Booked 2 Superior rooms online.
Came in at 12 oclock with an official check-in time of 2PM. They couldnt (wouldnt?) give us other rooms that were already made up and ready for new guests. Waiting 2 hrs for starters.
IN-room cable internet for free - good! Fridge and coffeemaker.
Location is superb, in the middle of 'happening' Chaweng.
Room is ok, not more than that. The frontdoor is a splitdoor where you will normally just use one half of it but its built for dwarfs. Why make 2 halfdoors when there could be one normal door for normal people.
Bathroom also ok but the handles for warm and cold water is the stupidest ever seen. Handles are in the tableporcelain to the right of the sink and you have to turn them clockwise and vice versa. Any soap, hairgel or the likes on your fingers and your hand just slides, not being able to turn the handle. Stupid stupid!
Shower and the hot water works surprisingly well.
Pool and beach:
Pool area is so small that there is no space for sun lounges around it. And tall trees to partially block out the sun. For sunbathing purposes you have to be out on the beach. Problem there is that if you want to be in the sun, and every spot is taken, you have to situate yourself very close to the water...right in the path where people walk by. Its not a big beach, from the waterline and up to the bar/pool/hotel, probably some 14-15metres.
Going to a beach island like Samui, I dont care much about a pool since the sea is the reason for going. But I like to be able to just lie there by the pool and relax, getting some rays. Not possible. Even better is a sunlounge in the sand but when you have to almost go down to the water, I am not ok with it.
Stand by the pool, look at the water, turn right and walk down the beach and see how the other resorts look, in terms of pool area and space.
The Dara pool was seen cleaned several times late at night (there is no noise from it) and its nice to see its maintained and kept clean.
Breakfast buffet is really bad, its nothing but toast, white bread and pastries. And then a lot of salat! (come on, its breakfast!). I can recall only once I have seen worse. Only good thing is the menu (included in breakfast) in which you can choose as many dishes as you want. THAT is very nice.
If you like beachgoing, night life and stay in the middle of it, Dara Samui's location is perfect. I'd say its for guys or gals travelling together, wanting to party.
I would not recommend this to families w/children.
Hotel wasnt expensive but I would not come back, there are just too many others places to choose from.
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I have seen all of Samui and Chaweng is the place to be, where things happen. North end of Chaweng and at Bo Phut/the big buddha is also ok. Lamai beach which is just south of Chaweng is also ok but the rest of the island, forget it.
Read a lot about Lipa Noi beach but what a disappointment that was, so small and so boring. Went to Nikki Beach which is very advertised. The bar Nikki Beach and those party nights might be fine but there is NOTHING to see or do at Nikki Beach. Beach itself is smaller than small.
The main road is one of Thailand's most dangerous and there are many roadkills.
The thais drive like idiots and for some reason, tourists try to emulate that as good as they can, swirving in and out of traffice, never looking behind them, and keep doing it even if its raining. Think twice before you rent a motorbike. You might drive sanely but others dont. Stick to a car.
For working out, there is one place in Chaweng - World's Gym on the main road. Go down the one-way beach road in Chaweng. When it ends, turn right til you reach main road. Left turn and its right there, you cant oversee the gorilla logo. 150baht per day or 10 times for 1000.
Room Tip: Doesnt matter what room you get but bear in mind there are no elevators so a room on reception level...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
