foods. Highlight of breakfast for me was the daily noodle soup.

Dinner at Zest was reasonably priced and the food was good. We were a bit turned off that you have to purchase water at a minimum of 190 THB for a small bottle - not totally surprised as this happens in Asia often but given that was the cheapest option it seemed a little bit off putting. Food was good though, although portions were small.

We enjoyed HH Daily at several locations (utilizing the 4 Diamond coupons and the B1G1 deal at HH). Drinks were quite delicious and were sometimes served a welcome drink and some nuts at HH (at Azure).

Property:
Honestly, we did not explore as much of the property as we did the Maldives - probably because we can go offsite. We rented a car which we would recommend. Gives you the ability to drive around for some more local restaurants and or other excursions (we did off site massages two nights). The little we did was nice, the main pool area is nice for a refreshing swim (esp during HH where it gets hot). We did watch the fire show two nights which was cool, keep in mind the front tables often get reserved for dinner so if you want a good seat reserve a table for dinner (though we saw fine in the back and from the side one day). Didn't go to the beach to snorkel or rent a kayak (we would have if we had more time) and the chairs/hammocks over the water weren't an option given how hot it was (it would be nice in the AM before the sun hits that part of the water though). The hammocks in the shade were nice too.

Walking actually wasn't as difficult as most folks make it out to be. The hills are steep but we walked beach to reception several times and it was nice to stroll after breakfast. Given though, my wife and I are both from Colorado and we enjoy hiking in the mountains.

Activities:
I know the speed boat ride is mixed, but we enjoyed it. You get to see different sites/views of the Koh Samui area and you get some free snorkeling. The beach part of that boat ride was just ok. Nice to purchase some overpriced snacks at a tourist trap if you want, but the beach there wasn't very good. Good tip on bringing your sandals on the island as the bathrooms weren't that good.

Other than that, we didn't do the cooking class (maybe next time, but hard to justify 2-3x price you can find for a class in Bangkok and Chiang Mai but heck this is the Conrad) and instead of the Ang Thong tour we did the fishing day trip. We were looking for a more local not as posh option and that's what we got. Sat on a hot local fishing boat all day with a toothless fisherman - but in the end had a blast. Caught a lot of fish including a nice barcudda, did some snorkeling, and ate a BBQ lunch they cooked on board. As expected only two others came on board with us (we actually had the boat to ourselves and our two local fisherman tour guides for half the day) - but everything went smoothly and pickup/drop off at hotel went well.

Summary:
Overall, I think we would come back for sure (wife wants to go back and also visit Phuket). We really enjoyed our time in Thailand and Koh Samui gave us the opportunity to have both a resort and local experience at the same time. Renting a car was smooth as a breeze (though drop off at the airport was confusing for a few minutes) and google maps without cellular worked fine (you can't download offline maps so just sync up via wifi before you leave). We probably would come back here before going back to the Maldives (mostly due to distance from the US and limited experience Maldives has to offer). The beauty of Koh Samui is amazing, but the beaches and ocean in the Maldives can't be touched. Service was amazing and there is something magical about the kindness and attitude of the local Thai people.

Last edited by mnredfox; Sep 13, 2017 at 10:58 am
mnredfox is offline  
Old Sep 11, 2017, 2:40 am
  #1929  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Back in Hell
Posts: 4,178
Originally Posted by mnredfox
The bad:
I wouldn't call it bad, but we were disappointed with breakfast at Zest. Perhaps it was because we were used to what we had at CMRI, but it has neither the variety as Atoll more quality of Vilu.
Do you mean "neither the variety of Atoll nor quality of Vilu"?

Originally Posted by mnredfox
Anyway, breakfast was fine, but the made-to-order items were a disappointment.
OOC, what items did you make to order?
MaldivesFreak is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2017, 8:25 am
  #1930  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: CVG, AMS, BKK
Programs: Delta Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond.
Posts: 185
Just got back from another amazing stay at CKS. Despite this being the 'off-season', it was the busiest I have ever seen it. Buggy wait times were extra long, but that's okay because I don't go there to ride golf carts up and down hills. I go there for the private villas, private pools, and million dollar views. And, this time, we got all of that and a little extra.

Lyle Lewis recognized us from our last trip to the Conrad Maldives and upgraded us to a 2 bedroom villa with an even bigger pool. I can't comment on the Royal Villa, but I will say that this felt like an immense upgrade over the already amazing pool villas. Here's a link to the FB video walkthrough.

www(dot)facebook.com/jessica.chudski/videos/10212767409651691/

Change the (dot) for (.)

Last edited by DutchRyan; Sep 13, 2017 at 8:26 am Reason: FT wouldn't let me link FB video.
DutchRyan is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2017, 10:57 am
  #1931  
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,412
Originally Posted by MaldivesFreak
Do you mean "neither the variety of Atoll nor quality of Vilu"?



OOC, what items did you make to order?
Yes, thanks for the correction. I'll fix.

I had 4 of the different egg choices on the menu, all of them were some sort of eggs Benedict. Potatoes were meh, eggs were just ok. Buffet items were better IMO.
mnredfox is offline  
Old Sep 13, 2017, 10:27 pm
  #1932  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Back in Hell
Posts: 4,178
It seems they need training. When I was there the pastry chef couldn't even make pavlovas or even plain custard, among other things.
MaldivesFreak is offline  
Old Sep 15, 2017, 5:23 pm
  #1933  
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Saipan, MP
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Alaska 75K, United Platinum
Posts: 201
Originally Posted by gallagher
Best Ocean View Retreat Pool Villa?

My wife and I (HH Diamond + Silver) will be spending our wedding anniversary at CKS very soon.

We were wondering which OVRPV to request.
We are both quite fit so don't mind walking / stairs. We would prefer somewhere secluded / private where the sun is on the pool / sundeck in the afternoon.
Anyone recommend a villa fitting these requirements please?

Thanks all
I'd be curious to know this as well. I've traveling here to mid-January (HH Diamond). Any recommendations on contacting them in advance for upgrades or room requests?
Voldoo is online now  
Old Sep 21, 2017, 6:05 pm
  #1934  
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States
Programs: AA, BA, UA, Spirit, Delta, PC Plat, SPG Gold, HHonors Diamond, Club Carlson Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,735
Originally Posted by mnredfox
Is there GPS to rent? Or good wifi in the airport? I've been used to using my phone or iPad in airplane mode after getting the route downloaded via wifi. Have done this a lot internationally and so long as you don't venture off your route it works.

Anyone have any experience trying this?
Sorry for late response, didn't see it before.

The car rental did offer GPS for something like $10 a day I think. I declined because the cost of rental was already quite high and because I thought I would have the service. I don't remember what phone I used back then, perhaps Nokia, but GPS worked... kinda -- I never got audio. That little turn to Conrad was one thing I missed more than once coming back from both directions, especially after dark, so I would recommend a fully functional GPS.
mnscout is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2017, 10:48 am
  #1935  
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,412
Originally Posted by mnscout
Sorry for late response, didn't see it before.

The car rental did offer GPS for something like $10 a day I think. I declined because the cost of rental was already quite high and because I thought I would have the service. I don't remember what phone I used back then, perhaps Nokia, but GPS worked... kinda -- I never got audio. That little turn to Conrad was one thing I missed more than once coming back from both directions, especially after dark, so I would recommend a fully functional GPS.
Google Maps on the iphone or iPad worked fine for us. We just synced up via wifi at the airport and the hotel before leaving. Did not use cellular at all.
mnredfox is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.