The Conrad Koh Samui may be a little isolated, but it makes up for it with lovely rooms and great views. A few service kinks to work out, but overall an excellent stay.
A friend once described the Conrad Koh Samui to me as an “influencer magnet”. I disagree with that notion – in my opinion the W Koh Samui fits that label more than the Conrad – but in fairness I’ve always had a magnetic attraction to the Conrad Koh Samui. I have heard a lot of great things about the resort, and ever since I switched my hotel brand loyalty to Hilton Honors, the urge to stay at the Conrad Koh Samui only grew. With Thailand tourist volumes not quite returned to the pre-Covid peaks yet, I figured this would be a good opportunity to finally check out the Conrad Koh Samui.
I went into this stay with very high expectations, but was also realistic about the main drawbacks of the resort, namely the lacklustre beach and isolated location. The former doesn’t bother me (not really a beach person), while the latter is tolerable on a short stay. Did the Conrad Koh Samui deliver on my high expectations? It wasn’t a flawless stay, and certain service aspects could be more polished. However, at the end of the stay, I left the resort recharged and highly satisfied. The best measure is that I couldn’t bear to checkout of the resort.
Read on to find out what made me so attached to the Conrad Koh Samui!
Conrad Koh Samui: Location & Overview
The Conrad Koh Samui is at the southwestern tip of Koh Samui, relatively isolated from everything. It’s about as far from Koh Samui airport as can be. The drive from the airport typically takes 45min to 1h. There isn’t much around it, and the setting of the resort on a hillside means its’s also not possible to walk to the surrounding areas. The last stretch of road to the resort is a windy uphill drive. Because of its location and layout however, the resort can offer unblocked sea and sunset views from all villas.
The villas are split across a few levels on the hillside. The various F&B outlets and resort amenities are also dotted around the resort, as seen in the map below:
With many different levels, the main way to get around the resort is via buggy. The good thing is that the wait usually isn’t too long, and most buggy drivers are usually alert to any guests waiting for a buggy or walking. Even between locations are that on the same level, the path can be undulating. For example, even though my villa 301 was technically on the same level as Zest, the walk to breakfast and back each morning involved some steep climbs. Be prepared to hang on too, if you’re sitting rearward on a buggy going uphill. No one warned me about this on my first buggy ride after arriving, and I nearly slid out the buggy!
To better put in perspective the layout, here’s how the resort looks from the beach:
If you’re staying at the Conrad Koh Samui, you’re likely to be spending most of your time in the resort. Since I was only staying 3 nights, that was exactly what I was planning to do anyway. If I were to return for a longer stay, I would probably rent a car or get a driver for a couple of days. Overall, its layout and location is part of its charm to me, if a minor inconvenience.
Conrad Koh Samui: Booking and Pre-arrival
The Conrad Koh Samui is frankly not a cheap destination. That’s not unusual in Koh Samui, where the international chains mostly bring in their luxury brands. Marriott for example, only has its Premium and Luxury brands on Koh Samui.
Unfortunately, cash rates for the Conrad Koh Samui have increased from their Covid lows. For my 3-night stay in the middle of July, I opted to pay the cash rate of THB15,200 (approx SGD575) plus 10% service charge and taxes. This booked into the Tropical Island Pool Villa category, which is jointly the lead-in category with the Sunset Pool Villa I opted to ‘rush’ this stay for July as my scan of the rate calendar showed this would be the lowest for the rest of 2022 (of course rates may fluctuate still).
At time of writing, for the remainder of 2022, rates mostly start at THB16,700 before service charge and taxes, going up to as much THB27,501 around Christmas and New Year. Standard Room Rewards, if you can find them, are 95,000 Honors points per night and book into the Sunset Pool Villa. It should be noted that all 1-bedroom villas are physically identical, with exception of the Royal Oceanview Villa. The difference between the various categories are the position and level of the resort they are located on.
Shortly after booking, I reached out to the hotel to make some enquiries. The hotel was very responsive, always replying within 24h. The hotel also wrote to confirm my and my girlfriend’s names, which they mentioned would be embroidered on stuffed bears. The email implied this was for Diamond members only, though I can’t be sure if that’s really the case. This was a nice personal touch and boded well for the stay.
