SALA Samui Chaweng Beach Resort, Koh Samui, Thailand

I have taken a few different vessels between Suratthani and Koh Samui & Koh Phangan over the years, including the Night Boat, Songserm Express Boat, a Hydrofoil and the Car Ferry. This time it was Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran, which takes 45 minutes, and that was a nice experience. The Catamaran goes from a separate pier to the car ferry at the Donsak pier. After being met at Nathon pier by our hotel’s minibus and driver, we headed north out on to the ring-road, towards Maenam Beach before swinging around to the top end of Chaweng Beach and the SALA Samui Chaweng Beach Resort. The Garden Wing is on one side of the road, with the Oceanfront Wing on the other. As you step through to the Oceanfront Wing Reception area, you leave the hustle and bustle of Chaweng Beach behind and enter an oasis of calm. At SALA Samui Chaweng Beach Resort there is a theme of circles and semi-circles or moons and half-moons. This theme is evident in the design of the hotel with it’s stunning Oceanfront Balcony Pool Suites and then the Moon swimming pool with round sun loungers and parasols. Even inside the suites, the theme continues with round baths and round lampshades. The resort looks really bright and fresh, with the hotel building painted white, contrasting with the blue ‘Moon’ pool and green lawn. This leads on to a beautiful, quiet stretch of white sand beach with the lovely Gulf of Thailand beyond. There is a wide range of really good quality beach furniture including very comfortable loungers with thick cushions and day beds. We had lunch at the wonderful Tent Restaurant which is situated next to the beach. I love the design of this restaurant as it is made of natural materials, predominantly, wood, canvas and rope. It almost feels like being on an old ship. The Tent Restaurant also makes for a really nice venue for breakfast and dinner. Another dining option that we experienced was ‘The Sexy Fish’ which is back across the road next to the Garden Wing. I must say, the food everywhere we ate was delicious. The General Manager, Erwin and his team, maintain the extremely high level of service and hospitality that can be found across all of the SALA properties. Chaweng Beach is the longest beach on Koh Samui, so is fairly spread out, but from SALA Samui Chaweng Beach Resort, it is possible to stroll to the more central areas in around 10 minutes. For those looking to be around the Chaweng Beach area, SALA Samui Chaweng Beach Resort is a fantastic option, as the SALA brand is of a very high standard.