Last Updated on April 11, 2025
Welcome to the bright side of life
Does a resort on a beach with white, powdery sand, shaded by tropical trees, and an aquamarine ocean sound like your idea of paradise? Amari Koh Samui offers all this and more. Situated on the popular Chaweng beach on the east coast of Koh Samui, Amari Koh Samui is a beautiful resort in the heart of a busy tourist area that retains a peaceful and serene ambience. In addition to its enviable beach position, the resort has three swimming pools, a Breeze Spa, a kids’ club, and three restaurants – two offering both Thai and Western options, while the third, Prego, is a popular Italian eatery. There is plenty to keep guests busy, and tours around the island and neighbouring islands can be arranged by the tour desk at Reception. ‘Welcome to the bright side of life’ was printed on my welcome card. For three days, that was exactly the side of life I inhabited.
Despite being a large resort, Amari Koh Samui never felt crowded. It is well designed with 193 rooms distributed across three ‘villages’. This promotes privacy, especially as each section has a large swimming pool. Beach Village, which overlooks the main pool and the beach, has 16 units with larger rooms. Across a public road that runs through the resort are the other two areas, Thai Village and Garden Village, which are surrounded by tropical gardens.
We enjoyed a superior, pool-view king room on the third floor of the Garden Village. This section is the furthest from the road that runs through the resort, and all we heard was birdsong in the tropical garden that surrounded us. The Garden Village comprises three buildings with 12 units in each. These have the traditional, dark brown, two-tiered roofs that are a quintessential part of Thai architecture. Each room has a balcony with dark wooden balustrades overlooking the newly opened pool. There is a toddler pool alongside. There are plenty of loungers as well as a small pool bar.
In Thai Village, the rooms are housed in traditional Thai buildings. It has a kids’ club alongside the pool, making it a great choice for young families. The Beach Wing is in the section of the beach-facing part of the hotel. It has a large swimming pool on a deck overlooking the beach.
Our room was comfortably arranged with a large bed with excellent pillows, a sofa and a desk. Sliding doors opened onto the balcony, with chairs to enjoy the view over the pool. The bathroom was a good size with a large walk-in shower and a bathtub.
After a good night’s sleep, we enjoyed a selection from a generous breakfast spread in the Amaya restaurant that opens onto the pool deck and overlooks the beach. As with all the hotels we visited in Thailand, there was a large western section in the air-conditioned room. Here, we found egg dishes made to order, along with all the components of the Full English, chafing dishes filled with pasta, polenta with ratatouille or baked pumpkin and spinach with cheese. There were platters of cheese, charcuterie, tropical fruits, pastries, doughnuts, breads, salads, and fresh juices. Back in the main restaurant, chefs were busy preparing noodle soups to order. There was a row of Staub casseroles filled with a pan-Asian selection from Indian dishes, including curries and parathas, to Chinese and Thai offerings such as red curry with chicken, stir-fried tofu with basil, or Khao Gai Daeng, a Chinese-style, roasted and marinated chicken. In Thai hotels, one quickly becomes accustomed to eating lunch or dinner dishes for breakfast. The breakfasts are enormous, and one could spend the whole morning here if so inclined.
By 9 am, we were on the beach on comfy loungers, with tall glasses of Thai iced tea that the restaurant staff prepared for us. It was blissful looking up at the palm trees and watching the ocean. I am not usually an enthusiastic swimmer, but even I could not resist a swim in the warm sea.
Beach sellers passed by with sarongs, colourful throws and jewellery. A man with a brightly coloured giant lizard was available for photographs. We took a long walk on Chaweng Beach, which stretches for miles. Beach massage cabanas proliferated and were full of tourists. Wooden swings dangled from palm trees. Some beach restaurants had tables set up on the water’s edge. It was as relaxing as you could wish for, and there was no sign of the party animals we had read about that gather on this beach.
After a few hours of beach time, we retreated to the Garden Village pool, which is surrounded by palm and banana trees and a host of other tropical plants and trees that I could not identify. The pool is large enough to do laps and heated to just the right temperature for the hot weather. There were plenty of loungers, fresh towels and a small pool bar that serves 2-for-1 drinks during the 2-3 pm Happy Hour.
We were treated to a couple’s massage at Breeze Spa, a serene space offering a range of massage options, facials, and body treatments. There is also a lovely range of Breeze Spa beauty products to buy, which make great gifts. Having had a Western massage at a previous resort, we were delighted to be offered a Thai massage at the Breeze Spa. The masseurs offered a range of signature Mood Therapy Treatments – dreamy, serene, rejuvenated, invigorated, or energised. I chose serene, which stretches the muscles and works out knots and kinks. I requested medium pressure as I wasn’t sure my osteopath would approve of some of the more vigorous massage techniques I had heard about. We changed into what looked like a short pyjama outfit – no oils are used during this massage. The treatment began with our feet washed in warm water and then exfoliated with lemongrass salts. It felt fabulous. The massage itself was excellent, and I resolved to find a Thai massage therapist on my return to London.
Amari Koh Samui is so relaxing and cosseting that you might not want to leave the resort. However, it is well located for those who want to shop. There are so many malls and markets nearby that it could keep one occupied for weeks. The resort also has a wide range of tours on offer. Many visitors take trips off the island, but there is so much to see in Koh Samui that I kept my sightseeing local. I had a great outing to Crystal Beach, a 20-minute taxi ride away. It is a beach cove set between hills covered in dense, tropical foliage and is a stunning spot with that bright blue water you see in travel brochures. I also took a trip to visit one of the waterfalls in the centre of the island and then spent an evening at Fisherman’s Village – also about 20 minutes away from Amari Koh Samui. Thousands of people were enjoying the extensive night market and listening to live music at the street food market. It offered the best selection of street food of any market I had come across in a few weeks in Thailand. You could indulge in fried scorpions or choose from an outstanding selection of grilled meats and seafood, local Thai specialties, and fresh fruit or smoothies. We watched an extraordinary fire show and felt the Koh Samui nightlife buzz. We ate dinner at The Thai Tapas – where the cast of The White Lotus ate when they were off duty, it is said. It was delicious.
In addition to the facilities, the gorgeous beach setting, the swimming pools, the spa, and the diverse choice of restaurants, the staff make Amari Koh Samui stand out. Every person we encountered, from the managers to the breakfast team to the reception staff to the pool staff, was as welcoming and helpful as one could wish for. We felt fabulously looked after and were genuinely regretful when it was time to return home.
We had an early morning flight and when we arrived at dawn at Reception to check out, not only had the staff arranged a driver to take us to the airport (about 10 minutes away), but we were also sent off with breakfast boxes so that we would not become hungry while we waited for our flight. That is the level of thoughtfulness that awaits at Amari Koh Samui. When London weather gets me down, I will transport myself to the bright side of life – on a lounger on Chaweng Beach, palm trees overhead, sipping from a glass of Thai iced tea.
Amari Koh Samui
14/3 Chaweng Beach,
Koh Samui,
Surat Thani 84320
Thailand
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