fiona

Have just returned from our second stay in Koh Samui. Stayed in Chaweng the first time but thought it was too commercialised. Bophut was perfect. It is quiet but has a single strip of old Chinese shophouses, many of them now converted into restaurants, shops and bars. The restaurants are high quality(but low cost!). Most accomodation is located outwith this strip. The Peace Resort is about a 10- 15 minute walk away. However, just flag down a songthaew( a type of pick up truck) and ask for Fishermans Village.BTW whatever the driver quotes offer him half!( it was about 30 bahts for us which was still probably too much)
We stayed in the superior garden view bungalow which was adequate space- wise but would book the beachfront bungalows the next time. The bungalow was clean,had good A/C and a ceiling fan. It had a small sitting area with a TV and a minibar. The verandah was a good size. The minibar was the cheapest we've seen( only 5 bahts more for a beer than in the shops). The laundry prices were also excellent( a quarter of what the BK Marriott Resort and Spa charged). My only real gripe would be lack of drawers and power points.The only place to dry hair was in the bathroom.
The grounds are beautiful. The pool is large but you need to be up very early to get a sunbed! We used the beach all the time which was great and very quiet.The bay is beautiful as well. Staff in the resort were very friendly. The restaurant served excellent food-although we only ate dinner there once as the village restaurants were so good. Breakfast is reasonable. You can have cereal, toast, any type of bread you want, eggs of all kinds including omelettes, bacon,pancakes, rice, noodles, loads of different types of fruits etc.
Nathon is worth going to for shopping. Although it is about half an hour away it cost us a mere 40 baht each in a songthaew. Chaweng is easily reached if you fancy a change in the evening. We paid 75 baht each ( but the drivers ask for a lot more)We will definitely return!

rhkkmk

fiona---thanks for the comments...we have our reservations for 4 days in june next year....we do have the beach front cottage so we were slightly ahead of you there....
i sleep with a breathing device which requires electricity....the cord is only about 5 feet long---will this present a problem...should i plan to bring an extension cord with me from bkk??? there are no plugs in the bedroom??

i was a little nervous about peace resort because of the way they collect 1/2 rhe money up front, but i feel completely at ease now that you have written here....

would it be wise to have a small car while we are there??

how did you get from the airport to the hotel??

what was the meal cost at the hotel, if you remember??

my wife is wondering if there are hair dryers there?? how about coffee making eqpt in the room?? expect no to both...

was there a bakery in the small town? we like a lite breakfast with just coffee and a roll if we can get it...

thanks again and look forward to your responses

THANKS JAMESA FOR SUGGESTING THIS PLACE

rhkkmk

fiona---how did you like the marriott??? my favorite over-all hotel...didn't you get it on priceline?? where exactly did they put you in the hotel?/ which building, which floor? what view?? river or back-side view??
i'm hoping to do priceline when i go....have you seen that shangra-la is going for as little as $55 omn priceline just n0ow??? i still like marriott better even if it costs more...i bet that at SH-LA you have a room overlooking the bridge and highway for that price....
thanks again for the info

bob

fiona

there were certainly no plugs in our bedroom but this may be different in the beachfront bungalows. If in doubt just email them. We used their transport to get to and from the airport - 300 baht for the two of you. You would obviously get a taxi for less but we found it convenient. You book that by emailing them. When we arrived at the airport for our flight to Koh Samui they had cancelled the flight and we were put on an earlier flight. We were pleasantly surprised to find the hotel had transport waiting for us.
We had thought about hiring a car but it so easy to get around the island we didn't bother. We just used the songthaews. Meal prices at the hotel were very cheap( £10 for two of us). The restaurant prices in the village were also cheap and splashing out meant paying £15 for the two of us. This would be for river prawns to start with and two main courses,a beer and a soft drink. All the dinners we had were first class. I would particularly recommend La Sirene.
There were no hairdryers and no coffee making eqpt in the room.Your breakfast is included in the price.
We loved the Marriott. We booked directly through the hotel(we have a marriott card). We paid $99 for a deluxe room and our room overlooked the river. We had a great meal at Trader Vics.We also ate lunch one day at the restaurant with the green awnings which you had recommended. ( We stayed at the Hua Hin Marriott in April and also thought that it was a lovely hotel)

JamesA

So glad it worked out well Fiona. Now I know why my friends use it. will be down there next week.

JamesA

fiona

I'm sure you will have a great time James!

rhkkmk

fiona---you didn't say if you liked the green awnings restaurant?? i have never had anything bad there except for that thai soup in the crock which i hate anyways....

we loved the hua hin marriott too...thought the beach there was the best along the beach front....our room was only ok, but then we only paid $65/nite....

JAMES---i will look for you review next week or so...hope you have a good time...

rhkkmk

ttt