Just returned from a wonderful trip to Anantara Rasananda and it was fabulous. The resort is lush and tropical and maintained perfectly.

Staff/Service- the staff at the resort are wonderful. The service provided in every aspect is what makes this an amazing place to stay. Toke, the audio/visual tech, spent a hour fixing our speakers so we could listen to music! Pla and Ice provided great beach service and would set up sunbeds and deliver food and drink. All of the wait staff and cooks were so good and so nice. It is obvious that a lot of time is spent on training and it really shows. So many small touches that makes this resort stand out.

Room- we had a pool suite and it was wonderful. Plunge pool at the room would be much more useful if it was a little warmer as we would have used it at night. The bed and linens were very comfortable. Apple TV was great as we had some rainy nights. Cold A/C, hot water, complimentary spirits, water, and snacks replenished daily.

Food- Amazing breakfast and food in general. Very nice touch with the beach snacks passed around mid day. Scallops and risotto, AMAZING! Sea bass, hamburger, Tom Yum, awesome. Very nice wine selection eventhough it's a little pricey.

Nice little town for dinners outside the resort (and a fraction of the price). Luna, Jip, and the Beach BBQ (down the beach to the left of resort) were our favorites. Sex on the Beach and Hacienda were pretty decent.

Pick up at airport was very easy and we were taken to the cabana to wait for the boat. After a short wait we landed on the beach in the cove next to the resort as the waves were too big to land at the resort. Short 5 min car ride and we were there. Our flight departure was at 2:55 pm and the mid day boat ride probably wouldn't have given us enough time at the airport. So, we took the early boat and then were taken to their sister resort on Samui which is a short 10 min car ride. Once there we changed into suits and enjoyed the pool and beach before we showered, changed and headed to the airport.

Pros/Cons- When I asked my husband to name his favorite thing he said it was the service. When I asked him what his one complaint would be he really had to think hard (and I forced his to give me one) and settled on two occassions when they forgot wash cloths when making up the room. This was of course fixed instantly with a quick phonecall. My favorite was the service, and since I am forcing myself to put a Con I guess I would say that I wish the plunge pool could be heated. So as you can see we really didn't have any issues/complaints at all and really have to dig deep to find faults !!!

All in all, a wonderful vacation and I would certainly return!

Apologies for the delay in writing this, we stayed Oct 2011.

After spending 10 days of honeymoon hell at the Centara Grand in Samui (see other review) the Rasananda was absolute bliss, the only bad thing being the fact we only stayed 4 nights.

We were met by Mark the manager and from the moment we arrived we were very well looked after, Mark and his team were always available to discuss any requests. We also loved how attentive Tony the chef was, again he took the time to introduce himself and ask about our dietary requirements.

The team at Rasananda went above and beyond the call of duty, and when we checked out at 11am it was the Rasananda (not kuoni who were utterly useless throughout and ruined our trip of a lifetime) who arranged for us to spend the day at one of their sister resorts the Anantara in Samui, before we flew home in the evening.

Our room was just beautiful, not on the beach but was a two story with own pool, beautifully decorated (if not a little dark) and was exactly the blissful retreat we needed.

The food was out of this world, great selection at breakfast, if there was anything more that could be provided then they happily would help. We found the food at the hotel far superior to that at any nearby restaurant. Tony and his team do a brilliant job and were faultless.

If Kuoni hadn't treated us so appaulingly and left such a bad taste in our mouth regarding Thailand then we'd book to stay here again in a heartbeat, just not through them.

Perfect honeymoon resort, perfect staff, perfect location.

Thank you guys so much for making what started off as a honeymoon hell, into a honeymoon from heaven (if just for 4 days)


I would say that

Me and my wife stayed there for one night and wished we could have stayed more...
The room we got had a small pool and it was just on the beach...I mean when we were having bath we were too exposed...but we really enjoyed the shamelessness....The room was done very beautifully and I really liked the ambience, beach walk...It was too romantic and too luxurious....
The only draw back was that it was too far from HardRin (the place for FULL MOON PARTY) Infact, it takes almost an hour to reach from hotel to full moon party...If u have come only for full moon party than I suggest that u should stay somewhere near HardRin .....but if u have come to enjoy Beauty of Koh Phangan-Romantic and sexy holiday-and ofcourse full moon party-ALL .......then this is an excellent hotel..Infact the best at Koh Phangan

This was our second visit to the Rasananda in two years, the first being when it had just opened, and our visit in Nov 2011 after it had changed ownership. The villa's at this hotel are all extremely luxurious. The first time we stayed in a Thai villa,with two storey's and a private garden with pool, and the second time we splurged a little more and had an ocean front villa with pool (both gorgeous villa's), and we hardly used our pool as it was only about 3 strides to the sea, from our reserved sun beds. Breakfast and lunch at the hotel were to a very high standard. I can't comment on Dinner, as after doing nothing much all day, we thought it high time to stretch our legs each evening and stroll into the village to savour the local cuisine.
The spa at the Rasananda is also a treat, in a tranquil rock and waterfall environment -a truly relaxing setting.
The villa's themselves are very tastefully and luxuriously furnished. There is a coffee machine, plus local spirits and snacks refreshed daily. The turndown service is seamless, and room service is smooth and efficient. The team also are quick to respond to any requests.
Once we have saved our pennies, we will return.