Vongdeuan Resort

Even though Koh Samet isn't a very large island, after exploring a bit, my favorite spot was definitely the beach right in front of the hotel. The waves were gentle, the sand was clean, and it wasn't as crowded as Diamond Beach. While it's about 2.5 kilometers from the main street, the hotel front desk can arrange scooter rentals or help you call a songthaew for 200 THB one way. There's also a small pier directly in front of the hotel, so you can take a speedboat straight from Ban Phe Pier to the hotel for 300 THB one way. If you plan to use this service for a round trip, it's best to confirm the times with the hotel in advance. The hotel's breakfast selection was really limited, but honestly, that's pretty standard for the entire island. My family of three had a perfect 5-day stay here, and my child absolutely loved it. All the staff at the resort were very nice, especially the young man at the front desk who provided excellent service.

The taxi from the pier cost 250 baht. The beach right in front of the hotel is fantastic, and the male attendant who manages the towels was really good – he's the reason I gave the last 100 baht as a tip. His enthusiasm also led us to book a night squid fishing trip for 9 people. However, all the staff here seem to have two different attitudes: one for Western guests and another for Chinese guests. While everyone else managed basic politeness, the female server in the restaurant (pictured in photo 2) was incredibly rude to us. This is my fifth time vacationing in Thailand, and I've also traveled to the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, the Maldives, and Hamilton Island, but this is honestly the first time I've encountered a staff member so rude. She pointed her finger at me and loudly demanded that I push the water bottle from the middle of the table to against the wall. I was completely stunned. Upon check-in, they asked for 500 baht per night for an extra bed for our 6-year-old. Since the three of us could comfortably share the king-sized bed, we declined and only paid for the child's breakfast, which was 200 baht per day. One evening, we also encountered teenagers on the beach who were indiscriminately bullying kids playing there. I never even saw something like this in Australia, yet it happened on Koh Samet. Thankfully, my English speaking skills are decent, and after a big argument, he ended up yelling that he was going to call the police. Overall, I still wouldn't recommend booking a hotel here. The pricing attracts a certain type of clientele, and since there are many very cheap hotels nearby, the beach attracts all sorts of tourists.

There were a lot of ants in the room, and I had to scald them with hot water multiple times. Most of them were on the floor, and occasionally some on the bed. Taking a speedboat directly to the hotel's beach pier was very convenient. The beach offered massages, restaurants, and fire shows, making it quite lively. The downsides were: 1) There were very few fish in the sea, mostly concentrated near the rocks. 2) There were only three massage places, and we couldn't get a spot. 3) While leaves in the hotel pool are understandable, the cloudy water is not. If it were me, I'd choose one of the hotels on the west side of the island; the beaches there are much better, and there are plenty of fish.