More about Bandara Resort & Spa
A lovely hotel with a charming garden
by TripAdvisor Member Oljaorvokki
We stayed in Bandara Resort and Spa for our Honeymoon and we had a fantastic holiday.
Actually we wanted to stay in another hotel on Samui but it was booked out, so my husband chose Bandara because of the lovely pool with the elephants. We have read some of the reviews on tripadvisor and I had a mixed feeling about the hotel, but it turned to be much better then I was expecting.
We do agree that it is not a 5* hotel and it's due to the room. We stayed in a cottage villa 718 and we wish the room were furnished a little bit cozier - with a bit more attention and love to details. Well, the hotel's motto is simplicity and stylish ascetism but to my mind for a 5* hotel there must be something, which would catch your eye, something special in the room which makes you say "vow" entering the room. These details are missing in Bandara and due to this it makes the room look a bit cheap. But all in all the room is nice and comfortable and we didn’t have any problems to spend time in it. The bed is large and comfortable, for me it was not hard at all.
The bathroom is equipped with two sinks, which appreciates every woman, and a hair-dryer. Toothbrushes, shampoos, gels and hair conditioners, towels are brought everyday. There are also slippers, bath-robes, a big beach-bag, thons and beach towels so you can spare yourself taking all these staff from home. There's a modern TV and DVD-player, a day couch, a little table and still there's quite some space in the room. What I’ve really missed is the big mirror where I could see myself in whole height and not only to the waist,
What we really loved about our villa is our own plunge pool and a little private garden. We finished almost every single day with bathing in the pool. Due to vegetation in the garden one can do it naked and it's fantastic to have something like this just for oneself. We also loved our outside shower very much. The garden-bath looks very tempting but the problem with it was that the birds were always faster doing their businesses in it then the cleaning personal so we didn't have many chances to use it.
Some people were complaining about the smell in their reviews. Well we didn’t have anything like this but there indeed two or three villas were it smelled a bit like chemicals. The smell in this place is actually coming from the neighbors hotel Bo Phut Resort.
I guess every visitor in Bandara would be overwhelmed by a huge garden area with many flowers and palms. The pools are also fantastic and the water in them is clean. But there some chemicals in it so mind the white T-shirts and bikinis swimming in it, then can become a greenish hue. In the beach pool you can enjoy a wonderful see view. In the beach bar you can try probably the best cocktails in Bo Phut. The food in the restaurant is also very good but just twice as expensive as in Fishermen's village. But you can try some seafood, you won't be disappointed and it costs almost the same as everywhere else. We had a lobster, fish, prawns and blue crab, just great. We liked the restaurant because of its romantic atmosphere. There is the serenades duo there every evening and their musical skills are top. Just ask them to play your favorite song and they will know it for sure. The only thing we didn’t like so much that the prices a written without taxes and service fee. The breakfast was also ok, the food was nice, but of course one can compare it with a 5* hotel in Bangkok. Sometimes there were some tiny ants but as soon as they were not in the food it was ok. I mean hey, you can’t expect a bungalow restaurant almost in jungle to be sterile.
The beach has it pluses and minuses. The sand is a little rough and not so fine and white as in Chaweng but it is cleaner. The beach is very peaceful; a place where one can really get away from crowd. The water in the sea is unfortunately not clear but clean and good enough to take a swim. There are remarkably less waves in Bo Phut as in Chaweng because of the island before and it is very nice to walk along the beach in the evening to the fishermen’s village or eat directly on the beach.
There are many possibilities for different activities as diving, windsurf, sailing. You can have a free diving try or sail a catamaran and get 50% discount as a hotel guest. The Spa is a bit expensive, so we can highly recommend you the Peace Spa just across the road. Wonderful place, fantastic treatment, twice a cheap as in Bandara!
All in all, the staff in the hotel is very friendly and helpful, checks in and out went fluently though the reception staff are a bit discoordinated and probably needs a little improving. We had a fantastic honeymoon and really enjoyed our time in Bandara. There is some space for improvement for this hotel in order to make it 5* or otherwise the management should low the price.
PS Someone in one of review mentioned that there is no "don't disturb" sign in Bandara. Well, that's not quite correct, it is just a bit tricky...See the pictures.
