Visit the tropical paradise Koh Samui to discover some of Thailand’s most luxurious spa resorts.
Koh Samui, or Koh as in island, is a tropical paradise blessed with azure water, beautiful sandy beaches and palm-fringed shorelines. Coconuts and tropical fruits are still cultivated in the lowlands of the coast, while the central mountains covered with jungle provide a lush backdrop. The location is ideal for some of Thailand’s most luxurious spa resorts.
Samui is a Thai island.
Samui, Thailand’s 2nd most visited island has maintained its natural charm thanks to a regulation that prohibits building heights higher than the tallest palm trees. Samui is small enough to be travelled around in a few hours on a motorbike or by car. However, there are many beaches and activities to enjoy, so it’s impossible to see everything in one visit.
The island has a rich history, a vibrant culture, as well as beautiful beaches such as Chaweng and Lamai. Choeng Mon and Bophut are also popular. Samui is also located within the Ang Thong National Marine Park which consists of over 80 islands. This park is a paradise for kayaking, diving, and snorkeling.
Ang Thong Marine National Park is a kayaking, diving, and snorkeling paradise. Photo courtesy 100 Degrees East
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Samui has almost every activity and service you can imagine for the perfect beach holiday. This includes the best international hotels and spa resorts. We have chosen 3 Samui Spa Resorts to help you plan the perfect tropical Thailand vacation. Continue reading to get inspired.
Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa
The Renaissance Koh Samui resort & spa is located in Lamai, on the trendy east coast of the island. It’s a quiet hideaway with a private beach. This is our top pick for the best Thai spa resorts. The boutique hotel has 78 rooms and suites with pool villas. It is set amongst lush tropical gardens. Many of the villas and rooms offer ocean views.
Photo of the resort from above, showing the beach. Photo courtesy Renaissance Koh Samui
A dedicated fitness center is also available, as well as a beachfront yoga Sala. The resort has an Olympic-length (56-yard) pool for dedicated swimmers, as well as a pool with an infinity edge overlooking the beach and its own pool bar. Quan Spa has four double treatment rooms arranged around a Khmer style central courtyard. This gives the spa a distinct Asian feel.
Spacious Pool Villas
The expansive 1280 sq ft private pool villa in this resort was a true haven. We were greeted by polished dark wood flooring, high ceilings with rattan texture, and large floor-to-ceiling windows that welcomed the natural light. The luxurious king-sized bed was filled with oversized down pillows. A comfortable lounge was also available, as well as an enormous sunken-tiled bath and TokyoMilk by US designer Margot Elisa, along with a well-curated Mini-Bar, plus a Nespresso style coffee maker.
Our Private Pool Villa. Photo courtesy Renaissance Koh Samui
The villa’s front courtyard was spacious and had a garden view with ocean views. It was the perfect sun trap. Our Samui vacation was made easier by our sun lounges and plunge pool with jets.
Dining Delights
The tropical feel was enhanced by the breakfast served at Banana Leaf. This all-day restaurant offers ocean and resort pools views. The attentive staff learned guests’ names quickly and customized their service. Create your own fruit and vegetable juices. You can order your waffles or French Toast, pancakes, crepes, or even pancakes cooked to your liking. Try one of our specialty Thai-inspired egg dishes.
The Thai-inspired TawaNN outdoor restaurant offers you the chance to dine while the sun sets. The food was delicious. The Slow-cooked Massaman Beef Cheek with Tamarind Sauce and the Wok Fried Tiger Prawn With Tamarind Sauce are outstanding examples of Thai Cuisine.
tawaNN offers alfresco dining overlooking the sea. Photo courtesy Renaissance Koh Samui
What about the Spa?
When you visit the best spa resorts, there must be an amazing spa. Renaissance’s Quan Spa – Quan means ‘spring water’, which represents all that is good, pure and essential for wellness and health. This spa draws on these qualities to offer a relaxing getaway.
Quan Spa foot treatment. Photo courtesy Renaissance Koh Samui
Quan’s Spa menu includes treatments like Immerse, which offers a variety of purifying, reawakening and relaxing Bath Therapies. Touch is a massage therapy that dates back to ancient times. Refresh is a modern body therapy that combines polishes and scrubs with wraps and masks. Caress has a variety of facials, including anti-aging.
