Garrya Tongsai Bay Samui 

My husband and I spent four nights at Garrya Tongsai Bay after starting our Thailand holiday in Bangkok. We were welcomed with private transportation at the Koh Samui airport, complete with water and cold towels. The check-in process was relaxing and took place on a terrace overlooking the ocean. We stayed in a seaview hillside pool suite. While not as large as some of the villas, it was extremely spacious and included a private pool with two lounge chairs. All the accommodations seem lovingly maintained and were clearly well-built to begin with. We’ve stayed in Four Seasons properties as well as The Standard Hua Hin (right after it was built) and this was our favorite. The resort isn’t super large, so the employees and our fellow guests quickly started to look familiar. We loved the friendly, intimate atmosphere, but if you want to blend in on a larger resort or prize anonymity, this one isn’t for you. We also liked how eco-friendly it was, things like delivering meal leftovers in real dishes rather than wasteful disposable packaging and daily educational nature walks stood out to us. The service and dining punch well above their weight and are a large part of why we enjoyed our stay so much. Fish Tales offers nightly dinner, pool bar food service, and lunch. EVOL has healthier options, including multiple items for vegans. Rhoy Rhoy is a slightly more formal dinner option and is the site of the bountiful breakfast buffet each morning. The cocktail list available by the pool or via room service is excellent. We drank our way through most of it and nothing was a disappointment. I also want to give a special shout out to the lovely woman making fresh juices at breakfast each day. She is a real gem and we enjoyed seeing her! Overall as we prepare to leave, we feel sad to go but grateful for our memorable and relaxing stay. Next time we’re in Koh Samui we will strongly consider returning. There are many outstanding resorts on the island, but this one blends service, approachable luxury, and care for the environment in a really lovely way. Thank you to the entire team!