Flower GUEST REVIEWS

Something else....out of this world!

Nov 14, 2009

My wife and I, along with our three grown up children and their partners were booked to stay in Sandalwood for a week at the start of January 2009. When something urgent cropped up back at home in Ireland, my youngest daughter (19) and I had to return without ever seeing or experiencing Sandalwood. To say that we missed out would be an understatement! So impressed was my wife and family that we made a special trip back out to Thailand in July to make up for our earlier disappointment!
From the moment you arrive at Sandalwood, it really is a unique experience. We stayed in the Leelawadee and Jumpee. The views are awesome! The staff are so nice...everyone wants to make your stay special. The owners lead by example. Nothing is too much trouble.
I could go on and on but if ever a place deserved its top rated position, this is the place to visit!!!!!
Many many thanks to all at Sandalwood for making our holiday so special. We will be back and would recommend it very, very highly,
Finbarr Cotter

  

They saved a disastrous honeymoon!

Nov 7, 2009

Well, our honeymoon was now a year ago and I apologise for the slowness of this post, however, thought it was still worth letting people know about Sandalwood.
The day before leaving Australia for our honeymoon I got gastro and had a most unpleasant time getting to Koh Samui. On arrival, while I was doubled over with nausea, the staff were fantastic, assisting me out of the car and to our room as quickly as possible.
We hoped that the gastro would just be a 24 hour bug, however it lasted for about 8 days and really put a dampener on what was supposed to be the perfect romantic honeymoon! However, the staff at Sandalwood were fantastic, cooking me steamed rice/pasta/plain toast on request, cleaning around me while I lay in bed, entertaining my bored husband and offering modified massages where they didn't touch my belly!
On top of the gastro, we were unlucky enough to have rain pretty much every day from the time we arrived. Luckily for us, Sandalwood offered plenty of DVDs to fill in my time lieing in bed.
Our third stroke of trouble came with the political unrest in Bangkok resulting in airport closure and therefore stuffing up our travel plans. Pon and George were so fantastic in helping us to arrange alternative flights from Phuket, travel to Phuket and they offered us extremely cheap accommodation for our extra nights in Samui to limit the financial burden of the lengthened stay. We couldn't be more grateful.
When booking our honeymoon we were looking for a smaller resort, not a huge commercial type of place and this fitted the bill perfectly. It also wasn't as expensive as a lot of the boutique type accommodation. Much more reasonably priced.
Overall, the massages, fresh breakfasts, set menus, room service, quality of the rooms, the views, the pools (which unfortunately we didn't get to use because of illness and rain) and, especially the staff's friendliness, hospitality and professionalism were fantastic. We couldn't fault the staff at all. From the kitchen/restaurant staff, cleaning staff, the girls in the spa, the reception people and the drivers - everyone was wonderful. We would definitely visit again. Thank you to everyone at Sandalwood. You helped us to make our disastrous honeymoon as good as it could possibly be!

  

Amazing honeymoon holiday, what a gem!!!

Oct 31, 2009

Just returned from 12 nights at Sandalwood Villas for our honeymoon and what can I say, the stay was amazing from start to finish and we loved every minute! We stayed in Malee which had the most fantastic views over Koh Samui.
The staff were second too none, nothing was too much trouble and they were so attentive. Every time we passed a member of staff they would say hello and were always smiling! Every night chocolates were left in our villa saying 'have a nice sleep' lovely touch!!
We met the owner of Sandalwood who have us advice on places to go, eat and drink! We even bumped into him one night at a restaurant where he was with his family, and he came over to say hello and bought us a lantern to celebrate our marriage which was so lovely.
Spa was great, we had a facial and a oil massage, it was heaven!! We came out so relaxed, the girls in thre spa are lovely, and great at their job!
The hill is steep up to Sandalwood but you can get a lift to the bottom whenever you want and they give you a mobile phone to ring them when you want picking up! The only thing i would say is if you are going to hire a car, go with the hotel's new fleet! We hired a Jeep from another company and the handbreak went, (could have been disasterous on that hill) so after that we used the hotels car and it was great!! You get used to the hill and its worth it for the amazing views at the top!!
All in all an absolutely amazing place, we will never forget our honeymoon here!! Thoroughly deserves its number one spot on trip adviser! That was why we booked it from looking at the reviews, I can assure you it will exceed your expectations!
Thanks to all the staff for a lovely stay

Lynne & John Cain x

  

