qqhqq

I hope so too. This is a resort that holds a special place for my family. The disappointment really stems from the sky high expectations from the memorable stays from the past.

Just a follow up - after much deliberation, the GM/F&B manager managed to help organise an in villa bbq in the end. A good experience, but the food was very average.

Will I stay here again? Probably, but not any time soon. Not with the limited redemptions availability, lack of dining options, diminished elite member benefits and the general lack of activities to keep me on resort for 5+ days... I hope the GM can turn the resort around soon.

A few small things that I think could help:

1. 30mins on top of any 1hr spa booking. I think no one is using the spa right now which is a sunk cost. 30min extra would entice a few more customers.

2. Introduce some afternoon tea/dining/happy hour options. Create an atmosphere, draw a crowd.

3. In villa dining needs a lot of work. Introduce more snack options. While not as lucrative as a full meal, guest will appreciate it more. Get rid of the Ma Kra Tah, it’s a gimmick and waste of time… do a real bbq.

4. Bring back the GM’s cocktail reception once a week for elites. Doesn’t have to be free flow, but a couple of beers and soft drink goes a long way to showing care for elite members.

Chang11

Is the GM still Marco? Is Jack still there? Great people!

brokenwindow

Marco is since ~1 year back the Hotel Manager at Waldorf Astoria Maldives

PlaneSpeaking

It’s a huge shame Marco left. I think he was Operations Director rather than General Manager but he may as well have been the latter given the way he operated. He was incredible with the most extraordinary guest-centric attitude and always always visible and interacting with the guests at all times. Unfortunately for all of us who love(ed) the Conrad KS, Marco is quite ambitious so it came as no surprise to learn he’d become GM of the new “jewel in the crown” but fair play to him as he definitely deserved it and lucky for all who visit the WA Maldives. When we were at the Conrad KS earlier this year and since Marco left, the difference was vast and the current manager was 100% invisible at all times - pretty shocking really given the hurdles we had to jump over to get into the country. Leaving aside that we were in the Royal Villa although not expecting any special treatment, one would still have thought a quick handshake and a “welcome back and I hope it was worth everything you had to go through in order to get here” might have been appropriate but nope, not a word and no sign of any management whatsoever at any time. It was a completely and utterly different experience with woefully inadequate dining venues and most of the previous touches “enhanced” away, a la BA style. Of course, the rest of the staff are all lovely, genuinely, but as with any hotel, airline or other hospitality venue, it’s the people who make it, not only from the bottom, but all the way to the top.

m0hamed

Any reviews of the Royal Villa? I saw a very early post stating they were going to stay in it, but no post stay review.

I have booked it for a few nights as none of the other properties like Vana Belle, RC or W meet our requirements of: Ocean View, separate living and bedroom area and large floor print. In fact almost all are simply bedrooms with a couch and/or studios despite the room names.

PlaneSpeaking

Hi, we were in the Royal Villa earlier this year. It’s comfortable enough but since we gave them some constructive criticism after our previous stay in 2020, they ignored all of it and it’s still tired which is unforgivable given the time they had to spruce everything up during lockdown. There were signs that other villas were being updated but why not update the most exclusive villa? That said, it’s still very comfortable and the staff are still lovely. Don’t expect a lot from the restaurants - the pool restaurant wasn’t open in the evening, Jahn is on request and that leaves room service or Zest, which is also where you’ll have breakfast. It’s still nice and excellent quality and you’ll have 25% off if you’re Diamond but for a property of this standard, one restaurant in the evening is unacceptable. Don’t expect a hello from the management - they’re invisible. Despite all this negativity, I’m sure you’ll have a terrific stay as it’s a very special villa. I’ll be interested to hear what you think - I wish you a pleasant and safe trip and a brilliant stay.

m0hamed

Thank you. It's not until early next year so hopefully Covid is no longer an excuse they can use.

We primarily spend our time in the room and pool while in Thailand. It's been years and very much looking forward to returning!

When we book top tier suites I generally ask the GM questions regarding issues or concerns I have read on FT and get an assurance the room will be deep cleaned or spruced up ahead of arrival.

PlaneSpeaking

You’ll have very little need to leave the Royal Villa so it sounds perfect!

PlaneSpeaking

You’ll have very little need to leave the Royal Villa so it sounds perfect!

EuropeanPete

I thought the Royal Villa was quite impressive. The sheer length of it and the pool make for a feeling of grandeur.

That said, size is everything with this place. The design isn’t amazing, the view is not one of the better ones and the bedroom is actually oddly small (+ I hope you like circular beds).

I know for some time it was selling at a modest upgrade above a standard villa. In that situation it’s a steal.

DFW1003

Sorry I'm a bit late in posting. We stayed six nights July 4 through July 10th using five Amex certs from two different Hilton accounts (I had 2 and my partner had 3), and then one night using the Amex FHR rate -- so we had three separate reservations. As background, on this trip, we started out in the Conrad Singapore for 4 nights, then Conrad KS for six, and finished at the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok for five nights. There were two couples traveling together, so at all three locations, we had two rooms, and we all used pts / certs or Amex FHR rates. This was our first time at all three properties, and it's possible might have received a bit better service / attention because the GM of the Conrad Tokyo was kind enough to email his counter parts to ask them to take good care of us.

