GajaPuri Resort Koh Chang

This hotel is extremely peaceful and yet so close to some great restaurants and other services such as tours, laundry and shopping. Coffee and shake stores are steps away from the gate. The site is mainly boardwalk with some ponds and a grassy area for sun loungers. The pools are lovely; the family side has a jacuzzi pool too. The adult only infinity pool is beautiful with views out to the islands. The breakfast is very personal and of high quality with homemade provisions. All staff are helpful but discreet. We rate the ambience if you’re a peace lover. The beds were wide and comfortable and the fan and air conditioning were efficient. The room is large with loungers on the decking if you need them. There is a QR code to scan to request things from reception which we didn’t use. However, we would have appreciated tea and coffee supplies in the room; house coffee packets are available in the reception but with no obvious means of how to use these we were perplexed. We enjoyed the sign about the Calabas tree and its fruit; the hotel could signpost guests to more trees and flowers on site. There are several welcome drink was lovely and we enjoyed its origin story. The provision of water in the room is plentiful; glass bottles were used. There was no hair conditioner. The hairdryers are fixed to the wall and dated. The cleaning staff were thorough and excellent; bed linen is changed every 4 days. There are several libraries for book exchanges on the site; the bar and decking for lunch is a pleasant area. The hotel doesn’t offer massage services; we presume this is because of the salons on the street. However, beach site, outdoor massages provide a different experience to indoor busy salons. This was disappointing. We didn’t eat dinner here; there is a rooftop sunset drinks area but the hotel is having to compete with a busy town with lots on offer. They offer special nights on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday. These are not well marketed. We would stay again and are rebooking but we would advise combining this stay with another hotel on a better beach to get a true island experience. The beach is non existent and the edge of the property drops away unevenly into the water. At certain times you can walk to the guest houses north. Very few guests swam in the sea; the hotel warned of sea urchins. It would be helpful to have wooden steps for easier access.