Located approximately 20 kilometers south of the airport, the resort is designed in the style of an intimate Thai village with 45 guest rooms and 33 villas. It is enveloped in fragrant tropical gardens and set on a hill that gently slopes to a private, sandy beach on the secluded picturesque Laem Nan Peninsula of Lamai Bay, on the south-east coast of Koh Samui.

Lamai fishing village is only a ten minute drive from the resort, while the hip and busy shopping and nightlife centre of Chaweng is only fifteen minutes away.

The high-ceilinged lobby is reminiscent of Chiang Mai’s Four Seasons Resort and Chiang Rai’s Anantara—tall columns, Thai detailing, and in this case, a peaked ceiling covered with woven rattan. This remarkable ceiling material is used throughout, I found out why.

When Marriott International assumed management of the Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa, part of the renovation was the installation of a state of the art sprinkler and smoke detection system resort-wide that required all the ceilings to be redone. Such systems are almost unheard of in most Thai resorts, and gives one a real sense of security. At the Renaissance, security doesn’t stop there—security personnel are on duty 24/7, and are trained in using fire extinguishers, and in basic first aid.

We were warmly welcomed by Khun Nattakarn, the wonderful Reservation & Sales Manager. (Khun is the polite Thai salutation meaning Mr., Ms., or Mrs.) The High Commissioner was escorted to Villa 118, and we walked along leafy paths, into a compound of four gated villas, and graciously bowed through the gate of Villa 122.

Palms towered overhead and terracotta-colored walls enclosed a vast terrace (over 1000 square feet/100 square meters) that dwarfed the villa’s private Jacuzzi/plunge pool. Through the botanical specimens, Lamai Bay filled the horizon. Umbrella’d sun beds and a dining area completed the scene.

The High Commissioner's Villa

The Villa itself is an L-shaped, Thai-styled, modern home. The rattan woven ceiling soars, as in all Ayuttaya-styled houses, and the overly large main room is divided into a stylish bedroom and elegant living room. The detailing is careful, the fabrics clever, and the bed hangings a blithe spirit on their own.

The High Commissioner’s Villa

My Villa

Another view of my Villa (the bathroom 'L' is on the right)

My Villa's living room

My bedroom

The expected TV, CD player, Minibar fridge, and high-speed LAN connection are all there and working. (There’s also WI-FI in the lobby, pool bars, and restaurants.)

In the smaller part of the ‘L,’ are closets, basins, toilet, and a gleaming, blue tiled, 2 meter by 2 meter (at least!), swimmable-inable, sunken bathing pool with a rain-head shower. If I could have figured out how to turn the light and fan on in the loo, all would have been perfect. I build houses as a hobby, but I was stumped and called the front desk for help.

Soon a uniformed electrician with ladder arrived and disappeared into the bathroom. I got on the Internet. Soon he ‘wai’-ed his goodbye, but I was glued to JoeSentMe.com. An hour later, evensong had morphed to night; I went into the loo… the light still wouldn’t work! I called again.

As the second maintenance man arrived, he flipped a switch just inside the front door, et voila! ceiling down-lights, fans, outside up-lights, and all the designer lights in the bathroom leapt to life! Now why didn’t anyone tell me about the master switch and why wasn’t it labeled?

And just so you don’t think this whole story is a paid advertisement, there were other glitches—I call it the consistency of the inconsistencies.
• While my bed was turned down (as promised in the brochure) and glasses etc. cleared away, my companions in another villa didn’t get the same service. No turn down, dirty glasses all night long.
• My Minibar’s Scotch was never replaced.
• Also, even though the High Commissioner had locked all the doors, the next morning the maid came into the bath and he was starkers!
• Finally, trying to avoid a trip to the airport to meet a friend, we asked if the resort was expecting anyone on the 9:30 pm flight from Bangkok. “No, sorry,” was the reply. We hired a taxi, but when we got to the airport, a man holding a Renaissance Resort sign with a guest’s name on it was waiting for the flight.

But let me say right away, that these were the only glitches, and taken in context, almost not worth mentioning. But hotel managers want me to identify any weaknesses. You see, most people don’t complain…they just don’t come back. When you consider the cost of advertising and promotion just to get people to come in the front door, management will do almost anything to get people to complain or at least comment—thus the little questionnaires in each room’s desk. Next time, fill it out, and if ANYTHING was wrong, say so. Your observations will always be genuinely appreciated.

Communications and training is a challenge in every country in the world; in Thailand, famous for the naturally gracious hospitality of its people, believe it or not, it is an even bigger challenge. Learning English is almost insurmountable, and often when asked a question or asked for a service, a Thai person will giggle and say yes to avoid explaining that she didn’t understand. And of course, it is easier to renovate a property than educate a previous management’s staff to the Marriott ‘Spirit to Serve.’ But I was very impressed with the caring professionalism of all the management that is more than up to the task of honing the staff.