Bandara Resort And Spa Ko Samui

My family stayed there during mid February. It's an absolutely peaceful and modern resort with a large swimming pool. It's conveniently located in BoPhut Beach so that you can walk either way East/West along the beach to other hotels or to the Fisherman Village (10 mins) where restaurants serving various kind of food are located. A 20-minute trip in a local passenger pick-up for Bht30-50 can bring you to the busiest beach Chaweng for all the nite live you wish to enjoy. Food at the main restaurant is better than that of the beach restaurant, but a theme night dining under stary sky next to the beach would be memorable. However, when dining at the main restaurant, do check the bill before signing as on one night, we were charged for two bottles of wine plus another glass that we never consumed. Out of our five-day stay, it rained for three whole days. But the resort's collection of DVD and CD (free of rental!) could help you pass the days in good spirit. Once in a while, the pool staff would turn up their radio too loud and spoil your mood. But by just calling the Customers Relation Officer, she is very helpful to make sure you enjoyed a quiet day in a true resort atmosphere. A very good place for getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

I took my parents to stay at the Bandara for a few days and we were all thoroughly impressed. The hotel is quite new and has been very well designed - three lovely pools, beautiful grounds (they have a nursery where they grow their own plants) and it's right on the beach.

I had a deluxe room on the first floor and it got full marks - beautifully (but simply) decorated, full facilities, spotlessly clean, good sized balcony with day bed etc.

The spa is fantastic. Lovely peaceful setting (separate from the main hotel) and a great selection of treatments.

The hotel staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The service was perhaps a little slow at times, but then we weren't in any hurry. The hotel has two restaurants: one on the beachfront and one in the main part of the hotel. The food was pretty good but not fantastic, so we tended to have breakfast/lunch at the hotel, but eat out in Chaweng in the evenings (although i would definitely recommend the hotel's weekly beach bbq).

The Bandara is a pretty new resort in Ko Samui. It is located next to the Anantara on Bo Phut beach and is an excellent addition to the portfolio of top Samui hotels. I stayed in a deluxe room on the ground floor opposite the main pool and was largely impressed with the interiors and the size of the rooms. The balcony/terrace was nice and the general design is pretty impressive.

The hotel scores top marks for:

- It's pools. 3 of them and the main pool is spectacular, it's huge, full of attractions (seat, elephant fountains, jacuzzi beds etc). The pools by the beach are smaller but also nicely designed with beautiful views.

- The design, setting and layout of the hotel is excellent and you will not be disappointed with the general quality.

Areas of improvement

- Service needs to step up. The staff are still inexperienced and although they try hard, they are nowhere near the required level for a hotel of this standard.

- Food. The food was good at breakfast and some of the dishes at lunch were good, however they did fall down on some very basic thai dishes, ie Phad Thai.

- Rooms do not have do not disturb signs which is bizarre and annoying when you do want privacy.

Overall though, it's a cracking spot for young families but also for couples looking for an escape. It's big enough for everyone to coexist peacefully, and there's something for everyone. Bo Phut is a great spot with plenty of top restaurants and this hotel hits my top 3 in Samui, and is fantastic value for about £90 a night.

We did so much research for our hotel in Koh Samui and we werent disappointed-but of the 5 days we were there it rained for 4 of them. It would have been paradise if it hadnt rained. So with dampened spirits (and still recovering from the shock of ko samui airport and the flooded roads all the way to the hotel) we arrived and were greeted by a new member of staff who struggled with english. I think it was the time of year but there were a lot of new staff there which did affect some parts of our stay because of the language barrier (however, my thai is non existent so....) We stayed in a cottage villa and we were shown to the villa and it was lovely. Spotlessly clean. Choice of a/c or fan. Because of the amount of rain the island had had the garden at the front of the villa's grass was patchy and uneven. You have a good size plunge pool to the front of the villa, a massage table and 2 sunloungers. Lots of leafy vegetation as well. To the back you have a lovely outdoor bath, big enough for 2 and a fantastic rain shower. I used it every day-the shower in the villa wasnt very powerful at all but the rain shower was fab. Amd its completely enclosed and private. The toiletries smelt lovely. You get a double sink,wc and shower in the villa as well. Loads of towels too-3 beach towels and normal bath towels. The only slightly annoying thing was at about 6 o clock every night housekeeping would come with fresh towels-obviously if you have been on the beach all day you need new towels but it was pouring down, blowing a gale and the beach was filthy with debris from the storms! I just felt we were disturbed too often. We ate in the hotel restaurant the first night-the beach side restaurant was closed because of the weather. The food was terrible-the managed to get both my started and main meal wrong-my steak was totally undercooked-even the waiter looked horrified when he saw me cut into it! Little things like I wasnt given a steak knife and the menu didnt match up to the actual food you were given. We didnt complain but we were offered an apology and a free fruit platter and the explanation that a lot of the staff were new. We didnt eat there again-it was expensive compared to eating out in Chaweng which is only a 10 min drive away and the quality is a lot better. The hotel has 3 pools, a large on and 2 beach side pools-unfortunately we werent able to use any of them. But they looked great! The hotel was so quiet-I estimate there were only about 10 rooms being used which is a shame as the resort is fantastic. Every night we saw frogs on the footpaths! Some of the ponds were really dirty but that was down to the amount of rainfall-no fault of the hotels. Dont stay here if you want nightline in the resort or on your doorstep-you wont get it. Take a taxi to Chaweng-yes its touristy but there are loads of brilliant restaurants. We would stay again-and just pray for sunshine this time!!

