Where to Stay on Koh Samui? The Best Beach-by-Beach Samui Hotel Guide (2020 Update)

398 Shares

With over 700 hotels and resorts, and hundreds more private villas and beach bungalows – Koh Samui’s 228.7 square kilometres are nothing but choices. Trying to choose a hotel out of thin air is a recipe for brain melt-down (not to mention browser crashes). We’re going to make this easy. Let’s get started!

Links below include affiliates.

Where to stay on Koh Samui?

1. How to choose your beach?

Where to stay on Koh Samui? Every Samui beach has a character of its own. Which is best? Well, you get to decide. Learn the character of each beach (pros, cons, sand texture and suitability) in The Koh Samui Guide, and find out which is the best beach for you. You’ll also find out what’s walkable and when you’ll need other forms of transport to get around, not to mention where to eat!

Use The Koh Samui Guide to learn the character of each beach (pros, cons, sand texture and suitability)

2. Decide where you want to be

Where to Stay on Koh Samui? The Best Beach-by-Beach Samui Hotel Guide – Easily decide where to stay on Koh Samui: choose your perfect hotel or private villa. Discover where to stay on every Koh Samui beach – at every budget. — Koh Samui’s Thongson Beach, home to Melati Beach Resort and Spa

Do you want to be on the beach, or near it? As a very hilly island, some of Koh Samui’s best views are to be found off the beach. Do you prefer a pool + ocean-view combination to the sand itself? If so, many of Koh Samui’s higher-end hillside properties near a beach might be just the ticket. Booking mid-range places, you’re likely to enjoy savings if you’re happy to walk, drive or scoot from your holiday home to the beach.

3. What’s your budget?

Once you’ve chosen your perfect beach and your preferred location – it’s simply a matter of deciding between a handful of great options in your desired price range. In the cheap-and-cheerful bracket, it’s just a bed, right? On Samui, 1- and 2-star hotels often come with tons of Thai charm and perfectly chilled Singha.

4. Get it booked!

Imagine that – in no time at all, with absolutely no stress or “it all looks the same” confusion – you’ve narrowed your top choices for where to stay on Koh Samui from over 1,000 to just three or four. We said this would be painless! Once you’ve read the first chapter of The Koh Samui Guide and have a preferred beach or an area of Koh Samui in mind, use our following suggestions to whittle your top-notch short list and get your trip booked (whether you’re coming on honeymoon, with children or just a wing and a prayer).

My favourite beach:

Choeng Mon

Most popular beaches:

Chaweng
Bophut / Fisherman’s Village
Lamai

More Koh Samui beaches (alphabetically)

Bang Po
Bang Rak
Laem Set
Lipa Noi
Maenam
Taling Ngam

Private villas on Koh Samui

Private villas and apartments

Where to stay in Choeng Mon?

Our top pick in Choeng Mon

SALA Samui Resort & Spa

SALA Samui means five-star everything, without a hint of pretension. Just. Utter. Magic. Rooms are private villas and many have their own plunge pools. A serene adults-only pool offers canopied day beds, while sofas surround the family pool. SALA is comfy. Breakfast is spectacular; sunset Happy Hour more so.

Choeng Mon with children

Melati Beach Resort & Spa

Stay at Melati for: A cast-away beach holiday, in beautiful surroundings. Melati is near, not on, Choeng Mon Beach but you definitely won’t care.

Most romantic spot in Choeng Mon?

The Tongsai Bay

Tongsai has many aspects to its ‘secret sauce’ – but its serenity and seclusion are chief amongst them. For thirty-plus years, Tongsai has blended into natural surroundings in its own bay – a bay in which all motorised watersports are banned to ensure your total peace and quiet. Tongsai just was renovated for its big birthday and is beautiful, secluded, with great food and facilities. We especially love the Tongsai Bay for its environmental aspects (and animal-loving ethos in particular). It’s located a minute’s drive to Choeng Mon, but you’re unlikely to want to leave the resort. Stay here for: Fantastic staff, amazing wildlife, tennis and an enormous beach-front pool.

