Tongsai Bay Hotel Koh Samui

Not a luxury hotel...stay away....
by Melissa Pham from Vienna, VA, 21 Aug 07

“Having stayed in other 5 star resorts in Koh Samui and Thailand over the past 10 years, I expected a luxury hotel. The reasons it is not:

1. Typical resort greets guests with drinks, flowers, etc. This resort greeted us with a glass of tea and a drink menu to buy a drink. Our villa was not ready as they said the air conditioner was broken. They sent us to another villa which also had a broken air conditioner.

2. Our dinner at the beach front cafe was met with the baby being given a spoon rusted from top to bottom, paper napkins, mildewed chair and a 12 inch hair found in the soup. We also had to ask for silverware.

3. The sand is the worst in all of Thailand. It is rocky and impossible to walk on.

4. Room features are horrible. They are outdated, old, and both villas had broken tubs.

5. Food is horrible- Being Asian I am familiar with Thai food and what I was served at the Thai restaurant was not Thai. Also, it was terrible and served improperly.

6. Room amenities- Provided each day with a bowl of fruit that was old and only consisted of one apple and several oranges. Typical Thai resort will provide you with mongusteen, rombutans, passion fruit, lychee. etc. Also, they provided us with 3 cookies each day in a large jar and called it a traditional Thai biscuit. This is hilarious as they are basic cookies you can buy in bags of a hundred for pennies. They are basic cheap cookies typically eaten by southeast Asians but nothing special by any means. Then, they had the audacity to say that we could buy them from their gift shop.

7. Staff was totally unprofessional and could hardly speak English. Similarly, literature left in the rooms was grammatically incorrect and poorly written. They also had a cheap sign that said that mice and animals might be found in living conditions because they are not killed and a part of the natural habitat.

I have traveled the world and especially Thailand. I know a 5 star hotel and also know that I could have received better service at a 3 star. The cost was around $500.00 (USD)/day and I have seen better for around $50(USD) per day. This place was a rip off. I am still amazed at how it got 5 stars and good ratings. I am assuming that the raters have not stayed at comparable 5 star luxury hotels in the area.”