Siam Bay Resort Koh Chang

A resort with 4 star aspects but also some 2 star moments. Bit of a hideaway resort tucked away from busier places on the island. It’s a long day getting to Koh Chang by vehicle from Bangkok but worth the effort. Towards the south-western end of Koh Chang, Siam Bay is more private and secluded than say resorts on busy White Sand Beach. It is nestled at the base of a steep hill and surrounded by rainforest and ocean. Not very walkable to shops and food places at Kaibae Beach so need to eat at the resort’s restaurant (or more expensive next door resort restaurant), otherwise rent a motorbike or order a ’taxi’ via reception. Also stock up on some supplies like snacks and drinks to take to the resort.

A decent breakfast buffet included in tariff, including cooking eggs various ways to order. Nice views from open dining area at reception building. Unfortunately upstairs dining area was mostly closed during my stay which is a shame (may be convenient for the resort but less seaview tables available to guests). Okay menu selection and prices for other meals, but still limited compared to what is available in nearby towns where there are colourful open restaurants, bakeries, cafes, street food and bars, including those with beach front settings.

Various types of rooms are available at different rates. All seem quite good. I tried two of the options, enjoyed the privacy and ocean view from a ‘sea view villa’ on the hill, while a ‘seafront bungalow’ on the beach was novel. In both room types there was a large bed, ceiling fan, air con, fridge, TV, coffee/tea making, clothes drying rack (one fell apart). No hot water in bathroom sink or hand towels but not an issue for me. Balconies had low table with two chairs. A small table in room might have been a nice addition. Room safe is not secured to any surface. Watch out for the monkeys - close the doors. They apparently know how to open the fridge to access the snickers chocolate bar. Quite amusing watching their antics.

The resort has two good pools. Most guests hang around the main pool near reception on the beach. I preferred the privacy of the upper hillside pool (often I was the only one there) where you can view the ocean, relax and stare up at the sky and huge rainforest trees. The pool was clean and okay (just) for laps.

Service at the resort varies (reception, restaurant, housekeeping) from good to poor, appearing to depend on level of experience/training, language communication or laid back atmosphere. Amongst the many young staff it was not clear who was responsible or managed things. At times there was little connection where staff not always attentive to individual guests, e.g. between restaurant staff and guests at tables near the shore or pool waiting to make orders. Also some little touches would be nice like more effort in maintaining candles on tables. So not a 4 star resort, but still some charm in the more relaxed approach, even though at times frustrating, e.g. staff hanging around beach tidying and cleaning for ages while you trying to relax. Partly drives guests to go elsewhere for meals and entertainment. I enjoyed two meals at the next door more fancy and pricy Sylvan resort terrace and restaurant, as well as going to Kaibae Beach.

Last dinner meal orders are 8.30 pm and bar is open (with no snack meals) till 11 pm. These times will not suite everyone all the time. Stock up on some snack food before or during your stay, and visit some of the other beach town restaurants and bars. Also, if staying for evening meal make sure you are noticed or give your order at the restaurant if you plan to sit at one of the tables near the water.

Was at times difficult communicating with staff. Waiting to change rooms took hours, and no one seemed to care or check on me during the wait. Partly the laid back island time attitude but borders on ignoring you and poor service. You can only go with the flow for so long. After a while it tests your patience and tolerance when service lags. Staff often say yes as if they understand but often did not really understand or follow up.

Resort location is good for sunsets. And cocktails often go nice when watching sunsets, however the resort bar (which opens casually around 6 pm) did not open in time to enjoy this popular tropical island beach experience. So go elsewhere on the island if you want a relaxed sunset drink – I enjoyed two cocktails for price of one at AWA resort at Kaibae Beach (AWA has extended happy hours), and while at White Sand Beach I totally relaxed watching the sky changing through hues of yellow, orange, pink and purples at beach bars on the sand. I still enjoyed the sunsets in my deckchair from my villa balcony or the beach at Siam Bay but had to be minus the cocktail. Cocktails at the resort cost c. 200 baht but less than half that at some bars at Kaibae, e.g. gin and tonic 200 at Siam Bay vs 79 at Crazy Cocktail, or AWA happy hrs two cocktails for price of one starting at 220 baht.

