Samed Tamarind Beach Resort

The best part was stepping straight onto Tub Tim Beach and having the sea view from our beachfront villa-style room. We spent three nights here. The room was basic, but clean and generally better than what you find on the island. There’s no pool or gym. Construction and maintenance were underway during our stay. The resort tried to limit the disruption, though it looked like the work might continue for months. Breakfast was the weak point: a limited buffet that was bland and not very good. Some waitresses seemed more focused on checking breakfast tickets than making guests comfortable, and came across as rude. It was still a pleasant stay, but I’d consider eating elsewhere. And don’t forget your breakfast ticket in the room.

The restaurant meals and cocktails were great, and the atmosphere made our short break feel just right. My wife and I got the beachside location we wanted, with excellent service from check-in through checkout and all the time in between. We’ll be back.

The beach is lovely, though it also draws people staying at other resorts. There are simpler beach restaurants within walking distance, which is useful since the resort restaurant is pricier, even though its food was great and the setting felt luxurious. We stayed nine nights at Tamarind beach resort, from 23 Oct to 1 Nov. Our See View Villa was amazing, and the only downside in the room was mosquitoes. Before we arrived, the resort gave us helpful information and warned us about construction noise. We didn’t hear any noise, and appreciated the warning. The staff were extremely focused on service and went out of their way for us. Special thanks to Rith and Praew at the restaurant for making breakfast a relaxed start to the day. We’ll come back!

The breakfast was poor, with food that was almost inedible. It also didn’t feel worth paying more than 5,000 THB a night for the room. We stayed at the hotel and ate at its restaurant every day, until one afternoon a waiter, a man around 50 to 60, told us rudely to leave if we weren’t ordering food. We were still deciding what to order. We were hotel guests, not sitting there for free, so his response shocked us. Meanwhile, plenty of people on the beach who clearly weren’t guests were sitting without being challenged. It left us feeling that he had treated us differently. The staff were unfriendly and unprofessional, and the service was terrible. This hotel doesn’t deserve its rating. We won’t stay again and strongly don’t recommend it.