Paradee — Hotel in Ko Samet

Recently returned for a weeks stay at Paradee to celebrate our birthdays and we weren't disappointed. |We have lost count now of how many times we have stayed here however we did note that it was our 10th year of visiting. |From the moment we arrived at Jadet Pier on the mainland, we were greeted as old friend. Great to see and recognise friendly faces from the get go. |A very efficient check in as always, soap and room scent chosen and off for our private speedboat transfer to the island. |I know i have mentioned it before but the removal of the bottle of wine upon arrival is a shame. Maybe consider reinstating for guests who pay for the private transfer as a little gift... hint, hint. ||20 minutes later and we glided towards Paradee on the Sunset side of the island to be met by the welcoming party of managers and colleagues. We were welcomed once again to our favourite resort in Thailand as old friends. ||Nice to see the little renovation of the Sunset Bar and surrounding area. ||A golf buggy awaited us with James the driver to whisk us to our chosen villa. |Now I now people say go for the beach front villas as they are amazing, which they are. However we have tried them in the past and found them not very private. As the name described, they are beach front so open out straight onto the beach. Over the years we have found that the second row back are exactly the same facilities much more private and yes a total of 20 metres to the beach, our choice every time. ||James asked if we needed the facilities explaining, however looking around there was no need at all, everything was exactly as we expected, including Jack Jones playing on the mini hifi. He has been singing that song on arrival now for 10 years at least. ||They team had kindly left a small birthday cake for our arrival which was very greatly received, not to the amazing towel art birthday cake and fresh flowers. Thank you. ||Within 20 mins of arrival we were bobbing around in the aqua marine crystal clear waters, happy as ever. ||Afternoon tea whether this is in your villa, on the beach or on your terrace, is always a nice touch just before cooling off for the day and getting ready for sunset cocktails at 5.30 to 6.00pm. ||On the first night a complimentary cocktail is served from a small choice on the menu at the sunset bar. Again as an old time visitor, a little disappointed that there are only 5 to chose from. Back in the day it was simply a cocktail of choice. ||Dinner whether served on the beach as is the case at the weekend, or in the restaurant will be a very nice occasion. Excellent service from Nicky and his team in F&B who all do a great job. Special shout out to Nook and Aoy who always have a smile for you. A table was always reserved for us without asking and the service was fist class. Food as always, tasty fresh and plentiful. Fire-show on the beach on Saturday is fun, don't forget to have a few baht in your pocket to tip the guys at the end |Finally I can't finish off with 2 special mentions, Marlon who created the cocktails every evening along with many other tasks is a great friendly guy, say hello when you meet him. He always finds us out when we arrive ( sorry we missed you when we left) and last but no means least, the legend that is Par ! 16 years this guys has been working here. We first knew Par as one of the beach team, however now F&B expert. A special thankyou to Par for arranging a phonecall with the old GM Mr Pornthep Hantrakarnpong at his home in Bangkok. What a lovely thing for him to arrange for us. |On our last morning, it was nice that the new GM popped over at breakfast to thank us once again as she couldn't be around for our departure. ||Even though the hotel was fully booked she managed to arrange for us to keep our room on until we left, which was really appreciated. ||I know our next visit will be just as good as this one. Thanks to...

Terrible experience at Paradee Resort, one that felt more like staying in a dilapidated 1-star hotel than a "5-star luxurious retreat" they are selling for $700/night. From start to finish, this hotel failed miserably on every level: service, rooms, management, and overall hospitality.

The personnel here couldn't care less about what you want and what you are saying. Almost no one speaks English, which makes basic communication slow and frustrating. You ask for something, they start mumbling and gesturing that I need to wait for the supervisor. Like when I tried to grab a kayak, the guard didn't let me and we waited together for literally 10 minutes for the guy to show up and say that it's ok for me to take it...

I was traveling with a large family, and due to the lack of availability in one place, we were scattered in a few different hotels (they all belong to the same network). I accidentally double-booked a room, they have a strict no refund/no change policy, which is fair and fine with me. But when my nieces from the other hotel came to visit, they charged them as if they were extra guests staying in the hotel. Essentially, we ended up paying twice for the same people staying in two hotels of the same network at once as extra guests, which made no sense to me...

The most outrageous moment came when my family tried to leave hotel while I was discussing the extra charges with management. Hotel staff just refused to let them go. They lied to us repeatedly, claiming that the taxi would take 30 minutes to arrive, despite the fact that it only takes 15 minutes to traverse the entire island. My pregnant wife and children were forced to stand outside under the scorching sun, being told that the taxi was on its way. When my wife ventured outside the gates and found a taxi waiting nearby, the hotel staff actively prevented her from boarding...

If there is anything positive to say, it’s that the location is more secluded than other hotels on Samed Island, offering some level of peace and quiet. However, even that is not worth enduring the utter disregard for basic hospitality and decency. You’re better off at literally any other resort where they understand the basics of service, respect, and honesty. Save yourself the frustration and...

This place is beautiful and goes beyond expectations! I booked this resort with Auderly travel who gave us a villa with private pool, when we arrived we where given an amazing welcome to the island. All the staff gathered to welcome us on the jetty as we arrived on our private speed boat, I was handed fresh bouquet of orchids and they guided us to our villa on a golf cart. Before we even arrived we where asked to choose essential oils for our room soap, candles and even the scent of our mosquito sprays and toiletries! They led us to our villa which was amazing, the entrance had our own private set of doors, which opened into a courg yard/patio area which had a seating area, swimming pool, sun beds, outdoor bath and two entrances into the villa. The main doors then led into hallway which had seating and fresh fruit and cold drinks all complimentary waiting for us. The bed is comfortable and huge, bigger than king or queen! Very comfortable and handy mosquito netting disguised beautifully and a canopy around the bed. Outdoor tyke shower attached to the back of the villa, toilet separate, and hair dryer, sink clothes storage etc all in the large bathroom area. There was also a tv, music system and plenty of technology. The rooms service was exceptional, the food absolutely divine! The breakfast where amazing, the lunches and dinners where tasty especially when they did them on the beach. There where some nights we had grilled fresh seafood on the beach and it was exceptional. There is an area of private beach if you can tear yourself away from the private villa! And it is stunning, we spent some beautiful sunrises and sunsets along here. Plenty to do but take a lot of money with you as this island is far from the mainland, you depend on the resort for a lot which can leave your pockets empty. We hadn’t realised how expensive water sports and spa sessions would be here so spent a lot of time in the villa and beach (we are people who prefer city holidays) it’s great for relaxing but can...