A few negs. Air con was often too cold and blowy, and difficult to control with the remote. Ceiling fans are good but were rather small and high up in the ceiling in the villas to make much difference. Investing in more of the larger comfortable deck chairs would be good. A few colourful seascape or tropical pictures in rooms might be nice. Beach bungalow had little storage space and no place to put suitcase except on the floor. Also cannot make the room dark due to ceiling windows. The firm bed was not that comfortable for me.

Peaceful place but every now and then there are inconsiderate guests or noise, and any noise restrictions at the resort don’t appear to be clearly advertised or regulated. On my last night a large group arrived and took up a number of bungalows to party. This affected the atmosphere and was no longer a slice of paradise for guests like me but party time for this group who had little consideration for other guests around them. The laid back approach here allows for this where other resorts would be less tolerant.

Laundry is available at 80 baht per kg which is very reasonable for hotel prices (and better than prices per item). Note however, it is 40 baht per kg in Kaibae shops.

An ordered taxi from reception is 150 baht. Cheaper usually if you prepared to walk up hill to flag one passing by and when returning. Not really walkable to town due to steep hill and no road verges. And going by shoreline can be tricky at high tide.

You can order day trips from reception or from one of the many tour shops in town. Mostly the same operators. A van or songtaew normally picks you up from the resort reception.

Siam Bay beach has some pockets of sand mainly at low tide, and off the beach there are good sandy swimming areas. But the beach is not really a place to 'walk along the beach' like longer White Sand Beach or many beaches in Koh Samui and Phuket. This is more a quiet escape to relax.

The resort had an entertaining fire dance show near the pool one night.

Dogs are allowed and at one bungalow there were two medium sized dogs and single dogs in others. Can understand some places accepting pets but not on this small narrow beach. If you don’t mind watching a dog crap in front of your deck chair on the beach... or swimming and playing nearby. Be aware if not your thing.

Overall a nice, mostly peaceful place but a little more attention to detail and better service would make even better.

Staff is very very friendly, felt like home to us:) location is perfect, our houses are super clean and with wonderful view. Food is delicious - fresh and local. There is also a beautiful beach near by. Would totally recommend it:) hopefully we will be back here very soon

Nice private beach and very charm and nature.
Good place for real rest and also they are pet friendly 🐶. Room very cleanses and all staff very friendly and helpful…. Definitely would be back for my next vacation 🥰

Thanks all staff to have me a wonderful experience .

There’s way better value for money on Koh Chang. Staff is very polite and helpful but the accommodation is to call very mediocre. There’s windows in the roof that cannot be blinded, overall maintenance is a few years behind and the location is a bit remote, you can only leave the property bij taxi (witch is overpriced by the resort) or rental scooter. I’m in a resort now a few miles down the road for almost half the money and way better accommodation.

Ihanat maisemat huoneesta. Hyvä ruoka ja kiva hiekkapohjainen ranta. Mahdollisuus vuokrata kajakki ja meloa vaikka lähisaarelle.

Beautiful place and beautiful people

A most peaceful and relaxing resort. In the Beach front bungalow you have lovely sunsets and wake up to a view across the bay to islands, magnificent.
Service is fantastic, food ls amazing. We visited off season so there was lots of renovation and construction going on along the beach but it did not interfere with paradise. Thank you to all the very freindly staff.

Nice hotel in a quiet part of the island. All rooms are like small bungalows. Every room has a magnificent view over the sea with beautiful sunsets. The pool was nice and clean. The restaurant is outdoors and the food was great. We would love to come back some day.

We booked 2 rooms but housekeeping only cleaned one room. When I asked why I was told I had to put a sign asking for the room to be cleaned.

Service is awful! Whenever I ask for something they make you feel like a criminal. Never coming back again!

Nice hotel with amazing view and a private beach. The staff at this place is ok. With better and faster service this place would get 10/10. Overall absolutely worth a visit

Beautiful location and quaint accommodation. The staff were exceptional and very helpful planning exciting outings.
The property is on the beachfront with stunning views of neighboring islands. Kayaks available to rent by the hour to take to nearby islands.

We stayed with 4 people in one of the 4 people houses (Family bungalow with sea view). They are nice if you want the feeling of your "own place". They are located to the left when going down the road and facing the reception building, while everything else is to the right side. That gives some privacy, which is nice.

The 4 person buildings are made of wood, and it seems they have been painted white recently.

The location is nice. It is between two of the main beaches, so you need some kind of transport if you like to visit the island. During the day, taxis are available. The road is not for beginner scooter drivers, take that into account.

