RENAISSANCE KOH SAMUI RESORT & SPA

My partner and I booked a 14 night stay here with the idea of a relaxing getaway. Online the pictures looked fantastic and the reviews were good. We wanted a luxury stay in a butiful hotel and this looked like the place. HOWEVER There are a few things that are not revealed online that you need to know about. We booked a basic room including breakfast, what they don’t tell you is that these rooms are across a road and the hotel is connected by a bridge or you can cross the road. Yes it’s a quite road but the whole thing smacks of a cheap B&B type resort. Our room was next to a public car park again not something I would of expected from a so called 5star resort. CHECK IN On approaching the hotel it’s very underwhelming and doesn’t smack of a 5 start wow resort. We were paying over £2000 to stay in here and this was not what we were expecting. We have stayed in some lovely resorts across the world but this one is not one of them. The first impression of the hotel was this place needs some serious updating. The staff as per usual were excellent we have NO complaints there. Check in was good and the staff made us feel very welcome. Our room was not ready (GOOD JOB) and they suggested we walk around the resort. So we did. Wow not at all what we were expecting. We looked in the library, restaurant, beach/pool areas. Everything is worn and tired looking. I can,t stress this enough. This is supposed to me a 5 star resort and it is not. The fixtures and fittings like soft furnishings were dirty and stained this included the bedroom furniture. The grounds although well kept mixed with the architecture of the place just looked worn and used. We then went to see where our room was. Holy crap it was like going to a hostel. May be a little unfair but you wait and see. THE ROOM Although the room was a nice size the fixtures and fittings were old and worn. The bathroom needed some serious upgrading. The tiles were worn and looked dirty the bedroom furniture was also worn and needed updating. All in all a very disappointing room. The location as I mentioned above made this seem like a cheap hostel type place to be. No matter how you dress it up it all looks old. OUR TALK TO THE RECEPTION STAFF If you have visited Thailand before you will know the people and staff go out of their way to make you feel special, and the staff here were no different. In fact telling them we wanted to check out was going to be difficult because we knew they would take it so personally. So we called the checking manger to our room to avoid any embarrassment on both pats and explained all our issues and that it was not because of them but that the hotel we felt had misled us via the online photos and write up of the facilities. As you can imagine he looked devastated but again we expressed this was not about the staff but the hotel itself. We gave him the feedback which he said he would pass on in the team meeting. We were in the hotel less than 12 hours and we checked out and booked to go to Hau Hin the next morning second flight out. THIS HOTEL IS IN NEED OF SERIOUS REDEVELOPMENT. HOW MARRIOTT HOTELS HAS THIS AS PART OF ITS GROUP IS AN EMBARRASSMENT. Over priced not what you expect, just because it’s Koh Samui they charge a premium

This marked the first leg of my 40th birthday celebration in Southeast Asia. This also marked my first trip to Southeast Asia. This hotel was great on so many levels. The warm, friendly welcome by all of the south was very nice. Everyone was eager to assist us after our long journey from Iowa, USA. I have read reviews stating that it is an older property but I will say that there was nothing noticeably outdated about it all. Our room was #103 with a private pool. I would come back for the private pool. Our room looked out into the water while overlooking the pool of the resort and spa. The food was amazing. We ate the authentic Thai food on the menu and was not let down. One night during our stay, my wife had an upset stomach and she ordered the French Fries and spaghetti. This, too, was very tasty. Room service was prompt and courteous. We went on consecutive days for massages that we were very pleased with. The Indian Head massage was not an Indian Head massage from prior experiences in India. However, everything else about the massages were great; thus, 2 consecutive days of massages speaks for itself in terms of good quality. The massive pool was a lot of fun. The convenient part of the pool was the location from room #103. It was great fun! The pool staff at the bar was friendly and great. The Banana Leaf restaurant was amazing! It had noodle soup made to order to include either beef or chicken or pork. It had Dim Sum and congee. It had great fruits, pastries and all kinds of juices. They had a juice that could make to order for you. The staff was friendly and fantastic. Overall, it was a tremendous stay. I would recommend this place to everyone. I plan to return. I could nit pick that one of our sinks leaked. We had a small amount of ants in our toilet area. However, none of this was a bother. We loved it. We plan to return and thank everyone for their care and concern.

My family stayed here for a whole week. General a very pleasant stay. This is a quite old hotel, seen by the facilities and infrastructure. Delicate decorated by plenty wooden and stone figurines and statues, all rich in traditional Thai culture, and extensively planted by a wide variety of local fauna and flora with many labelled by hand-carved name plates, the whole property gives a vintage and nostalgic atmosphere. I enjoy the feeling of staying in it. I learned the names of many tropical plants and even collected some leaves and flowers and brought them with me back home, as a remembrance of living there. The bed was bigger than the normal double-bed. We loved it very much. It is just good for my wife and I and our two year daughter. The sound proof between rooms was good too. However, being old also gave some problems. No big trouble of course, just some small drawbacks. The A/C is a little noisy, and there was a leaking at the connection part of shower head and its tube, which weakened the water flow. Now comes to my favorite part. The service. All staff were nice and attentively helpful. They give a hand always at good timing, and they communicate with guests by keeping a good distance. And I observe them working together happily. The team spirit was good and they enjoy working with each other. The restaurants and bars all nice, especially TaWann, who serves the best Thai food we had even tried on Koh Samui. This is our second time on Samui and we dined in many places. The dinner at TaWann was the best, not only the food, but also the sea view. The hotel did activities on the beach and in restaurants quite often. We like the beach BBQ and lobster night. The fire show was fantastic, and I even took part in the performance for a minute or so, by standing like a pool. The location is good too. Being away from the noisy and crowded commercial area, Renaissance is on a tip of Lamai Beach and enjoys a quiet and tranquil environment. It has its own beach, which can only be accessed by the staff and guests. Actually guests of neighbouring hotels can also come (and vice versa), but since there are only two small hotels further east, the whole beach which connects the three hotels was all quiet. To reach the hotel you need to turn off from the main road and onto a lane for about 200 meters, which was quite bumpy and narrow. It is ok for two opposite vehicles to pass by but they have to be very slow and cautious. I think the best traffic choice for the hotel, even for the whole island, is to rent a motorbike. The hotel has a big parking space for vehicles and motorbikes. From the hotel, going north is the commercial Chaweng, and going south is Hin Ta Hin Yai and even more quiet beaches, so I think the location of Renaissance is convenient for many travelling choices. It is not far to go to the commercial place, waterfalls, elephant trekking place, aquarium, and southern fishing villages. Finally, a big thank to Renaissance and the staff, many of whom have pleasant names: New, Dear, Top......

Look no further. I am typing this and we only just got here. Braving traveled many places, both foreign and domestic, this hotel is by far outstanding! My fiancé and I are in the beach front private villa. We can't say enough great things. Warm reception upon arrival and service that tops none other non stop. Location is fabulous. Hotel staff beyond accommodating. Would recommend this place but need to be on beach front side.

Sea Sand Sun are what many visitors would ask for their stay, but this hotel also got great story and friendly service. Because it was a Thai hotel with Balinese style before, that's why you can still see and feel its unique character until now. I like the way they grow plants all over the hotel ground. Some plants like Plumeria dropped their white flowers along the hotel's walk ways in the early morning. Staff are also friendly and polite. However, the spa was not quite okay for me 'cos my massage room did not have a restroom inside. So I need to be quick while changing clothes behind 2 massage beds. So ideally you better ask them before having a massage, otherwise you will end up like me. Anyway, I would love to visit this hotel again for more good food and good show on the beach!