Kimpton Kitalay Samui

Amazing facilities and great staff. Will come again

My wife and I recently stayed at Kimpton Kitalay Samui, and it didn’t live up to what you’d expect from a resort at this level. The property itself is impressive. Architecturally, it feels like a high-end, romantic boutique resort. The villas are a standout; spacious, well-designed, and genuinely luxurious. The location is also excellent, with a beautiful beach and bay views. However, the experience doesn’t match the setting. This is a family-heavy resort. Children are EVERYWHERE, and the noise levels reflect that. The main pools and shared spaces often feel more like a kids’ club than a peaceful retreat, with no real escape when moving around the hotel. As a result, if you are a couple looking for a quiet, romantic escape, this is not the place. The hotel is trying to cater to both families and couples, but it is too small to do both well. Families clearly take priority, and the atmosphere suffers for it. Beyond that, the food and beverage offering was also disappointing. Boho was decent, but the Fish House was well below expectations (we tried the moules frites à la clam and lobster paella). Breakfast was OK but often felt chaotic due to the noise. Service across F&B felt inconsistent, with some staff not meeting five-star standards. There were also maintenance issues. Our garden pool villa had poor shower drainage, which caused flooding in the bathroom. This should not happen in a resort of this calibre. All that said, the service recovery was excellent. The front desk and on-site manager handled our complaints very well and did their utmost to make us feel better. Their response was genuinely five-star, even if the underlying issues remained. It’s frustrating because the fundamentals are strong. With its design and setting, this could be an outstanding adults-only resort. As it stands, for a brand like Kimpton, the lack of a clear identity between a family resort and a romantic retreat is surprising and undermines the entire experience. Having stayed at over 70 hotels across Thailand, this is the first time we’ve come across a property with such a confused identity.

Such an incredible place. My favorite thing was the private Muy Thai class with Tammy! He is such an incredible coach that I decided to do a private all 3 days during my stay in this beautiful island. He really helped me improve my Muy Thai skill level and made it such a fun experience. If you come here highly recommend booking with Tammy!

Actually I’ve been wanting to write this for a while but never got the chance — so sorry for the late review. I stayed at Kimpton Kitalay Samui for my birthday, and what I remember the most is really the service. Especially Khun Mos — I still remember the name until today because everything was just handled so well. It was my birthday trip, and Khun Mos helped arrange things and even prepared a surprise for me, which I honestly didn’t expect at all. It made the whole stay feel very special and personal. Also, after I got back home, I realized I left something at the hotel. I contacted the hotel and Khun Mos helped coordinate and sent it back to me very quickly. Really appreciate that. Overall, it’s not just about the hotel itself, but the people who made the experience. Thank you again — and I’d definitely come back.

Really nice hotel and room. We had the pool access room that fitted well with our family needs. The hotel has a lot of baby accessories. The fish house restaurant was really great and the staff really friendly and helpfull