Best Hotels in Koh Samui

Four Seasons Koh Samui is the highest-rated resort on the island and probably the best Four Seasons in Asia outside of Bali. Sixty pool villas on a tight private hillside, each angled for the sunset over the Gulf, all built into the steep face of the Laem Yai headland.

We’ve stayed twice – once kids-free for a milestone trip and once with the whole family in a two-bedroom villa. Both times we did the in-villa breakfast every morning, swam our way through the menu at Lan Tania, and didn’t leave the property until day five. That’s the point of the place.

The trade-off is location – you’re on a private tip of the island, 30+ minutes from the rest of Samui. If you want to walk to dinner, this isn’t the answer. If you want the best resort experience on the island, it is.

What I love:

• Hilltop pool villas with panoramic Gulf views
• Private beach, properly private – you won't see day-trippers
• Lan Tania (Cantonese) is one of the best meals on the island
• Family programming is the best in Thailand's luxury set

Where it falls short:

• 30+ minutes from Fisherman's Village and Chaweng
• Villas are steep – you'll use the buggies
• Some villas are partially blocked by foliage; ask about view

Check rates at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui on Agoda

Six Senses Samui is the pool-villa play. Sixty-six private villas tumble down a north-coast headland, every one with a sea-view infinity pool, and the whole property feels like a private peninsula. It’s the smaller, slightly more remote alternative to the Four Seasons – fewer rooms, more intimacy, similar quality.

We stayed for our anniversary and did the property’s classic ritual: spa in the morning, lunch at the beach restaurant, in-villa dinner. It was the most relaxed three nights we’ve spent in Thailand.

Book Six Senses if you want a pool villa above all else and you want it to feel private.

What I love:

• Sixty-six villas, every one with a private pool and ocean view
• Earth Lab spa is among the best in Thailand
• Dining at Dining on the Hill is the best sunset meal on the island
• More intimate than the Four Seasons – fewer rooms, more remote

Where it falls short:

• Some villas have very long pathways from main areas
• Even fewer kids than the Four Seasons – this is a couples' resort
• Price has crept up significantly post-pandemic

Check rates at Six Senses Samui on Agoda

W Koh Samui is the most fun hotel on the island, and that matters more than it sounds. The whole property is built around a beachfront infinity pool that runs straight into the sand at Maenam – one of the prettier hotel views in Asia – and every room is a villa with a plunge pool.

We stayed twice, once on a date weekend pre-kids and once with the older girls (8 and 12) who loved having their own villa. The bar scene at dusk is unironically great; the cocktails are real cocktails; the music isn’t the kind of thing that’s been deafening you everywhere else.

Book the W if you want a beachfront resort with some life to it.

What I love:

• All-villa, all with plunge pools – even entry-level rooms
• Maenam beach is long, soft, and basically empty
• The infinity pool at the beach club is the prettiest on the island
• Bar scene is legitimately fun – rare among Thai luxury hotels

Where it falls short:

• Maenam can have strong currents; check before swimming with kids
• Service can be patchy – W standard is more flash than substance
• Music and design choices are loud (it's a W)

Check rates at W Koh Samui on Agoda

Anantara Bophut is the family default for Koh Samui. The location – at the western end of Bophut beach, a 10-minute walk from Fisherman’s Village – is the best logistics on the island. You can have a pool day, walk to dinner at one of the village restaurants, and walk back. With kids, that loop is everything.

The big family rooms are the move. The standard rooms are perfectly fine but standard. The pool is enormous and the breakfast spread (especially the Thai noodle station) is the kind of thing my kids asked about for days afterward.

Book Anantara Bophut if you’ve got kids and want walking access to dinner.

What I love:

• Walking distance to Fisherman's Village for dinner
• Big family rooms – most are 50+ sqm with twin king options
• The pool is huge – and child-friendly without being kid-coded
• Best logistics of any Samui hotel – easy in, easy out

Where it falls short:

• Standard rooms don't have ocean views – ask for beachfront
• Bophut is busier than Maenam (good or bad, depending)

Check rates at Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort on Agoda

Sala Samui Choeng Mon is the value pool villa on the island. White sandstone walls, courtyard layouts, plunge pools in even the entry-level villas – for under $500 a night you’re getting an experience that costs twice that everywhere else.

We stayed for four nights on a shorter Samui trip and would happily return. Choeng Mon beach is in walking range, the swimming is calm, and the village has enough small restaurants to keep you out of the hotel for dinner.

Book Sala if you want a pool villa without the Four Seasons price.

What I love:

• Pool villas at well under $500/night – rare value for Samui
• Choeng Mon beach is one of Samui's best swimming beaches
• Service punches above the rate
• Spa is genuinely good

Where it falls short:

• Standard rooms are dated – pay up for a pool villa or skip
• Restaurant scene on property is just-okay (walk to Choeng Mon village)

Check rates at Sala Samui Choeng Mon on Agoda

Conrad Koh Samui has the best sunsets on the island. The resort sits on the southwest tip, facing directly into the Gulf, and every one of its 80 villas is positioned to capture the evening light. The villas tumble down a steep hillside; you commute by buggy.

We stayed once when the kids were old enough to entertain themselves and would book again on a similar trip. The infinity pool at the lobby level is one of the prettiest in Thailand, and the on-property restaurant Jahn does proper modern Thai.

Book the Conrad if you want sunset views and you’re willing to commit to the property’s remoteness.

What I love:

• The only Samui resort with proper west-facing sunsets
• Every villa is a hillside pool villa with a Gulf view
• Beach is small but the resort makes up for it in pools and views
• Genuinely empty corner of the island

Where it falls short:

• Long way from anywhere – Chaweng is 35+ minutes
• Hillside means a lot of steps; use the buggies
• The beach itself is mediocre

Check rates at Conrad Koh Samui on Agoda

The Sheraton sits on its own private cove at the south end of Chaweng Bay, with rooms tiered down a steep hillside facing the sea. The W gets the youth-and-design crowd; the Sheraton gets the families and the Bonvoy travelers who want a sane price.

We’ve stayed twice with the kids and both times the calm cove beach was the win. The pool villa category is comfortable rather than spectacular, but the value-to-quality math is the best on the island under $300/night, especially with Platinum benefits applied.

Book the Sheraton if you’re a Bonvoy member and want a beach-front Samui resort without paying Six Senses or Four Seasons money.

What I love:

• Hillside layout with sea views from most rooms
• Bonvoy Platinum lounge access at the M Club
• Private cove beach – calm swimming
• Walking distance to Chaweng's restaurants when you want energy

Where it falls short:

• Steep hillside – buggies help but expect stairs
• Older property; rooms are functional rather than special

Check rates at Sheraton Samui Resort on Agoda