Ao Cho Grandview Hideaway Resort — Hotel in Ko Samet

This was, without question, the worst hotel stay I have ever experienced. To provide clarity, I have organized my feedback into the following sections. While Ao Cho Beach itself is beautiful and worth a visit, I strongly advise against staying at this particular resort.|Guest Services| * Misinformation Regarding Transfers: The information provided by the reception staff was incorrect and misleading. We specifically called to inquire if a boat transfer directly to the hotel was possible. We were assured it was and were charged a premium rate of 399 THB (for the boat and parking), which was more expensive than other operators. However, upon arrival at the island, we were dropped off at the main public pier and told to arrange our own transportation to the hotel. Despite booking directly with the hotel, there was no shuttle service or luggage assistance provided. We were forced to carry our own bags and hire a local taxi at an additional cost of 250 THB.| * Negligence on Departure: On our departure day, we checked out at 12:14 PM for the 12:30 PM boat. We informed the reception staff we were heading to the pier and were assured they would notify the boat crew to wait. Upon reaching the pier as instructed, we were informed by reception via phone that the boat had already left and that it was our fault for being late. This is in direct contradiction to their earlier promise to hold the boat. Consequently, we were left stranded at the pier until the next scheduled departure. Had we been honestly informed that we would miss the boat, the situation would have been understandable. The failure to communicate and subsequent blaming of the guest is unacceptable.| * Breakfast Seating: In the morning, we requested a specific, vacant table with a beach view. After getting our food from the buffet, we returned to find that the staff had given our table to other guests. The staff member we had spoken to seemed confused when we pointed this out, though they did eventually resolve the issue.| * Incorrect Orders: We ordered a kiwi smoothie and a strawberry smoothie at the beach bar. The staff served us an incorrect order, bringing a blueberry smoothie instead.| * Lack of Service-Mindedness: There was a general absence of proactive service. For example, upon checking out, no staff member offered any assistance with our luggage, leaving us to manage it on our own.|Accommodation| * Serious Hygiene Concern with Drinking Water: The hotel provides its own branded drinking water, citing an eco-friendly policy to reduce plastic. Upon check-in, the staff pointed out the complimentary water and stated it was "ready to drink." This bottle did not have a plastic safety seal. Assuming this was standard for the hotel's reusable bottles, we consumed it. The following day, the replacement bottle from housekeeping did have a plastic safety seal. This indicates that the water we had consumed on the first day was from a previously opened bottle, posing a significant health and safety risk.| * Air Conditioning Failure: The air conditioning in our room was not working due to a lack of refrigerant. To the hotel's credit, the maintenance team was very responsive and fixed the issue within 30 minutes.|Food and Beverage|The quality of the breakfast was exceptionally poor. While we had managed our expectations beforehand, the experience was still substandard, primarily due to a lack of care and attention to the buffet line.| * The brewed tea in the pot was contaminated with loose tea leaves from a broken tea bag.| * Multiple items were depleted and not replenished, including fresh milk, ham, eggs, and other hot dishes.| * The buffet is open until 10:00 AM, yet by 9:30 AM, staff became inattentive and only refilled items after guests complained.| * Food at the cooking stations was poorly executed. The fried eggs were burnt, the omelette was overcooked, and a noodle soup order was prepared incorrectly.| * Basic condiments like ketchup and chili sauce were left empty for an extended period, even after two separate checks.| * The fruit selection was limited to two types, one of which (believed to be papaya) ran out early, leaving only watermelon.| * The quality of ingredients was very low. The fish balls were primarily flour, the orange juice was a low-quality sweetened beverage, and the tea was a budget brand (Aro). The fish in the rice porridge was served in minuscule pieces.|Boat Transfer| * The transfer was via speedboat. The vessel was operated at what felt like a reckless speed, resulting in a very rough and uncomfortable journey with constant jarring movements. This may be subject to daily sea conditions.|Hotel's Attempt at Compensation| * In response to the issues with the unsealed water and the broken air conditioner, the hotel offered to upgrade us to an "Ocean Suite" for our final night, which we accepted. (This offer was made before the incident of being abandoned at the pier).| * While the suite was large, it was poorly maintained. There was a hole in the door allowing insects to enter, the balcony was too dirty to use for drying clothes, and the water pressure for the rain shower was very weak.| * The air conditioning was repaired within 30 minutes, but ideally, the room should have been in proper working order upon arrival.| * Crucially, no compensation or apology was offered for being misinformed and subsequently abandoned at the pier upon our departure. The only service rendered was the contractually obligated drive from the pier back to our parked car on the mainland.|Positive Remarks| * The only commendable aspect of the service was the staff on the mainland. They were polite, professional, and helpful with our luggage. Their conduct should serve as the standard for the staff at the...

