Baiyoke Seacoast Samui

We’ve been living at Baiyoke Seacoast Resort for several months and love it. The views are amazing, there’s a beautiful pool, and we can walk to both the beach and restaurants. Reception and the restaurant are closed, but we do get weekly housekeeping. If you’re okay with that small inconvenience for an affordable stay, this could suit you.

We were very happy here and would come back, as long as they can keep the place open with so few customers. Our villa with a private pool was fantastic, and we negotiated a very good price. The shared pool is large with a great sea view, and it was all very quiet and peaceful. It’s a bit away from the main road, but staff will drive you there in a golf cart whenever you want. This is a run-down pearl that feels a little like a ghost hotel. It’s hard to find and looks deserted when you first arrive, with more staff than customers. They’re all very friendly, especially Owen, who helped us with anything we asked.

We were moved to a two-bedroom villa and given an upgrade after I insisted on speaking to the manager. It was a big improvement, though the deck there was rotten in places too. In the first one-bedroom pool villa, we thought we’d lucked out at first: it looked lovely and we swam for about an hour. Then we saw there wasn’t enough deck space for the loungers, and the wooden decking looked so rotten I thought it might give way. Rain sent us inside, where some electrical outlets didn’t work, the aircon was just a noisy, weak fan with no cooling, water came up through holes in the bathroom floor, and the whole place smelled of sewage. The resort needs a lot of maintenance, possibly renovation, though that would surely mean higher room rates. It wasn’t especially clean or well presented, but for the price it’s a steal. Getting there is a mixed bag too: it’s about a half-mile walk from the main area, mostly uphill on dirt tracks that are almost impassable in the rain. You can see it as being far off the beaten track and a nightmare to reach, or as a romantic hidden hideaway. You decide.

It’s a classic old resort in a great spot, with views, private pools, teak floors, marble details, and high ceilings. Some areas could use maintenance. It’s tucked away from the hustle and bustle but still close to the main Choeng Mon beach road.