Koh Samui is a hugely popular Thai holiday island and with good reason. Carolynne Dear flew in for a review of Santiburi Koh Samui, one of the island's most celebrated family resorts
The beachside resort is set amongst 23 acres of gardens
There are a lot of accommodation choices on Koh Samui, one of the region’s most-visited spots for a sun-and-sand family holiday.
The expansive Santiburi Resort is located on the north coast of the island and a short, 20-minute drive from the international airport. The resort is set in meticulously landscaped gardens that spill onto a palm-fringed beach with views of the neighbouring island of Koh Pha Ngan.
This well-established resort was built in 1992 and takes its design cues from the summer palace of King Rama IV. Much of the resort architecture channels an elegant Thai style, while a recently-opened Grand Reserve houses luxury pool villas in a more contemporary style. I was hosted in one of the Grand Reserve villas during my stay and can attest that the 250 sqm villas would comfortably accommodate a family of four.
A generous sitting room with sofa bed leads to a huge bathroom area featuring two separate sinks, a walk-in rain shower and a soaking tub. The master bedroom is also generously-sized and features floor-to-ceiling windows that open directly onto the pool. Beanbags and loungers are set around the pool for relaxed days in the sunshine.
The Grand Reserve Pool Villas are generously sized with a stunning private pool and gardens
However, as gorgeous as my pool villa was, I was determined to have a dip in the enormous, oval-shaped resort pool. It’s 50m in length and blissful for stretching out in. A boisterous game of catch on the opposite side was swallowed up by the sheer size of the pool and I tucked away my 20 lengths blissfully unaware of the children’s fun. I wasn’t surprised to later be informed the pool is one of Koh Samui’s largest.
The 30m beach is an equally good swimming spot as it gets deep reasonably quickly. There’s plenty to keep you entertained on the sand, with loungers laid out and a watersports centre with paddle boards, kayaks and catamarans. A thoughtful touch were the large containers of kids’ beach toys dotted along the beach, with buckets, spades and other accoutrements necessary for a fun day on the sand.
The Beach House offers seats on the sand and serves plentiful coffees, snacks, drinks, wood-fired pizzas, seafood, burgers, salads and Thai classics.
Making friends at Santiburi's kids' club
Children are incredibly well catered for at Santiburi. Along with the pool and the beach, there’s also a large kids’ club with air conditioned interior and huge grassy outdoor space with climbing frames, swings, slides and a trampoline. Organised activities include Thai dance lessons, yoga sessions and gardening. And there are plenty of staff on-hand to engage children with the plethora of board games and toys or to help them select something to watch in the separate movie room. Sometimes tired kiddos just need a couple of hours in the cool…
Just around the corner from the kids’ club is the resort’s impressive fitness centre. It includes a large, well-equipped gym and a wide range of sports activities including a Thai boxing ring (the resort offers children’s boxing camps), football pitches, tennis courts, golf putting and space for yoga sessions. Mountain bikes are available for guided tours and it’s also possible to try your hand at scuba diving. The resort’s aptly named resident nature expert, Bird, runs daily nature tours around the 23-acre resort gardens including a meet-and-greet with the resort’s resident tortoise. The resort takes its eco-credentials seriously, it’s a low-carbon resort with more than 1,200 trees and keeps plastic and glass to a minimum. It also aims to be paper free.
Morning sun salutations on the beach facing Koh Pha Ngan
It has also recently introduced a 100 mile menu concept, with ingredients used in the resort kitchens gathered from within a 100 mile radius that includes neighbouring islands as well as Surat Thani on the mainland. The 100 Miles Dining concept highlights Santiburi’s commitment to sustainability and its connection with the local community. At the resort’s upscale Sala Thai restaurant, I dined on Surat Thani oysters, Samui lobster, Thai wagyu beef (yes, Thai wagyu is a thing and it’s delicious, absolutely melting in the mouth) and Koh Phanghan coconut ice cream.
Accommodation options at the resort are plentiful, from the gorgeous Grand Reserve Villas where I stayed to the chic Thai-style rooms, suites and villas. Clever two-bedroom duplex suites ensure parents can separate themselves from the kids at bedtime with an upper floor master bedroom. Beach villas are stunning with roomy living areas, elegant furnishings, generous bedrooms and private plunge pools and gardens overlooking the sand. I have to admit that every room type I was shown during my stay I would have been extremely happy with.
On my final day at Santiburi I was treated to a cruise in the resort’s speedboat. It was a stunning day out including a complete circumnavigation of Koh Samui with the crew eagerly pointing out Four Seasons as we flew past where apparently filming has now wrapped for The White Lotus. We motored on to Pig Island, a gorgeous islet with beach bar and restaurant and, somewhat inexplicably, little piglets wallowing in the sand. They no doubt made for highly clickable Instagram material for the phone-laden influencers padding in the crystal waters. After Pig Island our captain took us to a quiet snorkelling spot teaming with fish.
Santiburi is a well-established Koh Samui resort and, 30-odd years later, is ideal for a family holiday.
Asia Family Traveller was a guest of Santiburi, flying from Hong Kong to Koh Samui with Bangkok Airways.
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