Exploring the island of Koh Samui and its best honeymoon spots, Khaleej Madame takes you on a discovery trip to Thailand’s most famous luxury resorts & spas brand, Anantara, at its Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort.
Getting there
Traditionally, a fishermen and coconut plantations island, Koh Samui started to become increasingly famous only post 2005. This is when most of the luxury resorts of the island started settling and opening on the quiet island. Unlike other touristic spots of Southern Thailand like Phuket, Koh Samui does not get as crowded, even during peak season, and until now offers secluded beaches and areas where you can still feel like you are alone in the world.
Our trip took us from Bangkok to Samui through a smooth 60mins direct flight with local airline Bangkok Airways. Samui airport being a small airport, you can expect to be out within 20 mins of landing, with no customs procedures to clear if you do internal flights.
From there, getting to the Anantara Koh Samui resort is just a formality as the hotel is less than 10KM or a mere 20 minutes drive from the airport. You can choose a private or public taxi ride or the hotel can also arrange your transfers.
The Setting
Located on a tranquil stretch of sand and sitting on Bophut Bay, Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort offers guests inimitable luxury comforts coupled with world renowned Thai hospitality.
Right from the start, you will feel the Thai heritage that embraces the resort through a dramatic entrance built over the water. As you reach the entrance of the hotel, the doorman, following local traditions, will hit the massive gong to announce and celebrate your arrival.
The lobby is set in the main building of the hotel that opens to the rest of the resort built around lush tropical gardens and water ponds. Rooms and suites are located at each side and run along the gardens taking you up to the resort pool and beach with beautiful unobstructed views of the sea.
Check-in procedures are smooth and performed by an efficient staff either at the lobby or in the beautiful Anantara library, one of the brand’s signature worldwide.
The Rooms
Within minutes of arrival, we already found ourselves settled in our beautiful room prepared by our hosts and with a personalised honeymoon decorative touch.
The Anantara Bophut features an elegant collection of 107 Resort rooms where you will experience contemporary Thai style and a host of modern comforts.
You will have the choice from three charming room types and an impressive five suite categories, including 2 beachfront pool suites with interior spaces filled with natural light.
Our Junior Garden View Suite, with 44 sqm of living space, was the perfect blend of generous space, exceptional design and superior amenities from the bedroom to the bathroom. Making the most of its ground floor position, our suite featured a terrace with direct access to the resort’s beautifully landscaped indigenous gardens. Stepping onto our terrace, we enjoyed admiring the tropical gardens with a cup of coffee or cold drinks at any time of the day.
The bathroom also featured elegant Thai accents matched by a contemporary sense of style, such as ‘his and her’ basins and closets: the best way to a pacific wake up!
Modern equipment in the room include Nespresso machine and tea making facilities, electronic safe, satellite flat screen LCD TV and DVD player or ipod docking station.
Little bonus: our room was equipped with a Samsung smartphone pre-installed with a concierge application that allowed us to chat directly with the hotel staff, order a taxi or browse the list of activities to do at the resort or on the island, among other useful features.
Leisure Equipment & Facilities
Some like to take it easy. Others like their holiday with a jolt of adrenalin rush. Whatever your preference, you’ll find enough Anantara Bophut activities to fill your day with as much (or as little) of both.
We must admit that our favourite activity during our stay was simply to lounge by the spectacular beachfront 30 metre infinity-edge pool or on the hotel beach a few steps down the pool.
More adventurous minds will sign up for one of the numerous activities proposed by the resorts such as sunset cruises, yoga sessions, extensive water sports options, muay thai classes or bike tours.
A tennis court as well as a cardio and free weight gym are also part
of the resort facilities. Cultural activities include Thai cooking classes with one of the chefs of the hotel, with whom you will have the chance to visit a local market and pick fresh herbs from the resort’s own garden, or fruit carving classes.
In the evening, we recommend enjoying the atmosphere of an evening stroll through the “Fisherman’s Village”, populated with street vendors and local shops, just next door to the Anantara Bophut.
Anantara Spa
You cannot think of Anantara without associating it with the internationally renowned spas of the brand. The Anantara Koh Samui spa seamlessly integrates lush tropical greenery and soothing water gardens, creating a harmonious environment for signature spa treatments and Ayurvedic healing rituals. A real feast for the eyes and all the other senses.
Set over 3,000 square metres of quiet, manicured natural surroundings, the spa hosts 6 glass-walled luxury treatment rooms with bamboo exterior walls.
We decided to go for the Anantara signature massage, a blend of oils, combined with purpose-designed movements to stimulate circulation and promote deep relaxation, while restoring the flow of energy, or prana, along the meridian lines.
The treatment starts with a shower followed by floral foot ritual, the massage and then ends with refreshment.
Other packages like the 200 minutes “Journey of Siam” or the 165 minutes “Dawn Renewal” are also part of the signature treatments proposed by the spa.
Dining Options
The Anantara Bophut features no less than 8 dining options within the resort, during your stay.
Below is our selection:
High Tide
High Tide serves a selection of authentic Thai and international classics and a delicious breakfast buffet with open kitchen to start your day. High Tide offers dining in a stylish indoor setting, on the garden veranda or beach side for delightful themed nights. We took our daily breakfasts at High Tide and enjoyed a variety of international, Asian and Thai dishes with a fresh juice bar!
Full Moon
Experience contemporary Koh Samuian style chargrill fusion cuisine on an elegant al fresco deck overlooking the resort’s shoreline pool by the sea. At Full Moon, you can savour a signature a la carte international menu that features the finest local and imported ingredients from freshly caught seafood to tender melt-in-the mouth meats, all grilled to perfection.
Dining by Design
This experience was definitely the highlight of our stay at Anantara Bophut. Imagine torches flickering in the moonlight next to a table set for two on the beach, your private butler and private chef. A beautiful set-up for a memorable honeymoon diner under the stars…
The dining by design concept, a signature Anantara experience, will allow you to choose among many romantic locations all over the resort (in the gardens, the sala, at the spa or a setting on the beach) for a private dinner designed by you. The choice of food is yours too with a range of Thai, International or Asian Twist menus to choose from.
A romantic dinner in a unique set-up for two that will remain a wonderful experience and memory of our stay at the Anantara Bophut Koh Samui…
Final Verdict
When visiting an Anantara resort, you know you can expect a luxury stay in a Thai authentic atmosphere. Yet, our expectations got surpassed with our stay at the Anantara Bophut. The hotel staff provided us with very personalised service and a 24hrs attention with little surprises that make the difference, every single day of our stay. We cannot thank them enough for making this experience a truly memorable one. Whether you visit on a romantic escape, honeymoon package or even family trip, the Anantara Bophut has facilities, options and packages to make everyone satisfied.
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