gary_nj

I booked one of the beachfront places at Samed Villa for my stay - 1800 baht per night in late May. They took a one-night deposit (which they ran through PayPal as US$53 - not a bad exchange at the time). At checkout, I paid the balance of 1800 baht per night, plus some laundry (they do laundry at 100 baht per kg).

Room was comfortable, a nice room fan along with aircon, the property was well-kept, and the rate included a pretty fair breakfast buffet. A bit of sound from the SilverSand, but it wasn't enough to bother me. I'd stay there again on the low season rates.

I agree with your comment about litter - it is really pretty rough to see such a beautiful place with that litter. Not enough to keep me from returning, but it does have an effect.

ssomaxp

I would like to comfirm that Samet island still be the best place for me. I live in Chonburi and I use to go there when I have a holiday. Nice beach and comfortable hotel, and of course great taste of sea food

Rampo

Just a few days ago we spent 5 days on Samet and it was the best part of the trip. I'd like to add a bit to what I said about weekends vs. weekdays. While it is true that the crowds are lower during the weekdays (in this low season there is a very noticeable drop-off in visitors), on weekends the significant number of Thai visitors makes everything more fun. We stayed at the Silver Sand on the south end of Ao Phai - not quite as nice as neighboring Samed Villa, but less expensive and it was fine for me. We ate a lot of our meals at nearby Sea Breeze restaurant. FYI, Jep's had a banner announcing that it is currently offering a 50% discount on its weekday rates.

For those who like posh digs, you may want to check out the resorts at Ao Prao. Too expensive and too cloistered for my taste, but some prefer that.

As far as I know, the only ATMs on the island are located by Sai Kaew at the 108 and 7 Eleven stores, so if you don't want to make the trek remember to bring an adequate supply of cash before leaving the mainland. (There's also a Bank of Ayudayah ATM in that area, but for some reason my ATM card never works with that bank.)

MichaelWCS

Has anyone been here recently? I'm planning on going during the week in late Nov. Should I book in advance or find something when I show up?

Rampo

Avoid the days immediately surrounding the Loy Krathong holiday (Nov. 21). I've always booked my Samet accommodations in advance but there are many places to stay on the island, so if you aren't visiting on a weekend or around a holiday you shouldn't have trouble finding a place to stay although you may wind up paying higher walk-in rates.

view

Had an excellent stay at Samed Villa late September. Low season so very quiet during the week, but from Friday afternoon people started showing up for the weekend stays.

I was bothered by the very loud disco next to Samed Villa on Friday night, they really played lound at night and we were leaving Saturday morning. Not the best ending, but otherwise it was good.

Water in the shower at Samed Villa smells funny though, but I suspect that may be the same all over the island?

Koh Samet is not paradise in my opinion because it's very popular in the weekends with lots of people and lound music some places, and littering as well.. But it's an excellent location, close to Bangkok and I thought it was value for money. Though I suppose everyone has their own definition of paradise.