What can we say. This place is special. I myself am a very discerning traveller and i was blown away. The hotel is beautiful and every expectation we had was exceeded.

The pools are amazing. The staff are so highly trained and naturally helpfull. We stayed in a Pool Villa (Approx £500 upgrade for 10 nights). Well worth it. Approx 2.5 times bigger than size of a normal room. Private plunge pool. (TIP: Don't leave the patio door open for more than 30 seconds at night or you will be invaded by midgies).

Room had outdoor bath and shower (and indoor shower in large bathroom).

Whilst we stayed in hotel, our villa neighbours were members of UB40. Such a peaceful and private place.

We travelled through to Chewang every night for food and entertainment (very worth the £2, 15 minute commute). Amazing choice of restaurants and bars. In the nearby town of bophut there is a narrow choice of restaurants and an over priced italian restaurant - Villa Blanca (I would not recommend). Defo go to Chewang!

In summary about the hotel - Expect the high standards of The Ritz Group at the (in my opinion) 6* hotel on a beutiful island.

Enjoy......

When my husband and I were picked up from the airport, we had an inkling that this was going to be special. The airport pick up service in the brand-new minibus, where we were given cool face towels and drinks was very friendly and completely hassle free and started and ended our time at the Bandara perfectly. Don't hesitate in booking this service - you don't have to check in your own bags at the airport on your departure they do it for you! Check in was easy and we were given cocktails in the lobby bar and then escorted to our cottage villa. The room was beautiful enough, with very large comfy bed and good TV, DVD and surround sound system, but when we saw the outside bathroom, with deep bath and rain shower, we were amazed. Having a shower outside amongst tropical plants and flowers was fantastic. Even better still outside the front of the villa was the plunge pool, bigger than I had imagined with lights in, which was perfect to cool down after a night out. In fact the room was so great that we were reluctant to leave and explore the island. The gardens and pool areas are immaculate. We ate in the reataurant by the beach on a couple of occasions and enjoyed very decent meals. I definately recommend this resort for a calm, relaxing break...especially as we had just spent 3 hectic days in both Hong Kong and Bangkok, they seemed a million miles away and this hotel made our holiday even more perfect!! Enjoy!

My Boyfriend and I stayed at the Bandara during September for 2 weeks and it was by far the best resort I have stayed in to date. We stayed in a standard room and was not disappointed, on arrival the staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

Our room was lovely, TV, DVD Player (you hire dvd's at front reception) shower & bath, beach towels which were provided and changed everday, everything you could want. Outside the swimming pools were large and the garden areas were full of plants and flowers which where constantly maintained to a very high standand - pretty much like everything else with the resort.

The room was cleaned every day, and in the evening whilst we were out eating, on our return the cleaner had been in and made our bed (again), changed our wet towels and left little sweets or fruit by your bedside table. All these little touches made the holiday lovely. On our last day we gave the lady a tip to say thank you and she was so grateful she didn't stop bowing at us.

There are also lots of frogs in the various ponds, one thing to watch out for is in the evening - *watch your step* when walking down to eat! As they are sometimes on the path! It was an evening ritual of ours to "Spot the Frogs" and everybody was doing it - if you're not afraid - you can pick them up!