Readers’ favourite hotels on (and near) Choeng Mon Beach

Where to Stay on Koh Samui? The Best Beach-by-Beach Samui Hotel Guide – Six Senses Samui — Six Senses Samui is totally tucked away and has its own resort beach

#1. Royal Muang Samui Villas (on Choeng Mon Beach)
#2. Six Senses Samui (nearby, on its own beach)
#3. White House Beach Resort And Spa (on Choeng Mon Beach, )
#4. Kirati Beach Resort (on Choeng Mon Beach)
#5. Deva Beach Resort & Spa (nearby, on Plai Laem Beach)

Private villas in Choeng Mon

Where to Stay on Koh Samui? The Best Beach-by-Beach Samui Hotel Guide – The Pool on the Hill — Like The Tongsai Bay, The Pool on the Hill gets our vote for its eco features: a freshwater (chlorine-free) infinity pool, solar-heated rainwater showers and more. *[Photo source: The Pool on the Hill]*

5 bedrooms: The Pool on the Hill
4 bedrooms: Villa Nagisa
3 bedrooms: Samujana
2 bedrooms: SALA Samui Resort

Where to stay near Choeng Mon Beach

Where to Stay on Koh Samui? The Best Beach-by-Beach Samui Hotel Guide – Sea Dance Resort — Find the super-sweet Sea Dance Resort a few minutes’ drive from Choeng Mon Beach

In the general Choeng Mon vicinity, both your high- and low-end options widen considerably. To go five-star, booking into a resort tucked into one of the area’s many little bays means greater privacy. To stretch your budget in the manner of a 1970s backpacker, just add a scooter or songthaew ride to your Choeng Mon Beach commute. For near-beach proximity at attractive rates, Baywater Resort is less than 5 minutes’ walk to the beach, opposite SALA Samui. A short drive or approximately thirty minutes’ walk from Choeng Mon is Outrigger – on a small, very quiet beach with just a few other hotels.

The best budget options on Choeng Mon Beach

Where to Stay on Koh Samui? The Best Beach-by-Beach Samui Hotel Guide – Honey Cottages — The view from Honey Cottages includes Koh Phangan and The Tongsai Bay (hidden into the hillside at the left)

Where to stay in Chaweng?

Our top choice in Chaweng

Poppies

Poppies is small and sweet, with every chance that your favourite staff will know your name (and drink) by your second day. This boutique hotel ticks a number of boxes – it has gorgeous gardens, a gem of a pool, and sits on a quieter stretch of southern Chaweng Beach. Rooms are discrete little bungalows, giving you a great sense of “home”.

Poppies turns 26 years old in 2020 and for a little guy to remain #1 in Chaweng (according to TripAdvisor and many others) – with hundreds of competitors – they’re clearly doing ‘boutique’ justice. See for yourself! A romantic little spot that’s just as suitable for honeymooners and a family happy to entertain itself (no kids club but children are very welcome).

Readers’ favourite hotels in Chaweng

Where to Stay on Koh Samui? The Best Beach-by-Beach Samui Hotel Guide – Casa De Mar — Casa de Mar is on the north end of Chaweng Beach, with an infinity pool, good breakfast and a small gym

Most romantic hotels in Chaweng/Chaweng Noi?

Where to Stay on Koh Samui? The Best Beach-by-Beach Samui Hotel Guide – Chaweng Regent Beach Resort — Chaweng Regent is the sister hotel of Melati Beach Resort & Spa

Chaweng with children

Where to Stay on Koh Samui? The Best Beach-by-Beach Samui Hotel Guide – Centara Grand Beach Resort — Centara Grand is an enormous resort property with endless choices for pools, dining and activities

#1. Anantara Lawana Resort & Spa
Stay here for: Dipping your toe near, not quite in, Samui’s action (+ sunrises).

#2. Centara Grand Beach Resort
Tons of facilities including an enormous pool and 9 restaurants

Private villas in Chaweng

Where to Stay on Koh Samui? The Best Beach-by-Beach Samui Hotel Guide – Villa Mia — Villa Mia is directly beach-front on Chaweng Beach *[Photo source: Booking.com]*

6 bedrooms: Sangsuri Villa
5 bedrooms: Villa Mia
4 bedrooms: Villa Kohia
3 bedrooms: Villa Belle
2 bedrooms: Villa Lipe

For a party in Chaweng

Ark Bar Beach Resort

Ark Bar offers a full schedule of daytime pool parties and nighttime fire shows, with on-site accommodation.

