Saikaew Beach Resort — Hotel in Ko Samet

Overview Beautiful, lush resort right next to one of the best beaches on Samet island, Sai Kaew (in English, White Sand). Its large area was a surprise to me, as on the booking website they advertise mostly the modern luxurious zone. The main restaurant overlooks the beach and almost every day we enjoyed the beautiful turquoise colours, seen as well from our room 124! I liked the attention to little detail : room design with modular furniture, at the pools - the tents to create shadow, at the pool and beach – a phone to order food and drinks, etc.

The sea is clean, sand is just the perfect texture and not too hot. Three swimming pools are well maintained. The staff is attentive and kind. The food pricey, but very good! Wellness center insanely expensive, but they have a cheaper alternative from the hotel at the beach, I recommend it!

In this area of the beach, a lot of boats deliver tourists (mostly Chinese), so in the morning it’s quite hectic and unpleasant to swim. Breakfast time gives an idea on how popular this resort is, but you don’t feel it overcrowded. The music selection in the restaurant could be improved : BeeGees and Kenny G medleys will be forever stuck in my head!

Practical Information How to get there From Bangkok we ordered a taxi for our family of 3 (Toyota Fortuner with child seat) for 2 000 THB that drove us to the Ao Prao pier in 2h30. There are boat transfers and pick-up taxi that are included in the hotel room price (see photo attached for schedule), the boat trip takes around 40 minutes and on-island transportation around 10 minutes. So in terms of the closest, cleanest beach to Bangkok, this is my winner!

The beach I recommend Sai Kaew beach, as it has clear water, beautiful sand and choice of restaurants and shops, as well as entertainment (bars, pool/snooker, fire show). I hesitated for some time between Ao Prao beach resorts and this one, but I am glad I didn’t stay in that overpriced area, where true the scenery is more interesting as surrounded by hills, but the water has more algae and getting out of there to see night life will cost you 400 THB way and back.

A resort in 3 zones “Hide Zone” (as rightfully called on the hotel’s website): the tranquillity is soothing here. The ancestor of the resort, I think I have been here as a kid, 25 years ago, when waters were full of fish and foreign tourists few. Small, cosy bungalows are dispersed in the well-maintained gardens, with a simple, but big pool, which I found the best. The small rocky and muddy beach on this side, La Luna, gives access to the waters with very few corals and fish. There are snorkelling tour boats in this area, as well : /.

“Hub Zone” is comprised of two-floor modern buildings circled around a medium-sized pool. The pool bar doesn’t really invite to order anything and relax with a glass, as there are often some kids playing in vicinity. The gym over the pool is functional.

“Hip Zone”: there are 20 spacious and beautifully designed rooms (ours #124 was the best, expensive, but with sea view!) in the two-floor building overlooking the sea (not all have sea view! 123-126 mostly, as the pool villas partially block the view for others, but the greenery compensates), and 8 huge villas overlooking a small beautiful pool, with direct access to the Sai Kaew beach (accessible only to the Hip Zone residents).

Kid-friendly A lot of families stay here, so be prepared for KIDS! Toys are available to borrow for free to build castles on the beach, so don’t load yourself with this stuff. Kid’s playground mentioned on the map includes a swing...

As a local Thai who has visited Koh Samet more than 10 times, including over 5 stays at different hotels in Sai Kaew Beach,

Positive:

• Location: The resort is ideally situated on Sai Kaew Beach, offering both peaceful and lively atmospheres. On the quieter Pineapple bay side, you’ll find the iconic heart-shaped La Luna tree and crystal-clear waters perfect for snorkeling. On the lively Sai Kaew Beach side, Beautiful beach it’s just a 5-minute walk to two 7-11 stores, along with numerous shops, cafes, and restaurants.

• Cleanliness: This resort stands out as one of the cleanest in the area, both inside the rooms and across the entire property.

• Staff: The staff are polite, attentive, and professional, offering a level of service that sets a high bar for other resorts in the area.

• Breakfast: The buffet breakfast was exceptional, with a wide selection of delicious dishes, comparable to what you’d find at 4/5-star hotels in Bangkok.

• Facilities: The resort’s facilities are excellent, featuring sustainable design elements like building around existing trees and using eco-friendly items like sugarcane straws. They also provide educational info. about the local wildlife found on the property.

• Restaurant: The beachside restaurant served high-quality food with fantastic flavors.

• Room: I stayed in room 115 (Deluxe Premier), which had a beautiful view of the pool and sea. The room was spacious, clean, and comfortable.

Negative:

• Price: The prices for food and drinks are quite high. Coffee is priced similarly to what you’d pay in London, and meals cost almost double compared to nearby restaurants.

• Beach Chairs: The resort removes its sofa and beach chairs on the Sai Kaew Beach restaurant side (under the trees) by early afternoon, possibly due to the rainy season. However, neighboring resorts keep their chairs out until late evening!! The other chairs that are available on the right side are old and outdated, which doesn’t align with the resort’s high pricing. Because of the early removal, there were also not enough chairs for everyone for the size of the resort. We ended up using beach chairs at other resorts, where need to pay for food and drinks which cheaper anyway, and the chairs were in better condition.

• Coffee at Breakfast: The coffee at breakfast was disappointing, the worst I’ve had at any hotel. Despite trying for 4 days, I had to make coffee in my room instead. This was particularly disappointing since the food was otherwise excellent.

• Air Conditioning: The air conditioner in room 115 was too loud, making it difficult to sleep...

Stayed here for 2 nights. It’s a large beachfront resort located right on the beautiful Sai Kaew Beach - powdery white sand, clean and clear waters, perfect for swimming.||The room was clean and spacious. The resort is surrounded by lush gardens. Despite being located in the busiest area of Koh Samet, the rooms are surprisingly quiet and peaceful, well away from the party noise.||There are 3 main swimming pools. Whilst none of them are particularly large, the atmosphere is relaxing. ||The food at the their restaurants was great, and breakfast was good. However, the breakfast experience was disappointing. The staff asked for our room number upon entry but offered no assistance in finding a table. Since the resort was full, it felt like a scramble to get a seat. For a 4-star property, a bit of organisation and support here would go a long way.||On our 2nd night, the housekeeping did clean and replenish the room, but one of the complimentary water bottles was already opened. This was a serious concern when it comes to hygiene.||Smoking policy was the biggest downside. Although the room had a note saying “smoking in the room and surrounding areas is strictly prohibited,” our neighbour was smoking on our shared balcony. Naturally, we assumed the rule included balconies, especially since it’s a connected space. When we politely brought it up, the guest said it was allowed and even showed us an ashtray provided by the hotel.||We raised the issue with the front desk at checkout, and the manager confirmed smoking is permitted on balconies, acknowledging the in-room note was misleading. He mentioned they would “change the wording”, but that didn’t help our stay. We didn't enjoy our balcony at all, as smoke constantly drifted over from next door.||For a resort of this level, it’s extremely disappointing. If balconies are smoking areas, the resort should designate specific smoking and non-smoking room blocks to keep guests with different preferences apart, and at the very least, the they should clearly state that so that there should be no misleading signage. Non-smoking guests also deserve to enjoy their stay in comfort, without secondhand smoke ruining the experience. This lack of clarity and action significantly affected our overall impression of the resort.||If you’re a non-smoking guest, you may want to consider staying at a...