Samsam Yao Noi - Andaman Magic&Art Villa

We were sad to leave and can’t wait to return. The hotel was beautiful and relaxing, with kind staff and a quiet hillside setting close to the beach, restaurants, and bars. We rented a scooter there for about $10 a day, and free bikes were also available. We’re both vegan, and the hotel catered to our diet with a good variety of food. We highly recommend the private island hopping tour. Thanks for everything!

If you want a lively hotel with bars and facilities for kids, this won’t suit you. We wanted quiet, privacy, high-end room finishes, beautiful art, and stunning views, and found all of that here. The Mountain View room looked out over trees and mountains, and we saw hornbills most days and monkeys too. It felt like nobody could see in. The surroundings are so tranquil that we often felt like we had the place to ourselves. Two of the island’s best Thai restaurants for quality food, Leks and Kaya, are within walking distance. Bring a head torch for the safe road, and consider renting a moped to get around. The island feels like paradise partly because it lacks big beachside resorts, and I hope it stays that way. Service was great, though with a quiet hotel you don’t see staff much. Breakfast was quality fruit and eggs made at a station in a shared space where we often chatted with other guests. We also spent an evening with new friends in one of the stunning villas.

We booked five nights at SAMSAM but left after two. We felt like an inconvenience to the staff. There’s some charm here, but I’d describe the place more as a catered AirBnB than a hotel. Laguna Villas Yao Noi, Villa Laguna Residence, and Cape Kudu further around the bay may be better choices for location, facilities, and atmosphere. We stayed in a Kyoto room above the Dojo, not a luxury villa. The quiet, green hillside setting was calming, the room and facilities were very clean, and staff quickly helped with problems. But the setup was strange for us with a 15-month-old. Meals and massages all came to the room, where the table was about half a metre from the bed. That might work in a villa, but not in a small room with a toddler. The pool area wasn’t family-friendly: loungers were awkwardly placed on a grassy slope, and there was no shallow section for children. The pool was open from 0800 to 1900, but the pool bar wasn’t open during the 1730-1900 period when we wanted it. Since only four rooms seemed to use this hotel pool and the villa guests have their own pools, an honesty bar with a security camera might be more practical. The surrounding area was very quiet, and we didn’t enjoy the local beach, bars, or food much. It’s a 20-25 minute walk to a nicer beach and restaurants and bars we wanted to spend time at. Breakfast was average at best and poor value, especially with cafes serving much better food within a 10-20 minute walk. It seemed focused on quantity over quality. All communication was through WhatsApp, from breakfast orders to sorting problems, massages, bikes, and activities. That felt impersonal and took away from the atmosphere.

We spent a few nights in a private villa and had an amazing stay. It’s a remarkable spot in the Andaman Sea, quiet and surrounded by lush forest, yet we had everything we needed. The villa was so beautiful and relaxing that we hardly went anywhere. If you’re hoping to explore the island, be warned, you may not want to leave!