Ban Sabai Resort Samui

After acting on so many excellent recommendations from other members here it brings me pleasure to finally add a recommendation on my own to this forum.

I'll start out by making it clear: the Ban Sabai resort is not for everyone. Located on the far south western side of Samui at the fishing village of Taling Ngam, it is a world away from the bright lights and convenience of Chaweng or Lamai. If you crave the abundance of restaurants and nightlife on your doorstep that the big towns offer, then you won't get it here. But if you're wanting to "get away from it all" in an island paradise, it's right up your street.

The stretch of coastline boasts a handful of impressive (and no doubt expensive) beach resorts, but the real boon for Ban Sabai resort at least is its small size: at less than twenty rooms and villas, I'd estimate, it's an intimate and friendly affair. My own first impressions were sadly not great; I had ordered a hotel pickup from the airport, and the driver failed to turn up - at all. On my arrival by independent taxi I was given an apology by the Assistant Manager, who explained that they had booked an outside driver for the pickup. I felt that given the exclusivity of the resort, it would've been a nice token gesture to offer me something small by means of making up for the error, even something beneficial for them such as a discount on a spa treatment or something, but nothing was forthcoming, although I did not raise the idea myself (I'm not really one to complain face-to-face unless I have been really aggrieved).

Compounding the frustration of the failed pickup was the weather; I had to recheck my facts that I had not turned up in rainy season, so intense was the downpour that accompanied my journey and arrival. A welcome drink didn't really take the edge off my slightly gloomy mood, but in contrast the warm smiles of the staff were well-received and my room was a pleasant sight too: a bed long enough for my 6'2" frame, and wide enough for five people to sleep abreast (and before you ask, no, I didn't seek out four others to accompany me!). Most welcome was a large jacuzzi bath, a high shower with one of those dinner plate-sized rain showerheads, standard toilet, two sinks, CRT television/DVD player and minimal but tasteful wooden decor. Outside, there was a covered balcony with two wooden lounge chairs, with a limited sea view (could just see a few bits of blue between the trees). The lighting was appropriately moody, and the room was complemented with the odd fresh flower here and there. Someone clearly had an eye for the little details, and I very much appreciated it.

I sat on the balcony to watch night fall; billed as a "Sunset Room", the idea is that you can, er, watch the sun set. As it was still cloudy, I was denied the opportunity (a restaurant owner I spoke to said he had not seen a sunset in a month, and the local fisherman hadn't seen weather like it in an age), but I did appreciate the tasteful lighting placed in the palm trees bordering the beach. The resort was laid out with plentiful foliage so that your balcony had excellent privacy. Although I could see people going up and down the stairs to my right, ahead was just awash with roofs of villas, spiky trees and flowering plants. I had paid just a smidgen more for a deluxe Sunset Room, although I couldn't put my finger on why it was deluxe; it was either because it was a corner room, so was only neighbouring a single balcony (I barely heard my neighbours at all), or because it was in the wing away from the restaurant. The balconies of the rooms above the restaurant would've got the noise of chatting and the music bleeding up to them, although I'm sure within the room would've been fine. The other guests seemed to be of a similar mindset to me - wanting a quiet retreat - and I didn't hear any loud partying or shouting in all my time there.

I decided to take dinner in the restaurant. The prices were understandably high (see the pics of the menu below), but were warranted given the quality of the food. The green curry was sumptuous: not particularly spicy, but wonderfully creamy and rich with beautifully subtle flavours. (I think this was down to a little misunderstanding: I was asked how spicy I wanted it, and replied "not too spicy", which I think was interpreted as "not spicy". Later in the week I had the green curry again, asking for "medium spicy", and the beautiful creaminess of the curry was completely enveloped by the added chilli). The pork salad with lemon dressing was also refreshing, and I supplemented it with red Thai rice which I had not tried before; it was a little bit dry, and I wasn't too keen on the taste, but made a nice change from the standard jasmine rice. One thing you won't want to do too much is drink: the 180 Baht for a large Singha brought tears to my eyes - whilst I'm more than willing to pay for quality, I'm still a stingy budget traveller when it comes to paying way over the odds for standard things you can acquire much cheaper elsewhere.

The reception staff had observed me going into dinner, and on my return the room had been cleaned and scented with a lovely orange aroma, the bed turned down and selective lighting turned on. I hadn't expected this, and so it was a nice surprise (I made a mental note not to leave my boxers strewn across the floor again!).

The next day I rose early and was impressed by the breakfast spread, which I had pretty much all to myself. The Manager/Proprietor is a German-speaking fellow (not sure if he's from Germany, Austria or Switzerland), so cold meats and plastic cheeses were present, but there was plenty of choice including fresh fruit juices, fresh salad, yoghurt, cereal, croissants, fresh bread (including German-style black bread), and toast with jams and syrup. There was a beaming chef on hand to cook you up a Thai-style omelette as well as American-style bacon, those extra-large baked beans you get in South East Asia and usually a rice or potato-based selection. The chef also occasionally offered fresh waffles and pancakes. It was all tended to by the copious staff with good observance and replenished quickly when something ran out. Whilst not five-star in quality, it was wonderfully presented and always a pleasure to head down to breakfast and fill up for the day, so much so that I occasionally didn't require lunch (bang goes the diet!).

