Background and Location
During my trip to Koh Samui (because I had to get my White Lotus experience in somehow), I stayed at the Vana Belle, part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection, for two nights.
The Vana Belle sits on Chaweng Noi Beach on the southern edge of Chaweng, which is about a 10-minute drive from Chaweng city centre and 15 minutes from Koh Samui International Airport. It’s tucked away from the busier parts of the beach strip, but still close enough to Chaweng’s dining and attractions to make a quick trip when you want it. It was pretty simple to get a Grab (the equivalent of Uber) to take us around the town.
Takeoff Points for the Vana Belle
Pros: Nice plunge pool in all rooms, gorgeous beachfront, and friendly staff.
Cons: Some finishings could use some touching up.
Takeoff Point: Overall, the Vana Belle served as a peaceful oasis for a visit to Koh Samui.
Travel Agency Benefits
I work with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays. Fora is part of Marriott STARS & Virtuoso. This partnership gives you special perks when booking with me. The Vana Belle Koh Samui, a Luxury Collection Resort, comes with the following:
- Daily complimentary breakfast for 2, per room
- USD 100 property credit
- Early check-in & late check-out (upon availability)
- Upgrade at time of check-in (upon availability)
If you are interested in staying at Vana Belle, feel free to email me at takeofftotravel@fora.travel, and I would be happy to help you plan your trip.
Rates at the Vana Belle start at around $400 USD a night or 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points. All room categories feature a private plunge pool, which is a nice touch!
Arrival & Check-In
The hotel is tucked at the end of a surprisingly long driveway past a gated entrance, though it gives the arrival a slightly peculiar energy.
Once we arrived, we were welcomed to sit in the open-air lobby while they handled the check-in process, and we relaxed and sampled a welcome drink. I found the lobby space quite pretty and inspiring, and we were elevated on a cliff, with views of the ocean.
Since the property is on a hill, golf carts are available to take you around, and can be requested easily via a phone call, WhatsApp, or the Marriott App. Our room was located quite close to the lobby, so it was just a short walk for us.
The Room: 2 Queens, Partial Ocean View, Ocean Suite
The lead in category is the Jungle Suite, then the next category is the Partial Ocean View, Ocean Suite. Both are stated to be 925 square feet, which includes the outdoor plunge pool space.
As you enter the room, to the right is a large closet area with a luggage rack that can fit two medium checked luggage.
And there are two closets, one of which consists of the safe, laundry bags, and a shoe bag. They do have a complementary shoeshine service, the other one offers robes, hangers, an iron and iron board, and a beach tote bag for you during your stay. Flip-flops for the beach as well as slippers for the room are available.
Bathroom
As you proceed into the room, it is an open concept bathroom area, so this room might be hard to share with a friend or colleague.
There is a floating vanity that offers two sinks. Amenities are provided by PANPURIN in a Jasmine scent. Amenities include a comb, dental kits, shaving kits, toothpaste, and mouthwash.
There’s a separate water closet with a bum gun, but unfortunately, no bidet-style toilets here.
The shower has a bench as well as a waterfall and wand function. The water pressure was fine, but the water temperature was quite faulty and would often be too hot or too cold. That was a bit annoying.
The large tub has a loofah and bath salts.
A small refresh would be warranted and appreciated, as some of the room’s features showed wear and tear.
Bed Area
After leaving the bathroom area, there is a large desk area with plenty of charging ports.
Heading to the bed area, there are two queen-sized beds with a nightstand in the middle.
There is a large sofa as you proceed down the room. There are a few steps in this area has another chair as well as a television. We had a third bed set up here since there was 3 of us.
Towards the corner, there was a mini bar area with an espresso machine, a hot water maker, and a fully stocked mini fridge.
They even had Jenga to play for games!
They had some fun towel animals set up, and a nice welcome amenity for my mom’s birthday! The service was quite good, and our room attendant even gave us a WhatsApp number to reach out to with any requests.
Plunge Pool
The fun feature of the room was the plunge pool! There were lounger chairs and a table, plus a nice pool to take a dip, and we had a partial ocean view.
Dining
We had breakfast every morning at Kiree, which also serves dinner.
The spread was quite elaborate, with a full à la carte menu, as well as some buffet options, all of which were included. The breakfast was great compared to what I’m used to in the U.S.
Panali is located by the beach and offers casual Thai cuisine for lunch & dinner. We had dinner here one night, and it was pretty decent.
There is also a Pool Bar and in-room dining.
Additionally, on one of the nights, they also had a complimentary cocktail reception on the Pool Lawn, which was nice, and it offered drinks as well as light bites.
Amenities
The Vana Spa has multiple treatment rooms, and the fitness center is well-equipped.
The pool is overlooking the beach, and the beach is quite pristine; loungers are available with beachside service for drinks and food.
Chaweng Noi Beach is a more private white sand beach known for being a quieter, more intimate area nestled directly south of the main Chaweng Beach. I loved my daily swims here!
The Verdict
Overall, I had a pleasant stay at the Vana Belle Koh Samui, a Luxury Collection Resort. All rooms have a private plunge pool, which is a nice touch, and the beachfront in front of the property is quite nice.
Have you been to Koh Samui before? How was your experience? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. For travel planning or hotel bookings, feel free to contact me at my travel agent email at takeofftotravel@fora.travel. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