Lovley stay at Bandara
by TripAdvisor Member Marcusj
We decided to spent our last three nights at Bandara. The beach is nice but the water is not so good, but we know it before and we have spent our other 14 days to bath in the ocean at the very very nice Lamai beach and the fantastic Chaweng Noi beach so that was okay.
The staff was very kindly and helpful, the spa was good, the gym was good, the two pools was absolutly fantastic, the breakfast was one of the best I've ever eaten, the garden was big and very nice, at the two resturants we only eat lunch and the lunch was good. We booked a superior room, the most cheap 6700 bath/room/night included service and taxes so we was suprised that the room was so nice, big, nice bathroom, nice beds, very nice balcony, almost everythings was perfect with the room, of course we was thinking that the room should be good but not so good.
The fishermans village was very nice, not so dirty, noisy and smelly like Chaweng.
So, i recomend you to stay at Bandara but not your hole visit at Koh Samui, we stayed 10 nights at Lamai,3 at Chaweng Noi and 3 nights here. And that was very good planed. So stay at this hotel your last 3,4 or 5 nights at Koh Samui. Not very long beacuse you mabey be tired that the water in the ocean not is so good but if you want to, do it ! :D
Sorry for the bad english.
Nice resort but could be better
by TripAdvisor Member SteveRichards
The other reviews are comprehensive and pretty much describe the Bandara as my wife and I found it. The grounds and pool are excellent, and we enjoyed the breakfasts (though we have had better). The supermarket opposite is good for drinks as the Bandara is overpriced.
Ko Samui is being over-developed but Bophut remains relatively relaxed, though I'm not sure it will stay like that for long. Fisherman's village is a short walk and has a lot of very good restaurants. We particularly liked 'Smile' and 'Starfish and Coffee' while 'The Crow's Nest' was the best and cheapest for a pre-dinner cocktail.
Our room (once we had forced them to switch us from one that had no view!) was okay but not luxurious. Nice balcony with a day bed. Mattress very hard. Service not wonderful.
We stayed for 9 nights and found the Bandar's pool a good place to chill. We had only two days out: a visit to Ang Thong Marine Park (quite good) and a day's fishing on the sea with Mr Ung (strongly recommended).
The beachside restaurant at the Bandara had been recommended to us so we tried it one evening. The food was awful but also amusing. It was so-called 'Asian Fusion', which seems to mean combining different styles of Asian flavours and ingredients in inappropriate ways. Gordon Ramsay would have a field-day.
Great hotel with free WiFi internet connection
by TripAdvisor Member Robel
I agree with the other reviews. Pools was great, sea water not so good. Poor visibility.
Just want to mention free wireless internet which worked ok from the hotel to the beach. There is several access points (often hard to spot by the naked eye). You can easily spot the access points by night. Look for the flashing activity-LED.
A very good stay
by TripAdvisor Member BenfromParis
We had a very pleasant stay at the Bandara. The room was very nice & large with a great design & confort (home cinema, day bed, terrasse etc etc). Pools are great too. Surrounding & gardens are like on the photos. Basically: no bad surprise. Staff was professionnal and the situation at Bo Phut is also very convenient. We were kind of positively surprised. Negative points would be:
- Food: beach restaurant was nice but expensive and main restaurant looks more like a canteen.
- My other concern: coffee was terrible... I don't know how they manage their coffee with all the Italian & European.
- It's a big "family" hotel, also cool for couples, but not the ultimate little romantic hotel.
Bandara
by TripAdvisor Member kevg
Nice hotel not 5* more 3* Grounds were immaculate ,food very nice in beach restaurant ,Pool very good. Room done very cheap We had deluxe room over looking main pool bed very hard, No clock in room, Furniture badly marked, nice balcony not cleaned, beach very good best massage turn right on beach outside Gecko bar 3 ladies 300 b oil massage, Fishamans Village nice The Shake best ribeye steak.
a lil paradise
by TripAdvisor Member xoxsuzannexox
The hotel is amazing. Stayed in one of the cottage villas for 5 nights which meant we had our own plunge pool and private garden....perfect for loved up couples!!! In the front garden we had an outside bath and rain shower. The room was very spacious and clean and even had his and her sinks in the bathroom!
The pools are a good size and the gardens are immaculate!...there are loads of activities daily for both adults and kids...but due to the price its not overun with lil ones so is still a nice and peaceful place to relax.
