3-Star Hotels in Koh Samet

First, I chose Koh Samet because I asked a local Thailand friend which island has not been overdeveloped since my early days coming to Thailand in the 1990s. His response was ”head to Koh Samet”. I looked for a value hotel on one of the more southern, less developed beaches which led me to Wong Duean Bay and the Vongdeuan Resort. The pool was a big draw. With the low tide being pretty extreme, it is really nice to have the salt water pool to cool off in and swim laps. The food seemed pretty authentic to me. With mainly Thai visitors coming in on the weekends it figures the food would be good at the Vongdeuan Resort. :) The staff were wonderful and always so fun to share a story or two with. The beach area all along the bay was extremely clean with no plastic on the beach or garbage in the water. This is a big plus when going to the shore in SE Asian countries. There are several beach restaurants but none of them had loud music, at least during the weekdays when I was there. It is definitely a sleepy and peaceful place to enjoy the water at high tide as well as the white sand beach for walks.

Great location on main beach and decent beach bar area (live band WAY too loud). Room was a decent price but a bit weird: downstairs bathroom, bedroom upstairs above it. But the staff are not friendly at all, the bins & ashtrays around the resort are not emptied, the bread from the bakery is not fresh and the maids leave the corridors in a real mess during the day. But to be fair, service across the whole of Samed it pretty bad - and I’ve been going there for 35 years! But this is a place we won’t bother with a second time.

The Samed Villa Resort must not be mistaken with the Samet Ville Resort. The latter is not the slightest in the same class as the Villa Resort. The renovated double bungalows are of the highest standards. Especially the bathrooms are of Swiss quality. The staff is very friendly, understands and speaks mostly English and is quick to serve any requests. The breakfast buffet has a lot of western dishes. The restaurant in general is delicious and not pricey at all. There are great options for lunch and dinner also nearby. There is a spa on the premises but also outdoor massage places under the trees on the sea side.

Stayed at Avatara Resort Hotel from 8 to 10 December 2021. We booked a Triple Room, which was very spacious, clean and comfortable beds. Layout of the bathroom was awesome with full view of the jungle. Location is not bad just a walking distance to the Sai Kaew beach which was lively and vibrant at night, with many restaurants nearby. Unfortunately this multistory building has no lift or escalators and a long walk from the lobby and beach. Our room was on the 5th floor and climbing up those many stairs is a big problem especially for those with disabilities or older age. Path and corridors along the building are poorly lit. Breakfast by the beach is very popular with guests but service is poor. On our second day, my son found out that the fresh cold milk he had with cornflakes has gone bad. Brought to the attention of the staff who was quite reluctant and no apologies, Restaurant staff should have pay more attention to the quality of food served. Poor and unfriendly staff; no smile, no greetings and treated guests as if we are a liability to them. The staff was busy playing with their mobile phones and chatting with their colleagues rather than paying attention to the hotel guests. We need to approach them every time we needed to order and foods service are poor. Serviette and tissue paper are not provided with the food, have to asked for them.

Looked great in the pictures but they must have been taken many years ago. We had a room with a sea view and balcony which could have been nice The balcony furniture was old, dirty, mismatched-not inviting at all. The pillows were soft, which we like. The mattress wasn’t just firm it was HARD There is no English TV. Wifi worked ok. Bathroom was old, the shower floor was like very course sandpaper and wall tiles were broken. The landing outside could have been a little bigger to allow room for two people to stand and enter the room. We arrived early ( bad timing) and the reception person seemed to take delight in telling us we had to wait two or three hours for our room to be ready. The pool was out of service - it was as green!! Bad green!! The main reason we chose this hotel as it had a pool! The beach towels were some strange fabric had left a queer dirty feeling on our hands. By the way the ocean was full of rubbish, not the fault of the hotel, but worth knowing. Breakfast was basic- eggs cold! Though I did get two hot ones when I asked! Our evening meal which we had near the roped off pool was a lovely location on a deck overlooking the ocean. Our order was delivered with one dish wrong and one missing. Took an hour to replace the wrong dish and then told other wasnt available. We didn’t feel like ordering a replacement dish after that time. The walk to the hotel was difficult up and down very steep paths. Probably about 400 meters. Nice setting but that’s about all the positive I can report.

We stayed at the Ploy Sea a couple of weeks ago for 3 nights. The hotel was fairly quiet and so they very kindly upgraded our room to a sea view. Staff were very friendly, accommodating and welcoming. In particular a lady who worked on the front desk called Ratchadaporn. She was amazing and helped us so much. The food in the restaurant was a good standard with plenty of choice and the sea front was just idillic. Looking forward to returning again soon.

The hotel has mini villa type rooms, each with a good-sized balcony to enjoy the beautiful foliage planted all around. The rooms are large, airy, sp****, and super clean. Bathroom size is good too, and all amenities are provided. The bed is one of the softest ones I've ever slept on. Absolutely loved it! Check-in and check-out was smooth, the staff is warm. There's a shortcut which takes you to the main Sai Kaew Beach in a minute's walk. It is also easily walkable (15 mins) from the main ferry pier (Nuan Thip). The hotel did not have a restaurant yet (which we knew before booking), but I did see some construction going on, so they could be adding one in the future, But there's plenty of restaurants on the beach, so no worries there. We had an immensely satisfactory and comfortable stay. Would recommend to all travelers.

Given choice of two rooms, we chose the one out on the rocks overlooking the sea. Despite the final few metres being very uneven we were thrilled with this spot. Room was lovely and clean with windows to front and side. Large comfortable bed. Large balcony with chairs, table and clothes airer. Very few guests used the dining room - one night we were the only people eating there. Daytime we ate at the beach tables, which was lovely. Delicious food nicely presented. The pool was clean, a nice pool - but the area around not great since there was a big drop from the edges which would be dangerous for children. It really needs a barrier for safety for little children. The beach would be better for the children. Very safe and the whole bay exclusive to this hotel. Hotel is tucked away. We arrived by taxi luckily so the driver knew the location.

We booked the beachfront villa for 2 days.we loved the place so much and decided to stay another night. Everything about this place is wonderful. The staff is super nice and attentive. Every request was unswerd promptly with a big smile. They keep the place and the lovely surrounding clean and beautiful. The room is spacious and well lighted. They cleaned the room daily and put fresh big towels. The location is outstanding.the beach is great and and the waters are perfect. The pool is perfect as well. We will definitely come back to stay here again. Such a great surprising experience Thank you for having us here

Very well Hotel Very clean Steeve and his wife are Very nice Excellent information Very good welcome More they have one small restaurant the canteen or l one eat well and not too expensive Little English breakfast excellent at their restaurant My friend and me have passed a great stay rental of motorbike cheap and in good condition