bigjim

Love the oceanfront pool villas here. I wish that I didn't have to travel to the other side of the globe for the experience but I'd go back tomorrow even though I was just there in February.

kmcbrid2

Just finished a 1 week stay here with the family. Was able to fit all of the family in a pool villa;two kids slept on each end of the day bed and 2 year old slept in a roll away crib.

nice boutique hotel and great choice for Koh Samui

PLT benefits included 2 free drinks each day.

smokie

Thinking of booking this property for my wife and I, and our teenage daughter. Seems to be some conflicting information about whether there will be an option for a bed for our daughter in this villa…

Seems like there is only a couch in the bedroom? Or will they be able to provide a roll-away? Seems like they should be able to accommodate 3 adults in almost 1800 square feet!

Any advice appreciated.

kmcbrid2

I'm guessing you are talking about the pool villa? If yes, then she can sleep on the day bed I think it is about 3 meters long. There are no roll-away beds. They will just give you the same bedding from the day bed and put it on the floor next to the main bed if you need it. But your daughter should be fine with the day bed.

Don't think the 1800 square feet is all AC and enclosed from the elements. I think the actually space which is AC is probably about 400-500 square feet. The rest of the space is open to the elements.

bigjim

For the ocean view pool villa - The main bedroom/bath area is probably in the 400-500 square ft. range. There is an additional outdoor space that has a couch and is air conditioned that has the ability to be closed off that is probably around 200 square ft and has a large couch.

TerryK

Never mind.

shuuy

Is it worthwhile to use 7xSNA to upgrade from the Verandah Suite to the Pool Access Suite?

UASPG

Yes - unless you have a better planned use for those SNAs.

I know both types of suites and would not hesitate .... unless something more tempting for another booked stay was coming up.

EuropeanPete

I believe that Pool Access Suites are given as standard to Plats, so I'd personally only bother if it's high season and you're expecting a need to trump other visitors.

They are quite a bit nicer though, and when I was there last week the main pool had loud Russian kids causing chaos so a chance to chill out in the private pool and talk to a passing pleasant American couple was welcomed.

EuropeanPete

I thought that I'd do a quick review here. I had a two day stay last week and will be back again in a week's time.

At 5-8k THB it's the only reasonably priced SPG resort on the island at the moment. If you manage your expectations correctly, I believe it's a good hotel, but don't expect a competitor to the likes of Vana Belle or other $500+ resorts which at first this might resemble.

Pro's:
- The entrance is unique and pretty beautiful
- The staff are good (as you'd expect in Thailand), with better than usual Plat recognition. I ended up speaking to the Front Office Manager and the Duty Manager partly to resolve some problems with my trip (only partly Meridien related - though missing my ferry after I was taken to the wrong pier didn't help)
- Ultimately it's not bad value if you can't afford a higher end resort and it's good enough for a night or two when transferring through Samui. I personally would rather not spend a week there, but I'm lucky enough to be able to pick from higher end resorts (my upcoming stay at the W is going to cost me 6 times as much, even with an SPG50 applied)

Con's:
- I'm not a big fan of the rooms. In no way are the "Pool Access Suites" suites. They're simply an area for a bed with a reasonably large but not air-conditioned bathroom area. I also had a Thai-sized cockroach in my shower at one stage which could well freak out someone not used to Thai island life
- There's not really a lot to the hotel. The reception is beautiful, the upper end rooms look pretty but the lower end look like a 3* resort, whilst the pool and dining area are unremarkable

shuuy

Booking over New Years, so will roll the dice.

Last year I had 8 SNA's expire, so I feel like if I can use them I will

EuropeanPete

Give me a shout if you're around on the 28th of December (2014) then. Please don't take my Pool Access villa at the far end of the pool Christmas and new year's is ultra-high season though - I was warned I might not get my room this time.

UASPG

New Years stay: use of SNAs definitely recommended.

EuropeanPete

Had another stay here a couple of nights ago (and got my room again). Not that much to add. Friendly welcome backs from the staff.

This time I wasn't alone and my company loved the look of the resort - the Thai style wood and designs and the sunken bathtub in the bathroom.

We also went to the reception area at 19:19 for the lantern ceremony which rationally I would say is a bit twee and lanterns are bad for the environment, but the ceremony was actually really something and everyone had a lot of fun lighting up laterns and sending them up into the sky from a sparkling pool of water. Definitely a key memory from this trip.

Edit: One special amusing surprise was when we got to our room I had a towel made up as a swan and the letters SPG laid out in rose petals. That appealed to my sense of humour and may have been a reference to me requalifying as Platinum that night, or maybe was just for kicks.

shuuy

Save your suite night awards! The pool access room is wonderful, but not worth the SNA's imho (would love those 7 back!)

The 50sqm suite gives half of the space to the bathroom; the bedroom is sized more like the closet room you get at the W New York. The outdoor sitting lounge looks nice however.

Apparently the pool access is a higher category than the plunge pool suite. Both rooms sized the same as the standard terrace suite or (10% smaller) verandah.

(Oh and I got the SPG flowers as well)