Kira Baya Koh Samed

This hotel was the worst experience of our trip. First of all, if you're booking this place, abandon all thoughts of a traditional five-star hotel. Let's start with the facilities. There's no public pool, and the 'gym' feels like a makeshift setup to barely qualify for a star rating – it's even open-air. Forget about a spa or anything similar; all the spaces are purely functional. Now, for the service. To get to the hotel on Koh Samet, you need to take a ferry to the pier. We saw the hotel's shuttle bus sitting empty at the pier, so we went to ask if we could get a ride, showing them our booking confirmation. The staff refused, saying the bus was full. We ended up taking a taxi, only to find two staff members sitting alone in a completely empty bus. They even looked down sheepishly when they saw us on the road. I guess I was expecting some foresight in their service, and while my expectations weren't met, I just let it go. What followed was even more ridiculous. After checking in, we entered the bathroom only to find the previous guest's trash and a sanitary pad in the bin! Checking in during the New Year, that's just a bad omen, not to mention disgusting. If that's still somewhat acceptable, what happened next was even worse. In the middle of the night, while showering, the entire room lost power, and the phone line went dead. We had to contact the platform through Trip.com. My hair was still wet, my body was still wet, and I had to scramble for my phone... And to top it off, the floor drain wasn't working! We waited for ages, and they finally fixed it past 2 AM. Their explanation? "You were using too many devices." I was just charging my phone and had the air conditioning on. There was no apology or compensation whatsoever. Finally, for those considering this hotel, be very cautious. This hotel, like the neighboring Paradise Resort, is located at the very tip of the island – it's extremely, extremely remote. There's no way you'll find any convenience stores nearby, and the hotel itself is tiny. However, Paradise Resort directly ferries its guests from the pier to its private beach via yacht, while Kira doesn't even let you use its shuttle! Their shuttle is just for show! It just sits there and won't take you to the town center. So, if you book this hotel, be prepared to rent a scooter or just stay put at the hotel. I don't know if they'll improve later, but this was definitely the worst experience I've had. If you absolutely have to visit Koh Samet and have the means, go for Paradise Resort. This place is, at best, a homestay with some natural advantages.

Service: First off, a huge shout-out to the service! Our trip was a bit rushed, and all the rooms were booked up. We originally wanted to stay for three nights, but the middle night was Valentine's Day, and it was so popular that we couldn't get a reservation. I thought it would be easy to find another hotel, but there was nothing available. A guy at the front desk named James was an absolute lifesaver! From the moment I asked him, he not only helped coordinate rooms at their own hotel but, more importantly, he continuously helped me contact other hotels and made reservations for us without hesitation. Otherwise, we would have been sleeping on the streets! There was also a lovely lady at the front desk who was incredibly helpful. A big thank you to both of them. Environment: I absolutely loved the hotel's environment! The beach is right there, connected to the hotel. It's not a sandy beach, but the best part is that you can go clamming and crabbing there – we found moon snails, bullseye snails, turret snails, and even various sea cucumbers and crabs! It's perfect for families with kids. Facilities: The hotel seems to have been newly renovated and it's done really well. Everything is very new, so there's no hesitation about staying here. The breakfast was also good. If we ever come back to Koh Samet, we will definitely choose to stay at this hotel again!

The room was very clean, and the surrounding environment is also beautiful and pleasant. It's a great place to relax.

The room turned out to be too small for the price. Poor value for money and location. Be aware that it looks quite large in the photos. The beach area and sea entry are generally rocky. We slightly injured our leg and arm. It's very inconvenient to get to the hotel if you want to go anywhere. The air conditioning is directly opposite the bed and blows right into your face, which caused us to catch a bit of a cold. There's no wardrobe in the room, so nowhere to hang clothes. On the plus side, the breakfasts were good and the staff were friendly.