Santiburi Koh Samui

We have just returned from a 2 week vacation at the Santiburi, staying in a Grand Delux Pool Villa. We had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday in the resort and would recommend the hotel to families or couples staying in Koh Samui. The location is good. Far enough away from the airport to avoid aircraft noise but not too far to travel after a long flight. Mae Nam is less chaotic outside than other Koh Samui destinations nearby, which we preferred. But everything is still easy to get to from the the Santiburi and it still has easily accessible restaurants and shops a short walking distance from the hotel reception. Our pool villa was large and spacious with plenty of room for the three of us. If you are a family of 4 you would also have plenty of space. There was lots of storage and plenty of room and privacy in our garden and pool area. The villa was very well presented and clean. As a precaution I requested a mattress topper in advance as I struggle with my back on harder mattresses and I found the bed to be very comfortable and I slept well. The pillows and linens were beautiful also and supported a relaxing and enjoyable sleep. We did experience an issue with the pool on arrival when we noticed it seemed cloudy and not as clear as it should be. The hotel apologised that this had not been picked up in advance of our arrival and were very quick to rectify the issue and ensured the water was filtered and cleaned so we had a beautifully clear pool in no time at all. Similarly, when we had experienced noise from some nearby machinery, which we were advised was from a neighbouring property, they were quick to address the issue. The facilities at the hotel are excellent. My husband and son enjoyed playing tennis each day and there was a large and well equipped gym. Access to a fuss ball table and table tennis was nice too. We also enjoyed using the billiards table occasionally. In addition to pools in some of the villas, the hotel has a very large communal pool. There was always plenty of available loungers for everyone and it was a peaceful and relaxing place to be. The beach at Santiburi is lovely. Lots of space for everyone and it never feels over crowded. There is lots of shade if you want it under the palm trees and hammocks to doze in. We loved that the beach was so peaceful. There was no noise pollution from jet skies and speed boats which we have found to be a problem on other holidays elsewhere recently. The hotel offers one restaurant which opens specifically for the breakfast service. The pool house opens for food and drinks throughout the day and closes in the evening. The Beach house offers daytime dining and evening dining. There is a one other restaurant, the Sala Thai that opens in the evening. So that means 2 daytime options and 2 evening options. Breakfast was lovely. Very good quality buffet with a large selection of food options for all tastes and palates. The restaurant itself is beautifully presented and relaxing. Service is excellent. We enjoyed lunches at the pool house as it provided more relaxed and less substantial food options for lunch, with a wide selection of healthy salads and Poke bowls through to pizzas, sandwiches. Happy hour between 12 and 2pm was welcome for beverages. A big thank you to Toom who looked after us so well. She always brings a smile and is so much fun! It would be remiss of me not to also thank Neem, Charlene and Mai for looking after us there too. We ate a few times in the evening at both the beach house and Thai restaurant. The service was excellent in both. Whilst the food in both restaurants was ok, we were a little disappointed. We actually had consistently better food, at much cheaper prices, outside of the hotel in the evening. We found some amazing local restaurants and I would recommend eating out at night. One evening we attended the surf and turf BBQ buffet at the Beach House. The Wagu beef was lovely, but otherwise, it was a little under whelming and not worth the cost per head. The entertainment was good but the same every time, twice a week. I think the hotel could do more to offer a variety of entertainment that differs throughout the week, for the benefit of guests that stay more than a few days. Some local Thai dancers / cultural entertainers would be a nice addition. If you're a wine drinker then the beverage options at the Santiburi are disappointing for a 5 star hotel. You can purchase a bottle of wine in the evening in the Sala Thai or at the Beach House restaurant but if you only want a glass at a time, then there's not anything listed in the drinks menu at all. If you ask for a glass of wine you are offered a choice of 2 (white wines) a Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay and that's all. Its not advertised though and prices are not listed. The wine is also expensive in the hotel. Outside of the hotel you can get a fairly good glass of wine much cheaper but bottles are still expensive. You can also get a glass of prosecco at the hotel - if you ask for it but again, not listed and price not displayed and it's even more expensive than the wine. I would suggest the hotel offer more options and include wines by the glass in their beverage menus with prices displayed. I would also recommend that hotel do not charge guests for Singha still water in the bars and restaurants. This is complimentary in the room and more is available to your room on request if you run out. (Tap water is not save to drink) But strangely, if you want some whilst dining, they charge you for it on your bill!! The lobby lounge is beautiful and offers a wonderful environment for enjoying a drink or afternoon tea. We often enjoyed drinks in the evening and there is another happy hour here, from 5 - 7pm. The only issue with the lounge bar in the evening is the service. We often found it was very slow and saw people on many occasions giving up and walking out. Most of the time there is only one bar person who is also preparing and taking up drinks to the Thai restaurant. The hotel should ensure there is more staff for the bar who are trained to prepare the cocktails. One evening, someone came to help out as there was a long wait but twice, made a cocktail incorrectly (made with Soda water and not prosecco). This was corrected and we were not charged, but it shouldn't have happened. On another evening we waited half an hour for our drinks and then when we wanted a second as part of the happy hour offer, were told we'd missed it and it had finished. Obviously if we'd not waited so long that wouldn't have been the case. If you are looking to book some trips I recommend visiting Beer in reception to help you. We organised 2 lovely days out. Finally, the staff at the hotel are all incredibly polite, helpful and friendly. Many thanks to Ant in reception who checked us in on arrival and continued to help us throughout our stay

This was our third visit in the last three years and it was great again. Beautiful and always well-maintained gardens, a beautiful beach and a fantastic Grand Reserve pool villa. What makes the hotel exceptional, however, is the staff, especially those in the bars and restaurants. It would be a problem to name all these wonderful people, but thank you for your concern. Hopefully we will see each other again someday. With love, Martina and Maroš

This was our 6th visit to Santiburi over the past 13 years. It is such a magical, relaxing place. We have visited as a family since our children were very young and they are now late teenagers. Favourite things that keep us coming back are (in no particular order) : the beautiful gardens, the spacious feel of the resort, the staff who are so beautiful, the pool is the best pool to swim in, the beach hammocks, breakfast!!!!, the beach bar and restaurant on the sand, the fabulous gym, the bungalows, the location. It is one of our favourite places in the world and is just so hard to beat. You feel instantly relaxed. We love that there is no showy atmosphere. The beach bar food has really improved in recent years, we had some lovely meals there. My husband and son always play golf which is very easy to organise. We have also done a couple of amazing speedboat trips to Ang Thong and Phangan with Ocieania Charters based at Santiburi. We will definitely be back again!!

This is our fourth time in Santiburi, where we spent 7 days in July 2025 (2 parents and 1 child of 4 years old). GREAT THINGS: - Beauty of the entire resort, particularly the gardens, perfectly designed and maintained. - The extraordinary service of most of its staff, professional and caring, particularly with our son Nico :) - Attention to details. - Quality and diversity of the breakfast. - The accommodation (in our case, the villas without pool) THINGS TO BE IMPROVED - MESSAGE TO THE OWNER: The villas need urgent renovation, particularly the bathrooms and toilets. They are more than 20 years old. Your management and staff makes efforts to repair, paint and update here and there, but the owner needs to invest urgently. I hope Santiburi does not become another old run down SAii hotel with the same owner. We went in 2024 to SAii Phi Phi Island Village Resort and we could see the same owner style, with lack or cheap investment and poor results. I hope Santiburi does not suffer from the same! Congrats to the staff for your great efforts in keeping it up! Oscar