The most unique pool in Chaweng

The Library . Its pool is blood red.

The best views of Chaweng

The Jungle Club (, way up in the hills)

Where to stay in Bophut?

Our top pick in Bophut

Hansar Samui
Hansar’s location on Bophut beach and in immediate walking distance to Fisherman’s Village cannot be topped. Stay here for: Incredible food and an enormous, saltwater ocean-view pool. A romantic spot with lots to offer families.

Readers’ favourite hotels on Bophut Beach

Bophut with children

#1. Bo Phut Resort & Spa
Stay here for: The best of all worlds location, with a private pool to boot.

#2. Anantara Bophut
Stay here for: A very walkable location and beautiful, beach-front pool.

Most romantic spot on Bophut?

Zazen Boutique Resort
Stay here for: “Boutique bliss, with incredible food”

Private villas in Bophut

5 bedrooms: Villa M
4 bedrooms: Baan Leelawadee
3 bedrooms: Villa Rahul
2 bedrooms: Anantara Bophut Resort

Best views in Bophut

Mantra Samui Resort ( )

Where to stay in Fisherman’s Village

Where to stay in Lamai?

Our top choice in Lamai

The Kala
The Kala isn’t fussy, it’s not pretentious and it’s not walking distance to anything – except its own beach. Its location, on a winding hillside (plus steep steps within the resort), deters many. This is your gain: You, Happy Couple, won’t believe its view. Daily happy hours and a big pool provide every reason to stay put for your whole stay. How to get to its beach? (pictured, below) Two choices: hop into a kayak or stroll the garden boardwalk. Fantastic.

Readers’ favourite hotels in Lamai

Where to stay on Lamai Beach? Lamai Beach is a long and relatively straight stretch of beach with hotels, resorts and bungalows for all tastes. If you like what you see, consider the options above.

Lamai’s most romantic spot (+ best views)

Sandalwood Luxury Villas
Stay here for: “A ‘do nothing’, total get-away vacation (hillside, with views, views, views)”

Lamai with children

Banyan Tree Samui (, on its own bay)
Stay here for: Fantastic service, a big (separate) kids’ pool and stand-up paddling.

Private villas in Lamai

5 bedrooms: Baan Hinyai + Baan Hinta
4 bedrooms: Villa Moonshadow
3 bedrooms: Baan Buaa
2 bedrooms: Banyan Tree Samui

Where to stay near Lamai Beach

The Lamai area has lots of small coves and little bays – many of which feature prominently on Koh Samui travel brochures. It’s very pretty down this way! For higher end hotel choices, “near, not on” Lamai locations likely mean much quieter beaches than the main stretch of Lamai, shared with just your hotel or a few others. In other cases, it puts you cliff-top for incredible views. To stretch your budget, choose more basic digs in Lamai town and plan for just a short walk or scoot to the beach.

The best budget options in Lamai

Where to stay in Bang Rak and Plai Laem?

Our top choice in Bang Rak

Tango Luxe Beach Villa
Technically on Plai Laem Beach (just to the east of Bang Rak, with Big Buddha in between), our top choice in this area – for couples especially – is Tango Luxe. This fairly secret, perfect spot allows you to do all of the following, at once: lie in a hammock, drinking a mango daiquiri, eating bacon, watching planes land over Big Buddha … while the sun sets. It’s the mic drop of Koh Samui’s boutique hotels.

Readers’ favourite hotels in Bang Rak and Plai Laem

Most romantic spot in Bang Rak?

The Scent Hotel (, boutique on the beach)

Private villas in Bang Rak

5 bedrooms: Villa Seven Swifts
4 bedrooms: Baan Capo
3 bedrooms: Villa Maeve
2 bedrooms: Bacaya Villa

Where to stay in Maenam?

Our top pick in Maenam

Belmond Napasai
Napasai is perfect for an ‘escape from the real world’ resort vacation. It offers villa accommodations, an enormous infinity pool (and pool-side pool table) and the chance to try everything from Muay Thai to lychee mojitos. Forgot a beach book? Paperbacks are tucked on driftwood shelves in the sand. Stay here for: “Nonstop relaxation with a bit of quirk, plus lots to do” … *see full details on staying at Napasai

Most romantic spots in Maenam?

