Samui Tonrak Residence Review

Samui Tonrak is a small guest house comprising of 12 rooms on two floors (the ground level contains reception, housekeeping and parking). The guest house offers a choice of twin or double rooms with either a mountain or sea view, complete with air-conditioning and an en-suite bathroom. Samui Tonrak is located roadside, just opposite Bangrak beach, a short walking distance from the ‘Big Buddha’ piers (Big Buddha and Petcharat).

Although the sign outside Samui Tonrak claims that the reception is open 24 hours, we found it closed at night and between 3pm and 5pm most days during our stay. While the Samui Tonrak website claims that the on-site bar offers a selection of food, we saw no evidence of this and the in-room menus were from a neighbouring restaurant.

There are plenty of local dining options, from German, Indian, Italian, Thai and French to countless fusion restaurants. Classic western-style breakfasts with fresh coffee and tea can be found in many of the nearby cafés.

As per advice from Trip Advisor, we requested a mountain view room, as the sea view rooms were located at the front of the property. These cost less than the sea-view rooms and were quieter and further from the roadside.

We stayed in an air-conditioned double room with an en-suite on the third floor. This was furnished with two single beds pushed together, a large wardrobe with clothes hangers, lockable drawers and side cupboard, a bedside table with three drawers, satellite television, a TV-stand with even more storage and a round wooden table with two upholstered chairs.

The en-suite wet room contained a sink with under storage, a wire rack for toiletries, a fixed mirror, a European toilet with fitted spray hose and a step down shower (slightly heated). The room also included a tiny private balcony for smoking.

Getting to Samui Tonrak Residence

The guest house is just 5 minute’s walk from the Petcharat Marina and Big Buddha Piers (both used to get to and from the Full Moon Party every month). Samui Tonrak offers a free collection service from both of these.

Taxis are readily available all over the island, just ensure you agree a fixed price as there is no meter system in Koh Samui (despite advertising indicating otherwise).

Scooters can be hired for between 130 and 200 baht per day, including helmets. This can be a cheap way to get around Samui. Caution is always advised when riding a scooter or bike in Thailand.

Positives

• • After an exhausting day travelling, it was a nice gesture to be offered a glass of cold water upon our arrival and check-in, very thoughtful.
  • Wi-Fi internet signal was very good indeed, with routers located at the top of the stairs on both floors.
  • Having noticed a kettle in a picture of the guest house, I made an enquiry at reception. Upon our return from an excursion, the kettle, two mugs and spoons were waiting.
  • Storage options in the room were the best we had encountered in Thailand, with plenty of clothes hangers, lockable drawers and even a bedside table with three drawers (the top one again, lockable).

• Before our departure, we needed to print a few items in preparation for our onward journey to Vietnam. The guest house did not charge for printing 4 A4 sheets.
• Reception were quoted 600 Baht for a Taxi to Lipa Noi pier. This seemed a little high, so another request was made, and they were able to arrange a lift privately for 100 baht less.

Negatives

• • Our double bed was two singles pushed together. This is something I detest no matter where I stay. I paid for and requested a double room, not two beds pushed together. Doesn’t everyone hate falling into the gap?
  • The lock on the patio style door entrance was in either a bad state of repair or poorly fitted. However all the rooms seemed to suffer from the same issue and we did not encounter any security problems during our weeks stay.

• The lights and air-conditioning in the room only functioned when the plastic room key was inserted into its slot. This is usual, however the state of both the key and its slot meant that constant re-adjustment was needed.
• The electricity went down three times during our stay. Twice, just for a few hours, however on the Saturday this was a planned power outage, lasting 8 hours. We had not been informed and thus food in the fridge had to be eaten or was spoilt, access to the internet was non existent and air conditioning was of course unavailable. My only issue was not being forewarned, when it seemed to be common knowledge (the owner at our favourite restaurant, Shambala, dropped it into conversation and was surprised when we said we didn’t know).
• There was an ant issue during our weeks stay at Samui Tonrak. We kept our rubbish bin on the outside smoking terrace and changed it daily (ourselves). I also borrowed the broom each day, to sweep away any enticing crumbs, however this made no difference. No matter what we did, the ants just kept coming. This wasn’t a big issue for us, but still, not what was expected or wanted.

We enjoyed our stay at Samui Tonrak. Our room was large in comparison to other resorts we had stayed in for a similar price and the air-conditioning system worked very well. A great little restaurant, Shambala, is located a few minutes’ walk from the guest house and we ate there numerous times during our seven days in Samui, finding the food and service far better than other more expensive establishments. The best bits were: plenty of secure in-room storage, great internet access and the use of a kettle 🙂

Click here for the video unboxing of our room at Samui Tonrak.

Rates and availability for Samui Tonrak Residence.

Date of stay: 24th February – 3rd March 2013
Room type: Mountain-view double room with air-conditioning
Cost per night (Thai Baht): 600 not including breakfast, high season rate

Cash payment was required upon arrival and check-in.
Paypal, Visa, Mastercard and American Express advertised as accepted on their website.
AsiaRooms advertise as pay on departure.

Address and Contact Details
Samui Tonrak Residence
21/70 Moo. 4,
Bangrak Beach
Bophut,
Koh Samui,
Suratthani
84320

+(66) 81 367 3676, (66) 86 276 8780

www.samuitonrakresidence.com