Ku@Sea

I liked how quiet it was compared with the busy beachfront resorts. Ku At Sea has a modern, minimalist room that was exceptionally clean, and the staff were friendly and helpful throughout. It's also very handy for getting around, a short walk from Na Dan Pier and close to Sai Kaew Beach. A stylish, convenient place to stay on Koh Samet.

The one good thing is the location, right by the beach, shops, and convenience stores. I'm staying here now for two nights, and I don't recommend it. The bedsheets were torn and stained, with several holes like in the photos. The shower has no glass or plastic partition, so when you use it the whole floor and toilet bowl get covered in water. There isn't even a plastic curtain. I don't understand the positive reviews.

I liked the little details and found the place clean enough, with good cleaning apart from what looked like mold near the bathroom air conditioner. The owner was kind and helpful. It's a busy area, but surprisingly not too loud. Downstairs there's a good dessert restaurant and bakery, with kiosks all along the street. The room itself is beautifully staged and functional, with four rooms on the first floor and stairs only, no elevator. It has air conditioning, a fridge, safe, water, back-facing window, door lock, hangers, TV, coffee and kettle, towels and beach towels, flip-flops, beach bag, hairdryer, bedside table, outlets, work desk, mirror, and a toilet and bath in the same space. Breakfast is at a nearby seaside restaurant, with eggs, bacon, coffee, sausage, ham, salad, juice, water, and two pieces of toast. The sink is very, very small. There is a drying rack by the window for towels, but leave the window shut if you don't want cats visiting. The street door squeaks badly, its glass scraping the floor, and might wake people at night. The bathroom door is very low, so I kept nearly hitting my head because I'm tall. It costs a bit more than the places next door. If it were cheaper, I'd have stayed many more nights, though these rooms are nicer than the other hotels on this street.

The manager was polite and friendly, but that didn't make the room any better. It's tiny and very dark, with a small window and a wet bathroom. There's no reception, it's not on the beach, and breakfast isn't included, it's at a separate coffee shop. At 75€ per night, I think it's far too expensive. You can get a bungalow nearby with a nice garden and terrace for 30% less. They've clearly tried hard with the decorations, but this room shouldn't be priced like a 3 or 4 star place. I don't know who gave it such high ratings.