After a grueling flight, on December 26, we still got into the airport on Koh Samui and got our luggage pretty quickly. We were met by a smiling Taika with a driver on a comfortable air-conditioned bus and after 15 minutes we were at the hotel) At the reception, smiling sweetly and bowing, we were met by the hotel staff, they gave us the key to the bungalow and took us on an electric car along with luggage.
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After a grueling flight, on December 26, we still got into the airport on Koh Samui and got our luggage pretty quickly. We were met by a smiling Taika with a driver on a comfortable air-conditioned bus and after 15 minutes we were at the hotel) At the reception, smiling sweetly and bowing, we were met by the hotel staff, they gave us the key to the bungalow and took us on an electric car along with luggage. Entering the bungalow, we breathed a sigh of relief. . . it was evening and didn't want to swear at all and explain that everything looked different on the picture on the Internet) everything is exactly as it is offered on the Internet! We took an extra single bed and a children's bed, which stood on either side of the four-poster double bed. Even in our case, the room was quite spacious, the children had a place to play) From the interior in the room: a table on which there was a vase with fruits presented to us in honor of the arrival and a kettle. A soft sofa, bedside tables near the bed and a TV (rather old) on the cabinet, inside which there was a mini-fridge with a paid bar. The bathroom was also quite spacious. there is a bath, there is a shower. On the street, in the dressing room there is also a summer shower (very convenient in the heat after sunbathing, rinse). on the balcony is standard, 2 armchairs and a table. To my untrained eye, everything is just wonderful! But Olesya Vladimirovna, my husband's sister, was in several hotels in Egypt and, in her opinion, the furniture is too old, but this did not overshadow our vacation! We unpacked things, swam, went out to the balcony, heard the sound of the sea... and could not resist the temptation to wet our feet before going to bed! The sea turned out to be unusually warm, the children were happy and ran along the beach) Hungry, we decided to eat at a local restaurant. Gave 1500 baht, were dissatisfied - tasteless. Maybe it looked like that from the road?
The next day in the morning we went for breakfast, a buffet, the choice is so-so, a lot of fruits, 4 kinds of pastries (every day the same). The dishes are almost the same for 3 weeks, a lot of unrealistically spicy dishes, a week later they ate only yogurt with cereal, the last week they didn’t go at all. But this is not for everyone) The sea was worried and stormy almost until Christmas, it was dirty, but almost without stones. and it remained just as warm) The last 10 days, on the contrary, the sea was absolutely calm, transparent, simply divine... The children liked the pool more, firstly, all the children swam there and the son had someone to play with, secondly, my son really liked the bar on the water and he constantly drank all sorts of milkshakes, fresh juices, etc. there.
There were always enough sun loungers, towels too. Ice cream, coconut juice, sweet pineapples, fried corn are constantly sold on the shore. They make henna tattoos, sell clothes, blankets, but absolutely not intrusive! A 7-minute walk along the beach to the right is a scooter rental, half an hour 1200 baht. On site only kayaks, 100 baht - hour. Olesya took a single, swam to an uninhabited island opposite our coast, in shallow water (somewhere in the middle between the islands) examined corals, shells.
The weather was just wonderful! For the entire time of rest, tropical rain was five times (passed in an hour), 2 days were completely rainy and on December 31 in the evening it was heavy rain with wind. But there is no way at all without rain, especially since we are from Kamchatka, such heat should at least sometimes be replaced by a slight coolness)))
New Year's Eve dinner was included in the price of the tour, only drinks were paid. The variety of dishes is simply amazing! in comparison with breakfast - heaven and earth! were satisfied))) the hotel in honor of the holiday was beautifully decorated, everything burned and sparkled. our bungalow had a gorgeous view of the sea and the pool, my daughter loved to look at all these light bulbs and neon lights in the evening in the dark.
I'll add a fly in the ointment. . . Room cleaning! Very bad (((Towels were given less and less every time, water had to be left 4 bottles daily, more often left 3, linen was changed in stages, every three days. They swept poorly, but did not forget to pick up the tip) They usually left 20 baht, twice left 50, but this did not affect the quality. 3 times in all the time they did NOT clean the room AT ALL, it was especially unpleasant to celebrate the New Year in a dirty room, we were not cleaned on December 31. And this happened due to the fact that they came on time daytime sleep, when the baby was sleeping, we asked to come later, but no one returned... Arriving in the room in the evening, we no longer wanted to swear and just endured this disgrace))) in general, it was our own fault.