Amazing honeymoon

Oct 7, 2009

My husband and I enjoyed our our 17 night honeymoon in the Camellia Room at Sandalwood. I had booked our room over 6 months before the date and was reading every review and imagining what it would be like once we finally got there, and of course when we did finally arrive we were just amazed!
Arriving there and seeing such a beautiful view, really brought the energy back into us after such a long flight/stopover. The main infinity pool is just gorgeous and as I realised later on, even just being still in the pool and looking at the view was just so peaceful and relaxing.
The Camellia Room is very private and with another gorgeous view of the samui coastline. We loved our room, for 17 nights it was our little retreat.
Service in this place is really first class, they are very attentive, bringing you bottle of water while sizzling in the sun by the pool, cleaning up our room when we left the resort. The drivers! Who are ever so lovely! and Joy and girls at front desk are very sweet, and the girls in the restaurant were very cute, getting to know us and what we wanted as soon as we stepped in for breakfast...(i.e ginger tea)
The mobile phone they gave us to keep, incase we needed to call them we thought was such a thoughtful and helpful thing, it was nice to know we could call them at anytime.
We had hired a car for 10 days, so it was nice to travel around the island and go to Chaweng then come back to our little hideaway
Overall, our honeymoon was just beautiful and we didn't want to leave, we probably could have stayed another 17 nights!!!
The only little tiny downside that stood out to us, was the bathroom smell in the main bathroom of camellia, some days it become abit strong, and the portion size of the food compared to the price espcially on the surf n turf we thought didn't represent what we were paying for..Having dined out so many places during our stay, and getting to eat some amazing foods and at great value prices, we thought with that price the portions should have been bigger...BUT THOSE ARE JUST TWO TINY THINGS....The rest we can't stop talking about to our family & friends....You guys definitly deserve your number 1 title... We wish we could be back there!! :):)

  

The Perfect Get-Away

Aug 24, 2009

My girlfriend and I had an amazing stay at Sandalwood. The view speaks for itself—breathtaking. With a handful of villas nestled in the mountains, you really do feel like you are on your own private luxury get-away.

The service, rooms and accommodations were just as exceptional. The staff does everything to ensure you have a great stay. Even though we did not fly into Samui, the staff arranged to pick us up from our ferry at Don Sak (with two ice cold bottled waters waiting). In addition, the receptionists were extremely helpful in coordinating anything and everything—they booked a SCUBA exertion for us, a spa day, and any transportation we needed to either Chaweng Beach or Lamai. The spa and massages were amazing after a long day of swimming, and the restaurant had exceptional food and an amazing view. Perfect for a romantic dinner. We met one of the owners, George, our last night at the restaurant—he was extremely friendly and accommodating.

We stayed in the Gardenia Villa. We were extremely happy with our accommodations, and we felt that it was well worth the cost. When we initially booked our stay, we were a little worried about being too far away from either Chaweng Beach or Lamai. Don’t be. The staff does an exceptional job coordinating either a shuttle or taxi to take you to multiple locations if you want to explore for the day. When you get back to Sandalwood for the evening, it will feel amazing to relax by the pool of your own private resort! I can’t wait to visit again.

-Kyle, Chicago

  

Best of Thailand

Aug 3, 2009

THANK YOU to the staff and owners of Sandalwood. We stayed for a week in paradise and didn't want it to end. This is one of the BEST resorts in Thailand

As mentioned many times over, this place isone of the best places to get away. It isn't on the main tourist beach so you aren't distracted by all the hustle of town. Want to go to town? then it is 5 minutes away. Plus the views are amazing.

Imagine floating at the pool, drinking an amazing beverage, with a world class view. You can't beat it. We went to the four seasons one afternoon. For a fraction of the price, your stay at Sandalwood will be far better than there.

The Resort features and amazing restaurant and bar (breakfast is free). We had more meals on our trip at the resort, because we could.

The spa is perfect. A great relaxing steamroom, and the most amazing massages. Everyone needs to get a thai massage. Yummm. My partner got one every day of our trip. Well worth it.

We had a great tour out of the resort using their driver. We drove the whole island. They had drinks and food. They really though of everything.

We stayed in Malee, which I strongly recommend. It is a great villa, with privacy, a pool outside, and a nice bath outside to relax in. Oh I should mention the view... AMAZING.

We will be back.

Mary, George, Pon and Joy - Thank you. WOW you guys are terrific. I want to come back now.

