The Trappings of a Resort on Koh Samui
We should have known better really. We like simple, not fancy. We like exploring new places, trying the local food, and having the freedom to move about as we wish. We are not resort people. But after a stressful few weeks of travel, a guesthouse in Siem Reap with such a bad bathroom we each only took two showers in six days, and each of us battling minor ailments, we decided three nights in a resort on Koh Samui, Thailand was just what we needed following our time in Krabi.
A lapse in judgement
Normally we do a fair amount of research about accommodation before we book something. We like to know we’re committing to a decent place in a safe area with plenty of access to restaurants, transportation and things to do. However, we don’t always succeed. Sometimes, like this time, we completely forget this process and book based on the hotel listing alone.
The resort was more or less what you would expect of a hotel calling itself a resort. It had a gorgeous view of the sea, a nice pool with plenty of lounge chairs, spacious and comfy rooms. It was also quite isolated, almost entirely cut off from the rest of the island by an intimidatingly steep hill. We went into the situation with the knowledge that we would most likely be eating all our meals at the resort.
But when we sat down for our first meal, the menu frightened us. It was very limited, and both the western food and the local food were very expensive by Thai standards. As an example, we both ordered the grilled ham and cheese sandwich with fries (after several spicy meals, we needed something simple) and together they cost about 8€ or almost US$11.
The waters we ordered never came. When the food arrived, our sandwiches were not grilled. It was one slice of cheese and one slice of ham on cheap sliced white bread with the crusts cut off. Roughly six potato wedges sat alongside the sad sandwich.
The warning was in the name
The resort’s name had the word Escape in it, presumably trying to imply that they were an escape from your everyday worries. But for us, we took the name as a challenge, a command to flee the property and find better food.
Andy looked at a map and discovered we could bypass the imposing hill by walking along the beach instead of the road. Unfortunately at high tide, there wasn’t much of a beach. We walked along the cement wall that protected the property from the waves, clambered around a section of wall that might have been trying to prevent us from the very thing we were doing, and then cut through the resort next door.
We were able to get to the main road and eat lunch, but it wasn’t very good. It seemed the village was a few kilometers away, not really walking distance, so we stocked up on snacks from the mini mart. We resigned ourselves to eating overpriced food at either our resort or the next one over since finding transport to cheaper food would just cost the same in the end.
A big reminder of why we don’t like resorts
Inflated prices and limited options are the main reasons we usually shy away from resorts. The place we stayed in only cost about 32€ or US$43 a night, but we easily could’ve found a comfortable guesthouse somewhere for $25 or $30. The food was priced nearly as high as we would pay in a restaurant in Germany, but the one local meal we managed to find cost about 5€ or US$6.75 for our two lunches and sodas.
The biggest irritation though was the transport and services. The resort was going to charge us 600-700 baht (about $18-$21) to pick us up from the pier. Instead we found a minivan shuttle that cost 150 baht (about $4.50) each, so we paid half or better. When we wanted to book boat tickets to Koh Phangan, the next island over, they were going to charge us 600 baht each. Instead we traipsed back to the main road again and negotiated 400 baht per person from a local travel agency. We felt like the resort was overcharging simply because we were virtually trapped. (As a side note, the ferry ticket itself was 300 baht per person, so we paid an extra 100 per person to be picked up and driven to the pier. We probably could’ve done even better.)
The resort was beautiful, and I slept better there than anywhere else on our trip up until that point. We knew we wouldn’t actually see much of Koh Samui while we were there, but we didn’t realize just how isolated we would feel. The resort sheltered us from any sort of culture the island might have had to offer and made it difficult to find options we’re used to having. I can understand how resorts can be a wonderful escape for some people, but for us it felt like being trapped.
You might also enjoy:
- How Much We Spent Traveling in Thailand
- How Much We Spent Traveling in Southeast Asia for Two Months
- Discovering Delicious Food in Ao Nang, Thailand
- Krabi 4 Islands Tour
March 17, 2014 @ 11:35 AM
I totally understand your frustration on this one. I think part of why I feel ambivalent at best about the Thai islands is because our first experience with them involved staying at a resort. It was actually our introduction to Thailand and so while we didn’t really know what prices were like throughout the country, we did feel like the food we ate there just wasn’t very good and we realized we’re just not resort people. We like being able to explore, not being secluded and idle. I actually felt like most of the Thai islands we visited seemed more set up for tourists than locals so getting a taste of the local food (at local prices) and their culture was a lot harder than on the mainland.
March 17, 2014 @ 3:36 PM
Thanks Steph! Yeah, I can’t say I saw enough of Koh Samui to even know if I like it or not because we were so trapped. Even when we got away from the resort and out to the main road, it was still too far to walk anywhere. We definitely needed the relaxation by that point, but we went a little too far the other direction from how we normally travel. We’ll know better next time!
