Bay Thani Samui Resort

Good.

The rooms are large and pleasant, though we had a snake and a lizard visit. They’re so dimly lit that the piles of dust are easy to miss. We also had power cuts, and at 35 degrees Celsius you start missing the air conditioning pretty quickly. Quiet? Between the unit under the bed, traffic on the road and insects making noise day and night, it gets tiring after a while. I’d ask for a downstairs room because the slopes are very steep. Good luck with your luggage. The staff were generally very friendly, except for the man with the bowl cut at reception. The Google photos are far from reality. Breakfast is very limited, with no orange juice, only pineapple juice or Fanta, which was amusing at first. After 10 days, though, it felt like a lot of sugar. The pool was always very dirty, the loungers were in poor condition, and I never saw the pool bar open. All that to say, I won’t be going back.

The natural setting among greenery and rocks was lovely, and I really enjoyed it in an otherwise busy area. The price-quality ratio was good, so I’d probably stay again. The hotel also appears on Google Maps as Searine Samui Boutique Resort, where you can find more reviews. The cottages with balconies are separate and darkly decorated. That feels inviting, but also hides dust and dirt. The constant road noise below made it hard to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, and crossing that busy road to reach town and the beach was a concern. The staff were pleasant and helpful. The hotel sits on a mountain, so getting from the road up to the cottage is quite a climb. The pool looks unusual among the plants and rocks, but its beds badly need replacing and look stale and worn. During our four days, the so-called pool bar never opened. We got two free bottles of water each day, plus coffee and tea bags in the room.

It was great, really great. The jungle sounds at night are beautiful, though the Thai cars with their oversized exhausts and the karaoke bars were loud too. I’ll still come back.