Thorn Tree travel forum

1

Como is very family orientated, The Waterfront in a way too - guess that not all their reviews are genuine as the style of writing shows often similarities.
Samui Island - not too many good reviews; Rajapruek quite some miles away from any night life.
Have a look at Kings Garden Resort in Chaweng (you have to google), Lamai Inn 99, Ark Bar Chaweng (lots of young guests), Weekender Resort & Hotel ( huge plot in Lamai center).

2

I think the first you need to do is state your budget and then the area that you would like to be in. Chaweng is the busiest place in Koh Samui. It has all the options of the different categories of hotels, restaurants, nightlife, shopping etc. Lamai is the next biggest but is a lot more quiet. Bophut, Fisherman Village and Cheong Mon are also nice places but very limited in where you can go at night (or even the day). You will have to travel quite a distance if you want to go to Chaweng from any of these other towns.

Ark Bar has lots of young guests but it is also very noisy, especially if your room is closer to the beach. Their bar/restaurant runs till past midnight every day and they have a beach party every Wednesday. So, if you are the type of person to go to bed at 6am every day, then this should be okay with you.

There are many places for those who have a tight budget but the service will also not be as good. For just a simple room, you could try P&P or Green Hotel. For a little better, you can try Al's Hut or Al's Resort or Malibu Resort.

If you need more information, please write to me at judy@vikingbar.net

Wheresoever you go, go with your heart.

3

"I'm going with my boyfriend and we are both in our mid-20s, so I'm not really looking for a 'family friendly' place here."

Then why are you wanting to stay at 'resorts'? The 'backpacker island' of Ko Phangan is 10 kms (6.2 miles) north of Ko Samui, a very quick boat ride away. Ko Samui, especially Chawang Beach, is the Waikiki, Disneyland, Blackpool, of Thailand. I don't think you'll much like it there. To each his own. Spend a day or two looking around on Samui, if you like it fine, if not then try Ko Phangan.

pull my finger

4

Thanks for the help. Those were just some of the first hotels/resorts I saw but I'm definitely open to suggestions. I'm thinking that staying somewhere around Lamai would be my best bet.

5

look at www.sawadee.com

If you want to stay in Lamai:
Marina villa, Sea Breeze, New coconut resort (all aroud 1000 baht a night)
Magic resort has bingalows for 400-500 baht.

In a world without walls and fences,who needs Windows or Gates?

6

Okay, another change in what I am looking for. We want to stay on Chaweng Beach and I'd like a mid-range place (no more than 2,000 BHT per night) that is about a ten minute walk from the center of Chaweng (shopping/restaurants/nightlife). Must have a good beach and a pool. Any ideas?

7

I ended up staying at the First House Hotel. It's at one end of Chaweng Beach, a bit removed from the nightlife and restaurants (so it's much quieter). It cost just over $100US to stay for three nights. I'd really recommend it-- the staff was polite, the rooms were clean and the hotel has a very nice private beach and pool. Very accomodating to all of our needs.