Overall the resort was brilliant and I would definately recommend this hotel. If you are looking for a peaceful place to stay where you can relax and soak in the sun - then this is the place: nice food nice people, nice resort and beach on your doorstep.

Some days we just sunbathed, others we went and did some excursions - elephant trekking etc.

See my photo's - would go again!

Kim

This was the most fantastic hotel that we have ever stayed in anywhere in the world. The staff were so friendly and helpful, they went out of their way to help us from insisting on carrying our luggage to putting our beach towels (which were provided and replenished daily) on the sunbeds. Be prepared to experience the ultimate in luxury and pampering if you are planning to stay at this Hotel! The cottage villa we stayed in had its own pool and private sun area and was kept spotlessly clean during our entire stay, plus when we arrived there was chilled champagne and cake!. I wish we could of stayed there longer. The food in the beach restaurant is absolutely divine, especially if you are into seafood- I would recommend the thai green prawn dish The beachfront location was exactly how i imagined it, if not better, views to the neighbouring island and the big buddha were fantastic. I would well reccomend also hiring a car from the hotel as the island itself can be driven round in less than a day. Our friends who stayed in another hotel down the road were so impressed that they up and left their hotel to stay here for the last few nights. an absolute must for any traveller who is visiting Samui is to visit the Bandara Resort and Spa (and sample the all over body massage - really revitalising). We will be back!!!

We have just returned from staying at the NEW Bandara Resort and Spa. From the second we arrived until we left the whole experience was perfect. The staff were delightful and courteous nothing was too much trouble and the attention to detail throughout the resort was outstanding. A visit to their excellent spa is highly recomended. Try one of their many packages on offer they are excellent value.

The resort accomodation was roomy,airy,spacious and superbly clean, we were lucky enough to have a Cottage Villa with a lovely secluded outdoor bathroom and a plunge pool.

The resort offers all the facilities and amenities of any 5 star hotel, with excellent food and a lovely view over Bophut bay from the beach restaurant. The two pools are beautifully appointed one being very large with an infinity edge overlooking the gardens. The other is almost diectly on the beach and is on two levels, both have infinity edges giving stunning views over the bay.

We were made to feel completely at home and the most important people in the resort by all the attentive staff.

Hope to return next year.

We have just returned from Thailand where we were lucky enough to stay at the Bandara Resort. Working in the travel industry for many years I have become so blasé about hotels but can honestly say that our stay at the new Bandara Resort in Koh Samui was fantastic.

From the moment we arrived to the point where left from the airport the service was exceptional.

Upon arrival we were taken to the bar and given a refreshing cocktail (very much needed as it was extremely humid); they even gave the children a non-alcoholic cocktail each. After completing the registration forms we were taken to our room in a golf buggy.

We stayed in a pool villa - A gorgeous room with loads of room for a family of four. At the front was a plunge pool with a small garden with a two loungers. At the rear of the villa was an outdoor sunken bath and rainfall shower. The beds were extremely comfortable. Every day we received complimentary fresh fruit.

The facilities in the hotel are fantastic, a good gym, internet access, fab spa facilities, bars, and restaurants. The pools were amazing, our children absolutely loved them. The main pool at least 50m in length, which the children named the "elephant pool" because of the elephant fountains around the pool, was their favourite. It also had seats in pool with Jacuzzi jets, great for my aching bones. There is a small children's pool and two pools down by the beach, "the froggy pool", you guessed it because of the frog fountains round the pool. The beach is okay, pleasant for lying back and soaking up the rays or if you're feeling energetic the staff will coerce you into a game of volleyball. The sea isn't as clear as the beaches on Chaweng but it didn't stop us swimming in the sea every day.

I couldn't get over the attention to detail by the staff, they were exceptional from teaching the children how to do fruit sculptures, making floral necklaces and generally making sure that we were alright and enjoying ourselves. Our room was immaculately made up and we were given fresh bath and beach towels every day.

When we left they took us to the airport took our bags, passports, tickets and money for the departure tax and took care of checking us in - Completely stress free.

The food is excellent, from a varied choice at breakfast, bar snacks for lunches to evening meals. It's also close enough to walk into the Fisherman's village in the evening were there is a selection of restaurants.

Bophut is a great resort if you want to get away from the crowds. Our only complaint is that we didn't stay here longer; I can't ever remember having such a relaxing holiday !!!