Both resorts are adults-only and boast incredible reviews.

Readers’ favourite hotels on Maenam Beach

Private villas in Maenam

6 bedrooms: Miskawan-Lotus
5 bedrooms: Miskawan-Waterlilly
4 bedrooms: Celadon
3 bedrooms: Belmond Napasai
2 bedrooms: Villa Koru

Best views in Maenam

The best budget options in Maenam

Where to stay in Bang Po?

Our top pick in Bang Po

Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui
Widely considered the best hotel on Koh Samui, naming Four Seasons Resort as our top pick is truly stating the obvious. Time at Four Seasons Koh Samui is – officially – as good as life gets. But you don’t need telling that. Stay here for: The very best, of the best, of the best – staff, service, kiddie care.

Readers’ favourite hotels in Bang Po

Private villas in Bang Po

6 bedrooms: Villa Malouna
5 bedrooms: Villa Blue View
3 bedrooms: Villa Soong
2 bedrooms: Four Seasons

Best views in Bang Po

Code

Best budget option in Bang Po

King Busch Reggae Beach: Old-style bamboo beach huts that don’t really exist on Koh Samui anymore. Very basic – very pretty spot!

Near-the-beach options in Bang Po

Where to stay in Lipa Noi and Nathon?

Readers’ favourite hotels in Lipa Noi

Private villas in Lipa Noi

6 bedrooms: Waimarie
5 bedrooms: Villa Akatsuki
4 bedrooms: Villa Akuvara
3 bedrooms: Villa U

For a party in Lipa Noi

Nikki Beach Resort
Pool parties, DJs, brunches and dancing

Where to stay in Nathon

If you have an early ferry departure from Nathon, these hotels/hostels would be extremely convenient and allow a bit more sleep.

Where to stay in Taling Ngam?

Our top pick in Taling Ngam

Conrad Resort & Spa
Stay here for: Lazy days. Pull up the drawbridge for a private paradise break – with sunsets!

Taling Ngam is a large area of southwest Samui and the beach is divided in places by rocks, headlands and other topographical barriers. Taling Ngam faces west, so sunsets are the area’s biggest lure. As such, you’ll find the glitziest of branded resorts here.

Readers’ favourite hotels in Taling Ngam

Taling Ngam with children

InterContinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort
Stay here for: Sunsets and near-total seclusion.

Private villas in Taling Ngam

6 bedrooms: Ban Sairee
5 bedrooms: The View
4 bedrooms: Villa Beige
3 bedrooms: Conrad Koh Samui

Where to stay on Samui’s south coast?

Aside from the small fishing village of Hua Thanon, the areas of Hua Thanon and Na Muang are more administrative regions than specific beach destinations. Consider them broad areas, with the small bays and beaches of Bang Kao and Laem Set within them (to add to the confusion, they’re also spelled Ban Kao and Leam Set).

Readers’ favourite hotels in the Laem Set area

Once off the few main roads, this part of Koh Samui gets very rural, very quickly. If you fancy life as a coconut farmer or a total castaway, this is your chance to try out total peace and quiet.

Private villas in Laem Set

6 bedrooms: Baan Mekkala
5 bedrooms: Shiva Samui
4 bedrooms: Baan Silavaree
3 bedrooms: Villa Octavia
2 bedrooms: Baan Chanchai

Koh Samui’s only all-inclusive resort

Shiva Samui
Compared to Koh Samui’s other beaches, this is a very quiet part of the island – which has its pros and cons. If you’d like to set down and stay put, it’s a great choice. Minimal development means very few high-end resorts, though many private villas are tucked on quiet beaches. In the cheap and cheerful bracket, you’re encouraged to ditch your iPhone and time-travel to a simpler age….

Private villas/apartments

A note about hotel star ratings. We’ve used the star-ratings supplied by the hotel to the booking site Agoda. Aside from ace-across-the-board five-star Samui resorts, double check what’s included in terms of 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-star services and amenities. In smaller resorts, you’re better off comparing location/age/size as well as photos, as star ratings tend to have less standardisation than in western tourist spots.