During my last stay in Thailand, in Koh Samui, I chose the Vana Belle. There are different reasons for this choice. First of all, the organization of the place: located on the side of a cliff and overlooking the beach, the hotel allows all the rooms to have a view of the sea, since the different buildings that make it up are positioned “in steps”. Then because in the Starwood portfolio I have never been disappointed by the hotels of the “Luxury Collection” brand.
Arrived at the airport the car sent by the hotel is there and the journey (30 minutes) is done in the best conditions. The welcome is pleasant, sitting on a sofa in the lobby where you are served a welcome drink while the staff takes care of administrative tasks. As is often the case in these countries, the building is open and airy, which gives a certain impression of space.
I had opted for aDeluxe Pool Suite and found myself upgraded to aGrand Pool Suite. The difference between the two? A few more square meters, a larger pool and a huge independent bathroom. In the Deluxe room, the shower is of course separate but the bathroom and bathtub are in the same room. It has its own style but I’m not sure everyone likes it.
Don’t let the room names fool you either: there are only “Pool Suites”, with each room having its own pool (of varying size) on its balcony, and all rooms having a large space with a sleeping area, a sitting area and an office area, with only the size changing.
So this is the room.
And the pool.
It’s not enough to swim long distances, but it’s a great way to cool off during the day. You can spend your day on your balcony without having to use the pool or the beach of the hotel.
Breathtaking view for the sunsets
The hotel also offers a SPA which I did not try.
The bathroom is quite weird. Very spacious but very long, it requires to cross the shower to get to the bath. But once in the bathtub what a view! You can directly access the balcony.
But a video is better than a long speech.
What else can I say. Without being exceptional the bed is comfortable, the room is spacious, the wifi works well.
Cocktail lovers will appreciate the recipe book and the equipment (shaker etc) at their disposal. Of course the products used are charged to the mini bar but it is nice and original.
I was saying that the hotel was “staircase”, so it requires a bit of exercise to get to one of the restaurants or the pool, but don’t worry, there are golf carts around the hotel and you just have to ask for a driver to drop you off where you want to go if you don’t feel like climbing the stairs or taking the sloping paths.
The hotel pool is large and very nice.
It is next to the bar and one of the hotel’s restaurants…but we’ll talk about the restaurant later.
The beach is also large, especially in relation to the capacity of the hotel. One thing is sure, it’ s not crowded.
Let’s proceed to the catering. The bar is very pleasant to have a drink before or after dinner. The cocktails are good (although there is nothing to shout about) and the service is good.
As for the restaurants, they are perhaps the only little disappointment of my stay. In addition to the pool bar that offers snacks, the hotel has a signature Thai restaurant and an Italian restaurant. I tried both. Nothing to say, it’s good. But maybe that’s the problem.
Apart from the fact that I question the presence of an Italian restaurant, I found the dishes very common and uninspired. It is good but one could expect better in this category of hotel.
Same for the Thai: good but common. And I’m still looking for inspiration for “signature” dishes.
No reproach to make on the quality of the dishes but here, I would have expected that there was at least a table a little more “premium”. I was satisfied but I was missing the little something that makes the stay memorable, the dish or the table that one regrets once back home, the menu that one wants to photograph so much just by looking at the dish. Especially at this price range (even if the restaurants were very affordable for a European, it remains expensive for Thailand).
Last but not least, but that’s part of the common places there, a very pleasant staff in the room but a service that sometimes lacks a little rigor.
As for the breakfast buffet it was very decent with a great variety of dishes as one can imagine. But then again, in this range of hotels and similar countries, I have seen better. Good, then, but can do better.
As for the service in general, nothing to complain about. Pleasant, considerate staff, responding efficiently to the slightest request.
The only negative point of the stay was the really catastrophic weather for this time of the year…but the establishment is not to blame.
In conclusion: an exceptional room and setting but still lacks a little something to make the overall experience unforgettable. Would I go there again ? Probably not as I like to test different hotels but if I was in need of inspiration it is sure that the Vana Belle is a good choice. I would also temper my comments with the climate factor: it is certain that on this kind of destination, when the weather is not part of the game, it spoils part of the experience and leads to overweighting details that we might have given less importance otherwise.
In any case it is an establishment that I strongly recommend.
