Beltway2A

Awesome, thanks. The calendar just opened up for my dates, so I was able to make a 5 night redemption for 240,000 through the mobile app. The confirmation screen showed over $1000 in fees plus strict cancellation, which really concerned me. Now that I'm looking at the reservation through spg.com (it pulls up in the legacy interface) it's showing a 7 day cancellation policy but no co-pay. Do you think I have any reason to be concerned?

Kacee

Seven day cancel is standard for any rate and not something to worry about. I don't think there should be any fees, that sounds like an error. The Marriott IT is all messed up right now, particularly when it comes to SPG reservations.

I don't know if you will get better answers from the property, but I would definitely find a way to get in touch with them by email. Let them know you will be on your honeymoon. I was there for my birthday and they went out of their way to do nice things. The staff are absolutely lovely and really epitomize Thai hospitality.

Beltway2A

Thanks for the suggestions and reassurance Kacee, it puts my mind at ease. We're both definitely looking forward to this trip!

ikonos

I have the old Tier 1-3 7 night cert that I have not converted yet. Can that be used (albeit post conversion and after Sep 20th) to book here for some time in Feb 19? Thanks.

coljung

How much can one expect to spend in food during a 4 day stay ?

I'm looking for a hotel in K Samui, and most of the comments on this page make it sound amazing.

I'm planning on going the last week of March and will have Platinum status. I dont mind which room i get as long as it has access to a Pool.

My question is, how much im looking for in terms of $$ regarding food bills, for 2 people.

Thanks!

Kacee

At the hotel or eating local? You'll get breakfast at the resort. Two meals a day in Samui will run you anywhere from $5 to $100 per person. If you were to eat all your meals at Vana Belle, it would be in the $50-100 per person per day range, not counting alcohol.

coljung

I meant at the hotel mainly, but if there are restaurants close by, we wouldnt mind going out. Breakfast is a huge +

Kacee

It would be a crime to fly to Thailand and eat four days of meals at Vana Belle. The Thai food is pretty good though it's really difficult to get them to make it spicy for farang. The Italian restaurant is mediocre.

One of the best restaurants in Samui, Phensiri, is a ten minute walk. There are a gazilion restaurants in Chaweng, which is a 5-10 minute drive.

Breakfast at the resort is very good.

coljung

Of course, its just from experience sometimes its not easy to leave those hotels. Plus our stay will be the last leg of a 4 week trip, and we want to mainly relax. Going out is not a problem as long as it is close by, specially with a little kid. Street food we'll have plenty in Bangkok prior to Koh Samui for sure.

Kacee

Apart from Phensiri, the best Samui advice I can offer is to download and use the NaviGo app. It's like Uber, but it's just for Samui. The drivers are great, the vehicles are mostly new SUVs, and the prices are quite reasonable.

Beltway2A

I don't know how to make this a wiki, but email addresses for this property include: [email protected] and [email protected]

margarita girl

escape4

Why is VB especially good for Plats if you need to twist arms for an upgrade? That sounds counter-intuitive.

escape4

For a honeymoon, I highly recommend the Bookmark room at The Library (Design). There is only one such room at the hotel; it is fantastic and very suitable for a special occasion. I personally prefer the location of The Library right in Chaweng but of course others might prefer a more remote location. I have not been to Vana Belle unfortunately so I cannot provide a very informed comparison between VB and Library.

VCURamFan

Stayed here for two nights during Tropical Storm Pabuk, after three very unimpressive nights at Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui. Met another couple at VB who also transferred over early after a disastrous experience at RCKS. Night and day between the two staffs. Our butler Tong was on top of everything, without being pushy. Had a great day during the storm including one of the best massages I've ever had. Happy hour reception for plats, the staff went above and beyond during the storm. The beach at VB is much better than the Ritz, but unfortunately didn't get to use it much bc of the storm.

The hard product at RCKS was very impressive, some of the nicest rooms I've ever seen, but the service fell flat on every occasion. First time in my life I've ever left a hotel early. Everything took a long time, the staff was confused about everything, and most orders were completely botched. The buggy system was inefficient and our room was a 15-20 minute walk from anything else in the resort. RCKS could definitely use butler service and would probably work better as a St Regis.

Ate at Phensiri, which was very good. Favorite meal on KS was probably Antica Locanda, authentic comforting Italian after a few weeks of very spicy Thai food.

If I come back to KS, it will be VB again for me.