  

The best service in Thailand

Jul 13, 2009

just returned from a week at Sandalwood and the service and the villas were amazing, we stayed in the Malee villa which overlooked the beaches and island, the view was amazing. George and Mary the owners were great hosts and even took us out to celebrate independence day.. the place feels idylic and totally private but the free jeep to the beach helps to see the island

  


Heaven, I'm in heaven

May 29, 2009

We spent there our last week of our honeymoon. We took the Honeymoon package which was great.
Amazing place. The view is great, best from inside the pool...
We stayed at the Plumeria Villa which was very spacious and with nice back-deck and little pool/jacuzzi.
The staff is amazing and very helpful with every thing. The food is great, try Set A from the dinner menu. The Spa is also very good and the staff is expert in what they are doing.
I hope to try others villas when we will return to Koh Samui.

  

A Little Bit of Paradise

May 21, 2009

I had a wonderful experience @ sandalwood The Room was beautiful with a magnificent view of the Island-The staff were very helpful with showing me around the Island as well as the nite spots-The resturant was excellent -I had 6 dinners there each better than the next-It was incredibelly romantic I only wish my girlfriend would have been there.The swimming pools were the most scenic I have ever seen. A must for travel in Koh Samui

  

Perfect relaxation

Apr 7, 2009

We stayed at Sandalwood Villas for 10 nights in February/March and can honestly say that it was one of the most relaxing places we have ever visited. We had visited Cambodia the previous week where my husband had ended up being hospitalised, so Sandalwood Villas was the perfect place to rest and recuperate.
We were very pleased that we had not elected to stay in a hotel on Chaweng beach as we found this to be very noisy and busy. It was nice to visit but also very nice to leave and retreat up the hill to Sandalwood.
As most of the previous comments have said, all of the staff at Sandalwood are very friendly and efficient and cannot do enough to make your stay enjoyable. We joined in with one of the cookery courses, which was fun but have yet to re-create the wonderful dishes at home.
We would definitely love to return to Sandalwood one day and would have no hesitation in recommending it to friends.

  

Stunning views, amazing service

Mar 24, 2009

A long overdue review of a stunning hillside hideaway. We stayed in Sandalwood's Plumeria Villa in November 2008. Though there were some problems with flooding due to the rains, the onsite manager (american gentleman sorry i cant remember your name you were so helpful) moved us to another villa (Amarin), had all our belongings moved and setup again in the new villa whilst we were at dinner, right down to moving the beer in the fridge and setting up our bottles of spirits again.

The views are just amazing, both villas are very secluded and the infinity pools are something else. Plumerias private pool and outside couch and relaxing area were the perfect spot to relax with a loved one, a good book or a cocktail or a combination of all three!

The staff are always available and eager to be of whatever assistance they can. This proved especially helpful being stuck on Koh Samui because of the Bangkok airport closures (cant think of anywhere i would rather be stuck than Sandalwood!) Porn was great in relaying any information she could, providing suggestions of alternate ways out, organizing a car to the airport to queue at the Thai airways office and when we had to get to Phuket quickly was able to arrange the ferries, buses and cars we needed to make a special flight out of Phuket. She even went as far as contacting us several times on my mobile en route to Phuket to ensure we got there OK.

Whilst i wont be heading back to Thailand this year, i definitely recommend Sandalwood to friends and family

thanks for a fantastic holiday
Pete and Kath

  

Dream honeymoon and a wonderfull time

Mar 12, 2009

We recently enjoyed our honeymoon at this lovely place. Recommended by a friend of us, we booked our room directly on their website. Koh Samui was the last destinaton on our trip across Thailand. As I really liked this place a lot, I'll take the time to write a short review:

On our arrival, we received a very warm welcome from the resort manager Khun Pon and Robert. We have chosen the Plumeria Villa because it also has a private Jacuzzi.
Our room was beautifully ornamented in traditional thai style, with plenty of space, a nicely decorated bathroom and even a little kitchen. From the bathroom, you can go directly to the Jacuzzi and the nice veranda. The owner told me, that the Jacuzzi is brand new, everything looked new, nice and neat.
The room is located next to a infinity edge pool, which really deserves the description ‘infinity edge’. The view from this pool is incredible and we relaxed there often, enjoying the breathtaking view and cold drinks.
My wife and I had a great time at the Spa, especially the hot steam sauna was an outstanding experience.
Another big plus is the staff. They were all very friendly and attentive - true Thai hospitality at its best! We enjoyed our delicious dinner, overlooking the coast of Chaweng sitting at the balcony in front of our room. Romantic, private candlelight dinners - without any disturbing noises.
At nighttime we could see the lights of Chaweng Beach up to Big Buddha and there where also many fishing boats visible as they were fishing with strong lights. I also appreciated the wireless Internet service - free of charge.
We really loved every minute of our stay at Sandalwood.
It was without a doubt the most relaxing time we ever spend at a Hotel in Thailand and we will definitely come back again.

