Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas

We stayed there for three nights with our two kids.The hotel is lovely,great location,beautiful beach,great swimming pool,the hotel room is large,the beds were soft,we had awsome breakfasts,fruits in the room,seaview....wow,that was great! will go back there in our next trip to Samui.very recommended to families,but not really suitable for couples who are looking for romantic vacations.

Just back from two weeks in Samui .The first week we spent here and the second at Bandara Resort & Spa .We were very happy with this hotel which was part of a package deal.It should be higher in its Trip Advisor rating as I have seen some of the leading resorts and they do not measure up.( small pools ,crowded beach area ) .When I go on holiday I am looking for choice so I go to a big resort. Big pool area so if the sea chops up you have options .Good beach frontage on a quieter part of the beach. Plenty of eating options .Central Samui had all of these. Chech in quick and easy,Big room with Super King Bed.Two loungers on good size Balcony overlooking tropical garden and pool area.Room has Safe,insect repellant,TV ,Mini Bar,2 Bottles of water each Day. Pool area has swim up bar,Shaded areas,voly ball ,Seperate todlers pool all up 4 interconnecting pools.Spa pool .Plenty of sun loungers on beach and around pool all with a side table and unborella. The beach halkers were good not annoying you can always get a fresh pineapple or icecream it was great.Beach massage everywhere only $10 and 3 within 2 minutes walk along the beach. Breackfast was the best overlooking the sea each morning.Love the banana jam .Egg station made fresh omalets to order this kept us going all day .We were very lucky as we had 1 hour of rain in two weeks. Shops located at front door of hotel so plenty to do .The Resort has three restaurants all good.Zicoes Brazilian BBQ across the road.Big is good. Plenty to do in Samui if you can drag yourself away from the resort. 4 1/2 Stars

My hubby and I (early 30's) stayed at this hotel for 10 days last year and are counting the days until we can go back again. Koh Samui is gorgeous, much more chilled out than Phukhet. The hotel is in a great spot, very peaceful and right on the beach, a mixe of families and couples. The pool area is also very nice with a couple of regular activities such as water aerobics and volleyball if you can prise yourself off the sun loungers. For the true exercise addicts there is a small airconditioned gym. We had no trouble finding a sun lounger each day, although the ones in prime position overlooking the beach do go early. We ate at a couple of the hotel restaurants, the evening seafood bbq at the Spice Island was top notch and Zico's the Brazilian restaurant across the road is good for a change if you have overdosed on green curry. Plenty of other restaurants within a short stroll. The rooms were large and have private balconies, fresh fruit platters in your room every day. We can't praise the staff highly enough, we experienced great service throughout the trip.

Stayed 1 week here and 1 week at Muang Samui at northern end of Chaweng. Beach outside Central is part of the best stretch in Chaweng - shallow, flat water and very mild temperature - good for cooling off and swimming. Beach at the northern end is terrible - just unusable - too shallow and unpleasant sand underfoot. So, if your preference is beach over pool, stay at Central Samui or Poppies (although Poppies much more expesive than Central). Plenty of good restaurants nearby. Generally eat excellent western food for 500-700bht for a main i.e AUD20-30. Thai mains obviously much cheaper. Plenty of low budget eating around also. Shopping is good around Central, with plenty of local stalls (DVDs, CDs, T Shirts, jeans, etc). Overall shopping and range of restaurants are better at northern end and it's only 20-40bht per person on a tuk tuk. Central's room was very comfortable. We were in 215. The room faced the sea but the view was mainly geenery with a bit of the sea in the background. Very pleasant and the balcony was good size and comfortable. The bed was very hard but they have a range of pillows to best suit you. Housekeeping was excellent. Room looked a bit tired but we didn't have any problems and overall we were happy with the accommodation. I'd rate it 4 star. Breakfast was excellent. Plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas on beach, around pool and on grassed areas. Gets very, very hot but can stay in shade all day via umbrellas and tree cover. Tree shade increases during the afternoon. Massages on beach are worthwhile (300bht - AUD10). We're a couple, but this is seems a very good place for families - large resort in good location and best part of Chaweng beach. For aussie sport lovers, there's an Aussie bar in a lane nearby; sahowing AFL and league (obviously World Cup enjoyed the big screen but we could still watch AFL on a standard size TV).

This hotel remains one of our favourites In Thailand. It is well located for sunning and swimming at Chaweng beach and for exploring the island and the lively city. We have stayed here 3 times in the period 2003-2006 in deluxe rooms and suites without witnessing or experiencing any of the problems reported recently on this web site. The junior suite is spacious with a large terrace and worth the extra. It includes free use of the lounge where you can enjoy breakfast and appetizers during the day. The spa is high end, offers reasonably good and friendly service and is therefore expensive relative to massage on the beach or in the city. Pick-up at the airport, check-in and check-out have always been smooth and timely. Prior to our stay in June 2006 we were also contacted by the hotel to confirm our booking by paying two nights in advance. We were pleased the hotel confirmed our booking and automatically included the advance payment on check-out. For complete quiteness you should go somewhere else, e.g. Le Meridien at the south of the island or to Tangjung Rhu, Langkawi, Malaysia.