March 17, 2014 @ 11:58 AM
I have similar feelings Ali. I do love to stay in a nice resort from time to time mostly for the comfy bed, luxurious bathroom and nice pool. Other than that I usually can’t afford to or i’m too tight with my money to want to eat, drink or use any of the resorts services making the whole experience frustrating and expensive in the long run. Nice photos too by the way!
March 17, 2014 @ 3:38 PM
Thanks Jen! Luckily this one wasn’t too expensive. I mean, it was expensive compared to where we normally stayed but cheap compared to what we’d pay in Europe. But in the end, not worth the money since we felt so trapped and didn’t have good food options.
March 17, 2014 @ 3:21 PM
I could never in a million years feel trapped with that pool!
March 17, 2014 @ 3:39 PM
Ha! It was a decent enough pool with a gorgeous view!
March 18, 2014 @ 7:37 AM
I can imagine that was pretty annoying.I would never go to a resort and have never liked that kind of accommodation.Much prefer a simple B and B or guest house and hang out with the locals.It is getting more and more difficult to stay away from other tourists and feel the natural beauty of the places we travel to.But it can still ge achieved.Also travelling on local transportation even if awkward,for me is half the fun.
March 18, 2014 @ 8:21 PM
Yeah, we’re not normally resort people, but we needed a break. Unfortunately it just didn’t work out. We didn’t go into it thinking we’d get a local experience or anything, but we didn’t realize how trapped we would be. Live and learn!
March 19, 2014 @ 8:47 AM
I feel you have to be very careful with posts like this as it comes across as a bit like you are griping. People pay a lot of money to escape from stressful, exhausting lives and all they want to do is disengage with life and sit back, relax and holiday for that one or two weeks a year, for many this resort would be bliss. No street noise, just a pool, an amazing view and sunny spot.
I adore travelling and exploring, but although there are amazing places to see and people do so on a budget, it’s also very important to have the budget to enjoy what was there. Your meal sounds like bar snacks, however the cuisine at a higher banding could have been more flavoursome and delicious. I lived in Thailand for a while and delicious food isn’t just relegated to the cheap street food. We ate in high end restaurants and tasted some amazing meals.
It does sound very peculiar that you received bad service, in my time in Thailand I have only experienced wonderfully attentive service. The Thai people are very perceptive in the service industry, and pick up on body language quickly and are quick to act. Perhaps the German aloofness habits you’ve picked up in Germany confused them a little.
From previous posts it sounded like this trip didn’t match expectations and at this stage of your trip I doubt anything could have adjusted the perception of this.
I look forward to reading more travel experiences, hopefully this was just a blip.
March 19, 2014 @ 10:43 AM
Jonathan, you’re right, the trip did not match our expectations, but that’s our fault. I probably am griping a bit in this post, but I thought I was pretty clear about the fact that I understand how resorts can be wonderful for many people, and that we were even hoping for that experience, but it just wasn’t for us. And that we should’ve known better because we’re not fancy people.
The food was a big disappointment because you always hear how great the food is at resorts, and while the prices were a bit painful, it was because we felt like we were paying a lot of money for not-so-good food. The resort next door was just as expensive, but their food was delicious and they had a full menu. Our menu had 3 or 4 Thai choices, 3 or 4 western choices and some dessert. Not a lot if you’re going to be eating lunch and dinner there every day.
As for the service, the woman who checked us in was really friendly and helpful. We actually sat down for that first lunch happy, so I can’t imagine I was putting off any sort of aloofness. Really, at that point, the issue was that it took us forever to get someone to take our order, and then our waters never even came. In other hotels and restaurants throughout our time in Thailand, like you said, the people were really friendly and wonderful. My gripe was about this particular place, I hope I don’t come across like that’s my view of the whole country. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
In the end, we chose poorly. We felt trapped on the resort because it wasn’t the right place for us.
March 20, 2014 @ 8:52 AM
“We felt like the resort was overcharging simply because we were virtually trapped.” That would frustrate me so much! But like you said, you’re not resort people, and neither am I. Thanks for sharing this post.
Happy travels 🙂
March 20, 2014 @ 6:55 PM
Thanks Lauren! Yep, we’re definitely not resort people. This wasn’t the place for us, but we should’ve known better. Oh well!
March 24, 2014 @ 8:17 AM
It’s funny how the only time we really have a bad time is when we’re not completely honest with ourselves about the way we like to travel. We’re not resort people either for the exact same reasons. Usually the same reason we’re not small island people. We just feel trapped. I hate not having options and getting stuck with expensive, bad food. Hope you at least enjoyed that beautiful pool! And good sleep is always nice.
March 24, 2014 @ 10:24 AM
Yes, we did hop in the pool a couple of times. It’s a shame we didn’t realize we’d feel so trapped, that no matter how nice it sounds to stay somewhere like that, if it’s not right for us, it just won’t work. Hopefully we’ll remember that in the future!