PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

(Formerly Le Royal Meridien.) On the western side of the island some 40 minutes' drive from Samui Airport -- and overlooking the ocean -- this is one of the ritziest addresses on Samui. The deluxe guest rooms, beach villas, and deluxe suites all have outstanding Thai-style furniture, exquisite textiles, and pretty louvered doors leading to the terraces. The Cliff Villas and the Royal Villa Baan Napa offer sumptuous Thai interiors and large private patios. The hilltop lobby and restaurant, as well as the guest rooms, have fantastic views of the sea and resort gardens, and the main pool (one of seven) appears to spill over its edges into the coconut palm grove below. The beach is small, and it's quite a schlep from the action at Chaweng (a 30-min. drive away) -- for some, this is the resort's real draw. However, there's a wealth of things to do on site: kayaks, catamarans, snorkeling, and windsurfing, as well as tennis courts and mountain bikes. A PADI dive school offers courses. With great dining opportunities and a spa to soothe away those blues, this is an all-round superb place to really get away. Facilities: 3 restaurants; lounge; 7 pools; outdoor lit tennis courts; fitness center; spa; watersports equipment and dive center; car and bike rental desk; tour desk; airport transfer; salon; 24-hr. room service; babysitting; same-day laundry service/dry cleaning

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Thailand, 8th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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