Hi Everyone,
My partner and I are treating ourselves to a short trip (4 nights) to Koh Samui in mid-December and are staying at the Conrad.
The hotel has gotten great reviews and there's no doubt that a lot of our holiday will be spent relaxing in our villa.
But I can't spend an entire holiday in a hotel, so I'd love to hear suggestions for must-see/must-do activities around the island.
Particularly from anyone who has stayed at the Conrad and knows what it's like to get back/forth.
We're both relatively young and fit. But we are constrained by the fact my partner isn't 100% recovered from knee surgery earlier this year; so no long walks or tough climbs.
Thanks in advance everyone!
I have stayed a total of around 2 weeks at the Conrad Koh Samui and my advice would be to just stay at the hotel and make the most of it, especially if you're only there for 4 days.
The Conrad is really quite remote and it's a decent drive to get anywhere. Koh Samui is not exactly a fun place to bounce around in the back of an SUV and IMHO also there's not really all that much to do on the island especially if your partner is somewhat less than able due to knee surgery.
But that's not really the point I guess. The point is that the Conrad is one of the most spectacular resorts in Asia. Like, the photos do not do it justice. Once you're floating around in your private infinity pool overlooking the ocean, you'll see what I mean and it will be hard to imagine why you would want to leave.
My favourite thing was room service dinner sitting by the villa's pool watching the sun set. They will do like a nice proper dinner set up if you ask them to and there is a proper table & chairs for dining outside. From memory the menu is excellent and quite varied and not all that expensive considering the location.
The main restaurant and the one by the beach are quite good and between that and room service could keep you occupied for a couple of days. I did not like the fancy Thai restaurant Jahn but that was a while back and perhaps it has improved since then.
If you want a bit of adventure you can walk along the beach / through the jungle e.g. when you get to the beach facing the ocean turn left and keep walking. You'll end up walking through deserted land for quite a while until you get to another much less flash resort called Coconut something something where there are some very friendly staff and good Thai food. Watch out for stray dogs though.
One thing to watch out for is that alcohol is very expensive at the resort so if you like a good vino it's worth asking the driver to stop at Tesco on the way from the airport to the resort. If you're arriving in the afternoon you may run into an odd Thai law that makes it illegal for them to sell alcohol between certain hours. Fortunately there is an exemption if you buy more than 10 or 12 litres (I can't remember), so if you run into problems you can make up the difference with the cheapest cask wine that you can throw out or give away.
The one 'venturing out' thing that I have heard good things about and would probably be worthwhile - but that I didn't try myself - is a boat trip to the 'five islands' that you can see from the resort.
One thing to keep in mind is that the property is more or less built into the side of a cliff so it's extremely hilly and your partner may need to get a buggy to move around the resort. But no doubt the staff will be most helpful on that front especially if you explain to them why.
Have fun! It's an amazing place and I'm sure you will love it!
