Koh Samui Oct 2012 Part I - Hansar Samui Resort, Bophut

Hubby and I has been pinning for Koh Samui for a long time and finally we made it this October! Why Koh Samui again? Well, we love the "Tiger Balm" massage there (can't be found anywhere else e.g. Phuket) and our favourite Thai restaurant "SabiengLae" offering yummy thai food at reasonable prices. If air tickets weren't so ex (as compared to Phuket, Bali etc), we would have gone more frequently!

It has been more than a year since our last trip; for that trip, we brought dear son along and had to take turns for massages and cater to his needs all the time so it wasn't very relaxing or convenient. And the trip before the last, I was preggie and didn't get my favourite "Tiger Balm" massage. So this time, it was just us =D

Basically just a short 3D2N getaway, via Bangkok Airways on Friday night and return on Sunday afternoon. Our itinerary was pretty R&R.

Friday night - Check-in, Bophut Walking Street (every Friday night)

Saturday - Breakfast at resort, laze in room, rent a bike to go Sabieng Lae for lunch, Chaweng to walk around and massage, Bophut Fishingmen's Village to walk around, back to Chaweng for massage and supper

Sunday - Breakfast at resort, laze in room, check-out, massage at nearby spa, late lunch at airport

For the next few posts, basically I'll cover the resort we stayed in, the food we had, spa and briefly on Bophut.

For this trip, we I chose to stay at Bophut as we stayed at Chaweng the past 3 trips and thought of trying a new place. And I wanted to go to the Bophut Walking Street which is an open-air bazaar style every Friday from 5pm till 11pm. Staying at Bophut itself would be more convenient. After much research and reviews, decided on Hansar Samui Resort. Hansar Samui is just a stone's throw away from the walking street ;)

We booked a Sea View Room, other categories include Sea View XL and Beach Front. We reviewed the photos on the room types and reckoned that Sea View Room should suffice :)

This is the view of the room, taken at the balcony area, pretty sizeable and well-appointed with warm, woody colours.

Plasma TV. Wifi is provided free all around the resort. I guess a necessary service these days.

Complimentary fruits.

Complimentary coffee/tea making facilities, and a mini bar (chargeable) inside the cabinet. 4 complimentaty bottles of mineral water were provided daily.

The spacious shower area, but there's no door so water could be splashed out into the changing area. Oh, I love the tassel curtains, which gave a soft touch to the room.

The balcony area which I lounged around most of the time. I love the rocking armchair; if I have a balcony I would want something like this :)

The balcony overlooks the garden and pool.

As well as the sea, well, diagonal view. Hubby was a little disappointed as he thought that sea view room means facing the sea. But to me, this is good enough. Anyway, he spent most of his time indoors enjoying air-con. I was the one who prefer the balcony.

The reception area. Service standard was quite good, although our request for late check-out was rejected :(((( which was a big disappointment and lowered our overall experience at the resort.

The staff claimed that the room was booked for another guest checking in after us. We thought it was bulls***. The flight was at 4+pm, and the transfer would leave the resort at about 2pm. So far, all the resorts we stayed in allowed late check-out at 2pm.

Mini library at the lobby area.

Infinity pool. Heck, we didn't even swim because hubby was lazy!

The pool looks inviting right?

There's a tiny pool for kids to waddle around, water toys are even provided. Parents could lounge around at the cabana while watching over their kids.

The open bar area, which offers Happy Hour 3 times a day. Well, we don't drink though.

H Bistro, the only restaurant at the resort. Both levels are opened for breakfast. The upper deck is known as The Chill Lounge. We only had breakfast here and didn't manage to try lunch or dinner.

Alfresco dining which boasts lovely view of the sea. For our first breakfast there, we sat here briefly till someone from the next table started smoking and we were forced to shift.

As the indoor seating on the lower floor was full, we went to the upper deck, which was offered even better view.

The lounge sofas would be nice to chill out.

Very quiet stretch of beach here.

Dining under the Stars, reservation required.

The water is clean, but sand is not powdery, feels a little coarse.

There are several other resorts further left, like Anantara but we didn't have time to explore.

Overall, Bophut is considered a more laidback area and suitable for people who wants a more relaxing and quiet holiday.

Next up, Bophut and the walking street. To be continued.