One last bit of background, while at the Conrad Singapore, the head concierge chatted with us a bit while we were waiting for our Grab car to show. He told us the Conrad Singapore lost a lot of employees who didn't return after Covid (after as in when things started to pick up again in Singapore). He told us it's been hard on everyone, and everyone is trying their best as the industry (and the Conrad Singapore specifically) recovers from the impacts that Covid has had. I think hearing that from the head concierge, it definitely gave me and my partner a different view of things. There were definitely times when we felt the service at all three properties were not up to what we hoped for, but it honestly didn't bother us as much knowing everyone is just doing their best during hard times.

Specifically regarding the Conrad KS, we had a great time! Again, given it's our first time visiting, we can't compare to pre-Covid standards. But the property met all our expectations. We knew about the food situation before departure (there were several reviews about what was available and what was not) so we were not expecting drink vouchers and knew about the limitations (need 24 ours notice and things like that). We found the food options were plenty for our stay, though if staying longer, it could get boring, but I can honestly say we did not feel that way.

Prior to our arrival, our personal host, Amy (she is also the Front Desk Assistant Manager), was in contact with me for almost two years (we postponed our trip three times). Our original arrival was supposed to be in April 2021 (instead of July 2022), and the trip would have been to celebrate my partner's birthday, which is in April. We arrived late on Monday night (around 10pm). Amy was supposed to be off that Monday and Tuesday, but she stayed on the property to greet us and welcome us. We were also messaging on WhatsApp and she kept updated on our progress by contacting our driver (we used Mr. Samui). She upgraded us from the standard award room (sunset villa) to the Ocean View Infinity Pool Villa, villa 316 next to the spa. Many people say 309 and 310 are the "best" villas, so I asked for them, but Amy told me we should stick to 316 because it is the most private, and she was right! (We got late check out until 5 pm, but we had to change rooms that morning to 310 because the next occupants to 316 were arriving early afternoon. Amy put us in 310 for the day to give us a chance to compare it to 316, and 310, while you have "direct" views of the five islands, you are right next to 309, and you have a lot less privacy in the pool! We definitely preferred 316, just as Amy recommended!)

In our room, were two bears in robes with our names on the robes. Amy had room service deliver a light snack that we ordered (we ordered before arrival just in case the kitchen closed before we arrived due to a flight delay, and Amy, since she knew of our ETA from our driver, had the food delivered shortly before we arrived) to our room, along with a birthday cake (since our original plans were to celebrate my partner's bday), complimentary appetizers, as well as a bottle of wine and fruits (Amex FHR amenity). It was quite a spread and an incredible welcome.

Amy was also scheduled to be off on Tuesday. I was in need of some over the counter medication, and I asked her the best way to get some medicine the next morning since the resort was quite secluded. She told me not to worry about it, and the next morning, she picked up what I needed and dropped it off at the resort -- on her day off! She continued to check in via WhatsApp during the day. It was clear Amy informed the staff who we were. Minnie, the manager of Zest greeted us on Tuesday morning when we went for breakfast. Minnie was excellent! The very first day, she asked if wanted some mango, which James said yes. After that, every morning they made sure to send some mango to our table.. That afternoon, Amy arranged for us to tour Iris Farm with Minnie. During the tour, Minnie picked a papaya that she had her team use to make a papaya salad that we enjoyed with dinner. We were originally planning to do the in-villa Thai BBQ (two couples dining together in our villa), but because it rained, we moved to Zest. As it turned out, it really worked to our favor as we got the 25% off dining / beverages discount at the restaurant! The BBQ was delicious! [The corkage fee is only 1000 thb per bottle, so it's not a bad idea to bring some bottles with you. We brought a bottle of Bollinger, a 1000 ml bottle of Caymus, a bottle of Cakebread Cab Franc, and a bottle of BOTTEX BUGEY CERDON ROSE LAVUEILLE, NV (which is currently our favorite bottle to pair with Thai food) with us on our trip, and we were really glad we did!]

The following day, we rented the Blue Dragon from Ko Samui Boat Charter for a day excursion to Ang Thong Marine Park (highly recommend by the way). It was an all day trip we had a great time. Amy was so sweet, she had two coconuts waiting in our room when we arrived to help us quench our thirst after a day out. That evening, because we were tired, Amy helped us order pizza from Azure (and they have some awesome pizzas!) We were going to order from room service, but Amy told us she'd take care of it and that the pizza is better from Azure (so our understanding is room service pizza is different from the pizza from Azure. We never dined at Azure at night, but we can confirm we were able to get pizza from Azure for dinner delivered to our room thanks to Amy) We ended up dining at Azure for lunch three times during our stay and did not mind since we tried three different pizzas that were highly recommended by Amy and Minnie and also ordered appetizers another day..

