Land-of-Miles

Actually the road is a public road not within the hotel and it serves areas beyond the hotel. The hotel grounds are effectively divided in 2 by the road. If you are staying in the villas you can drive between there and the main hotel although you will have to fend off staff trying to force you to park in the main carpark and wait in the heat for a buggy.

That said for all this properties issues (and I substantially agree with Palermo), thIs is probably the least of them.

MrOscarh

Agreed. The road is not between the hotel and the beach. As for fending off staff, that reflects more on the guest than the staff.

Pseudo Nim

What I meant when I said the road divides the hotel is if you're staying in the villas on the hill and want to go to the beach, you have to cross the public road, is all.

palermo

The road, which is public, is between the hotel and the "private beach" of the hotel.

If you don't know this, you did not go there clearly

palermo

Yes, I (and a lot of people) do think they are comparable and price wise, they are very similar recently. The KS IC used to be cheaper but now you would struggle to get anything below 300 euro and once you move up to Club, the room rates are similar. Points-wise they are now both 50k.

Why would you compare this with the Only and Only Maldives - different hotel group and TOTALLY different market!

Your comment in relation to the visa requirement is bizarre. By the way, a number of European countries can get visa on arrival for Vietnam and you can very easily get an online visa by paying 20 euro to one of the online travel agencies.


It is a run down property with subpar service and food and not really at the same level of most other 5 star properties in KS

MrOscarh

A couple of your recent posts show that either a) you haven't been there or b) you had a bad experience and are bitter about it.

I have been there, and had an excellent experience. And the road hasn't moved. It's still within the hotel grounds, before one reaches Flames restaurant the large pool and all the other facilities, which are directly on the beach. I prefer not to mislead others.

palermo

I see you are now acknowledging that there is in fact a public road between the main hotel and the hotel beach as I said in my first post. I rest my case.

As for the rest, I am not bitter- far from it. I have travelled extensively and I can tell it is a run down property which is not on par with other 5 star hotels in KS or even with some other IC like the Danang one.

Land-of-Miles

Haven't been to Danang but agree with the rest, not really fair to describe the property as run down I think though, just not very good, which is a shame as it could be really superb.

My guess is that the primary focus is on Korean and other Asian tour groups rather than those who might be more discerning and expecting a more luxurious experience overall.

If you want to play in the top end price bucket you should be on a par with your competition for like for like accommodation. The IC BTN is distinctly sub-par.

alienguy99

Has anyone stayed in the club ocean view terrace suite at this hotel?

Looking at the floor plan, it looks as though the bathtub and the shower are within the main room itself with no separate toilet/door for privacy!

nogreene

Answer: I stayed there for my Honeymoon last year and the place is amazing. The bathroom is very large with the big tub and 180 degree view on side of the room, then an enclosed shower room (with door) and enclosed toilet room (with door) are also within the same room. The bedroom and living areas are separated by a long hallway with another bathroom. Closets are enormous. Furniture was very comfortable inside. The terrace is enormous, although you can sometimes hear noise from the bars just one level up. Highly recommend though.

arpiuk

i think you stayed in the Club ocean view panoramic suite. Not terrace suite. If I'm mistaken the terrace suites are different.

JBG89

Hello all,

I am currently a Platinum Elite and am thinking of upgrading to Platinum Ambassador for a points + cash stay this coming Thursday / Friday / Saturday at the IC Koh Samui.

Can anyone advise on if this would be a worthwhile $200 upgrade for my account? If i am reading correctly I would continue to get an upgrade (perhaps the same as my plat elite status?) but also potentially get Saturday as a free night? Any further experiences would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

palermo

If the 3 days are all on points and cash basis then it is essentially an award stay. No upgrade is applicable to award stays so the only real benefit from ambassador that you will get is late check out at 4pm and 25% off on breakfast cost.

As an Ambassador, If you are booking some days as awards and same days in cash (on a paid rate), then you are entitled to an upgrade for the days when you are paying cash. The hotel may comp you the upgrade on the award nights but they are not required to do so.

Overall I found ambassador valuable but it depends on how often you stay at ICs and the potential value for you of the weekend certificate.

arpiuk

I would email the hotel and ask what upgrades they can offer. They may offer a very decent upgrade for a modest price. Club rooms are worth it, as you get free transfers from/to airport, breakfast, afternoon tea and early evening canapés and drinks in the price. They do offer paid upgrades on points booking, but you need to email them.

tomasdev

This hotel and http://www.flyertalk.com/hotel-revie...am-resort-1104 are the same... wonder if a mod can merge the reviews into a single hotel (otherwise it's confusing)