Bad Monkey Samui Hostel

The location is a big plus, right by the mall in a busy bar area and close to the beach. Staff are welcoming, the bathrooms are spacious, and there’s a little outdoor sitting spot. The rooms feel crowded, though, and had a slight damp, moldy smell. Mattresses are old and hard, and even small movements make the bed creak. Still a decent budget choice if location is your main priority.

Such a sociable vibe, with guests there for a good time. The hostel is right by the beach and nightlife, and the staff are friendly. Downstairs there’s a great bar with tasty food and drinks, pool tables, and sports on TV. It ticks all the boxes for me. Definitely stay here.

I booked five nights but ended up staying none of them, and they wouldn’t refund my money. It seems like a fun party place that could attract a good crowd, but hygiene was a real problem when I arrived. There were open rubbish bags beside my bed with what looked like hygiene products, and used tissues nearby. They said they couldn’t control how guests behaved. That’s partly true, but the hostel can set expectations. The lockers were filthy and neglected, so people seemed to keep their things in the room instead. Clear rules can also help prevent littering, as I’ve seen at other hostels. They can’t put all the responsibility on the guests. That was a pretty unpleasant way to handle it.

Bella was the best receptionist ever. I had a problem with my Full Moon Party booking, which I’d made somewhere else, and Bella called several times from her own phone to sort it out for me in Thai. She deserves a lot of credit. The hostel’s in a nice spot too, around a 10-15 minute walk from the beach.