Review : Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort | GHA Discovery

After five days in Hong Kong for a city stay, I arrived at the ocean side in Thailand on the island of Koh Samui. Usually staying in Marriott properties, for this stay, I went to discover the luxury hotel chain Anantara and, more precisely, the Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort before spending my last two nights on the island at the Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort.

Anantara hotels are part of a loyalty program called GHA Discovery. The program also includes more than 40 independent hotel brands in over 100 countries, including NH Hotels and Avani Hotels & Resorts.

However, this program is not affiliated with any bank but is based on several nights and a spending amount per calendar year. So to use points and save on your stay, you can use your Aeroplan points by booking through the Aeroplan website. Aeroplan points can be earned with the TD^MD Aeroplan^MD Visa Infinite* Card, for example.

Another way to save with points when booking an independent hotel is to use points accumulated with certain credit cards against an account credit.

These include the ^Platinum Card^® from American Express, the National Bank World Elite Mastercard^® and the CIBC Aventura^® Visa Infinite* Card.

The Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort is located in Bophut in the continuity of the famous Chaweng Beach, where the nightlife is mainly located.

Reaching the hotel will take you no more than 7 minutes by car from Koh Samui Airport (USM). For this purpose, the hotel offers a shuttle service at 600 THB. Also, at the airport exit, you will find private cabs (400 THB per car) or shared shuttles at 120 THB per person. Being alone for this stay, the shared shuttle was the most economical way for me. However, I was lucky because I was the last person to board. Otherwise, you have to wait for the car to fill up, and that’s not necessarily what you want to do when you arrive on vacation.

Despite its proximity to the airport, the Anantara Lawana hotel is tranquil; I was never bothered by the noise of the planes.

As soon as I got out of the car, the valet took charge of my luggage and announced my arrival by sounding the “Gong”, then another valet escorted me to the reception for check-in. While the receptionist was doing my check-in, I was offered juice and a refreshing towel. It was pretty pleasant and refreshing after a 7 AM departure from Bangkok.

To my surprise, I was told that I had been upgraded to an Anantara Pool Access Villa when I originally had a reservation in an Anantara Pool Suite.

The Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort has 122 rooms and villas:

• 34 Deluxe Lawana rooms
• 10 room Garden View Suite
• 44 Anantara Pool Suite
• 16 Anantara Pool Access Villas
• 11 Anantara Pool Villas
• 1 Anantara Family Pool Villa
• 5 Anantara Seaview Pool Villas
• 1 Two Bedroom Lawana Pool Villa

The Anantara Pool Access Villa is perfect for a stay with family or friends. In fact, it offers a large pool shared with only four to seven other rooms. It is also great if you are traveling alone or as a couple and want to have room to swim without having to go to the main hotel pool.

When you enter the villa, you arrive directly in the room with its canopy bed decorated with a mosquito net. A television and a mini bar are available.

We then enter the bathroom with its imposing bathtub and its closet space where the safe is located.

A shower is located outside the villa, together with the bathroom.

In the evening, there is a turndown service to prepare the bed and put the mosquito net in place.

Outside, there are two lounge chairs and a patio with awnings to provide a little more privacy.

I didn’t stay in this room, but I asked to visit it because I was curious to see the difference. This room is mainly for couples, it is more intimate because the pool is private, but much smaller. The pool is accessible from the outside or from the bathroom. The loungers outside are more shaded.

Breakfast is served as a buffet at the Ocean Kiss Restaurant from 7:00 am to 11:00 am. The buffet offers a wide range of Asian and continental specialty options: Sushi, fresh fruit, cold cuts, fruit juices, pastries and Indian food station. A complete buffet for all tastes and is very well stocked. The staff ensures that the buffet is always well stocked.

Particular attention is paid to the quality of the products selected, especially the eggs, which are organic. There is also a selection of vegan pastries. Fruits, salads and cold cuts are presented in a refrigerated room, which offers a better preservation.

It was a real pleasure to start the day with a smiling staff and a direct view of the beach.

The hotel has three restaurants and a bar:

Ocean Kiss

The hotel’s main restaurant is open from 7 AM to 10 PM. As we have seen before, this is the restaurant where breakfast is served. You can also eat there at lunch and dinner. The restaurant serves a variety of cuisine: pizzas, pasta, sushi, Thai specialties, and poké bowls.

Tree Tops

The Tree Tops offers a double experience. It is perched in the 120+-year-old trees, offering an incredible view of the ocean and the resort and a unique dining experience. The restaurant offers two services, the first from 6 to 8:30 PM and the second from 8:30 PM. You will have the choice between 2 different menus, one mixing surf and turf and another vegetarian menu. I chose the surf and turf option with the wine pairing that includes no less than eight courses and five glasses of wine. If you are staying at the Anantara Lawana, I recommend making a reservation.

Crab Shack

Restaurant for seafood lovers. Open from 11 AM to 10:00 PM; it features fried crab, oysters, lobster and more.

The Singing Birds Lounge

Open only at the end of the day, it is the best place to watch the sunset while sipping a delicious cocktail.

A central feature of the complex, the infinity pool overlooks the beach. It is separated into two pools, one shallow for children and the other for adults, offering a nice length for swimming enthusiasts.

The hotel has a beautiful and large beach with many deck chairs. The beach is cleaned regularly. There may be some algae when there are a lot of waves. A colored flag indicates swimming conditions.

The gym is located right next to the reception and spa and is accessible at all times. It is very well equipped; there are many dumbbells as well as cardio equipment. Bottled water and fresh towels are also available.

The Anantara Spa is located at the entrance of the resort, near the reception and the gym. Open from 10 AM to 8 PM; the Anantara Spa has treatment rooms for individuals and couples.

The Kids Club offers activities for children throughout the day from 11 AM to 4 PM. Also, there are many locally made games and toys made of sustainable materials for children to enjoy.

The Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort is a true haven of peace, as soon as you arrive, you feel soothed by its enchanting setting. The staff is always very smiling and friendly, ready to help you and make your stay exceptional. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the service and the kindness of the people as well as the quality of the food. The hotel has 122 suites and villas well distributed, which makes it a human-sized and intimate hotel. Definitely, I can only recommend this hotel if you go to Koh Samui island.