Sunset Bar — Restaurant in Ko Samet

Let’s be honest — when we called to book a table at this so-called “sunset bar,” I actually started getting excited. The receptionist was asking all kinds of intense questions like we were booking a seat on Elon Musk’s next rocket. But the best part? She hit me with this gem: “We have a minimum charge of 500 THB per person.”

Wait, what? Did I mishear? Maybe she meant 5,000 THB? Nope. Just 500 baht. That’s like… one cocktail in Bangkok — on a happy hour. But hey, not really the resort’s fault. This says more about the quality of tourism that’s currently flooding Thailand — and probably this island in particular — than it does about the venue itself.

So we show up. Security greets us like we’re trying to sneak into Area 51. Then comes the receptionist who marches us to the front desk — not to welcome us, but to prepay the 1,000 baht minimum spend before even breathing near a seat. I didn’t feel embarrassed for me — I felt embarrassed for them.

We made it to the bar. Atmosphere? Nice. View? Beautiful. Crowd? Zero, which was a plus. So we went all in — food, bottle of wine, cocktails, even overpriced Evian.

But the first thing to hit our table? A dusty pair of water glasses. Like… actually covered in dust. At a place that’s this fussy about dress codes and arrival times? Forcing minimum spends like they’re running a VIP lounge in Dubai? Come on.

Food was fine — nothing memorable. Except for the beef tartare drowned in lemongrass. We ordered tartare, not a Thai herbal foot spa. Wine list? Meh. Barebones and bottom-shelf. Cocktails? Pretty solid. Evian bottle? 280 THB (for reference, 60 THB at 7-Eleven). I don’t mind paying it — but maybe wipe the damn glasses first, yeah?

We were the last to leave and spent close to 6,000 THB. Judging by the other tables, I doubt anyone else got even close. So next time — and I say this with love — before you grill your guests with questions about dress code, punctuality, and spending minimums, maybe take a moment to meet the standards you’re pretending to have. Quick suggestion for next time, get full name and last name of the guest while booking, then go on LinkedIn or google and check if can be found this guest and see who it could be.. then at least you know that probably is not that cheap tourist who try to sneak in for spent less...

Great ambience, but a disappointing and uneven experience.

As many other reviewers have mentioned, non-hotel guests are treated noticeably differently here. While the group next to us received consistent attention and complimentary samples, our simple order of truffle fries was forgotten entirely. The waiter returned to their table every 10 minutes, seemingly more interested in flirting than serving, reminding us of Valentin from The White Lotus Season 3.

What really soured the experience, though, was the lack of transparency. At no point were we informed that using the floating platform came with a minimum spend of 500 THB per person. We had to pay a 500 THB penalty on top of our bill. This charge was only revealed when we received the bill. As I told my wife—we don’t mind spending, but we do mind being surprised by hidden fees.

For a hotel that positions itself as a premium destination, the service fell short—closer to what you’d expect from a budget venue.

If you can’t offer outside guests the same standard of hospitality as your in-house patrons, it begs the question: why make the bar public at all? Until these recurring issues are addressed, the bad reviews will keep coming—and so will the disappointed customers.

However, unlike what other reviews have stated, the security guards came across as pleasant, cordial and...

As per other reviews stated it's for hotel guests only despite management replies on reviews insisting it's open to public. We even tried reserving via the FB page as suggested but without reply. So we went and had a look trying to get in for a few sun set drinks. After asking the guard where to park our vehicles he pointed at the signage that clearly states "Hotel Guests Only" (once the camera came out he tried to cover the signage) They have the same policy for visiting the hotel's public beach. Despite being located in a natural park where tourists pay an entrance fee that allows you access to all the parks beaches this resort does NOT allow you to visit as a non guest. We have asked at the natural parks office and they reconfirmed that with entrance tickets have access to each and all beaches including this hotels beach. However they will not comply. If you want a listing on Google maps to promote your services you should allow visitors to enter and not allow Hotel...