To be honest only ventured out of the hotel for a few dinners as the resort had enough to offer
Fabulous Hotel in every way
by TripAdvisor Member Cara79
This is a great hotel and is a 5 star in my eyes. We stayed in the Bandara for 10 nights from the 12th to the 22nd of September 06. I had mixed feelings after reading some of the reviews but it far exceeded my expectations. We stayed in one of the hotel rooms which was spacious and had lots of extras. The hotel has 3 lovely pools and a great beachside location and is set in fabulous grounds. The staff were very friendly and couldnt do enough for us. My one gripe would be that the hotel was a lot more expensive for everything especially food and drink, the bars and restaurants that surrounded it were far cheaper. As a result we didnt spend too much time in the hotel bars and restaurants as the price didnt reflect the quality of the food. We ate in Bophut beach most nights and went into Chaweng for a livelier atmosphere and shopping a few nights. The breakfast buffet was nice, catering for all tastes although the coffee is pretty bad! Overall no complaints, very nice hotel and would highly recommend.
Lovely hotel
by TripAdvisor Member 1sun-lover
I have just returned from a week at the Bandara and it is a beautiful hotel. The gardens are lovely, with ponds and water fountains. The main pool is big enough (although not particulary deep), the childrens pool is small and shallow (as you would hope) but to be honest I never saw any children during my stay. There is also another pool nearer to the beach.
I was a little disppointed with the room, it was much smaller than the other hotels we had stayed in and some of the bathroom tiling was a little dodgy. They put a day bed in your room and on the balcony, considering you have a bed in your room I thought the one in the room was a waste but the one on the balcony is a lovely idea (but I did get bit to pieces).
They have a free internet room - limited to 15 mins per session but providing there isn't a queue you can stay on it for longer. A library (lots of books are in german though) and a gym. You can also borrow DVDs to watch which I thought was a great idea.
Rooms are made up every day but they ask you how regularly you require your bedding and towels changing as they are keen to conserve water. Every evening they come to turn down your bedroom, at first we were a little unsure but its just that extra service and pampering that you love on your holiday.
Theres a 'Family Mart' shop over the road, it sells all your basics - alcohol, ice cream, crisps, shampoo etc.
On the beach there are several massage parlours, they are very cheap, a basic thai massage is 1hr for 200 bhat. In the hotel the price is about ten times that, with some of the massages as much as 7000 bhat.
"The Dive Academy" next door is Brilliant!! Sarah and Paul run it and they are so friendly and helpful. They gave us tips on traveling around, eating out etc. We did of course do the diving course with them and they were very profession but also made it fun (after all you are on holiday!). I would highly recommend you to use them and not the random shops, we heard some real horror stories from other tourists so its definately worth paying a small bit extra to ensure everything runs smoothly and equipment is well maintained..
Forum Posts
Lamai or Bophut? Honeymoon help please! :)
by thailandhoneymoon
Hi, I am planning our honeymoon for Jan next year and will be staying 3 nights at Koh Samui. I am trying to decide between Lamai or Bophut beach. I am particulary interested in the Pavilion or maybe Zazen. Does anyone have any feedback on these resorts (or recommend one?). Any suggestions more than welcome! Thanks so much :)
Re: Lamai or Bophut? Honeymoon help please! :)
by SfumatoPants
Bophut is more isolated and therefore, relaxing, compared to Lamai. I would suggest that Bohput is a more suitable location for a a honeymoon.
Re: Lamai or Bophut? Honeymoon help please! :)
by slyons81
Hello, just got back from the Bandara resort in Bophut and loved it. The sand is a bit more course than the other beaches on the island but if you stay on Bophut you get great views of Ko Phangan and Ang Thong national park. There are also less crowds on the beaches. Also, there is a Fisherman's Village about a 10 minute walk from Zazen, which has great restaurants and bars, The Pier was especially good, get the fried crab. On Fridays there is a street Market in the Village were locals come and cook and sell goods, very fun. I can't speak for Lamai, but went to Chaweng for the day and hated it, dirty and run down. Bophut was great, and we loved the bandara resort.
Re: Lamai or Bophut? Honeymoon help please! :)
by spendit
Hi i will be staying at tongson villas this vinter after good reviews!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293918-d1028325-Reviews-Tongson_Villas-Koh_Samui.html
all the best!
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