The staff I corresponded with also sent me a link to the hotel’s website, which was a fountain of information. F&B menus, spa prices and resort activities were available, all with pricing.
While my booking confirmation stated that no upgrades are given, I confirmed with the hotel that as a Diamond I would be upgraded to a higher-level villa if available. Starting from 7 days prior to arrival, I noticed in Hilton app that the room category reflected changed a few times, eventually topping out at the Five Islands View Villa. When digital check-in became available, I went in to select my room, however only 301 was available. This was by no means a bad thing, as it’s at a cul-de-sac and hence somewhat more private.
Conrad Koh Samui: Arrival
Bangkok Airways operates the only direct flight from Singapore now, which arrives just past 9pm. The 8pm departure works well for full day of work before heading to airport though. In any case, this timing meant reaching the resort fairly late at night. The hotel offers airport transfers for THB1,500 one way, however I opted for a private provider for much less.
We got to the hotel at around 10.30pm, after a quick stop to stock up on snacks and drinks at a 7-Eleven along the way. Our bags were quickly taken to be loaded on a buggy, while we were offered a seat at the arrival lobby while they did the paperwork. Cold towels and a welcome drink were also brought out.
The check-in formalities took just a couple of minutes, which we were grateful for given the late hour. We then got onto a buggy for the drive to villa 301. As mentioned , this first ride was rather an eye-opener to the changes of elevation within the resort. It was impressive to see the staff maneuver the buggy through the narrow paths and hairpin turns. Along the way, the staff also explained the various amenities as well as the daily beach activities that we could book in for. She also mentioned that I would get 25% of dining at all dining venues as an Honors Diamond, which was part of the ‘Like A Member’ dining offer. (Note: this page is outdated, the offer has been extended to 31 Dec 2022).
We were also handed a welcome letter and activity schedule.
Later on in the villa, a welcome platter of local snacks were also delivered. This consisted of a vegetarian spring rolls, and some sort of vegetable and fruit combo rice paper rolls. This was just right for a supper snack, having not really eaten since before boarding in Singapore.
Conrad Koh Samui: Villa
After winding around the resort, we arrived at 301. As mentioned, 301 is at a cul-de-sac with forest on one side. There is a short ‘bridge’ to cross to each villa from the paths.
Bedroom and living space
Immediately, I was impressed with the villa. In my view, the villas are one of the main attractions of the resort.The interior space is split roughly equally between bedroom/living space and bathroom. There is a small entryway to negotiate first, where the hotel thoughtfully places umbrellas. New umbrellas could be purchased if desired. Thankfully, we never needed these during our stay.
Passing through the entryway, there is a doorway on the right to the bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. To the left is the bed and living space. On the bed, were two embroidered stuffed bears as promised. A small jar of cookies were also placed on the bed. These were refilled daily with different flavours.
The bed itself was excellent. The mattress was the perfect firmness for me, slightly firm without being too hard. While they were already 2 large pillows on the bed, the Conrad Koh Samui has a pillow menu with 13 types of pillows.
I couldn’t resist ordering a buckwheat pillow. It was small (real buckwheat is expensive after all), but boy was it comfortable. A combination of the just-right mattress and buckwheat pillow enabled me to have possibly the best sleep I’ve ever had in a hotel.
By the wall near the bed was the desk. (Who comes here to work??) This didn’t see much use from us, except as a shelf to place things.
The sitting area is nothing special, but perfectly functional for if you’re keen to watch the TV. On the coffee table was another welcome note and a fruit bowl. The fruits were replenished daily.
Unlike many hotels, here the coffee table and sofa were at comfortable relative height for dining.
The TV was mounted on the wall and could be swivelled towards the bed. Picture quality was pretty poor though, not too sure if it’s the TV or a poor signal. Beneath the TV was the minibar and a coffee machine.
