Stay Samed

The room was roomy and the staff were friendly and helpful. The location is quiet, but still close to the pier and beach. The food was delicious, though it cost a bit more than at some nearby places. There’s no lift, so I had to carry my suitcase up to the fourth floor. The bed had a couple of stains, and the bathroom was rough around the edges. I noticed mirrors in other guests’ bedrooms, while ours only had a small one in the bathroom. They should furnish the rooms consistently instead of making it a lottery.

We spent nine days at Stay Samed, and it was just right for our visit to Koh Samed. The location was great, the price surprisingly economical, and the facilities and staff went beyond what we expected. The Cafe food was an added treat, and the front desk responded quickly to every request. We’ll be back in snowy Chicagoland dreaming of another visit.

The rooms and bathrooms are clean, the place is decent, and it has good WiFi and a good location. The facilities themselves are very poor. Admin is helpful, but the staff aren’t. They shut around 6pm. When I tried to ask a question, staff closed the door in my face without a word. I’ve stayed in dirt-cheap places and never had that happen. The lack of English seems to go along with a lot of neglect. There’s no water boiler available when you need one, and no power outlets around the place. If you want to get work done or feel welcome, don’t bother.

If you’re booking a dorm bed, I’d look elsewhere. I paid for four nights and regretted it. Now I can see that most of the good reviews seem to come from people in private rooms. The beds are really uncomfortable because you can’t sit up in them. The top bunk is even lower than the bottom one, so I kept having to watch my head, like in an upper berth on a sleeper train. Fortunately, after my first night up top, they let me move to a lower bunk. Dorm guests can’t use a refrigerator, and there’s no hot water, tea, coffee or cutlery. At least 7-Eleven gives you disposable spoons. The owners said on WhatsApp there’s no dorm fridge because it might attract ants, but private rooms do have one. To be fair, we each got a 0.5L bottle of water every day. I had to buy ice to keep mine cold. My first impression was bad too. When I asked a male staff member if I could put my fruit in their drinks refrigerator, he visibly got angry and spoke angrily in his own language while putting it in. I was shocked. I’d never had that kind of treatment in Thailand. The hostel is quiet enough to sleep well and very clean. Towels are changed daily and can double as beach towels. The shower had no hot-water problems, and shampoo and body wash are supplied.