Centara Hotels in Koh Samui

I read many reviews about this resort and studied the Mantra Samui website, but never learned until after I booked (4 nights stay) my room that they had cancelled , during Covid, the regular shuttle that took guests down the hill to Fisherman Villa. I learned this because I called the hotel before my trip to ask some questions and also ask how to reserve a place on their shuttle. The resort does have one auto/driver that will drive you down to the bottom of the hill if it is there, and if it is not picking up someone at the airport. The shuttle delivers you directly to the bottom of the hill, is pretty much is just a local road. Then you can wave down a taxi and negotiate the price. Some fun! The Mantra Sumai should update their website to say the regular shuttle has been cancelled, and replaced by their maybe available one car. Continuing my story... We booked a massage at another hotel that is about 20 minutes away, and gave ourselves one hour to get there. So the night before we reserved to get the ride down to the bottom of the hill for the next day afternoon. When we went to reception, we were informed there was an accident, which was a flat tire, and the tire 'might' be fixed in half an hour and then another 20 minutes to get back to the Mantra. They apparently felt no responsibility to contact us. Just wait for the guests to show up and then tell them. They felt no responsibility to call the driver for any update. They then offered to call a taxi, but that would take about 20 minutes to arrive. Also when you call a taxi there is no opportunity for negotiation. My hour was dwindling. Well 20 is better than maybe 30 + 20 minutes. So they called the taxi. Luckily the Mantra driver showed up after 15 minutes, and the taxi was cancelled. My conclusion, after all the interfaces with reception, is they have a poor sense of responsibility and lacking the ability for logical thinking to provide a good guest experience. There are other examples beyond the above. Our suite room was in good condition, and everything functioning. Well, except the phone did not work, but I did not need that. The suite has a king size bed and a separate built in bed in the back of the living room. OK, so 4 people can stay. But the flaw in the suites is there is only a 2 person love seat to sit on. There is no chair, and no desk. It is no fun to use your laptop when the coffee table level is below your knees. A simple 4 leg table for a desk, and a simple chair would be nice, and not cost very much. They do have an on-site co-work room somewhere, but I did not use it. I think it is an extra cost and I did not have that much work to do anyway. The highlight of the Mantra Samui was the included breakfast. There are many cooked to order choices plus a buffet of juices, fruits, cereals, yogurt, pastries, and several breads you can toast yourself. We tried every item on the breakfast menu and all were nicely done and tasty. Very good coffee and tea made to order i

Away from the hustle of central Chaweng, so is a good spot to be based for quiet times and used as a base to explore the island. Beachfront pool villas are nice, large and great views of the ocean. Private pool is a bonus and well worth the upgrade. Hotel was busy when I stayed and everyone seemed to be happy and enjoying themselves. The pool isn’t the largest but plentiful for the amount of rooms. Don’t forget, there are the villas with private pools, so a fair number of guests will be in their own area. Access to the beach is not directly in front of the hotel, but that’s a good thing otherwise I would be hearing everyone in front of my villa each day. Access is the side of the resort just past the restaurant. Along this stretch of beach has a few other hotel bars and restaurants to eat and drink in and if you head to the furtherest headland point, and head inland, you will come across a handful of bars and restaurants. As many people have said, the hotel is next to a road - but like most hotels in Samui, it’s just the design of the island. You can avoid the main road for your walk to the local area by going along the stretch of beach. And when you are on the island, why wouldn’t you want to walk along the beach?! So don’t listen to those comments about nothing nearby. If you want the hustle of the nightlife, Chaweng central is 15 minutes away. Get on the shuttle or order a taxi for 300thb. It’s a 4 star hotel, trying to get back to some kind of normal after covid and over time, I am sure the owners will reinvest their money to make improvements where some other guests have commented about in other posts but I do think it is dependent on the room type you book and/or are assigned as most of them are fine. Give it a go, it is worth it. I’ve been to many hotels over the years - more than the average Joe - and it’s only recently where I’ve checked in and out of two hotels on the same day in all these years.

For a backpacker, it truly doesn’t get better than this. I stayed in a private double room and it was fantastic, clean, modern, with all the amenities you could want (plug sockets by the bed, hangers, hair dryer, balcony and drying rack). The pool area was a lovely place to sit and I regularly got up for breakfast before 8am. I’d typically be the only one awake at this time. For a sunbed, you’d better be at the pool by 10am for a good spot as it does get busy. However, there were some downsides. I booked 6 nights and although I loved it, the construction noise from the plot of land next door was unbearable. 8am to 8pm, drilling, banging, hammering, shouting. You could hear it from the pool too, so not exactly the “relaxing” stay I could’ve got by staying in a resort 2 doors down. I was also disappointed that the beach terrace was closed for the duration of my stay. They said maintenance was working to fix it but I never saw anyone working. I was really hoping to sit on those hammocks over the ocean. The WiFi also cut out every day and I needed to get a new passcode 4 times throughout my stay. Not great for remote workers. Although; staff were friendly, food delicious, and great nightlife vibes in the heart of Chaweng Beach. Definitely would stay again… but not until that construction is complete.

Het personeel was zo lief en behulpzaam. Vooral Kea stond altijd voor ons klaar! De kamers werden dagelijks goed bijgehouden. Het hele hotel werd dagelijks goed bijgehouden. Uitgebreid ontbijt! En super lekkere lunch, avondeten en cocktails. Mooi schoon zwembad. Kortom perfect!!! Mooi strand en warm blauw water. Werd elke dag schoongemaakt.

The breakfast room goes to waste. It should be the main restaurant at night with music. The Barge Restaurant is probably better in warm weather but a bit of an issue to get to. Otherwise a great resort and I fully recommend it to anyone who does not want to stay in the built up Chaweng Beach area.

Hotel is conveniently located with easy access to everything in the centre of Chaweng. Rooms are in good condition, even towels were new and pure white. AC worked perfectly. Normal water pressure. With the window facing the lake I did not hear the noise from Samui Central mall, where they have live performances of musical bands. Staff was nice & cooperative.

Recently stayed at this hotel for 1 week, arrived from the Airport with no luggage as Bangkok airways lost it, checked in to the hotel and was met by a lovely member of staff who was waiting for me, she offered me a welcome drink on arrival which was very much appreciated after a long flight. After check in, was shown to my room which was a pool side deluxe room with Double bed and En-suite. Room was very clean, spacious and came with Fresh towels, Toiletries, a Mini fridge stocked with beers, satellite T.V, Aircon and some free drinks/snacks. My stay came with free breakfast every morning, which was very handy and the selection was always really nice. Lots of fresh fruit, cereals, pastries, eggs cooked to the way you wanted along with a choice of tea/coffee and fresh juices. Staff are soo friendly and welcoming, they clean your room everyday and provide fresh sheets and towels as well as toiletries. The Hotel is quite modern and staff had decorated the reception for Chinese New Year with lanterns and fairy lights. The position of the hotel is good, about 10 min drive in a taxi to Fisherman's village, which is full of bars/restaurants and shops. The hotel is also right on the beach, so you have the option to swim in the sea or the pool and look out onto the amazing views. I loved my stay at this hotel and would highly recommend! (Only negative thing I can think of is that the Pool Bar was never open, so it would be good to see this open in the future).