sfgirl3

Thanks, is the daybed movable, so you can pull it to block the doorway and walk around to go outside? I don't think either kid is going to be excited about sleeping on the ground. . . .

travelswithmyself

If you look at my picture the "daybed" is in the bottom left corner. It's OUTSIDE the room on the verandah leading to the pool. It also looks really heavy, but I suppose it could be dragged over. I doubt you'll be happy having the kid sleep outside in mosquito land though :P

I suggest you do what I do... both kids and the smaller adult on the king bed...

BonViveur

I think you would have a horrible stay here with 4 in a room, if they allow it. I would definitely contact the hotel, first. Tina, the GM, may be open to a solution of a discounted second room.

No room here, including the villas, to my knowledge, is designed for 4 people.

If you were allowed, and managed to get the daybed inside the room without damaging something, you would be climbing over each other to get in and out of bed, and to the bathroom. The 'suites' are too small, in my opinion.

If you usually try to get 4 in a room, you probably won't want to fork out for the huge suites at W, as they cost as much as 4 rooms, although they would accommodate you. Vana Belle also seems unsuited to 4 in a room.

I love Samui, and stay there often, but can't recommend a Starwood there, for 4 pax.

If you do try, please let us know how it goes.

yosithezet

If you take one of the walled suites, bring bug spray and some sleeping bags!

Actually, what about the sitting room in the suites? Might that sofa turn into a bed?

harrisoned

Hey guys, just wanted to give you my experience at the LM Koh Samui after staying there for three nights on my honeymoon. We had a really nice stay here, but after comparing it to the three other hotels we visited (St. Regis Bangkok, Chedi Chiang Mai, Six Senses Yao Noi), we both said it was our least-favorite (though still a very good) hotel.

Compared to some of the other resorts we went through during our stay in Koh Samui (going out to dinner at the Hansar and at Zazen), the Le Meridien is comparatively small and feels a little cramped - the buildings are quite close together. However, the two areas you will spend the most time (other than your room) - the poolside bar/restaurant and the main lobby - are quite spacious and nice. It was never difficult to get a lounge chair by the pool and the lobby area was usually empty other than during cocktail hour.

Since it was our honeymoon, the GM, Tina, provided us with an upgrade to a plunge pool room despite the hotel being close to capacity and my SPG status only being Gold. Additionally, the hotel also left a really beautiful rose pedal heart on the bed as well as some chocolates. No champagne, but overall it was a nice touch. The room was decent-sized, though felt smaller because it was very compartmentalized - there was a front sitting area (no A/C), the main bedroom, as well as an outdoor shower/vanity/toilet (covered), with the plunge pool in between that area and the bedroom.

My least favorite part of the room was definitely the bathroom - not because of bugs or anything, but because the toilet was not completely hidden by a wall or door. I love my wife but I don't need to see her on the toilet (nor she see me!). Additionally, there was a strange half-step down between the plunge pool walkway and the toilet/shower, which nearly caused me to break my ankle one groggy night.

Service throughout the hotel was quite strong for a 4-star hotel - waiters came by often to ask for drinks or offer more nuts - and there were always extra towels waiting for you if you took a dip in the pool. Additionally, the bars offered two-for-one drink specials during happy hour, which was a nice way to relax after a day at the beach.

As for food, we only ate once at the resort - breakfast. The buffet was quite good, but a bit pricey. They had a full omelet station, fresh breads, fruit, muesli, granola and smoked salmon & cheese, plus the usual breakfast meats. They also had pad thai and some other less western options for those who felt a bit more adventurous for breakfast.

We felt the location of the hotel was good, as it was a short walk down to Lamai beach (our favorite of the main beaches on Koh Samui), but its own beach was small and the water was not swimmable. We also found that for one reason or another, we preferred heading down to Bophut for dinner, so it was a little inconvenient to take a 20 minute taxi each time. No trouble finding taxis or anything like that though.

Overall, I think if I were to go back, I would want to try out one of the private pool suites, as our only real quibbles were with the size and layout of the room we were in. Tina did a great job at making us feel welcome and the resort was just right for 3 days. If we were to stay longer on Samui, we might want to find somewhere that had a bit more of a footprint to walk around, but otherwise the resort lived up to expectations.

bigjim

So for the end of February - at the end of a work-week in Bangkok, and a couple of days at Angkor Wat, I'm splurging and have booked an Ocean Front Pool Villa for four nights at this property. We are looking to really unwind and enjoy the room as much as possible.

I'd be interested in any advice that folks have who might have stayed in/or seen these villas. I think that the premium and residential villas have now been transferred out of the Le Meridien. So, I'm not sure how many ocean front pool villas are actually available to choose from.

Are there activities that originate from the hotel in the event that we get a little bored hanging out by our pool and reading?

Are there any must-dos while on Koh Samui?

Would it be worth a trip (and how far of a trip) to have lunch/dinner at the W or the Vanna Belle?

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

yosithezet

Are you mixing up LM Koh Samui and LM Khao Lak?

bigjim

You are probably right. After looking at these properties for a couple of weeks, they are all starting to run together.

coffeeblack

I think your review on a whole represented LM Samui fairly, however, comparing LM to the three hotels above may have been a little unfair. The hotels above are definitely higher end, and catering to a different audience. Nevertheless, I agreed with your review on the whole.

But on a separate note, did you try out the spa? when I was there with my family last year, it was the absolute highlight of the trip! So professional and wonderfully serene, plus the design of the spa was supremely different. Also one of the major highlights for me during the trip was the daily lantern lighting at 7ish pm. Simply breathtaking.

remymartin

I saw an article today which I believe was from travel+leisure which had a code to book this property for 3 nts at a pool plunge suite for 7999++ per night. I'll dig it up if anyone's interested.

bigjim

Okay/// edited out the parts that I got confused about. Any suggestions?

coffeeblack

Re: activities in the hotel @bigjim, when I went to the LM Koh Samui last year we indulged in many spa treatments, whilst yes, it is definitely possible that you can receive cheaper treatments outside, the hotel's spa is really quite gorgeous, even though it may not look it from the outside.

I would also recommend staying at least one night for the release of the lanterns.

postular

I think to really have the full experience at this property you need to splurge on one of the oceanfront villas with private pool. We LOVED it! ^ (and Tina is a marvelous host).

bigjim

I did. I'm asking for advice on if there is a particular one that is better than others and how are the other activities at the hotel or recommended ones off property.

bigjim

Thank you! planning on a few massages.