The Spa Resorts, Koh Samui

The calm atmosphere made it a great place to relax, and the staff were attentive and professional. We felt warmly welcomed. The food was exceptional, better than anywhere else we tried. I’m sure I’ll tell my friends about this place and bring my family back.

The location is poor, the rooms are small, the pool is tiny, and you have to pay for water in the room. The staff made us uncomfortable too. It’s advertised on Booking as five-star, but felt no better than a three-star hotel. The price is very high, and you can find genuine five-star places for the same money. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

We spent 7 nights here for the Optimal Weight Loss program, and Patrick and his team had everything well organised. We left feeling lighter, more energised, relaxed, and refreshed. The place is simple and friendly. One drawback is its position near the main road, which can make yoga or meditation noisy. I’d highly recommend it if you want to get away and unwind.

The ant problem was there from check-in, including ants in our bed, and it continued for three nights. We complained on two consecutive nights, but nothing was properly done. The room wasn’t deep-cleaned when we first reported it, no pest control came after Manager Pear said they would, and even the bins weren’t emptied after we raised the issue. The sheets were dirty, yet we were expected to keep sleeping in the infested bed. We were promised a move to a villa, then told the hotel was full and offered a single room instead, which would have been a downgrade. We shouldn’t have to accept worse accommodation when our room is unfit. Management agreed in messages to refund two nights out of the three affected, without saying that taking the refund meant we had to leave. Then, around 7 pm when we returned, we were told the refund would only be processed if we left that night. That condition had never been mentioned. We couldn’t afford to pay upfront for another hotel, which put us under financial pressure and made the situation feel coercive. We paid for five nights, so the two-night refund was for cutting our stay short, not compensation for three nights sharing a bed with ants. We were also told a refund could take up to 90 days. There’s no manager on site. The very young staff seem untrained and have no authority, while a manager is only reachable by phone. Manager Pear never apologised or took responsibility. In a five-star resort, I’d expect a manager to speak with us face to face, instead of leaving front-of-house staff to handle it when they have no authority and barely speak English. We saw another couple complaining at checkout too, so we weren’t the only unhappy guests. There were other problems as well: the TV didn’t work, and management knew but did nothing. The toilet is inside the shower, with poor drainage, so the bathroom floods. Our towels and shoes were ruined. There was visible mould in the shower, and the dirty, damaged shower curtain had visible wear and bite marks. We were still expected to pay full price for a dirty room with pests, despite the hotel not meeting basic hygiene and safety standards. This isn’t about unmet expectations. A property advertised as five-star should meet basic standards. Avoid.