The minibar was the only area we had an issue with housekeeping. On the first night, I opened the minibar and a pool of milk that had collected at the bottom dripped all over the floor as the door swung open. Clearly, this area had not been thoroughly cleaned prior to our arrival. Since it was late, I wiped up the mess myself, though I did feedback to the staff later on, who were very apologetic.
Across from the bed, there is direct access to the outdoor space. With all the villas sea-facing, this is great if you love waking up to blue skies and ocean. If I were the hotel, I would consider investing in electronically-operated curtains. The feeling of lying in bed while the curtains open to expose this view would be pure bliss.
Bathroom
While the bedroom/living space has a more resort-ish feel with the wood floors and panelling, the bathroom gives off a more modern vibe. That’s no complaint, if anything it enhances the luxe feel of the villa for me.
The bathroom is dominated by an absolutely massive circular tub. The drawback of such a large tub however, is that it takes rather long to fill. It did seem to maintain the water temperature for longer though.
There’s his-and-hers vanities as well, with a shelf below if the large vanity top isn’t sufficient. The water pressure from the taps could be a bit hard to control, and I ended up splashing water on my body several times. Admittedly that may be a user problem.
Set further back were the toilet and glass-walled shower. No blinds for this shower, you’ll have to close the curtains and sliding doors between bedroom and bathroom if you want privacy. The toilet has a bidet hose, hopefully they’ll install a washlet in any future refurbishment.
The toiletries are ostensibly Shanghai Tang Mandarin Tea, based on the labels on the pump bottles. Having used the Shanghai Tang toiletries at many Conrads before, I am certain some of the contents were not Shanghai Tang. In particular, the shower gel and handwash smelled different. Possibly they were the new Conrad brand standard of Byredo Mojave Ghost. I’ve not yet encountered those so I can’t be sure.
Near the bathroom entrance and beside the shower was the walk-in wardrobe. The wardrobe space was pretty generous. A good-sized safe was also installed here. The hotel also provides a beach bag, again new pieces available for purchase if desired.
Outdoor Space
The outdoor space is undoubtedly the star of the villa, in my opinion. The main attraction is the 10m long infinity pool looking out to sea. With the villas all roughly west facing, there’s fantastic outdoor views from the terrace and pool. One drawback of this orientation is the full afternoon sun bearing down. I sometimes found it too scorching to be outside in the afternoon, and I live in Singapore! The sun does help keep the water at a nice temperature throughout the day. It felt absolutely fantastic to be able to step into the pool to cool down when lying on the deck chairs gets too warm.
The pool isn’t the biggest and definitely not for serious swimming, but it’s perfectly acceptable for spending a few lazy days relaxing and cooling off.
The resort has a sign of the rules of pool usage, which includes prohibitions on drones and pool floats. The drone one is understandable for privacy. However despite the signage, the hotel was more than happy to help inflate the large pool float we brought. Curiously, they take it away to get inflated. Perhaps they use an electric pump and wanted to keep the noise away from the guest villas? Regardless, it was hilarious seeing the guy returning with a huge pool float standing up over the top of the buggy.
My guess on the float rule is that they are concerned guests may unknowingly float off the edge of the infinity pool. I drifted myself in a controlled fashion to the edge, and while there is definitely some risk, the weight of a human pressing down should be sufficient to keep the float against the raised lip of the pool. Still, I’d advise caution in using a float.
On the right side of the terrace outside the bathroom was a couple of deck chairs and a small table. A big cloth umbrella could be opened to keep out the worst of the sun.
On the opposite end of the terrace (outside the living room), there was a daybed with a larger table and a chair. This space could be used for dining outdoors, though the daybed may be a little low and soft to be very comfortable for dining.
Suffice to say, the outdoor space of the villa was where we spent the most time during our stay. The full blast of afternoon sun is a trade-off for the views. But it’s hard to beat sea view and a lovely infinity pool right outside the bedroom.
Overall, my feelings on the villa were extremely positive. Everything was well maintained and in good working order. It may not be the most spacious villa, but everything is well thought out. The layout and décor felt just right for the surroundings. The villa was pretty much the perfect space for spending a relaxing holiday.