The next day we did a three hours couples massage package (the FHR credit and the Amex Aspire credits were of great help in this! BTW, Amy was happy to help us "prepay" for services so that we were able to use our $250 credit last year and had a credit on our account, and then we had another $250 from Amex for this year!) so we had an early dinner delivered from Zest. As it turned out, there was a wedding and we were able to enjoy a VERY UPCLOSE view of a fireworks show from our room, which was pretty cool. Oh... I believe someone said that the spa wasn't very busy earlier up thread. That might have been the case for them, but definitely don't assume it's going to be the case. Amy booked our spa session prior to arrival (I'm a planner), but our friends did not book until they arrived, and they were not able to get in until Saturday (we arrived on Monday) and only for an hour each (at different times, instead of a 3 hour couples message package that we had), so the spa was definitely busy during the 6 days we were there. We loved our treatments, by the way. Scrub, deep tissue massage, then facials. We had two amazing masseuses, their hands were so fast you'd think you were getting a massage, treatment by a machine!!!

On Friday, we went on a half day trip to Samui Elephant Kingdom, an elephant sanctuary. Amy made all the arrangements and we had a great time. That evening we dined at Zest where we again had great service.

On Saturday afternoon, we visited Botanika and used our credit for two complimentary teas (sorry! now I can't remember why exactly we had the credit, but they were free, 2 beverages at Botanika). And then Saturday evening, we dined at Jahn (we had our meals planned out before arrival, but as others mentioned, you are supposed to let them know 24 hours in advance. Jahn was quite busy that evening, with 5 or 6 other parties). Minnie and her team were there at Jahn that evening, and honestly it felt like being served by friends. Needless to say, we found the service excellent.

Regarding the food, the Azure pizzas were excellent (as Minnie and Amy what they recommend), and we thought the food at Zest was very good. Jahn, was a bit of a let down. I was personally not "wowed". [but we dined at some incredible places on this trip -- Singapore = Labyrinth (loved!), ART (meh, but we were treated to amazing views of a fireworks show so that was a bonus!), Les Amis (loved!), Chatterbox (really enjoyed); Koh Samui (all at Conrad KS); Bangkok = Le Du (not bad), Vertigo (food isn't very good, but the views!), Methavalai Sorndaeng with a local (AMAZING), Front Room (highly recommend)] But everything at Jahn was delicious (just not WOW) and we had a great time! Amy had one more trick up her sleeves! She had turtles on our bed (lots of turtles, she remembered I had mentioned sometime during our numerous emails the past 2 years, that we enjoyed collecting the various toys from the Conrad), a hand written note for us, towels folded into crabs, and a hot bubble bath with lots of flower pedals waiting for us in our villa. What great service!

Sunday, we changed rooms in the morning after breakfast. As previously mentioned, Amy extended late check out til 5, but asked us to change rooms so she could have 316 ready for her next guests.

Amy was at the lobby to check us out, and, she gave us two more turtles because she knew we didn't have those two yet! LOL

In summary, yes, we didn't get the free drink vouchers. But as you can see from our experience, we had a great time, and would recommend the Conrad KS without hesitation.

My advice, ask for Amy and tell her that her new friends from July 2022 from Dallas, TX, sent you her way! You will be in AMAZING hands!
FYI, not sure if everyone know about this website, but it has more information on the Conrad KS. https://www.conradkohsamui.info/main-menu

PlaneSpeaking

Thank you so much - this is a great review and so many people will find it very useful. I’m so pleased you had such a good time.

DFW1003

Sorry, one more thing. If you are in need of laundry service (which we were since our trip was for 19 nights total -- including travel time), there is a laundromat that you can drop off laundry and they will wash and fold. 1 kg costs 100 THB (around 3 dollars). SUPER CHEAP. The more delicate / expensive stuff, we had the Conrad wash (just a few items) but the rest of our stuff we used the local service and it was fine!

If you have a car, obviously it's an option. We didn't have a car, but Amy offered to drop off and pick up for us!! Like I said, Amy was an amazing host!

BTW, my name is not Amy. haha

m0hamed

What a wonderful TR DFW1003 !

We were supposed to go on our annual Thailand vacation and then Covid hit. You have reminded me why I love Thailand and the Thai People so, so much. You are always made to feel extremely looked after, welcome, but most of all it's genuine.

What were the FHR benefits? I've booked the Royal Villa but tossing up booking FHR or Impressario.

DFW1003

Hey there! So true! We really loved our visit!

I'm trying to remember. This is why I wish I had posted my report earlier, b4 I started to forget.
I can't post pictures, otherwise I'd show the welcome fruit plate (decent size too with writing that said Conrad Koh Samui Fine Hotel and Resort). Also a bottle of wine.
I think maybe the two free drinks at Botanika was from FHR? I just can't remember, sorry. Early check in (we were late getting there) and late check out (but Amy extended it to longer than we needed, for us and our friends. And $125 resort credit. Plus we prepaid so we got $200 back on the rate by using our Amex Plat. Worked out really well since it was only for 1 night, the FHR rate and the other 5 nights were Amex certs!

Hope that helped.