There was no babysitter at the hotel. The nanny was all the same cleaners, after a working day. We had one incident, we were going to a trance show and asked for a nanny for 2 o'clock in the evening. We got together, smartened up, the nanny came, while we were running around the room, collecting the contents of our purses, and the nanny was looking after her daughters, the baby fell out of bed and hit hard! She cried hard and for a long time, the mood was spoiled and we refused her services, staying at home. The other shift turned out to be quicker, the son said that everything was fine and in the future they left the children only for her.
To Chaweng down town by tuk-tuk about 10 minutes away (50 baht per person), taxis are always on duty near the hotel, we went to Tesco Lotus (400 baht) and Big C (300 baht). in cafes and bars, the average check for dinner (for two ladies) was 800 baht. Very tasty food and at our prices - for a penny!
Internet at the reception is free, hourly cards were bought in the room.
On January 16, our luggage was taken to the minibus, the hotel staff said goodbye to us and we rushed to the airport. . .
In general, despite the shortcomings, I really liked the rest in this hotel and I would return there, but there were much more pluses than minuses. the staff is very friendly, always ready to help, suggest something. And the island itself left an indelible impression !! ! I really want to go back there again!
The next day in the morning we went for breakfast, a buffet, the choice is so-so, a lot of fruits, 4 kinds of pastries (every day the same). The dishes are almost the same for 3 weeks, a lot of unrealistically spicy dishes, a week later they ate only yogurt with cereal, the last week they didn’t go at all. But this is not for everyone) The sea was worried and stormy almost until Christmas, it was dirty, but almost without stones. and it remained just as warm) The last 10 days, on the contrary, the sea was absolutely calm, transparent, simply divine... The children liked the pool more, firstly, all the children swam there and the son had someone to play with, secondly, my son really liked the bar on the water and he constantly drank all sorts of milkshakes, fresh juices, etc. there.
There were always enough sun loungers, towels too. Ice cream, coconut juice, sweet pineapples, fried corn are constantly sold on the shore. They make henna tattoos, sell clothes, blankets, but absolutely not intrusive! A 7-minute walk along the beach to the right is a scooter rental, half an hour 1200 baht. On site only kayaks, 100 baht - hour. Olesya took a single, swam to an uninhabited island opposite our coast, in shallow water (somewhere in the middle between the islands) examined corals, shells.
The weather was just wonderful! For the entire time of rest, tropical rain was five times (passed in an hour), 2 days were completely rainy and on December 31 in the evening it was heavy rain with wind. But there is no way at all without rain, especially since we are from Kamchatka, such heat should at least sometimes be replaced by a slight coolness)))
New Year's Eve dinner was included in the price of the tour, only drinks were paid. The variety of dishes is simply amazing! in comparison with breakfast - heaven and earth! were satisfied))) the hotel in honor of the holiday was beautifully decorated, everything burned and sparkled. our bungalow had a gorgeous view of the sea and the pool, my daughter loved to look at all these light bulbs and neon lights in the evening in the dark.
I'll add a fly in the ointment. . . Room cleaning! Very bad (((Towels were given less and less every time, water had to be left 4 bottles daily, more often left 3, linen was changed in stages, every three days. They swept poorly, but did not forget to pick up the tip) They usually left 20 baht, twice left 50, but this did not affect the quality. 3 times in all the time they did NOT clean the room AT ALL, it was especially unpleasant to celebrate the New Year in a dirty room, we were not cleaned on December 31. And this happened due to the fact that they came on time daytime sleep, when the baby was sleeping, we asked to come later, but no one returned... Arriving in the room in the evening, we no longer wanted to swear and just endured this disgrace))) in general, it was our own fault.
There was no babysitter at the hotel. The nanny was all the same cleaners, after a working day. We had one incident, we were going to a trance show and asked for a nanny for 2 o'clock in the evening. We got together, smartened up, the nanny came, while we were running around the room, collecting the contents of our purses, and the nanny was looking after her daughters, the baby fell out of bed and hit hard! She cried hard and for a long time, the mood was spoiled and we refused her services, staying at home. The other shift turned out to be quicker, the son said that everything was fine and in the future they left the children only for her.