"Scammed from Start to Finish – Worst Hotel Experience Ever!" Problem 1: Transportation to the Accommodation

I called the accommodation to ask if there was a boat that goes directly to Ao Cho. They said, “Yes, there is. You just need to pay 399 baht per person.” So we parked our car at the café, where the staff would take us to the boat. Reality: They put us on a speedboat, dropped us off at the main pier, and left us to carry our luggage off the boat ourselves. Then they directed us to talk to a songthaew (shared pickup truck) driver and pay an extra 250 baht separately. When the driver asked us for payment, we called the accommodation again because we were confused. Why did we have to pay more? The staff responded, “The boat only drops off at the main pier. You have to pay for your own ride from there.” We were shocked — this felt like a scam. The boat ride was actually much more expensive than booking from any other pier.

Problem 2: Wrong Order

My partner and I ordered strawberry and kiwi smoothies, but the staff made blueberry and strawberry instead. It was confusing — especially since we were the only customers on the beach at the time, and they still got the order wrong 😵‍💫

Problem 3: Drinking Water Not Sealed

When we checked in, the staff showed us the room and pointed out that there were two complimentary water bottles. We noticed that the bottles could be opened easily. Upon closer inspection, we saw a label saying the bottles are reused, so we assumed the hotel follows a sustainable practice. But the next day, we came back and found new bottles with plastic seals — so we were left wondering, what exactly did we drink yesterday? Was it clean? Contaminated? This was extremely unsettling. Personally, this was the worst part of the entire stay 😡

Hotel’s Solution: They upgraded us to a more expensive Ocean Suite as an apology. But the room was old, the door didn’t shut properly, and there were lots of bugs coming in.

Problem 4: Missed the Boat We Booked

On the morning of checkout, we booked the 12:30 boat with reception. We asked what time we should check out, and the staff told us “12:10” and said they would have the boat wait for us. We followed their instructions and left at the recommended time, but when we got to the pier, the boat had already left. We called to ask why it didn’t wait, and the staff raised their voice at us, saying we were late. They even brought up the fact that they had already upgraded our room, as if to say, “What more do you want?” I was baffled by the response. This was the worst service management I’ve ever experienced...

Problem 1: Transportation to the Accommodation||I called the accommodation to ask if there was a boat that goes directly to Ao Cho. They said, “Yes, there is. You just need to pay 399 baht per person.” So we parked our car at the café, where the staff would take us to the boat.|Reality: They put us on a speedboat, dropped us off at the main pier, and left us to carry our luggage off the boat ourselves. Then they directed us to talk to a songthaew (shared pickup truck) driver and pay an extra 250 baht separately.|When the driver asked us for payment, we called the accommodation again because we were confused. Why did we have to pay more? The staff responded, “The boat only drops off at the main pier. You have to pay for your own ride from there.”|We were shocked — this felt like a scam. The boat ride was actually much more expensive than booking from any other pier.||Problem 2: Wrong Order||My partner and I ordered strawberry and kiwi smoothies, but the staff made blueberry and strawberry instead. It was confusing — especially since we were the only customers on the beach at the time, and they still got the order wrong 😵‍💫||Problem 3: Drinking Water Not Sealed||When we checked in, the staff showed us the room and pointed out that there were two complimentary water bottles. We noticed that the bottles could be opened easily. Upon closer inspection, we saw a label saying the bottles are reused, so we assumed the hotel follows a sustainable practice.|But the next day, we came back and found new bottles with plastic seals — so we were left wondering, what exactly did we drink yesterday? Was it clean? Contaminated? This was extremely unsettling. Personally, this was the worst part of the entire stay 😡||Hotel’s Solution:|They upgraded us to a more expensive Ocean Suite as an apology. But the room was old, the door didn’t shut properly, and there were lots of bugs coming in.||Problem 4: Missed the Boat We Booked||On the morning of checkout, we booked the 12:30 boat with reception. We asked what time we should check out, and the staff told us “12:10” and said they would have the boat wait for us.|We followed their instructions and left at the recommended time, but when we got to the pier, the boat had already left.|We called to ask why it didn’t wait, and the staff raised their voice at us, saying we were late. They even brought up the fact that they had already upgraded our room, as if to say, “What more do you want?”|I was baffled by the response. This was the worst service management I’ve ever experienced...