Conrad Koh Samui: Food & Beverage
The Conrad Koh Samui has 3 main restaurants: Zest, Azure and Jahn. There are 3 other venues that mainly serve drinks: Ko Lounge (selection of light bites also available here), Seakret Bar and Botanika. An extensive in-villa dining menu is available as well, including more unique but slightly gimmicky options such as in-villa mookrata and floating breakfast. In addition, private dining at the pier or beach could also be arranged.
During my stay, I had breakfast daily at Zest, which is the only breakfast option, not counting in-villa dining. I also had a dinner at Zest, and a lunch at Azure. While on the last evening. we ordered in-villa mookrata (yes, I fell for that gimmick). I’ll talk a bit about the offerings at each venue, and my experience with the food.
Zest – Breakfast
Zest is located on level 3 of the resort. Breakfast is available daily at Zest from 7am to 1030am. It’s a buffet, which consists of all the usual features expected of a breakfast buffet. There’s a wide selection of fruits, pastries, cold cuts, hot Asian and Western options, and a noodle station and egg station. It’s not the widest selection I’ve seen at a hotel buffet (unlike say the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok), but everything is presented nicely and mostly done well.
My favourite item in the buffet was the in-house smoked salmon. This was theatrically kept in a smoker at the buffet, though of course most of the real smoking is done prior and away from the buffet. Unlike most commercial smoked salmon, this has a lovely bright orange colour and firmer texture. It was absolutely delicious and I went through several pieces each day.
On the terrace, the restaurant also had a DIY smoothie machine where you could pick your ingredients and then cycle to get the blender going. While it was tempting to give it a go, I didn’t want to embarrass myself in case my lack of physical fitness showed.
On my second morning, I noticed that another guest had requested for freshly cut fruits including mango which was not on the buffet. I tried it the next day as well, requesting for papaya, which was not available at the buffet that day. Oddly, the staff initially reported this was not available, but 5min later reappeared with a plate of freshly cut papaya. If you’re particular about your fruits, would recommend to try asking for the freshly cut ones.
In general, I felt the food quality was perhaps slightly above average though unspectacular. My main gripe is that buffet didn’t vary much day-to-day. The western hot items were the same on each of the three mornings I was there. On the Asian selection, maybe a couple of dishes would change, one of which was the “vegetarian dish of the day”. Given that many guests tend to stay longer than I did, it would be good if the hotel could mix it up a bit more when it comes to the breakfast offerings.
Zest – dinner
On the first night (not counting the day of arrival), we wanted to have in-villa mookrata but the staff said rain was coming. Spoiler alert: it didn’t rain. Regardless, we ended up going to Zest for dinner instead. Zest closes after breakfast, then reopens for dinner from 5pm to 11pm. The dinner offering is focused on “traditional Southern Thai flavours”. You can check out Zest’s dinner menu here.
After ordering, an amuse bouche of prawn crackers was served first.
We started with the appetiser platter (Khong Wang Ruam Zest). This consisted of prawn cake, chicken skewers, sundried beef, vegetable spring rolls and chor muang (a flower shaped Thai dumpling). The prawn cake was surprisingly addictive, while the sundried beef was another highlight with its tenderness and flavour. The platter was served with a selection of dipping sauces.
We followed this up with a crab meat red curry (Gaeng Pu Bai Cha Plu Sen Mae), Tom Kha Gai (creamy Thai chicken soup), and stir-fried crispy pork belly with kale and crispy garlic (Moo Grob Pad Kana). Free-flow rice is included with the main dishes.
Unfortunately, it became clear that the staff had forgotten about the stir-fried crispy pork belly with kale halfway through the meal (also the reason it’s not pictured above). While it eventually arrived awhile after I enquired with the staff, this shouldn’t have happened, especially when the restaurant was maybe half to at most 2/3 full. When the bill came later, that dish was missing from the bill. Taking the honest approach, I checked with the staff and they promptly corrected the bill. While I did not expect any compensation for the earlier mistake, I was hoping its absence from the bill was because it was comp-ed as an apology. Oh well, no such luck.
