Samui Palm Beach Resort

Koh Samui Hotel

by Ronario about Samui Palm Beach Resort Koh Samui

Samui Palm Beach Resort is set at the heart of unspoiled Bophut Beach on Koh Samui s spectacular northern coast - now wildly reckoned to be the island s most beautiful area.

Best Service Ever

by JappaJukebox

I would like to share this with you as it blew us away during our visit to Koh Samui.

Being South African, we love good quality red wine and having visited Thailand before we knew that if you wanted good red wine in Thailand you either take it with you or blow half your budget on a half decent bottle.

We legally imported our quota of two bottles per person and jealously guarded our stash for consumption at just the right moment. Late one evening after arriving back at our hotel from Chaweng we decided to walk down to the beach and enjoy one of those heavy bricks in our baggage. We could only find two plastic cups (sacrilege) and walked down to the beach area to do our thing.

The Beach bar was just closing and the waiter was busy putting away the tables for the night. As we sat down on the beach he came down to us and said that we must please come and sit at the bar. I explained to him that we had our own wine and that we were happy to be where we were. This guy just wouldn't have it - he brought out a table with a table cloth, chairs, proper glasses and even lit a lantern for us. I once again explained to him that we did not intend to buy anything from his bar and that we are just going to have our wine and leave. He still insisted that we were welcome to use the bar. I offered to pay him a corkage fee which he declined. I then offered him a glass of wine which he refused as he was working. I explained to him that it was probably the best wine in the world and definitively the best wine in Thailand. He agreed but still would not have some.

Our waiter then asked if we had a camera. I said yes but that we left it in our room. He insisted that I go and get it because he felt that he absolutely must take a picture for us. We took pictures of all us in all the possible combinations.

We had one of our best evenings out on the beach and as we enjoyed our wine, another hotel down the beach launched a few of those paper and candle hot air balloons which slowly drifted up and past us. What can I say? I'm a romantic bastard.

Service and unsolicited kindness like this is totally unheard of where we come from and we fondly remember our evening with a nameless waiter from Thailand. This would certainly never ever ever happen to you in South Africa.

I include one of the photographs of our photo shoot. If you ever visit the Beach Bar at the Samui Palm Beach Resort and see this waiter there, stick with him, he'll make you feel famous

Koh Samui - Thailand

by JappaJukebox

"First Impressions"

We only got to visit Koh Samui on our second trip to Thailand in February 2006. On the final approach to Samui Airport with Big Buddha flashing past under us, my first impression was that the island looked a bit scruffy. Luckily I have learned from my previous visit that nothing should be taken at face value in Thailand. Once on the ground we were pleasantly surprised. For starters, Koh Samui has one of the coolest and laid back international airports you will ever visit. The whole terminal is constructed of simple thatched roofs with no walls and a very relaxed feel and funny tram like carts to transport you from the apron to the terminal.

Once out of the airport and booked into the Samui Palm Beach Resort on Bo Phut Beach the island feeling started to kick in. All the usual tropical island activities are on offer on Koh Samui. If you wanted to eat, drink, swim, suntan, snorkel, SCUBA, shop, club and generally misbehave you have come to the right place.

Chaweng Beach on the central east coast is the hub of hedonism. If you want to be in the centre of all the noisy stuff you just have to stay in Chaweng. Lamai Beach just south of Chaweng is bit more relaxed and so is Big Buddha, Bo Phut and Maenam on the northern shore. To get away from it all you will have to flee right south or to the western shore.

Getting around is easy with lots of taxi's (no meter, so decide on a fare before you get in) and adapted pickup trucks - songtheaws on pre-determined routes around the island - then again, everything is negotiable in Thailand and a fixed round trip can very quickly become a private ride by flashing a few Baht notes around. We eventually got tired of the endless bartering every time we wanted to go anywhere and rented a scooter from our hotel which worked out to be the best transport solution for our purposes. You have to be careful driving a scooter as the rules of the road is much different to home no matter where you are from and a general policy of "You break it, you pay to fix it" applies. So watch out for sand around the corners and go light on the Tiger beers. The general rule of the road is that the bigger and noisier vehicle has right of way and hesitators lose.

We are planning a second visit in September 2007 and will this time give up the luxury hotels and airport arrivals for backpacking and travelling by train, bus and ferry. Samui is firmly placed on our itenary and the first thing I am going to do on arrival is order and eat a crispy banana and honey pancake from the street vendor right next to Starbucks on the Chaweng strip.

"Samui Palm Beach Resort"

We stayed here for 5 nights. I booked our rooms about six months previously over the internet and all the arrangements were seamless. The receptionist was a bit aggressive in immediately demanding my credit card before I could even introduce myself but as soon as the transaction went through everyone relaxed and we enjoyed our stay very much. We stayed in detached villas in the gardens surrounding the main hotel and very large and spotless pool area. The usual complaint of unfriendly and indifferent staff does not apply to Palm Beach. I suppose the locals mirror your general behavior towards them.

Most of the other guests were older German and French couples who soaked up the sun around the pool and ogled us curiously over their reading classes when we spoke in our native Afrikaans language. The pool and beach area at our hotel was the ideal place to relax away from the hustle of Chaweng.

"Big Buddha"

What would any town in Thailand be without a Wat? The Big Buddha statue close to Big Buddha Beach looks great in the early morning sunshine and is directly under the final approach to Samui International Airport. Although they are a bit more relaxed on the island, remember to dress sensibly when visiting any Thai Wat.

We visited the Buddha early one morning to take some pictures in the early morning sun and were lucky enough to have the place to ourselves for about half an hour before the tourist busses started arriving.

Koh Samui is an all round good experience, please do not hesitate to visit this island if you are planning a trip to Thailand.