Hotels near Ao Phrao, Koh Samet

I’ll start by saying that the hotel’s surroundings are breathtakingly beautiful. The beach is one of the best on the island - clean and tranquil. It made spending time in the hotel a delight. And overall, we had a really memorable time - which was enhanced by exploring the island on motorbikes every day (which you can rent from the hotel). However, there are a number of areas where there could be significant scope for improvement and which, if improved, could make this a much better class of hotel. These are primarily: 1. There was repeated miscommunication with the hotel staff, who generally-speaking (with the exception of one or two receptionists) have poor English. It would of course be unreasonable to expect everyone to speak perfect English; that’s not my criticism here. But what I will say is that a lack of common language between us and the hotel staff made asking questions, even simple ones, about our trip difficult and led to mistakes. 2. The food is really poor at the hotel restaurant, Breeze. We had expensive Thai food which was inedible in part and the only bad meal which we have had during our two week stay in Thailand. Until improved, I’d suggest going to other restaurants on the island - Banana Bar is a real highlight. 3. The rooms which we were first shown to were unacceptably far away from the main hotel and up a number of flights of steps. We asked to change and were moved with no questions asked, which was a great result for us. We thought the hotel dealt with that issue brilliantly. We wondered how often they had encountered this issue having shown people to those rooms. And to be honest, those rooms shouldn’t really be hired out at all unless it is for a serious discount and it’s made clear to guests when they book. 4. Parts of the hotel feel unloved and a bit neglected to be honest - I don’t want to be too harsh here as it may be that the hotelier hasn’t been able to put as much money back into the resort following COVID and it’s aftermath. In particular, the room showers could do with an update. And generally there is an outdated feel to the hotel which could do with being modernised - the furniture in the common parts, the shower by the pool, etc. For the reasons above and taking into account the price paid for our stay, I would give Ao Prao three stars, but my lasting feeling is that with a bit more money, love and attention to detail, it could become a four or five star in the future.

The hotel is really good and everything we expected. The rooms are spacious and very nice and are cleaned every day. The pool is small but really beautiful, the whole hotel was built in traditional Thai style and is very clean. The beach is just a few steps away and so are the best beach restaurant on Samed (at the Samed Villa hotel) and Silversand bar for late night cocktails. Breakfast was a bit poor. The downside was the beach itself- with high tide hardly any place to lay down, had to rent beach chairs and a rough sea with high waves. The better alternative was to go to Ao Prao for the day, the beach there was amazing, no waves at all and saw the best sunsets there. With the songtiew just 5 minutes away, with a scooter even faster. The resort is quiet and even though almost on the beach, still secluded so the nightrest is assured. Will definitely stay again, because it was more than worth the relative low price (compared to the Ao Prao resorts).

Great location on the beach with everything you need 2 mins walk away. Great white sandy beaches. Lots of bars and restaurants which ever beach you walk to. Hire a scooter for an hour or a day and explore. Regular baht buses right outside hotel. Room was very modern with fan and air con. Nice big bathroom, bed on the firm side. Buffet breakfast nothing special with mix of Thai and European. This place however is very noisy at night with very loud music right up to midnight. Then very noisy again at 7.30am in the morning with all the staff shouting, builders arriving and breakfast starting. We had a very enjoyable couple of days and it's a great place to forget all your troubles.

Stayed at Avatara Resort Hotel from 8 to 10 December 2021. We booked a Triple Room, which was very spacious, clean and comfortable beds. Layout of the bathroom was awesome with full view of the jungle. Location is not bad just a walking distance to the Sai Kaew beach which was lively and vibrant at night, with many restaurants nearby. Unfortunately this multistory building has no lift or escalators and a long walk from the lobby and beach. Our room was on the 5th floor and climbing up those many stairs is a big problem especially for those with disabilities or older age. Path and corridors along the building are poorly lit. Breakfast by the beach is very popular with guests but service is poor. On our second day, my son found out that the fresh cold milk he had with cornflakes has gone bad. Brought to the attention of the staff who was quite reluctant and no apologies, Restaurant staff should have pay more attention to the quality of food served. Poor and unfriendly staff; no smile, no greetings and treated guests as if we are a liability to them. The staff was busy playing with their mobile phones and chatting with their colleagues rather than paying attention to the hotel guests. We need to approach them every time we needed to order and foods service are poor. Serviette and tissue paper are not provided with the food, have to asked for them.