In terms of food quality, I felt dinner was generally a step up from the quality at breakfast. The serving of crab in the curry was fairly generous, including half a crab still in its shell. The rice was a tad disappointing for Thailand, and tasted no different from what I could get in Singapore.
Living in a place where cheap Thai food is aplenty, the prices may give sticker shock. However, after factoring in the 25% discount I got as a Diamond, the cost was more reasonable. The total bill for 4 dishes plus 3 beers and a mocktail, came up to just over SGD100 inclusive of service charge and taxes. It sounds expensive, but I thought it was fair given one dish had crab, and the setting.
Azure
Azure Bar & Grill opens daily from 11am to 10pm. It’s located at the poolside, just above the beach. The décor appears to Santorini-inspired, with blue and white furnishings. You can take a look at the menu here.
The menu is international-focused, with a mix of pizzas, pastas and protein mains. On our second afternoon we opted to have a light lunch here.
We opted for the chilli salt school prawns to start, and the foil baked barramundi for our main. The prawns were nicely fried, not too greasy, and well seasoned. The barramundi was cooked perfect, but had a bit too much olives for my taste. Some focaccia was also served to start.
We finished off the meal with some ice cream because it was a blazing hot afternoon. We had a scoop of coconut and a scoop of blood orange. The ice cream themselves weren’t that fantastic, and both were a bit too creamy for our liking. The cookie crumbs around the ice cream were delicious though.
I thought the prices at Azure were quite reasonable as well. For example the fish was only THB740 (SGD29) for quite a large portion. With the 25% discount it was even better. The dishes were decent quality and size-wise. Service wasn’t without error again though. They somehow attempted to serve us a Caesar salad that we didn’t order. It was no big deal, but it was an odd error considering there were no other tables in the restaurant itself occupied, and only a couple of groups by the poolside to serve.
Jahn
Jahn is high-end dining venue which serves bespoke degustation menus for dinner only. No menus are published and may vary daily. Prices start in excess of THB3,500 (SGD135) per person I believe. We weren’t planning to dine high-end on this trip, so we gave Jahn a miss.
Ko Lounge
Ko Lounge is located opposite Zest on level 3. It’s a fairly open space mostly serving drinks, and some light food (pizzas, sandwiches and salads). It opens daily from 3pm to 10pm. Because of it’s location and layout, it could be a nice alternative to have a drink and watch the sunset, if the view from the villa gets boring.
Botanikka
Botanikka is a coffee joint of sorts, in a converted 2-story residence villa located not far from the arrival lobby. It’s open from 9am to 6pm. Besides coffee, it also showcases the Kombucha that’s fermented on-site, and other specialty drinks such as bubble tea, fermented coffee, ginger beer and spicy OJ beer. All these drinks are processed by the hotel. The coffee is also processed and roasted on-site.
Botanikka also houses some hydroponics, and some animals that may or may not contribute to the hotel’s F&B venues. It’s an interesting venue to visit and have a drink. The staff there was very friendly and willing to answer any question about the drinks that are produced on-site.
We stopped by after lunch at Azure and tried the Kombucha. It’s a bit more intense and sour than most commercial Kombucha, but mellows down with ice. I highly recommend checking out Botanikka and sampling some of the drinks on offer.
Seakret Bar
Seakret Bar is the beach bar of the resort, open from 11am to 5pm. It’s a pity and rather odd that it closes at 5pm, as I thought many guests wouldn’t mind sitting relaxing by the beach with a drink in hand to watch sunset. The netting ‘nests’, in particular, looked like a nice place for this. Since the beach itself was nothing great, we didn’t spend any time patronising Seakret.
In-villa dining
I don’t normally do room service, but when the room is a sea and sunset-facing villa, that can change one’s mindset. So on this trip, we opted to order in mookrata. The downside of this versus having it at Zest was missing out on the 25% discount for Honors Diamond (the list price is the same). Since it requires 24h advance reservation, we ordered it for the next evening when we checked in. However around half an hour before it was supposed to come, a staff member called to say he could see rain coming. We reluctantly postponed it to the next evening, though the rain never came. The second attempt thankfully worked out, though it really rained later that night, after we had finished.