To Chaweng down town by tuk-tuk about 10 minutes away (50 baht per person), taxis are always on duty near the hotel, we went to Tesco Lotus (400 baht) and Big C (300 baht). in cafes and bars, the average check for dinner (for two ladies) was 800 baht. Very tasty food and at our prices - for a penny!
Internet at the reception is free, hourly cards were bought in the room.
On January 16, our luggage was taken to the minibus, the hotel staff said goodbye to us and we rushed to the airport. . .
In general, despite the shortcomings, I really liked the rest in this hotel and I would return there, but there were much more pluses than minuses. the staff is very friendly, always ready to help, suggest something. And the island itself left an indelible impression !! ! I really want to go back there again!
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We rested in the "Nora" at the end of April-beginning of May 2010. We chose on the recommendation of a travel agency in which our friends work. There are probably cons in any hotel, if you purposefully look for them, but we just rested and, frankly, we did not find them. Therefore, I will describe what is there, and everyone will decide for himself whether the rest in this hotel suits him.
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We rested in the "Nora" at the end of April-beginning of May 2010. We chose on the recommendation of a travel agency in which our friends work.
There are probably cons in any hotel, if you purposefully look for them, but we just rested and, frankly, we did not find them. Therefore, I will describe what is there, and everyone will decide for himself whether the rest in this hotel suits him.
1. The hotel is a 5-minute drive from the airport and a 20-minute walk or 5-10 minutes drive to the central street of Chaweng, where there are cafes, restaurants and other entertainment. There are hotels that are located right in the center of Chaweng, but it is noisy there, there are few beaches for swimming + smells of food from the main street. "Nora" is just the right distance from the city to enjoy a relaxing holiday in the midst of greenery and if you want entertainment or just eat in different restaurants, then close to the main street.
2. The hotel consists of a small administrative building with budget rooms and bungalows that descend directly to the beach. We lived in Nora Villa. This is a house on stilts, with a terrace overlooking the garden and fish pond, behind the garden you can see the Gulf of Thailand. Very picturesque, feeling as if you are in the middle of wild nature. Various exotic plants and trees with fruits grow, rather large butterflies fly.
3. The bungalow has 2 showers (outside and inside), a bathtub, one large room, one bathroom with a toilet and a terrace. There is air conditioning, hairdryer, mini-bar, satellite TV, DVD, telephone, safe. In the closet they found several sealed sets of slippers, two bathrobes, a lot of different towels, everything except bathrobes and slippers was changed every day. The room is also cleaned every day, if you leave a tip, then you can also decorate the room with orchids. Checked. Once I was too lazy to go somewhere, so they called from the reception until the very evening that they say the person who should clean up could not do it, since we are there and they do not let him go home because of this. I had to explain for a long time that everything is fine and today you can not clean it.
4. Mostly Germans lived in the hotel, a few Italians and Englishmen. Of the Russian speakers, there were us and another couple. The hotel is small, so in the restaurant and near the pool you meet the same people. Rest mostly families, few children. Everyone rests, no one bothers anyone.
5. Everyone swims mostly in the pool. The pool itself is clean, there is a bar right in the pool. Sun loungers and towels free of charge. They were always free, no one takes anything in advance. You want to lie by the pool, you want right on the shore by the water. The beach is cleaned every morning, the tides are very strong, so every morning there is algae. The depth is shallow, so that it was with your head, you need to swim about 50 meters, the bottom is sandy, there are few fish, there are corals, but they are mostly dead.
6. The territory of the hotel is all in greenery, there is a small waterfall, on the bank of a palm tree with coconuts.
7. Entertainment. They took a kayak for a small fee and swam to a nearby small uninhabited island. You can see it right from the shore. There are jet skis for rent near the hotel. In the evening, two locals play the guitar, it's very beautiful. Every day in the evening some kind of program, such as dinner on the beach or cooking some local dishes. Since they mostly spent the evening in the city, they did not take part in them. Near the reception there is also free internet on 4 computers. If you need WIFI, then for an additional fee you can connect from your laptop or phone.
