4th July Getaway: KC Beach Club Koh Samui

• Introduction
• Getting to EWR
• Newark to Singapore
• Singapore to Koh Samui
• KC Beach Club Koh Samui
• Conrad Koh Samui
• Koh Samui to Penang
• Penang to Macau (via Hong Kong)
• Conrad Macau
• Macau to Taipei
• Taipei to Austin

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Thanks to recommendations from the Conrad Koh Samui flyertalk thread, we had made transfer arrangements with "Mr Samui" for our entire stay in Koh Samui. This included the ride from the airport to KC Beach Club, KC Beach Club to the Conrad and Conrad to the airport. Taxi prices are overpriced Koh Samui thanks to the taxi mafia so would recommend everyone else to do the same.

Mr Samui had no problems finding the KC Beach Club even though the hotel just recently opened and was somewhat tucked in a corner making it hard to find from the main street. It would not surprise me if we would have gotten lost in a mafia taxi.

Porters were on hand to help us with our luggage and we were welcomed with some welcome drinks before the check-in formalities. Unfortunately our room was only going to be available in a couple of hours so we headed out for a Thai lunch/snack at a nearby restaurant. We were hot, sweaty and tired by the time we got back and thankfully the room was now ready.

The room itself was clean and modern which was not surprising since the hotel was relatively new. The only complain I have is that there seems to be more style than substance and quality. For example, they squeezed a jacuzzi into the bathroom making the bathroom somewhat tight. The furnishings also seem on the cheap side and I wonder how long it will last through wear and tear.

The main reason on why we decided to stay at the KC Beach Club was its location in the main tourist area of Chaweng beach and its poolside parties. The parties by the pool wasn't all too wild (no college spring break here) and it was fun for us to sit by the pool, enjoying the sun, sipping a drink/cocktail while people watching and listening to some house music. There is also a second pool closer to the rooms if you prefer something quieter but I would not recommend KC Beach and Chaweng if you want a "get away from everyone" vacation.

The beach at Chaweng wasn't spectacular although I did enjoy going for a dip and run early in the morning when the crowd was not out. We weren't also that impressed with Koh Samui in general. Prices of food, drinks and massages seemed higher if compared to Bangkok or Phuket and I could understand if Koh Samui was much more spectacular.

Overall, we were generally happy with our stay at KC Beach Club. It was nothing truly memorable but it was value for money and was somewhat enjoyable.