3rdworldresident

Kacee

If you want to be closer to the action, it's the right call. VB is too far to walk for Chaweng nightlife. IIRC correctly, it's about 300 THB Navigo or Grab one-way from VB to Central Festival, which is more or less the heart of Chaweng.

pentiumvi

Wanted to see if anyone had any newer reports from some of the Bonvoy properties on Koh Samui?
The base room rates for the W and VB seem roughly the same, whereas the RC is quite a bit lower.

Reading through the thread though, it seems like the base rooms at these properties aren't really all that great, and should really be looking at the some of the nicer rooms (villas, ocean view pool etc). This ends up putting all 3 properties at roughly the same cost (ie. quite expensive )

I'll be plat during the stay, is there a particular property that provides better elite treatment? Is it safe to also assume that upgrades are not likely, and I get what I book?

UASPG

Good luck with the Director of Rooms at the W!

I got nice upgrades at the Vana Belle, but I'm not sure how generous they are with Platinum guests. The occupancy during your stay might be a factor for the upgrades the hotel grant.

It's probably safer to assume that you will get what you booked and have an eventual nice surprise.

pentiumvi

Haha, I take it upgrades are non-existent at the W?

There seem to be pros and cons for VB/W/RC, having a tough time deciding, especially since rates are quite similar... I'm not looking to spend too much time lounging around the property/beach, but will instead be doing some exploring.
So looking for a property that provides a good dining/room experience, also convenient location for sight seeing, tour pick-up etc.

jer3

Was at the Vana Belle in March and I'd say Elite treatment was good. Welcome Amenity was some local treat and bottle of bubbly. The hotel had very high occupancy when we were there so no upgrades. I would say breakfast is pretty good too, lots of variety especially for the ordered food instead of the buffet.

ftrichard

Regarding location, the only difference would be how close you want to be to Chaweng's restaurants and nightlife. If you like walking then you could just about walk from VB into Chaweng at a push. I did the walk from the (awful) Sheraton Samui once which is a bit further out from VB. Other than that, you need transport or deep pockets for the ultra-expensive (for Thailand) taxis to get around Samui as you cannot assume any of the ride-sharing apps will work as they do on the mainland for reasons known only to Samui residents. If you're more adventurous and are prepared to use Songthaews then the VB would also be a better location because its entrance is directly on the main ring road just outside Chaweng and so it's on the main route for flagging down and getting dropped off. The W is a bit of a hike to the main road and the RC is similarly off the beaten track for this type of transport. I really, really, do not recommend you hire scooters to get around because of the extremely high accident and fatality rate which is not widely advertised by the many companies hiring scooters to holidaymakers. A car can be hired for around THB800 a day from a local company and if you want to do day tours then I can recommend this option. Samui's not that big and you can drive around the ring road stopping at all the viewpoints and temples over a couple of days without needing an organised tour (though you can get inspiration from the organised tour's itinerary). Driving a car or truck is okay here and not that scary as it's impossible to get a speed up in most of the built up areas because of the volume of traffic.

pentiumvi

Thanks for the info. Seems like I'll be heading to the VB, considering the other Samui Marriott properties all seem to have their downsides. Now if only I had the budget for the 4 Seasons

I've done a scooter rental in other parts of SE Asia, but I think I'm going to pass in Thailand. Although expensive, can I assume that taxis are generally readily available?

ftrichard

Certainly VB will be able to call you one. Minimum fare for any short distance, for example to Central Samui in Chaweng, would be THB300 if you're lucky. If you want to go further then bank on THB500 minimum for a 15 minute journey. To put it in perspective that would get you from BKK to your downtown hotel for an hour or more in heavy traffic in Bangkok. The issue with scooters is not you safely driving it (with or without a helmet), it's what happens to you when somebody else on the road randomly hits you from nowhere which isn't anything you can do anything about. There are a lot of trucks on the island because of the poor quality of the minor roads so I've witnessed directly numerous accidents over the last year and an acquaintance - a long term resident who knows the roads - is now dead after being hit in Lamai a few weeks ago. I repeat my recommendation to hire a local car (Toyota or similar for THB800 a day) as that is a lot safer to drive and quite pleasurable around the island.

pentiumvi

How's the parking situation on the island? I usually hate renting a car due to having to find parking for it.

Unrelated to transportation, what's typical rates at the VB? Looking at May next year, it's ~18k for base room. I know no one has a crystal ball, but was curious if this price may go down since the rooms probably just got loaded not long ago.

ftrichard

Parking. Like most things in Samui, it's the Wild West. People park everywhere on the side of the road if there's nothing more formal so there's rarely an issue when you arrive at your destination and certainly not when you're outside of Chaweng/Lamai sightseeing or visiting restaurants around the island. In Chaweng you can park at Central Samui shopping mall. Elsewhere, well, people park up anywhere close to where they're visiting. The greater issue is the quality of the roads when you're off the main ring road but as long as you're careful to avoid the worst of the potholes and remember that it's not your car then you can go pretty much anywhere. Trucks and jeeps are common for more fun but we have a long-term rental on a Toyota car and it's fine for us.

UASPG

ftrichard is obviously very knowledgeable about Koh Samui (and booze), but I also personally know a young guy that was killed on a motorbike in Koh Samui, years ago. Despite the number of scooters and motorbikes that you can see on the roads (with or without helmets) they are to be avoided; four wheels are definitely a much safer choice on this island.
The days, when coconuts landing on heads was the #1 cause for fatalities is Koh Samui, are long gone.

I would also pickup the Vana Belle, because of its location, nice beach and good service, even though I feel the F&B is weak at this property.

Kacee

Getting around can be a challenge. I've rented scooters and a car. Scooter is fine for running from VB into Chaweng, but it can get dicey going any farther. I did not enjoy driving/parking on the island, traffic, parking, and some very narrow streets. Taxi is expensive and many will cheat you. I liked Navigo app best - nice cars and reasonable prices, but it can be a challenge getting a car at times. They will reduce prices to sell rooms, so it really depends on demand. Is 18k with or w/out taxes and fees? That's fairly pricey, especially if not including taxes/fees - I used to say my max for this property was around 15k but it seems everything is more expensive in Thailand these days.

pentiumvi

Seems like getting around may just be a bit of a pain in general. I'm only there a few days, if taxis are readily available and can be hailed easily at tourist sites, I may just suck it up and pay.

The 18k I'm referring to is including taxes/fees. A bit over 15k w/o, so seems like prices are right at the high end at the moment.

Will08

To add to your confusion I am going to add some conflicting info to what others have suggested. Firstly you will be glad to know the weather is generally pretty good in May in Samui and it is deemed as low season so the prices you are seeing at the moment may come down nearer to the time.

You state that you are going to be off out and exploring, with that in mind I would say it is a complete waste paying 18k for any hotel. I wont rehash what I put in the Sheraton page but if you go on there you will see the room upgrade I got with paying 5k a night. If you are deciding between the W and the VB at similar prices I would go with the W. Whilst the W is becoming a bit tired a base room there is much better than a base room at the VB in my opinion. By base room I mean you will most likely get an ocean view room. In terms of location by the way the Sheraton is literally next door to the VB so I am not sure how one can be deemed a good location and the other not...

On the topic of bikes, most people decide themselves if they are going to use one regardless of what people may say on a forum. All I would add is that if you are a competent rider (observe your surroundings) and have a license then Samui is a great island to explore on a bike. It is small enough to do a steady loop in one afternoon, the south is relatively quiet in terms of traffic and the north can be a pain to get around in a car. I would rather pay 300thb a day for a decent bike than the crazy taxi prices on the island.