At the appointed time, a staff member drove up bearing a massive tray loaded with the grill, a kettle filled with soup, several smaller trays of food, and plates and cutlery. He set up the small gas stove and grill, and described the various items and dips. He also mentioned to call Zest once we were done for them to collect the items.
At THB3,190 (approx SGD125) for 2 people, this was one expensive mookrata. But it comes with premium ingredients. The trays of food were loaded with half a lobster, prawns, mussels, clams, wagyu beef and an assortment of other seafood, meat and vegetables. The portions were generous too, and it ended up being a very filling meal, even with the absence of carbs.
Of course, the main attraction of in-villa dining was being able to eat (with cooking first in this case) while watching sunset.
By all logical reasoning, having mookrata in the villa made no sense. There’s no discount vs Zest, and there’s a risk of cooking smell permeating the air in the villa if the doors aren’t closed properly. Despite that, I found it a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It was a very nice way to spend the last evening of the stay. Admittedly, it’s a ‘one-and-done’ kind of experience. For as long as I have 25% discount, I’ll be having mookrata during any future stays at Zest.
Conrad Koh Samui: Facilities
The Conrad Koh Samui isn’t a big resort, but it has all the facilities expected for a resort of its standard (and price).There’s a reasonably sized poo, gym, spa and a kids club for my parents looking for some time away from their offspring. There are various beach activities that guests can partake in too.
Pool
The pool is located on level 1 with Azure. It’s sort of a semicircle shape, long enough to put in some laps. There are a few deckchairs semi submerged in the pool itself, for those who want to sit poolside and can conveniently dip into the pool.
Also surrounding the pool are some cabanas. These are large enough for small families, and it’s possible to order from Azure and dine in the cabanas. Curtains can be closed all around the cabana for a little more privacy if desired.
To be honest, I was surprised to see quite a few groups of people around the pool during my stay. In my opinion, the poolside area doesn’t offer any significant incremental advantages over lounging in the villa terrace, except to be able to do proper swimming. This is especially considering the slight inconvenience of getting a buggy to the main pool. I guess the bigger space may be preferred by some families. For me, I’d rather more just lounge poolside in the villa.
Near Seakret Bar just below the pool, the hotel has also set up a hammock and some large pillows to lie on.
The hotel has also helpfully set up a coconut to inform guests of the weather.
Beach
The Conrad Koh Samui essentially has its own private beach. However the beach isn’t that fantastic. Don’t expect soft powdery sand here. The sand is mostly hard, wet and coarse.
At least the hotel has done what it can to make the beach a little more a more comfortable for guests. Deckchairs line parts of the beach, covered by a solid wood shelter. The hotel has even installed power outlets between pairs of deckchairs.
Along the beach are some hammocks and the ‘iconic’ Conrad Koh Samui wall sign. This is set directly behind and beneath Seakret Bar.
There are a couple of other hammocks set further out into the water, and a swing. These get submerged when the tide comes in, thus the sand around it is really not very nice. Don’t expect to get Bali-style beach swing Instagrammable shots here, unless you have very good photo-taking and Photoshop skills.
Further along the beach is a small pavilion and a pier. The pavilion is used for weddings, while the pier is a venue for private dining.
Apart from the beach fixtures, the hotel has a number of beach activities for guests. The hotel has kayaks, paddles boards and snorkelling equipment for complimentary rental. For those seeking more thrills, the hotel has a jetski for rent. The cost is THB2,500 for 20min or THB5,000 for 40min. Surprisingly, I did see the jetski get some use, though I’m not sure if it was actual guests or staff taking it out. There are other activities such as yoga, taichi and Thai boxing held at the beach deck near the pier, though I was never up early enough to see if anyone actually participated in these. More info on the activities available can be found here.
As you exit the beach, the hotel has thoughtfully placed some brushes and a bucket of water to get rid of any sand. Or perhaps they really don’t want guests dumping sand around the poolside.