Let's summarize what we liked and what not. This takes into account the rather high price of 3600 THB per day.

The good:
+ Nice location in the jungle, far away from any party noise. For a chill experience, this is the place.
+ Friendly staff, taking care of the customers. Good English skills. Professional use of handheld radios to get stuff done quickly.
+ Attentive service in the restaurant
+ Small, but good breakfast in relaxed atmosphere.
+ Modern and clean AirCon units. Two units in the room (one downstairs, one for upstairs) gives options if you like it cool, but do not like to have cold air blowing in your face.
+ Nice beach. Yes, there are some rocks, but that is nature.

The bad:
+ Wi-Fi is a hit/miss, with access points on poles facing the houses. 2.4 / 5 Ghz provided, but not enough APs, so signal strength often worse than -80dBm, which is not sufficient.
+ Construction rubble scattered around the premises. This includes sharp stuff on the walking ways, and leftover paint on the grass. This could be removed easily.

The ugly:
+ No Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers (ELB / RCCB). Even with them not mandatory in Thailand, for 3600 THB a day, the electric setup should include these. The water heater did include a build in ELB, but the fuse box did not. In a luxury resort, this should be standard, considering the wet climate

Considering the rather high price, we would give this 3 out of 5 points. This can easily be a 5 points resort, the negative stuff can be easily changed. We will be back next year, and will update the review then.

Definitely needs updates and stronger wifi. Along with better air conditioning.
In dire needs of better beds.
But with that said location is quite amazing. And the team that work here are pretty incredible.

Osa majoitus paikoista rinteessä joihin portaita eli huono jalkaisille ei hyvä,palvelut kaukana, mut ravintola auki,ruoka hyvää ja suht edullista,ranta hyvä ja siisti,kirkas meri vesi ja pitkälle matalaa

We really like this place, it is old and dated. But it has these 4 or 5 bungalows right on the water, if you can get lucky to book one. They are super old style koh chang, but you have a crazy view of the small island right from your bed, water at your feet, etc. The rest of the resort rooms can be super dated, so be careful which one you book. Super quiet, very remote, you need to have a car or a motorbike, you are far down a long road from the main road. Kinda quirky place.

Siam Bay was surprisingly charming. The food was excellent and the staff was amazing! The monkeys were bothersome for a short time each morning, and accomodations are simple but an excellent value for the price. Try an ocean front room.

Amazing plus of this hotel:
-pet friendly, we had an amazing time with our two little fluffy doggies
- we had villa on the beach so was great
- staff and service is amazing and lovely
-kayaking to nearby island just wow! Also paddle boarding and of course nearby diving centre bb divers

Would like to point out minuses
-breakfast very simple, not enough option for foreigners
- its not new resort so dont expect luxury but its great anyway
- restaurant was ok but again not enoguh options for foreginers, coctails not very good- dont recomend buying, also cant serve drinks and food around pool
-not enough pool beds and no tables around pool

Overall you will have amazing time and will leave happily. Looking forward to come back

Idyllic resort, with its own picturesque beach. it has two swimming pools. Downside is that it's not easy to get to the nearby communities (eg Lonely Beach), especially at night because it's dangerous to walk along the roads. There are taxis, but the prices are extortionate at night. It's more suited to families and couples, who aren't bothered about going outside the resort at night.

Vi är ett pensionärspar som vistades 9 nätter på resorten i en strandvilla (102) och hade en fantastisk tid där och är helnöjda.
Vad vi saknade på rummet var stolar och förvaringsutrymmen. Det fanns ett utrymme i kombination med duschrummet med men utan hyllor eller krokar. Även litet utrymme för galgar där man kunde hänga kläder men inga lådor f.ö. eller sängbord.
Bagaget fick agera garderob mitt i rummet.
Vi hade gärna haft mer än tre spikar att hänga upp handdukar i badrummet.
Lite unken lukt på WC.
Men bortser man från det var resorten fantastisk, lugnt område, ingen trängsel, lite drömlik strand med ebb och flod.
Det går att äta mat på hotellet men även några andra restauranger som nås via stranden, vid flod barfota.
För att komma till Lonely Beach kan man förvisso gå till fots men man får då svettas ordentligt då det innebär att gå uppför en hel del. Och med smal väg som är vältrafikerad. Tid ca 20 min men med taxi går det också bra (ca 100 Bht/person dagtid, dyrare tillbaka kvällstid)

全てにおいて９０点です。