Koh Samet Getting Worse ?

[steven100]

Well it seems that most comments on the forum agree with my original remarks about Koh Samet ..

a) rooms over priced

b)rooms are not maintained

c) facilities generally gone down hill

d) service is terrible

e) food is very much below expectation

I can only reinterate my experiences on going to Koh Samet many times.

If you disagree ... please name one thing there that has improved ??

The defence rests your honour !!

Cheers

[neverburi]

http://www.jepbungalow.com/5/

Always stay here, cheap clean and functional rooms, great position by the beach and amazing evening meals on the beach....brilliant!

2 many sand flies and mozzis for mine

NB

[chrgrims]

What are the better places than ko samet, with similar driving distance from bkk? i would love to go to ko chang, but its another 3h drive, right?

chr

[glegolo]

Hi all , I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who has an opinion on Koh Samet ..

Just got back from Koh Samet , there were a group of us that stayed two nights there.

I just want to make mention regarding how the standard of service has depreciated over the past as well as room maintenance and the place in general.

Where we stayed , the lady was only interested in her money !! that's all... we paid the cash ..(bht6,500)..went to the room and as usual , the shower head sprayed more water on the door & walls than on me , the electrical sockets were broken, not one towel rail in the room or the bathroom so I don't know where they expect you to hang a towel out. ( except outside there was two broken wooden racks).

The small round concrete BBQ cooker we had out the front was as old as me and no ash tray.

Anyway , the list goes on ...

They just do not care about spending one cent on upkeep & replacement ...

Also, I noticed at the bars and when ordering food the service & food left a lot to be desired.

The prices are getting up around western & european prices but the infrustructure & service is getting worse. I think a change is eminant next time.

Cheers

steven100

----------------------------------------

Steven.. in my personal opinion you do not seem to be a big spender your self!! So why should the rentlady be one.. it is not fair really.

For 500 baht, what do you expect, a bargain??? No.. you get shit on koh Samet.

Next time, give yourself a chance of a great stay, save some money before you go, and book a room for, let say 1.500-2.000 baht with a A/C, And relax, the beach is great and the water is beutiful.

Good luck

Glegolo

[khunjake]

4k-6k THB/night ???

that would get you 5-star accommodation in Bali guys..

[steven100]

Hi all , I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who has an opinion on Koh Samet ..

Just got back from Koh Samet , there were a group of us that stayed two nights there.

I just want to make mention regarding how the standard of service has depreciated over the past as well as room maintenance and the place in general.

Where we stayed , the lady was only interested in her money !! that's all... we paid the cash ..(bht6,500)..went to the room and as usual , the shower head sprayed more water on the door & walls than on me , the electrical sockets were broken, not one towel rail in the room or the bathroom so I don't know where they expect you to hang a towel out. ( except outside there was two broken wooden racks).

The small round concrete BBQ cooker we had out the front was as old as me and no ash tray.

Anyway , the list goes on ...

They just do not care about spending one cent on upkeep & replacement ...

Also, I noticed at the bars and when ordering food the service & food left a lot to be desired.

The prices are getting up around western & european prices but the infrustructure & service is getting worse. I think a change is eminant next time.

Cheers

steven100

----------------------------------------

Steven.. in my personal opinion you do not seem to be a big spender your self!! So why should the rentlady be one.. it is not fair really.

For 500 baht, what do you expect, a bargain??? No.. you get shit on koh Samet.

Next time, give yourself a chance of a great stay, save some money before you go, and book a room for, let say 1.500-2.000 baht with a A/C, And relax, the beach is great and the water is beutiful.

Good luck

Glegolo

Glegolo.. sorry i don't get the meaning of your post.

The room cost 6500 Baht as i indicated .. how did you get 500 Baht ?

Also , as for not a big spender ...maybe i'm not but i did spend around 20000 Baht that weekend.

As i mentioned & as posted by others ..Koh Samet is depreciating so far as facilities, upkeep, service, food etc... pls name anything that has improved !!

Cheers

[glegolo]

Hi all , I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who has an opinion on Koh Samet ..

Just got back from Koh Samet , there were a group of us that stayed two nights there.

I just want to make mention regarding how the standard of service has depreciated over the past as well as room maintenance and the place in general.

Where we stayed , the lady was only interested in her money !! that's all... we paid the cash ..(bht6,500)..went to the room and as usual , the shower head sprayed more water on the door & walls than on me , the electrical sockets were broken, not one towel rail in the room or the bathroom so I don't know where they expect you to hang a towel out. ( except outside there was two broken wooden racks).

The small round concrete BBQ cooker we had out the front was as old as me and no ash tray.

Anyway , the list goes on ...

They just do not care about spending one cent on upkeep & replacement ...

Also, I noticed at the bars and when ordering food the service & food left a lot to be desired.

The prices are getting up around western & european prices but the infrustructure & service is getting worse. I think a change is eminant next time.

Cheers

steven100

----------------------------------------

Steven.. in my personal opinion you do not seem to be a big spender your self!! So why should the rentlady be one.. it is not fair really.

For 500 baht, what do you expect, a bargain??? No.. you get shit on koh Samet.

Next time, give yourself a chance of a great stay, save some money before you go, and book a room for, let say 1.500-2.000 baht with a A/C, And relax, the beach is great and the water is beutiful.

Good luck

Glegolo

Glegolo.. sorry i don't get the meaning of your post.

The room cost 6500 Baht as i indicated .. how did you get 500 Baht ?

Also , as for not a big spender ...maybe i'm not but i did spend around 20000 Baht that weekend.

As i mentioned & as posted by others ..Koh Samet is depreciating so far as facilities, upkeep, service, food etc... pls name anything that has improved !!

