Koh Samui is known as the place to visit for an elegant luxury escape. If any high end hotel chains spring to mind, it’s a safe bet they’ll have a resort on the island of Samui. Our holiday here last April was to celebrate Freddie’s 30th birthday so we wanted a destination that was luxurious yet affordable, with delicious local food and the option to explore beyond what the resort had to offer.
We researched Thailand and the islands a lot before deciding that Samui was the destination that best suited what we were looking for, and Sala Samui Choengmon Beach was the affordable luxury we could justify for this special birthday occasion. Upon arrival we stepped into Sala with an overwhelming sense of calm and a gracious warm welcome from the friendly staff. Greeted with fragrant floral wristbands and fruity cocktails we were whisked to our stunning garden villa with a private pool.
The moment we stepped into our hotel room I just knew that all our plans of exploring and adventuring each day in Samui were not going to happen. This was hands down the most beautiful hotel room we’d ever stayed in. The huge kingsize bed looked out through double doors onto our own swimming pool. Our outdoor bathroom with a standalone stone bath and waterfall shower was also the height of luxury we hadn’t experienced in a hotel room before.
After unpacking we headed down to the beach just in time for sunset drinks and snacks. Lychee ginger lemongrass and mint refreshers were the perfect drinks to kick off the holiday. Soft house beats are played by the resident dj every evening at dusk. The perfect setting to watch the sun go down.
The food at Sala was great. We rarely opt to dine at the hotel restaurant outside of breakfast mealtimes. We like to explore local restaurants and overpriced meals with a la carte style dining isn’t our vibe. However, Sala’s setup was entirely different. The food is incredible quality, beautifully prepared Thai dishes that aren’t expensive and the open restaurant situated next to the beach has a real relaxed vibe.
Our stay wasn’t glutinous or overindulgent, we started each morning with a free yoga class or paddle board session followed by a fresh healthy breakfast.
Except for the morning of Freddie’s birthday where, much to our surprise, he was given a birthday cake at breakfast and all the staff gathered to sing him a happy birthday.
Afternoons all seemed to blend into the same relaxed routine of an afternoon massage and a walk on the beach followed by sunset drinks and dinner.
We spent four nights in utter bliss at Sala Choengmon Beach. The only time we ventured out of the hotel was for Freddie’s pre-booked birthday excursion snorkelling at Ang Thong National Marine Park.
The day out was a real adventure – a boat ride, hike, kayak and snorkelling expedition around these stunning little islands. We booked through Viator which was easy to organise and included hotel pick up and drop off in the price.
We don’t often stay in luxury hotels, a lot of the time it’s because we’ve never felt like we really belonged there. However, I can say with certainty, I felt like being at Sala Samui was exactly where I belonged.
The more I reminisce about our holiday to Koh Samui last year, the more fond I am of every detail and special moment. Those in-between moments, the ones you can’t quite describe to others or the ones that don’t make the blog post filled with recommendations of where to eat and what to do. This holiday was filled with so many moments that will go undocumented and just live in my memory forever.
I’ve since learned that this was the week Freddie decided he wanted to marry me. I don’t know what part of spending time in our villa pool, relaxing by the beach, eating delicious food or getting pampered was what made him want to save up for the ring and propose that autumn, I’m just over the moon that it happened. So thank you Sala Samui for helping shift my then boyfriend’s, now fiancé, point of view to make him realise he wanted these special happy moments with me for the rest of our lives. As we left Sala we both agreed it wasn’t a case of “if we return” yet “when we return”.
Stunning photos Jess! Thank you for sharing. Carolina at GSE Solutions.
Love your layout!! ?