Looked great in the pictures but they must have been taken many years ago. We had a room with a sea view and balcony which could have been nice The balcony furniture was old, dirty, mismatched-not inviting at all. The pillows were soft, which we like. The mattress wasn’t just firm it was HARD There is no English TV. Wifi worked ok. Bathroom was old, the shower floor was like very course sandpaper and wall tiles were broken. The landing outside could have been a little bigger to allow room for two people to stand and enter the room. We arrived early ( bad timing) and the reception person seemed to take delight in telling us we had to wait two or three hours for our room to be ready. The pool was out of service - it was as green!! Bad green!! The main reason we chose this hotel as it had a pool! The beach towels were some strange fabric had left a queer dirty feeling on our hands. By the way the ocean was full of rubbish, not the fault of the hotel, but worth knowing. Breakfast was basic- eggs cold! Though I did get two hot ones when I asked! Our evening meal which we had near the roped off pool was a lovely location on a deck overlooking the ocean. Our order was delivered with one dish wrong and one missing. Took an hour to replace the wrong dish and then told other wasnt available. We didn’t feel like ordering a replacement dish after that time. The walk to the hotel was difficult up and down very steep paths. Probably about 400 meters. Nice setting but that’s about all the positive I can report.

We enjoyed a good dinner on the white soft sand beach. The Thai food was pretty good even for Thai tongues. Service was fast and friendly. Prices have been very moderate. Specially good wine at normal Thai prices. The sad point was it closes at only 9 pm.

First, I chose Koh Samet because I asked a local Thailand friend which island has not been overdeveloped since my early days coming to Thailand in the 1990s. His response was ”head to Koh Samet”. I looked for a value hotel on one of the more southern, less developed beaches which led me to Wong Duean Bay and the Vongdeuan Resort. The pool was a big draw. With the low tide being pretty extreme, it is really nice to have the salt water pool to cool off in and swim laps. The food seemed pretty authentic to me. With mainly Thai visitors coming in on the weekends it figures the food would be good at the Vongdeuan Resort. :) The staff were wonderful and always so fun to share a story or two with. The beach area all along the bay was extremely clean with no plastic on the beach or garbage in the water. This is a big plus when going to the shore in SE Asian countries. There are several beach restaurants but none of them had loud music, at least during the weekdays when I was there. It is definitely a sleepy and peaceful place to enjoy the water at high tide as well as the white sand beach for walks.

This hotel has the best atmosphere on the Sai Kaew Beach, but it asking price far exceeds the value of dining and service they provide. Basically, they charge close to 5-star prices for what is essentially a pretty nice 3-star hotel. Hotel staff were fine, but the staff at the beach club, which is part of the hotel, tend to be very rude to customers. They enjoy giving guests orders that do not make much sense. Other guests got yelled at for resting their legs on a chair at the their table. I came back from the beach, dried myself and changed a shirt before sitting down on a beach towel, and I was ordered to leave (by yelling) because I'm wet. I am respectful of rules and my family and I have visited many beach front properties, I do not believe we commited any violation of etiquette. I also did not see any of these ”rules” displayed near the beach club. May be this is part of their culture at the Sai Kaew Resort, but when they ask for almost USD 20 (incl. tax) for a simple plate of pasta and YELL at customers, then none of these is acceptable. PS. We stayed over 4 nights, and the breakfast buffet was swarmed by flies every morning. Their food court style free seating arrangement means we had to awkwardly hunt down tables ourselves. Again, TOTALLY NOT WORTH THE MONEY.

The hotel has mini villa type rooms, each with a good-sized balcony to enjoy the beautiful foliage planted all around. The rooms are large, airy, sp****, and super clean. Bathroom size is good too, and all amenities are provided. The bed is one of the softest ones I've ever slept on. Absolutely loved it! Check-in and check-out was smooth, the staff is warm. There's a shortcut which takes you to the main Sai Kaew Beach in a minute's walk. It is also easily walkable (15 mins) from the main ferry pier (Nuan Thip). The hotel did not have a restaurant yet (which we knew before booking), but I did see some construction going on, so they could be adding one in the future, But there's plenty of restaurants on the beach, so no worries there. We had an immensely satisfactory and comfortable stay. Would recommend to all travelers.

As a couple who have traveled to many luxurious destinations around the world, we can confidently say that the Paradee Resort is truly one of the most incredible places we have ever had the pleasure of staying at. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted warmly by a fleet of friendly faces and introduced to the destination. We were immediately enveloped in the serene and tranquil atmosphere of this tropical paradise. The resort's lush tropical greenery and extraordinarily pristine beaches are enough to take your breath away, but it's the incredible attention to detail and top-notch service that really sets the Paradee resort apart, with our spa experience made top notch by Noi and Pin. Every single staff member is incredibly friendly and attentive, making sure that your every need is taken care of throughout your stay, with special mention to Tony. And the accommodations themselves are simply stunning, with spacious, beautifully-appointed rooms that provide the perfect blend of luxury and comfort, with our experience in the Garden Pool Villa absolutely exceptional. But perhaps the highlight of my stay was the incredible food. The resort's restaurant offer an incredible selection of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients that are expertly prepared and presented. Whether you're in the mood for Thai specialties or international cuisine, the Paradee's culinary offerings are sure to impress even the most discerning foodies. Our favourite meals were the chicken pad see ewe, duck Massaman curry and the chocolate and peanut butter lasagne that we indulged ourselves with more than once! All in all, I can't recommend the Paradee Resort enough. If you're looking for a truly luxurious and unforgettable experience on Ko Samet, this is definitely the place to be and we can’t wait to return!