Spa Escape Packages can be tailored to create a romantic experience for couples and range in length from 2 to 3.5 hours. The ‘Embrace” package begins with a traditional footbath, followed by a body scrub, manicure, pedicure and customized 60-minute massage. The experience ends with a Honey Mango Cocktail in the Sala on the beach, surrounded by warm sea breezes.
Quan Spa signature treatments. Photo courtesy Renaissance Koh Samui
Learn Thai Massage. This is a truly unique offer. This complimentary 1-hour class is ideal for couples. It shows you a variety stretches and massages techniques that can be used at home to pamper your partner.
Melia Koh Samui
Melia Koh Samui is located on the tranquil Choeng Mon Beach in the northeastern corner of the island, which makes it a perfect choice for our list of the best spa resorts Thailand. This is the first hotel in Thailand to be launched by the Spanish hotel group Melia Hotels International. The resort is a modern, contemporary nautical theme that pays homage to Thailand’s rich maritime heritage in a subtle yet captivating way.
Premium rooms with terraces and direct access to the pool are available in 159 spacious rooms starting at 550 square feet. The elegant two-story boat suites are made of teak merchant ships that are over 100 years old and have been meticulously restored. Guests can fully immerse themselves into the nautical theme. The 700 meter lagoon pool flows like a river throughout the lush grounds of the resort, leading to a two-level infinity pool with sunken seats and in-water chaise lounges.
Melia Resort Samui as seen from the air. Photo courtesy Melia Koh Samui
The resort also has a 24-hour gym, two restaurants and a Pool Bar in the lobby, as well as a recreation room on the lagoon side and a Kidsdom club for children. Guests can enjoy non-motorized sports such as kayaks and paddle boards on the beach. Resort guests may also enjoy a daily schedule of wellness activities such as yoga, Muay Thailand boxing or mindful walking.
Spacious Boat Suite at the resort pool. Photo courtesy Melia Koh Samui
Mediterranean and Thai Dining Delight
Melia’s Spanish roots are evident in all of its restaurants. Koko Kitchen offers a wide variety of breakfast options, including tropical, European classics, and Mediterranean cuisine. Breakfast Churros and chocolate sauce is a sure thing.
The resort’s beachfront restaurant is the perfect place to dine with authentic Thai, Spanish, and international cuisine. The chefs use the best ingredients, sourced locally whenever possible. This includes the freshest seafood and premium meats cooked on a Josper grill. It’s beachfront dining at its best.
Breeza Restaurant is a welcoming and fresh restaurant. Photo courtesy Melia Koh Samui
Exclusive Benefits
Melia’s executive lounge, the Level is exclusively for guests staying in direct access rooms to the pool, family suites or Boat Suites. The level is located beachfront and overlooks the central resort pool. It offers a private check-in, complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, afternoon tea and evening cocktails. These benefits, along with the personalized service Level provided by staff make upgrading to this room category a must.
What about the Spa?
Melia’s YHI Spas focus on Paths to Harmony. The perfect temperature, the aroma, gentle music and expert hands will make you want to relax. YHI Spa is a modern spa with light, clean lines and a calm atmosphere.
YHI Spa treatment room. Photo courtesy Melia Koh Samui
These categories offer treatments:
- Beauty to reflect your inner beauty through an externally healthy appearance
- Massage by therapists who use ancient and modern techniques to relax and improve your well-being
- Eco-Yhi uses the natural, eco-friendly, and renowned Thai HAHNN brand products
- Hydrothermal Water includes herbal steams and soaking baths.
The therapists can customize treatments for women or men. Special treatments are available for expecting mothers.
YHI Spa offers therapeutic treatments. Photo courtesy Melia Koh Samui
YHI’s signature treatments are 2 to 3 hours long and provide a blissful, targeted pampering experience. The 150-minute “Samui Paradise Experience”, which features coconuts as its central ingredient, begins with 15 minutes of steam or sauna, to open up the pores on the skin. This is followed by a coconut body scrub and virgin coconut oil massage. This package includes a relaxing aromatherapy bath using natural essential oils, followed by a herbal tea.
Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort
Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort is our final choice for the best spa resorts Thailand. It’s located on the oceanfront, along the northern shores of Samui with the golden sands at Bophut Beach. Fisherman’s Village, with its chic boutiques and cool beachside bars, as well as a thrice-weekly walking street night market, is located in the Bophut area.
Aerial view of the resort. Photo courtesy Anantara Bophut Samui
Anantara Bophut has 106 rooms in shingled low-rise buildings that overlook tropical gardens with a central lily-pond and a 100-foot free-form resort swimming pool. Choose from garden or ocean view rooms or the Anantara Pool Suite, which features a private plunge pool and a daybed with views of the ocean.
The spacious Garden View Suite (702 sq ft), with its canopied King bed and lounge area that opened onto our balcony, was a real delight. The room included a Nespresso machine and a built-in wine refrigerator. The spacious bathroom included a terrazzo bathtub for two.
Inviting king bed in our Garden View Suite. Photo courtesy Anantara Bophut Samui
Resort Dining and Other Facilities
The resort offers a variety of facilities, including a fitness centre, tennis courts and badminton, group yoga classes or Muay Thai daily, watersports equipment provided for free, a Kids Club and a Spice Spoon Cooking School.
There are many dining options. High Tide offers all-day dining starting with a large buffet breakfast. A.Shore Beach Bar offers a variety of cocktails to enjoy while relaxing on the beach or poolside. Snacks like Thai classics and pizzas are available all day. A.Shore also offers the best beachfront sundowners.
The Full Moon Chargrill Restaurant offers alfresco dining with a view of the resort pool, Bophut Bay and Full Moon restaurant. Enjoy the best grain-fed and dry-aged beef from around the globe, as well as organic and free range products of the highest quality. The Wine Guru will recommend the perfect wine to pair with each dish.
Full Moon Grill restaurant offers elevated dining. Photo courtesy Anantara Bophut Samui
What about the Spa?
You will enter a tranquil sanctuary with rippling waters, lotus pools, sculptured gardens and standalone treatment rooms. You’ve entered Anantara Spa, an otherworldly retreat. Anantara Spa is a healing oasis designed by award-winning American architect Bill Bensley, who lives in Thailand.
Anantara Spa is a world of its own. Photo courtesy Anantara Bophut Samui
A wide range of treatments that pamper you with Ayurvedic, timeless Asian and western techniques. Each elixir or oil is infused with the freshest and finest indigenous ingredients to provide nutrient-rich and aromatic benefits. Scrubs and Wraps include beautifying turmeric and replenishing coconut. They also contain cooling cucumbers, refreshing mint and detoxifying greens tea. Even the background music can be customized during treatments.
The Thai Beauty Company offers customized facials that treat all skin types using scientifically proven formulas and natural extracts. Two of the Elemis luxurious facials are designed specifically for men. They focus on deep cleaning and therapeutic grooming. Treatments that enhance mood range from Thai herbal baths with color therapy, to oriental spice and milky bathtubs.
Anantara Spa treatment room. Photo courtesy Anantara Bophut Samui
Your therapist will then lead you to the pavilion of your choice. Each has a glass-walled treatment room with a private garden courtyard and a soaking tub. Relax with massages that combine indigenous ingredients with side-byside massages. Take a soak in a tub filled with frangipani.
Enjoy the Best Spa Resorts of Thailand
Samui is located in the lower Gulf of Thailand. The island can be reached in 45 minutes via direct flights from Bangkok or Phuket. Ferry services are available from the Donsak port in Surat Thani Province.
The 31-mile ringroad makes it easy to navigate the island. In all of the tourist areas, you can hire a car or motorbike. Taxis and local transport is also available.
Samui has a tropical climate all year round. It is best to visit between December and February. The weather is at its most stable (72deg-82deg F) and the ocean visibility is very good. The wettest months are October through early December, when temperatures average around 80deg F.
Do you want to spend your next tropical island vacation in Thailand at one of these Koh Samui spa resorts? These incredible spa resorts are sure to impress. Wander With Wonder invites you to explore more on what to do in Thailand and other parts of Asia, or for ideas about other wellness and spa escapes. Please share your experiences!