The beach is perfectly acceptable for taking walks. If spending time by the beach is your plan though, the Conrad Koh Samui honestly probably shouldn’t be your top choice. Again I’m not really a beach person, so this didn’t bother me much. This isn’t something the hotel can control, and most guests seemed happy enough to be in their villas or poolside. However for anyone looking at this resort for a beach holiday, this is something to keep in mind.
Kids Club
The Kids Club is located just above Azure. It’s available from 10m to 6pm with advance reservations. I didn’t see anyone utilising this the few times I walked by, and it was shut and not staffed.
Gym
The gym is located down a flight stairs from Zest and Ko Lounge. It looks a nice place to workout, and the equipment looked new and well-maintained.
Near the entrance was a shelf with towels, yoga mats, water and apples.
Spa
The Conrad Koh Samui spa is located on level 3, open from 10am to 7pm. The spa menu can be found here. Usurpingly, it’s relatively pricey. That didn’t seem to put off other guests though, as it was full when I stopped by one morning to check it out, and the staff were unable to let me tour the spa. With those prices, I decided against getting any treatments on this stay. To give a sense of the space, here’s a couple of photos from the hotel’s website:
Conrad Koh Samui: Service
Perhaps it’s stereotyping, but I have a very high expectation of service levels in high-end hotels in Thailand. The Conrad Koh Samui was a bit of a mixed bag. All the staff were very friendly, and very accommodating. However, there were some inconsistencies that ought to be polished.
I’ve already mentioned a couple of minor lapses that occurred while dining at Zest and Azure (forgetting an order, bringing the wrong order). These were small infractions, but it’s an odd coincidence for errors to occur on both occasions that we dined at the venues. Breakfast wasn’t smooth sailing either, with occasional confusion at the egg station over which table ordered what. I get it’s classier to not have to rely on table numbers, but it appeared sometimes the staff’s memory wasn’t quite sharp enough.
The most annoying F&B service issue was with the mookrata collection. As instructed, I had called Zest after we finished eating. I even gave a bit of time for the grill to cool. On the phone, I also mentioned to the staff that this was what I had been instructed to do. However, no one appeared for an hour. I didn’t really have any issues if they preferred to collect it the next day nor did I expect anyone to appear immediately, but it was the uncertainty whether anyone was turning up that annoyed me. Eventually I had to call Zest again with a bit more forcefulness and someone turned up about 10min later. Having to wait over an hour after the initial call was unacceptable in my opinion.
The leftover spillage was also a mark against the hotel. In fairness, there weren’t any issues with the housekeeping on the subsequent days. Clearly some consistency lacking there.
These issues aside, the staff were generally excellent. When we were checking out, the front desk staff were very proactive in checking on the status of our privately arranged transport, and was quick to arrange a taxi when it was clear someone has messed up our arrangements. (For info, I used Mr Samui and later received an apology that they had recorded the wrong timing).
The communication pre-stay was prompt and clear. The little personal touches were nice too, such as the bears with our names embroidered on. It’s nice to see all the welcome notes and letters addressed me by name, which is not always the case, even at other Conrads.
Overall, most of the staff interactions were pleasant. The hotel has the potential to do better, with a little more refinement and consistency.
Conclusion
As I stated at the start of this review, I had very high expectations of the Conrad Koh Samui. There are things the Conrad Koh Samui is not – it’s not really a beach resort despite having a beach, it’s not a good base for exploring Koh Samui. What it is, in my humble opinion, is a top-class retreat for a quiet few days away. The rooms are excellent, the service for the most part is very good, and the views are hard to beat for Koh Samui. The food is decent enough, with prices that are surprisingly reasonable for the setting.
Normally, I’d be complaining about a hotel that’s so isolated, and I’d not want to return (e.g. Avani+ Mai Khao Phuket) But the Conrad Koh Samui has won me over, even with my high expectations. For me to feel like the stay was actually too short despite effectively being stuck in the resort, that’s as high a compliment that I can give it.
Anyone else stayed at the Conrad Koh Samui? Did you enjoy your stay? Let me know in the comments!