What do we actually mean when we say that guests staying at one of our star-rated villas really do enjoy the best of both worlds?
Firstly its about total freedom and independance; your very own place - where there are no rules, timetables or clocks to watch. Guests can come and go as they please and do what they want, when they want to do it. They can party all night or go to bed when the sun goes down (promptly at six-o'clock every evening 365 -days a year). They can also cook quick snacks, go out to eat or order food in - either way they save lots and lots of money.
They also save big bucks on the major costs involved when vactioning (the hotel rooms, and inhouse food & drink prices) while STILL being able to have daily access to all the fabulous facilities provided by those top resorts. There are literally hundreds of them scattered everywhere around the island, each one waiting for you to visit - and help you spend your cash - yet that in itself is still a choice worth having.
The type of people staying with us tend to immediately grasp the economic (and ecological) sense of 'going native' and staying at a cosy hideaway located away from the main tourist areas with all their inevitable noise and bustle. This is where our guests can mingle with the local islanders with whom they can relax and live in harmony with Nature from dawn to dusk.
Or, they can jump in their hired 4-WD (recommended, rather than a car) and zoom off to all the major tourist attractions and Buddhist temples. They can still go to all the top international resorts and enjoy all their guest facilities - while at the same time not having to fork out on their costly holiday packages. This is one of the best sneaky fun things to do - and only because you had the smarts to 'go native'.
These filthy rich resorts are certainly not slow to catch on that suddenly they have extra 'guests' - which to them is simply an opportunity to sell MORE food and MORE drink - and help you spend even MORE in their over-priced shopping boutiques!
As drop-in guests, the staff are guaranteed to fuss over you (this is the Isle of Smiles remember) all trying hard to impress you enough so that you might be tempted to take your next vacation there! And who can blame them?
But from our guests' point-of-view the greatest benefit of all is that they can cherry-pick the best of the best. Enjoying the different facilities offered by ALL resorts just as though they were regular (paying) guests. You can drink in their bars or eat in their fancy cafes. You can swim in the infinity pools or get a full head massage - just as though you were inhouse guests. And just like them, you'll have the privilage of paying for those extras too!
So, as you can see, our guests really do get the best of both worlds. They can stay with us - yet play elsewhere!
Below, we cordially invite you to check out some of the more popular resorts - and their prices. You will find that the competition's prices are always higher, time and again.
We can only assume that our competitor's attitude (and their prices) honestly reflect the way they perceive Western travellers to be: as nothing less than filthy rich people, who wish to be pampered to death and who are are able (and therefore quite willing) to pay for that level of service.
Below are some accurately-priced examples (Advertised on 29 July 2006) for one person staying at one of the upmarket Koh Samui resorts and spas:
Napasai Spa Resort: £929. Santiburi Resort: £959. Cheweing Regent: £784. Coral Bay Resort & Spa £689 Impiana Samui Resort £635.
The prices shown are per-person per week, for the basic fare of bed and breakfast. Obviously you also get to use all the resort's facilities like shopping at their boutiques, swimming in their pools, drinking at their bars, eating in their top-rated restaurants etc. And all these things cost unworldly tourists a lot of extra money of course - apart from the pool!
