Cheeky Monkey Samui Hostel

The location is great, and there's a nice pool. The room feels a bit small for more than one person.

The rooms are cramped, and I wouldn't recommend Ko Samui if you're on a budget. It's very overcrowded, and public transport is lacking. Truck owners set their own prices, and there are scams too. With no Bolt or Grab taxis, you're stuck relying on the songthew share taxis, who may quote whatever they like to take you around.

The room is so tiny you can barely move around the bed, and there's nowhere to put luggage or anything else except on the dirty floor. The sheets were stained, the room wasn't clean, and the safe didn't work, so I had to get a key from reception. Noise was another problem. I could hear people talking and coming back on every floor, and it woke me up immediately. I took a video from the room at 2am after being woken. There was a moldy smell that they tried to mask with three air fresheners in that small bedroom. It made the air nauseating and felt unsafe to breathe. The AC vent is right under the bed, with no way to adjust its power, and there's no room for a fan, so it was either full blast or nothing.

I was shocked by the charge for minor damage. It was wildly out of proportion to the small issue, and left me questioning how fair and transparent the pricing is. Service was poor throughout my stay too. Staff often seemed inattentive and unhelpful with basic duties, so even simple requests felt like a burden. That made me much less comfortable. Based on this experience, I'd urge travelers who care about helpful service and fair dealings to be cautious and consider another place in Thailand.