  

Paradise on earth

Feb 26, 2009

We stayed 3 nights in february 2009..1 nights in Jasmine Villa and 2 nights in Plumeria Villa.Jasmine was very good and Plumeria was out of this world.The resort was absolutely terrfic with a stunning view of sea and beach.Whenever we went out of resort,we felt we are wasting our time by leaving such a beautiful place.The staff was very courteous.They were more like a family than staff.When my wife told them that on 5th february it is my 60th birthday,the entire staff brought a cake for me and sang ' happy birthday ' for me.I will never forget that.It was best 3 days of my 60 years.
Rita and Balkrishna Shroff..Mumbai,INDIA

  

“Perpetual Bliss at Sandalwood in Samui”

Feb 8, 2009

I first saw this hotel via a postcard that a client who lives in Ko Samui sent me . I was entranced by the photo on the postcard and stared at it with a dropped jaw, lost in a sea of warmth and memories from prior trips to Thailand. But this time was different. This time I needed paradise. This time I was taking the love of my life with me. I needed someplace special.

And I got it....

Sandalwood Luxury Villas is like something out of a dream. Villas built right into a cliffside with sparkling infinity pools that stare over a glistening Chaweng Bay. I'm not ashamed to say I spent a lot of time at the edge of the pool, Singha in hand, lost in space at the gorgeous scene unfolded before me. But that's what vacation is about, right? Finding that place that soothes the soul and eases the mind. Sandalwood is that place.

Then there's the staff. How friendly and warm can people be before you suspect they're putting something in the water? The two masseuses at the spa became best friends with my finacee, and took her to town to shop and eat the way real islanders do. David (the owner) took me out for coffee and conversation while my financee went to a beauty salon. "Above and beyond" is the only way to describe the treatment we got, which started when we were picked up from the airport in a plush air-conditioned van, our spines tingling with excitement because we knew we were in for something special.

Ko Samui has many wonderful nooks and crannies to explore. The whole island is easily accessible by bus, taxi, or motorscooter. But to me, the trip is defined by where you spend your sunset. And spending it perched on a cliff, drinking in the azure Chaweng Bay as the sky paints purples, tangerines, and crimsons on it's canvas; then watching darkness descend as fireworks explode over the beach, all while being swathed in opulent luxury and friendly warmth........

now that's a vacation.

And Sandalwood Luxury Villas is the epicenter of that paradise.

  

“Amazing villa and staff!”

Jan 10, 2009

I joined Trip Advisor today specifically so that I could report on this place!!!

We spent 8 nights of our honeymoon staying at Sandalwood and 'OH MY GOD. IM SO GLAD WE DID!!'.

The hotel is magnificent and we have never experienced such incredible service before. It is so peacefull and tranquil up in the mountains yet not far from hustle of Cheweng if you want some action!

We stayed in the Camellia Villa from 14 - 22 December 2008. The Villa is out of this world. There is a private pool on the massive balcony which is just fab.

As ALL other posters have pointed out...the view really is breathtaking. I really cannot reccommend this place enough.

The staff are so friendly and accomodating. The girls are all amazing and cannot do enough for you. Yan was such a fab, safe driver and always smiling!

Gorgeous little touches like the chocolates at night and the honeymoon cake when we arrived!

Its nice to find a gem like this and I will most definately be back!

Thanks to all at Sandalwood for making our honeymoon so amazing

  

“So much space, such great service”

Jan 6, 2009

Myself and my friend stayed at Sandalwood Samui in September 2008. After much deliberation we booked the Lotus Villa, which I must say was enormous for two girls - but we loved it! We felt like princesses with our wrap around balcony and spectacular views of the ocean. Sunset was particularly stunning. I have stayed at quite a few places in Thailand and I must say that the service at Sandalwood was second to none. Nothing was ever a problem, from the delivery to our door of insect repelent, cigarettes and for a v small fee our breakfast served on our balcony (much nicer than eating in the restaurant). We also used the spa regularly and the massages were wonderful. We would both definitely stay at Sandalwood again.

 

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