8. Food. We took the tour with breakfast only. The rest of the time we went to eat in the city, where there is a large selection of different restaurants. The food is good at the hotel, there was not much variety, but the food is not as boring as in Egypt, for example, there is always a large selection of fruits, the tables are always beautifully set, if you need something, the staff immediately brings it. You eat on a large terrace, under palm trees, right next to the water. The view is excellent.
9. Service at the hotel is excellent. Everyone greets and smiles. Once we greeted one Thai before he was with us, so he apologized for not having time first. Maybe they are so accepted, in general, they were amazed by this. If you need something they will always listen and help. There were problems with the bill from the minibar, they wrote down an extra couple of cans of beer that we did not take, after we said that there was an error, they apologized, corrected and did not take the money. Please don't abuse it : )
10. Prices in a hotel, as in any other, are about 2-3 times higher than outside of it. Therefore, massages, SPA, products, fruits, etc. it is better to order and buy outside the hotel if there is no extra money. : )
THE SHOPS.
It is not very common for Thais to bargain, so do not count on big discounts. As practice has shown, in the store you can buy the same souvenirs or food cheaper. And their English is bad, it's hard to explain something. Buddha statues are sold everywhere, but I do not advise you to buy, otherwise they can be taken away at the airport, as it is prohibited for export. Fruit is better to take at the market, they are cheap and the choice is large. Almost everything costs 1-2 bucks per kilo. For joy, I advise you not to collect everything in a row and a lot, as we did, since many fruits become boring quickly, and you won’t eat a lot of some. In the end, in a week we already ate only pineapples, Malay apples and grapes. Everything else, only in the form of fresh.
MONEY
It is better to change a little, and take, just in case, dollar bills of the last years of issue. It was 100 dollars. 90s, so they didn’t take it, they said that it was old.
EXCURSIONS
There are few of them on Koh Samui. Basically, these are day trips to the islands or half a day inland, where you can ride elephants, buy in waterfalls, and even drive in an open jeep to look at nature. There are few attractions on the island, mainly nature and Buddhist temples. There is a small zoo in the interior of the island where you can feed monkeys, parrots, ostriches, deer and swim in the pool at the top of the island. The feeling is indescribable. Be careful with monkeys. Very cunning. For example, one of them, tugging at my pocket while I was distracted and looking at the pocket, pulled off a bag of deer food. In the same way, glasses and other things that she doesn’t need at all are easily taken from you, but if she takes it, then it’s almost impossible to take it away. Be careful with parrots too. One huge cockatoo jumped onto his shoulder and sat there. To celebrate, we took pictures with him, and then he did not want to get off. The result - they barely took off, but managed to grab a finger, as he grabbed what he saw while filming.
You can talk endlessly, I think everything will be clear from the photos. Holidays on Koh Samui are worth it. Even if the hotel is expensive for you, I advise you to take a cheaper one, but visit Koh Samui anyway. Have a good rest!
There are probably cons in any hotel, if you purposefully look for them, but we just rested and, frankly, we did not find them. Therefore, I will describe what is there, and everyone will decide for himself whether the rest in this hotel suits him.
1. The hotel is a 5-minute drive from the airport and a 20-minute walk or 5-10 minutes drive to the central street of Chaweng, where there are cafes, restaurants and other entertainment. There are hotels that are located right in the center of Chaweng, but it is noisy there, there are few beaches for swimming + smells of food from the main street. "Nora" is just the right distance from the city to enjoy a relaxing holiday in the midst of greenery and if you want entertainment or just eat in different restaurants, then close to the main street.
2. The hotel consists of a small administrative building with budget rooms and bungalows that descend directly to the beach. We lived in Nora Villa. This is a house on stilts, with a terrace overlooking the garden and fish pond, behind the garden you can see the Gulf of Thailand. Very picturesque, feeling as if you are in the middle of wild nature. Various exotic plants and trees with fruits grow, rather large butterflies fly.
3. The bungalow has 2 showers (outside and inside), a bathtub, one large room, one bathroom with a toilet and a terrace. There is air conditioning, hairdryer, mini-bar, satellite TV, DVD, telephone, safe. In the closet they found several sealed sets of slippers, two bathrobes, a lot of different towels, everything except bathrobes and slippers was changed every day. The room is also cleaned every day, if you leave a tip, then you can also decorate the room with orchids. Checked. Once I was too lazy to go somewhere, so they called from the reception until the very evening that they say the person who should clean up could not do it, since we are there and they do not let him go home because of this. I had to explain for a long time that everything is fine and today you can not clean it.
