Cheapest nightly rate: 429 THB (509 after tax)
When to book: One month in advance
Located on the south-western tip of the island of Koh Samui, Thailand, Conrad Koh Samui is one of the most luxurious properties under Hilton Honors’ portfolio. This property opened for business in 2011 and spreads over 10 acres of steep land. It consists of 65 hotel villas and 32 residential villas. Yes, 100% villas! Each villa is at least 130 sq m/1400 sq ft in size and has a large, 10-meter pool. All properties are facing west and this means you get to see amazing sunsets on clear days. Majority of these villas are located in the bottom 3 rows, categorized in the following manner:
Level 1: 1-Bedroom Waterfront Pool Villa
Level 2: 1-Bedroom Oceanview Pool Villa
Level 3: 1-Bedroom Oceanview Retreat Pool Villa
These villas are of the exact same size. Villas on level 1 are the cheapest and those on level 3 are the most expensive among these three categories. At level 1 most of your views are blocked by trees. Views from the villas on level 2 are partially blocked by trees while those on level 3 mostly offer unblocked views of the beautiful horizon and sunset. The best villas on level 3 are 305, 306, 307 and 308. These villas face the 5 islands directly and you will get beautiful photos of the sunset on a clear day.
Arrival
My partner and I arrived in Koh Samui via ferry from Surat Thani. We reached out to a local motorbike rental company beforehand to arrange for a scooter delivery right to Nathon Pier. They came on-time and we had a nice 30-minutes ride straight to Conrad Koh Samui. The final stretch of road to the property is steep and sandy in some parts. Be sure to ride carefully if you are on two wheels! There is a small parking area right before the lobby.
Upon arrival, we were offered hand towels and welcome (lemongrass) drinks. As a Diamond member, I was pre-upgraded to Villa 308 for my week-long stay. I was also offered complimentary daily breakfast and 8 drink coupons by my host, Kim. We were then brought to Villa 308 in a buggy. Speaking of buggy, you will have to call for one to get to any parts of the resort or you can burn some calories by walking up and down the steep hills!
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The villa (Oceanview Retreat Pool Villa)
Breakfast
Other facilities
We decided to spend our first complimentary coupons at KO Lounge as we could hear nice acoustic music from our villa. Spoiler alert: we ended up coming here for all seven nights! We got to know the acoustic singer, Joe Brown, and really loved his voice. His rendition of ‘Lady‘ by Kenny Rogers and ‘How Deep is your Love’ by Bee Gees gave me goosebumps. We requested our favourite song, ‘Unintended’ by Muse but Joe had not heard of it at that time. To our surprise, he learnt the lyrics and cords and sang it on our last night! It was a truly unforgettable moment.
You can see most of the pools in the level 2 villas from the level 3 villas. Some lack of privacy for these ‘private’ pools.
Conclusion
We really enjoyed our stay at Conrad Koh Samui and loved having other dining options within 15 minutes drive. There are also a couple of convenience stores down the hill from the lobby.
Ratings
Breakfast: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Location: 10/10
Room: 10/10
Facilities: 9/10
Executive lounge: –
Elite member recognition: 10/10