Cheers

--------------------------

Firstly.. sorry indeed for my post, did miss completely the 6.... you have my apology. I can agree that Koh Samet is something in between heaven or hel_l. Sometime you get a room that is great for 1.000 baht and obsioulsy some other time you get nothing for 6.500 baht. We have to be carefull when we book. But I like koh Samet anyhow..

Best Regards

Glegolo

[mca]

I'll admit I haven't been to Samet for about 10 years but at that time the thing that spoilt it for me was it was teeming with stray dogs. At night the bloody noise when they all started howling...

[FarangForce5]

In all my years living in Thailand Koh Samed is one of the few popular destinations that I haven't visited. After reading this thread I can say it will probably remain this way for a long time to come... sad.

[jcon]

steven100,

did you post where you stayed on Samet? (sorry if I missed it)

I've always stayed on the Ao Prao side - a bit more quiet and then you can just ride into town if you want to party and come back to the quiet when you want... There are just a few resorts on that side of the island but I always stay the same one (I can PM you the name if you'd like). This is from their website (#2 and #3 lol):

"Prohibition (It's not allowed bring to resort)

1. Don't bring any types of alcohol to resort.

2. Don't bring guitar to resort.

3. Don't bring a dog to resort.

4. Don't bring any fresh food to resort."

At some times of the year some really weird shit washes up on the beach which is freaky but TIT. As for the island itself, yes unfortunately I'd agree that it has gone downhill over the past 7-8 years in which I've been going - sad. Its seems to be the case everywhere in Thailand.... I truthfully cannot recall any place in Thailand that is better now than it was when I first went there.... (well Kao Yai I've always enjoyed).

[steven100]

steven100,

did you post where you stayed on Samet? (sorry if I missed it)

I've always stayed on the Ao Prao side - a bit more quiet and then you can just ride into town if you want to party and come back to the quiet when you want... There are just a few resorts on that side of the island but I always stay the same one (I can PM you the name if you'd like). This is from their website (#2 and #3 lol):

"Prohibition (It's not allowed bring to resort)

1. Don't bring any types of alcohol to resort.

2. Don't bring guitar to resort.

3. Don't bring a dog to resort.

4. Don't bring any fresh food to resort."

At some times of the year some really weird shit washes up on the beach which is freaky but TIT. As for the island itself, yes unfortunately I'd agree that it has gone downhill over the past 7-8 years in which I've been going - sad. Its seems to be the case everywhere in Thailand.... I truthfully cannot recall any place in Thailand that is better now than it was when I first went there.... (well Kao Yai I've always enjoyed).

hi jcon ,

The place we stayed was the Sea Horse resort on Von Duen beach ... Did you stay at Lima coco I think it's called ?

It's a bit of a shame ... Koh Samet could be a world class island if it had have been managed correctly , I have been there many times but I think this trip will be my last. They even charge 10 baht to get you from the boat to the beach ( about 200m ) It's not the 10 baht ...it's just the principal.

As someone mentioned in an earlier post ... the rooms are smelly .... broken down ... old facilities ... poor service ... crap food .... bla bla ...& the list goes on.

I know the Ao Prao side is much better & at least resembles a resort area !!

cheers

[gpdjohn]

Well it seems that most comments on the forum agree with my original remarks about Koh Samet ..

a) rooms over priced

rooms are not maintained

c) facilities generally gone down hill

d) service is terrible

e) food is very much below expectation

I can only reinterate my experiences on going to Koh Samet many times.

If you disagree ... please name one thing there that has improved ??

The defence rests your honour !!

Cheers

Well,

The wife and I stayed there the first weekend in August of this year. Went with a friend and his wife and two visitors from Germany. I had never stayed there before.

Took a speedboat from Ban Phe to the beach in front of the Le Blanc hotel where we stayed. No Natl park entry fee upon arrival. I cannot remember the name of the beach, but it was very nice. White sand, etc..

The Le Blanc was nice. 2k a night for a bugalow close to the water. Beautiful interior. Large bathroom ( with a shower..an actual shower...I guess I have been living in the jungle for too long as I'm used to a large plastic container filled with water and a bowl to scoop it out with, but it is warm water upon demand..hehe) and the room was as clean as a whistle. The bed was very nice and soft ( I use a teak bedframe with a 1 inch cushion..that shit is gettin' old ) and didn't see anything worn out or in disrepair.

Arrived on a Friday and then on Saturday all the folk from Bangers arrived. Still a quiet nice atmosphere, no hoards of backpacker types, a few but not many..but nice.

Never saw any Bg types, but did see a mini karoke bar in the little town. ( close to the jail..)

Service at the hotel was good, great at the bar next door and somewhat alright at some of the night life venues down the beach.( I did have a Tom waiter (? ) stand on my foot when I was telling her/him( ?) what beverage I desired to consume. )

Food, well the Thai dishes I sampled were basically the same any where in the realm and the ผริง food was nothing to shake a stick at and of course costs allot more...

My purpose was to get away from the depths of the heart of darkness here in the jungle and enjoy some beach time combined with some alcohol abuse, sleep in a soft bed with pillows and have a real shower.

Mission accomplished and I'm looking forward to my return.

( I liked it much more than Ko Chang, which to me has gone downhill in the last few years...)

[jackr]

Went three or four years ago and doubtful I'll ever return. What a shit state of affairs on such as beautiful island. Sure there are cheaper digs to be found, but in general the whole place is a rip off from the moment tourists are charged a fee to enter. Would be better all round if they shipped everybody out and treated it with the national park status it's been given... but of course, money rules here

Be nice if Burma were to ever open up... all that gorgeous Andaman coast and islands and the subsequent massive loss of tourist revenue to greedy Thais.