Vana Belle Koh Samui Review: A Peaceful Escape with the Best Swimmable Beach on the Island

Location

Beautiful Swimmable Beach

Overall Experience

Guest rooms are spread across several buildings, and there are no elevators. Some suites are located on upper floors that require climbing a few flights of stairs, so if you have mobility concerns, you may want to email the resort in advance to inquire about suitable rooms.

As Marriott Gold members, we were upgraded from a Jungle Suite to a Premium Ocean Suite. Our suite at Vana Belle was spacious and while the furniture was slightly dated, its style had aged better than at the Intercontinental. We found the “direct ocean view” from the suite somewhat limited. The terrace featured a private plunge pool but we hardly used it, preferring to spend most of our time on Vana Belle’s beautiful beach instead.

The room has a semi-open floor plan with part of the bathroom area open and connected to the sleeping area. As shown in the photo below, the double vanity and freestanding bathtub are positioned without a full wall or door separating them from the bedroom. Some guests may prefer a more traditionally enclosed bathroom for added separation and privacy.

Service was friendly, attentive, and genuine. We were unhappy with the bed mattress as it was old, squeaky, and springy, with a connected coil design that meant every movement from one person disturbed the other. As a result, I couldn’t sleep much the first night. When we explained the issue, the staff quickly offered a solution which was to turn the room from a king bed to two separate beds, each with its own mattress. This arrangement wasn’t perfect but allowed us both to sleep more comfortably for the rest of our stay. Still, for a property of this category, I expect mattresses that meet modern five-star standards.

Vana Belle offers a handful of complimentary daily activities for guests. We joined a few, including a cooking demonstration, a morning yoga session, and a stretching class. While they were pleasant enough, they felt more like scheduled fillers or activities provided because the resort needed to have “something”.

The yoga and stretching sessions took place outdoor on a wooden deck shaded by mature tropical trees. The mix of rock formations, greenery, and dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy made it feel quite tranquil, suitable for wellness activities.

The cooking demonstration was definitely very underwhelming. It was a simple 10-minute pork stir-fry with little interaction from the chef. One might say they did not put a lot of thoughts and efforts into this activity.

The resort can also help arrange private cars and sightseeing tours around the island. Besides using their airport transfer service, we didn’t book any tours through them as it was quick and easy to get a Grab car whenever we wanted to head out. I think it is still a useful option for those who prefer a more organized itinerary.

Where Vana Belle fell short the most for us was in its dining options. The breakfast buffet was underwhelming with limited variety. The food sounded nicer than it tasted. The coffee was watery, the noodle soup overly salty, the sticky rice hard, and the potato salad undercooked – just a few examples of dishes that missed the mark. Lunch and dinner at the restaurants ranged from not good to just passable.

Final Thoughts