First off for the life of me I cannot understand how anybody who's stayed at this hotel can write a bad review, the hotel is fantastic, and as for the noise element, WHAT NOISE?? it's just down right ridiculous to say this is a noisy place to stay, they have water aerobics for about 15 minutes a day, where they play music that's it, so what if there's water sports in the sea, your right on the beach. The staff are brilliant at the hotel, everyone of them without fail will always stop to say hello. The pool area is huge, very clean and right on the beach which is also fantastic compared with hotels further north, where its more mud like. For me I would also say that from the beach the hotel is the most impressive looking of any of the hotels in Chaweng as I walked the length of it. The Southern end is much quieter, so a quick 5 minute taxi/tuk tuk will take you to main drag of bars and restaurants if you want it. I would recommend this hotel to anybody looking to stay in Koh Samui.

On arrival at the hotel all seemed very nice - until the reception staff told us that we didn't have a booking, notwithstanding the fact I had booked the holiday about nine months earlier. We were told that we could stay for only four nights (we had booked for seven) and by way of compensation they would move us to their sister hotel, Central Samui Village for the other three nights, free of charge with meals included. Their sister hotel was a nightmare. There were no bars or shops for miles and the staff spoke very little English - it was probably three star and we had booked at five star holiday. Our room seemed quite nice but not a patch on the hotel we had left behind in Bangkok. There was very little storage space and the room, especially the small wardrobe, smelled of damp. The food was very good although we ate out a lot. My complaint agains the hotel though was the supposed overbooking. When we had checked into their other hotel we found about fifty other people in exactly the same position. Someone told us that they had a large conference taking place at Central Samui Beach and we guess that they had paid more than us so we got the worse deal. Due to the above I would not stay there again.

I cannot praise this place enough! The scenery is pure paradise. The climate is scorching, so much so that, for about 4 hours of the day, sunbathing is almost impossible. The sea is crystal clear and very warm. The hotel is clean, tidy and well run. The restaurants within the hotel are of a good standard, although more expensive than in the town. The standard of overall service is, really, first class. A good swimming pool and very good gymnasium, for those feeling energetic. We did our open water diving course with Planet Scuba, who have a desk next to the swimming pool. The course is inexpensive and very well run and I would highly recommend it. We did 12 dives in different locations and it was really breathtaking and a lot of fun. Say hello to Vincent, if you do any diving. The town itself is very lively and everything and anything is for sale. The number of places to eat and drink are in the thousands, and the cost varies from inexpensive to very cheap. The quality of the food is also varied but on the whole, good. What really sets this place apart, though, is the people. They are polite, courteous, professional and very friendly. They are the nicest people that I have ever met and I felt humbled to be among them. I have already booked for next year!

Less than three weeks before my arrival date, I received an email from the hotel stating that "as we are running fully booked on that period" I must authorise that a two-night non-refundable deposit be charged to my credit card within 48 hours, otherwise "your booking will be automatically released" -- quite a change from the cancellation terms stated on their website when I made the booking months ago. As it turned out, this email rather set the tone for this hotel, which is basically a mass-market-tourist property and not remotely in the five-star luxury class that it claims to be. A plaque in the lobby revealed that the hotel opened ten years and two weeks ago. A quick glance around my "Junior Suite" revealed that obviously no renovation had been done in the intervening time. The suite was actually quite spacious, and would in fact meet my definition of a real (vs. junior) suite -- three separate rooms (bedroom, living room and bathroom) -- in contrast to the widespread practice of pretending that a junior suite -- only two rooms -- is more than that. However the furnishings were clearly the ten-year-old originals, the bathroom was museum quality, and thr A/C was quite noisy. I also glanced into a nearby regular room that was being cleaned and noted that it was really small and similarly out-of-date. The check-in process was among the slowest I have ever experienced, made worse by the fact that the unairconditioned lobby was extremely hot. Check-out, on the other hand, was fast and accurate (i.e., they remembered the deposit). Although the hotel is located at what used to be the quiet far southern end of Chaweng Beach (the "Central" in the name refers to the owners, the Central Department Stores group, not to its location) it is a noisy place to stay. Expect water polo games and aerobics classes (with rock music) in the pools. Expect to be disturbed by the fleet of eight massive jet-skis which arrives promptly at 8:30 a.m. daily and makes a racket until around 5. Be prepared for the rock music blasting toward the beach from the for-rent speedboat anchored just off-shore. Maybe it's no longer logical to stay on Chaweng Beach if you're looking for peace and quiet.

We stayed at the Central Samui in June/July 2005 for 11 nights, having stayed for 3 in Bangkok on the way over. We had such a fantastic relaxing time after the mad sightseeing of the city. No complaints at all about the hotel room or grounds. Staff were very friendly and eager to please. The one mini-drama we did have was when water started dripping from the light fitting outside the bathroom. We reported it and someone was immediately sent over to fix it. The part of the beach we were on was by far and away the best along the whole of Chaweng beach - I walked the length both ways. The beach vendors do not hassle you as they have to stay some way back, unlike the more developed end to the left when you are on the beach. We did not eat at the hotel apart from breakfast as it was rather expensive, and we like to get out and about at night. One place to eat that really deserves a mention is Eat Sense. This Thai restaurant is right on the beach, with a beautiful setting and fantastic food at reaonable prices. Poppies is always mentioned as the place to go for a nice meal with a lovely setting - we did both and although we enjoyed Poppies it was the dearest meal we had and we preferred Eat Sense! Also, if you fancy the elephant trekking - do the Living Thailand tour, you do not have to see an elephant show after which exploits the animals.