My husband and I have just returned from 7 nights staying at the Muang Samui and it was such a nice place to stay. The staff are friendly and helpful but you are not surrounded by them so you feel that you are on your own but if you need anything they are there for you. The welcoming cold towels and fresh young coconut drink are very refreshing and a nice way to start your holiday. The accommodation is lovely - we stayed in a Jnr Suite and it was very private and separate from other guests even though you are staying below or above someone else. I would advise asking for a bottom floor suite as we did and you can walk right out to the pool from your veranda. The food at both restaurants was beautiful and the cocktails are made fresh and taste great. Breakfast has a wide selection of food and changes daily which is a nice touch. The crepes are yummy and eggs cooked how you like them. The location would have to be one of the best things about Muang in our opinion - you are located right at the start of Chaweng Beach - it might not be the best swimming beach but it's only a short stroll down to a better section of beach to take a dip. The pool at Muang is great we spent most of our time in the pool and sunbaking on the sun beds on the beach. The beach massage is great too and very cheap – and the beach sellers don’t hassle you too much if you are polite and say no thanks. The main shopping strip starts at the front of Muang so you can walk up and down both sides of the road and visit all the market stalls - and there's a great little ice-cream shop across the road which is nice to finish a night of bartering off with. We did a couple of great day trips - one was a "jungle safari" and another was the slow boat out to Anthong National Park - both were really good and provided lunch and lot's of great scenery - along with easy hiking up to waterfalls and lookouts - take decent shoes with you as the rocks can be sharp and slippery. Overall I would return to Muang in a flash and Koh Samui - it's been 6 years since I was last there and it has grown and changed a fair bit since then but the Thai people are still the best - it certainly is the land of smiles!

We stayed at Muang Samui easter 2007. unfortunately we came on the day of songkran - the people throwing water were camped outside the hotel all day and night. While we were waiting to be checked in we saw several couples all coming back to the hotel looking like drowned rats. So, thankfully we were booked into a Royal suite (as we found out - also termed honeymoon suite) as we pretty much spend 3 days straight within the hotel. the room is absolutely beautiful. In the photos the royal suite looked wayyy nicer than the standard room for only $100au more a night. The private deck with outdoor spa was awesome and very welcome at that time of year with the humidity. the room also had an indoor spa bath and wall-less shower. large dressing area and dresser. (see the photos/movie) The restaurant across the street was very nice, the cocktails were even better (samui sunset I think the one I liked was called - served in a whole pineapple). Room Service was pretty standard. Probably wouldnt order room service again there. Breakfast was a decent spread on the beach. The only bad thing was that people could smoke there during breakfast which could be offputting while youre eating. Overall I loved the room and would definitely stay here again if I were to go to Koh samui, but would def. recommend the upgraded room, the outdoor spa made it extra special :)

Okay, I have to admit a major reason we had such an outstanding time here was that upon arrival they unexpectedly upgraded us from a junior suite to the super-decadent royal suite, complete with indoor AND outdoor jacuzzis! But it was a lovely place for a lot of other reasons. We loved: - the breakfast buffet: lots of variety, a selection that changes daily, and a crepe station! - the design of the resort: very Thai, very serene, with water features - the pool: with its deep blue tiles, waterfall and jacuzzi streams. And nobody ever seemed to be in it! We often had it to ouselves! - the staff: very friendly and accommodating We disliked: - the beach: didn't live up to our expectations. The seafloor was slimy and the water not very clear. Chaweng's busy and if you wander further down the cheaper places play dance music all day and it gets pretty tacky. We ate at the waterfront restaurant which was a lovely meal - high quality Thai food, great service and not as expensive as we expected. But you do need to make a reservation if you want a good view of the sea - we missed out. We were so relaxed here we actually spent five whole days chilling at the resort and didn't see much of Samui at all! We had spent a week on an amazing beach in Phuket just before Samui so were happy to laze by the pool, but if you are looking for a great beach you'll be disappointed by Chaweng.

My girlfriend and I have just returned from 5 nights at Muang Samui: - Room - were we stayed in a garden view junior suite and loved it, the rooms are really the highlight of the resort. We felt they were well serviced, however noted the bed sheets could of been a bit cleaner - Beach - resort has it own piece of private beach on Cheaweng where it provides umbrellas and deck chairs for the guest, and it is constantly serviced by the resort bar and restaurant. Because Muang is a smaller resort, we felt it offered a less crowded beach area then some of the other resorts such as Iyara and Amari - Pool - very nice, with a lovely waterfall and semi-jacuzzi, it's reasonably close to the beach, but not as close as Amari and Jara Samui pool, were you can be in the pool and be admiring the ocean at the same time - Service (breakfast) - was good, but room but has room for improvement on attention to detail and monitoring/anticipating the needs of what is only a small number of guests relative to some of the bigger resorts... ie clearing plates, getting clean cutlery, etc - Service (beach/poolside) very average... Sometimes the bar men were around and other times they were no where to be seen, which can make ordering a drink frustrating... they don't come prepared with a menu when you call them over, which can making ordering a difficult/guessing process (especially one of their great health cocktails), and they don't automatically come prepared with a bill for signing when they bring your order, but rather tell you the bill verbally, hoping you will pay cash (in the hope of maximising their tip). Further, they bar tenders focus on servicing the people at the beach not the pool, they should really have a dedicate person to the pool - Service (Housekeeping) excellent, I fell sick the one day with food poisoning and made a bit of mess in the bathroom (only 30min after the room had just been cleaned). Housing keeping was there in 10min to get it all cleaned up and smelling good again... - Service (Front desk) very good - Service (Concierge) didn't really seem to have one, which means you need to use the front desk, not a huge issue, but they could improve on this by having a dedicated person - Meals (Breakfast) - fairly standard, I hoped they would change things around a little from day to day... which they did a little with different juices, fresh sweet crepes vs savoury crepes, etc. Espresso coffee and cappuccino’s are included in the breakfast which is a plus for someone who likes their coffee (like me) - Meals (Lunch) - nothing special, you can certainly find better value and food around Chaeweng, but it is convenient - we only at there once - Meals (Room Service) - we only ordered this once, and it was excellent, in terms of food and timeliness Overall I would it give it a 7.5/10, Muang is certainly in the top 5 resorts at Chaweng Beach (North) from what I could see along with Jara Samui, Chaweng Regent, Amari, Iyara... the rooms are a the big plus... I would definitely recommend for couples