I immediately solved the beer issue the next day by hiring a mountain bike from the staff (free) and taking off to explore the neighbourhood. Next door to the resort in a northerly direction and within five minutes' walking distance was a standard tourist beach restaurant called I-Talay Nasai Garden, with a large Singha priced down at a more respectable 110 Baht. I carried on cycling north, past the entrance for the Raja ferry and encountered a couple of other restaurants and a scattering of guesthouses, bungalows and resorts. After 35 minutes of cycling north I hit Lipe(noi) beach and turned inland to the first real signs of life: a busy crossing with a few local shops, and the Holy Grail of a Seven Eleven. I filled up my bag with large Singhas (58 Baht each - three of these were still cheaper than one in the resort restaurant), and a few other drinks and snacks and turned back south for the resort. It was a beautifully sunny day and the roads were fine for cycling; a couple of flooded potholes the width of the road but generally good enough for a mountain bike.

I hit the beach - the resort has a stretch of beach unfrequented by touts/sellers, with free bottled drinking water supplied. The free wifi extends to the beach, I noted, but I was barely online at all in my five days here - I usually work through my holidays, but this time I took some well-needed time off! Sun loungers are on offer, with umbrellas, as is free bottled drinking water, and free towels can be obtained from the pool, as usual. The pool was new, clean, well-maintained and looked like the pictures on the website. There was a pool bar also, but both were usually empty; people instead congregated on the beach. Cocktails at the bar were priced at around 180 Baht but were hit-and-miss (bad mojito, reasonable caipirinha). There is a buoyed-off area for swimming, free of rocks/coral (it looked to me as if outside the buoys there was some dark stuff in the water). The water is clean, the beach is not that big but again, clean and fairly white sand. A massage stall presumably unassociated with the resort (which has its own spa) was offering Thai massage in a shaded outdoor tent for 400 Baht (it didn't state for how long).

As an alternative to the pricey Ban Sabai restaurant, I visited the place I had seen next door (less than 5 mins walk left out of the main entrance), where the food was cheaper (baseline: Pad Thai 70 Baht) but of decidedly average quality (poor Tom Yum Goong), and the cocktails there were shocking. It's an alternative, and the staff are lovely, but don't rely on it for a quality meal; as a drinking hole, however, it's perfectly fine, with some nice tables right by the beach.

If you have don't your own transport, or are unwilling to splash out for a taxi, then foody options are limited when staying at Ban Sabai. Apart from the in-house restaurant and the I-Talay Nasai Garden restaurant mentioned above, there is a restaurant about 15mins walk that will pick you up for free, but that place deserves its own review, so I will save that for later. It's one of the drawbacks of the location that needs to be considered when deciding to stay here. I was fine with it, particularly as I had the freedom to cycle somewhere along the coast for lunch, but others without any form of transport might find it a limitation.

As a backpacker/budget traveller, I have very little experience of fine resorts like Ban Sabai. I have stayed at Aleenta in Hua Hin, which set the bar high (and you pay for it - luckily my girlfriend at the time knew someone who worked for them and so she obtained a hefty discount). Ban Sabai is not quite the luxury experience that Aleenta is, but it's certainly approaching it, and is superior in terms of service I feel.

In terms of guests, the resort is squarely aimed at couples, but it's not their exclusive domain; I noted single travellers, groups of friends and families with young children there too. The guests were predominantly German-speaking, but I heard Aussie accents, Korean, Japanese and more during my stay. One thing they all have in common is they keep themselves to themselves; there is no communal area, no mixing and everyone seems to come here with the firm notion that it's a private, quiet getaway for a few days.

By far and away the strong point of Ban Sabai is its staff. Someone has worked wonders to train the staff - encouraging them to bring out their natural Thai warmness - and everywhere you go you are met with hellos or sawadee kraps/kas coupled with what felt like predominantly genuine smiles, which you can't help but return. The service is impeccable - as an example, as I left the resort in the minivan to go back to the airport, no less than three staff members waited in line by the entrance for the van to start up, turn around and then all three waved me off with beaming smiles. Little details like that - clearly trained rather than spontaneous, but no less appreciated for it - show how much thought has gone into running this resort to maximise the enjoyment for the visitors. Full credit to the proprietor for his exquisite attention to detail.

PRICE RANGE: Luxury - over 5000 Baht per night (check Agoda and other hotel websites for the best deals)
AGODA LINK: Ban Sabai Sunset Beach Resort & Spa Samui Thailand - Best discount hotel rates
VERDICT: I'll be back.

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Owner, travelforum.org
My latest travels: Shikoku Pilgrimage

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Owner, travelforum.org
My latest travels: Shikoku Pilgrimage

An excellent, comprehensive report Steve. The restaurant prices are definitely at "prisoner" levels. They are well and truly way over the odds for everyday standard Thai cuisine.

And 180 baht for a large bottle of "Beer Sing" is price gouging.

However, from your description and the attached photos, the place does appear to exude a calm and relaxing ambience. Maybe that's where I should be right now as I'm stressed out - again!!