4th July Getaway: Conrad 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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We arrived at the Conrad about ten in the morning after an hour or so drive from Chaweng beach by Mr Samui. We were welcomed at the Conrad with cold drinks and towels but it did take longer than usual to complete check-in since the room wasn't ready which was not unexpected since we were trying to check-in early.

Once the room was ready, we were driven to our assigned villa of 312 by two of the front desk agents in a buggy. The two of them then explained the many features of the room and our Diamond Hilton Honors amenities which includes free breakfast, discount and bonus points to the spa and a couple of free drinks vouchers.

We were definitely WOWed by the room.  The room was larger than our apartment in Austin with the bathroom larger than our bedroom back home! The highlight of the room was definitely the view from the balcony and the private pool that was large enough to even do some laps. The only slight disappointment was the crappy coffee machine that came with the room - no Nespresso machine here.

The beach at the Conrad was rather tiny and pretty disappointing to be honest - ain't no Maldives here. There were a couple of loungers by the beach but we decided to spend the time by the main pool itself. The pool was really quiet with only a couple of people joining us at the pool. I guess most people end up spending most of the time in the privacy of their villa.

The resort has several excursions and activities planned daily. There's a complimentary boat ride to a private/deserted beach that we didn't have time for. We did wake up for the sun rise yoga which was a good work out. We also attended a short massage lesson that ended up with us in an unplanned two hour massage treatment after they offered us some pretty good discounts. The treatment was still really expensive by Thai standards but it was one of the most memorable massage for both of us. Where else can you wake up after a massage enjoying the view of the Andaman sea.

We were disappointed that the highly acclaimed on-site modern Thai Jauhn restaurant was closed the day we visited. We decided instead to go with some thing easy and had a late lunch/early dinner by the pool before finishing with a Johnny Walker tasting.

Breakfast the next morning was top-notch. Even though the buffet selection was limited for Asian standards, the quality of the food made up for it. There were several on-order egg dishes and I loved the Thai eggs Benedict. More importantly, the specialty coffees like the ice lattes were really good.

Overall, we were happy to tick the Conrad Koh Samui of the must visit list and wish we had a day or two more at the resort. Anything more than 3 nights would be too much for us. We were definitely awed by the room itself but we would not be a rush to return especially considering the cost of the room in cash or Hilton Honors points after the devaluation. Anywhere in the Maldives still seems a better option for us.