Avatara Resort, Rayong

Overall the stay as OK. I’ve been to Koh Samet many times, and Love long weekends there. My husband and I thought to try a new hotel since our regular choices were booked. The bad: The room we were initially put in had a very strong smell of mold. Initially we thought to just accept it but ended up being too strong to handle. I assume it’s from the aircon as the room didn’t seem like it had water damage. We had to ask to be moved, and re-pack our stuff and deal with that inconvenience. It’s really annoying when a hotel puts you in their bad room. They certainly know it’s bad and should fix the problem and not play the game of “will they complain?” The good: The second room we were put in did not smell and was decent overall. The bathroom had a nice design and the shower was good.

LOVED our stay! I had stayed in cheap bungalows on Koh Samet 20 years ago, so was extremely surprised by the prices of all accommodations on the island now! However, we splurged and spent a little more than we might normally (around 3,000 baht/night for triple-family room) and were completely satisfied with our entire Avatara experience! The breakfast buffet was superb! The concierge and front desk staff were wonderful. Our room was beautiful - very clean and new. Many TV channels available. Hot shower with good water pressure! The hotel rooms are back up the hill a bit, behind the main entrance, but the restaurant right out front (across a small street/alley) is right on the beach. The beach was gorgeous. The sand is white. The beach (cove) was fairly quiet, especially compared to the beach right next door. Overall, exquisite.

Clean room, good water pressure, bring ur pillow unless u like rock hard pillows. Hotel is at best part of island. No room service, good shower and toilet, hotel still under construction. Will possibly stay again.

A lovely hotel conveniently placed just outside the madness of Sai Keaw. Staff really friendly. Room immaculate. Great food. Fantastic beach. Only downside it's a little expensive for food and drink. Would definitely stay again.

We experienced a hiccup with our booking the first night, but it was handled extremely well by the front-desk manager. The hotel was great, with breakfast right at the beach. The breakfast had different dishes daily, and truly was fantastic. The rooms were clean (we came across some bugs, but the room was sprayed for us), the staff was friendly, and the island couldn't be more picture perfect.