Le Vimarn Cottages & Spa

This is my third time at Ao Prao Beach, and it's my favorite beach. No matter which hotel I stay at, I always make sure to come here for their Italian food. The staff even remembered us, which was a lovely surprise. The breakfast was also delicious. However, the ordered items arrived after we had finished eating. While tasty, the long wait was a bit disappointing. There are no toothbrushes among the room amenities, so it's best to bring your own. There were people smoking on the beach chairs, and the smoke was drifting over due to the wind. When I asked a staff member if they could smoke in the designated smoking area, the staff member pointed at me and said, 'That person is complaining about you.' I just wanted to avoid a problem and asked the staff to tell them there's a smoking area they should use. Being pointed at made me feel very uncomfortable. Other than the beach staff, everyone else was very friendly and accommodating.

The hotel's overall environment is great, perfect for a vacation, and the room privacy is excellent, very comfortable. The drinks at the restaurant are also delicious, and you can see many giant clams and fish on the beach right outside. The only downside is that the chlorine in the swimming pool is too strong! My child's body, inner thighs, and neck all broke out in rashes. My child swims frequently, and we've never encountered this at previous hotels. Even my friend developed scattered red rashes after swimming for just half an hour.

How do I even begin! I went to Koh Samet with no expectations, but Le Vimarn Cottages & Spa is supposedly the second-best resort on the island. My overall impression wasn't great, mainly due to how the resort handled the broken air conditioning in our bungalow on the first day. We took a private car from downtown Bangkok to Ao Prao Pier (the hotel's private pier, which has its own lounge). Following the resort's email instructions, we boarded the 1:30 PM boat to the resort, which took about 15 minutes. The welcome drink upon arrival was quite good. The resort isn't very large, and there weren't many guests. When we discovered the AC was broken, we immediately contacted housekeeping. From housekeeping to engineering to the front desk, and then to Ctrip, we spent an hour in the sweltering room and outside before finally being moved to another room. It seemed like Ctrip had to intervene to resolve the issue before the front desk staff led us to our new room... The whole process was incredibly frustrating due to the heat! Later, the front desk found me on the beach and offered us an upgraded room. I went to see it but declined, as it was quite dark inside, and I prefer bright, airy rooms when I'm on vacation. She told me the room would be held for us if we changed our minds. Because I didn't move, the front desk came to find me again on the beach and offered a complimentary pizza as compensation. This proactive attitude was a definite plus. We stayed at Le Vimarn for three nights. The rooms are simple, Thai-style wooden bungalows. The 1.8-meter bed was just right for a family of three. The mini-bar is chargeable. If you're visiting Koh Samet, remember to bring a filtered shower head. Breakfast was pretty much the same every day, but it tasted good. We had dinner at Buzz once, and the food was good, but with a 10% service charge and 7% tax, it ended up being a bit expensive! The resort is a 15-minute drive from the main street (where the 7-Eleven is, 200 baht one-way). The front desk can arrange a taxi. Later, we rented a scooter, which we could park on a slope about a 2-minute walk from the front desk. I scraped my foot on a coral reef while swimming, and the front desk provided basic first aid. For the last two days, we stayed at Paradee Resort, which is a sister hotel to Le Vimarn, so they offered a free transfer. However, if you're traveling with kids, I'd highly recommend Paradee Resort – the environment, facilities, and staff are all much better.

Extremely satisfied! We even saw a large monitor lizard by the pond next to our room. The beach is very shallow with lots of fish, and they offer complimentary private speedboat transfers. My favorite part was that the room also provided flip-flops!

The environment is absolutely beautiful, instantly transporting you to a tropical rainforest. The beach is right outside, though it wasn't as soft and sandy as I expected. Breakfast didn't have a huge variety, but it was quite substantial. It's a bit of a walk from the main street, but only about 20 minutes on foot. We were lucky enough to catch the sunset on our first day. I'd suggest the hotel updates its online photos; the real place is much prettier!

If you're coming to Koh Samet, this is the place to stay! Right outside the hotel is a great snorkeling spot. If you have fins and swim a bit further out, you'll see even more fish. Even if you don't snorkel, just tossing bread crumbs by the shore attracts a whole bunch of little fish, so it's fun for all ages. Plus, the fact that it's not crowded is a huge bonus.

The environment is great, perfect for snorkeling 🤿

The environment is great, the scenery is beautiful, and it's nice that there aren't many people. It was a very relaxing trip.

The standalone villa was incredibly comfortable, offering a delightful 'mountain and sea' ambiance, perfect for a family getaway. The marine life around was abundant, and the service made us feel right at home. We'd definitely want to stay here again if we ever return to Koh Samet.