4. Mostly Germans lived in the hotel, a few Italians and Englishmen. Of the Russian speakers, there were us and another couple. The hotel is small, so in the restaurant and near the pool you meet the same people. Rest mostly families, few children. Everyone rests, no one bothers anyone.
5. Everyone swims mostly in the pool. The pool itself is clean, there is a bar right in the pool. Sun loungers and towels free of charge. They were always free, no one takes anything in advance. You want to lie by the pool, you want right on the shore by the water. The beach is cleaned every morning, the tides are very strong, so every morning there is algae. The depth is shallow, so that it was with your head, you need to swim about 50 meters, the bottom is sandy, there are few fish, there are corals, but they are mostly dead.
6. The territory of the hotel is all in greenery, there is a small waterfall, on the bank of a palm tree with coconuts.
7. Entertainment. They took a kayak for a small fee and swam to a nearby small uninhabited island. You can see it right from the shore. There are jet skis for rent near the hotel. In the evening, two locals play the guitar, it's very beautiful. Every day in the evening some kind of program, such as dinner on the beach or cooking some local dishes. Since they mostly spent the evening in the city, they did not take part in them. Near the reception there is also free internet on 4 computers. If you need WIFI, then for an additional fee you can connect from your laptop or phone.
8. Food. We took the tour with breakfast only. The rest of the time we went to eat in the city, where there is a large selection of different restaurants. The food is good at the hotel, there was not much variety, but the food is not as boring as in Egypt, for example, there is always a large selection of fruits, the tables are always beautifully set, if you need something, the staff immediately brings it. You eat on a large terrace, under palm trees, right next to the water. The view is excellent.
9. Service at the hotel is excellent. Everyone greets and smiles. Once we greeted one Thai before he was with us, so he apologized for not having time first. Maybe they are so accepted, in general, they were amazed by this. If you need something they will always listen and help. There were problems with the bill from the minibar, they wrote down an extra couple of cans of beer that we did not take, after we said that there was an error, they apologized, corrected and did not take the money. Please don't abuse it : )
10. Prices in a hotel, as in any other, are about 2-3 times higher than outside of it. Therefore, massages, SPA, products, fruits, etc. it is better to order and buy outside the hotel if there is no extra money. : )
THE SHOPS.
It is not very common for Thais to bargain, so do not count on big discounts. As practice has shown, in the store you can buy the same souvenirs or food cheaper. And their English is bad, it's hard to explain something. Buddha statues are sold everywhere, but I do not advise you to buy, otherwise they can be taken away at the airport, as it is prohibited for export. Fruit is better to take at the market, they are cheap and the choice is large. Almost everything costs 1-2 bucks per kilo. For joy, I advise you not to collect everything in a row and a lot, as we did, since many fruits become boring quickly, and you won’t eat a lot of some. In the end, in a week we already ate only pineapples, Malay apples and grapes. Everything else, only in the form of fresh.
MONEY
It is better to change a little, and take, just in case, dollar bills of the last years of issue. It was 100 dollars. 90s, so they didn’t take it, they said that it was old.
EXCURSIONS
There are few of them on Koh Samui. Basically, these are day trips to the islands or half a day inland, where you can ride elephants, buy in waterfalls, and even drive in an open jeep to look at nature. There are few attractions on the island, mainly nature and Buddhist temples. There is a small zoo in the interior of the island where you can feed monkeys, parrots, ostriches, deer and swim in the pool at the top of the island. The feeling is indescribable. Be careful with monkeys. Very cunning. For example, one of them, tugging at my pocket while I was distracted and looking at the pocket, pulled off a bag of deer food. In the same way, glasses and other things that she doesn’t need at all are easily taken from you, but if she takes it, then it’s almost impossible to take it away. Be careful with parrots too. One huge cockatoo jumped onto his shoulder and sat there. To celebrate, we took pictures with him, and then he did not want to get off. The result - they barely took off, but managed to grab a finger, as he grabbed what he saw while filming.
You can talk endlessly, I think everything will be clear from the photos. Holidays on Koh Samui are worth it. Even if the hotel is expensive for you, I advise you to take a cheaper one, but visit Koh Samui anyway. Have a good rest!
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