Six Senses Samui

The luxury Six Senses Samui is perched on a promontory on the northeast tip of Koh Samui. The property is built to emphasize its location overlooking the sea, with gorgeous sea views from the infinity pool, restaurants, bars, and most of its 66 villas. The resort's design allows for fresh sea breezes to waft through the property and the atmosphere here is quiet, calm, and secluded. Weathered teak walkways lead through lush grounds, complete with indigenous trees and plants, flowers, herb gardens, and songbirds. Guests are greeted at check-in with cool drinks and lemongrass-scented towels before being taken by golf cart to their private villas. The resort's interiors are rustic-chic, with plenty of restrained Thai style crafted from local hardwoods. Other common areas include a white-sand beach and a sea-facing infinity pool. The resort offers some kids' activities but has no kids' club, so it's not great for families with children. Couples in particular benefit from the intimate, secluded atmosphere and romantic feel, while the resort's innovative dining is a draw for travelers staying all over north Samui.

The seafront Six Senses Samui is locates at the secluded northeastern tip of Koh Samui, a 10-minute drive from Wat Phra Yak Buddhist temple and its famous 40-foot gold-painted Buddha statue (also known as the Big Buddha). This is a quiet area of the island and the bustling center of Chaweng is a little under 20 minutes away by car. The town is packed with restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and cabaret shows plus plenty of shops, including the Laem Din Market. Other attractions include Petchbuncha Boxing Stadium -- known for Muay Thai -- and the Aquapark water park. Wat Khao Hua Jook Buddhist temple is a little over 20 minutes away by car; it takes about the same amount of time to reach the Fisherman's Village, with plenty of 19th- and early 20th-century Chinese homes. The Mae Nam Pier is a half-hour drive away for the Lomprayah high-speed ferry to Koh Pha Ngan (the boat ride itself takes 20 minutes). Samui International Airport is just under 15 minutes away.

All 66 spacious units at the Six Senses are private split-level villas with a contemporary Thai aesthetic. Villas are decked out in dark natural hardwood, offset by the bright white of the cotton bedding and pops of bright colors in day bed cushions and throw pillows. The seemingly endless amount of windows offer glimpses of the surrounding greenery, and the abundance of wood continues the hotel's signature rustic-chic style. Vaulted woven-bamboo ceilings are a particularly atmospheric touch. Overall, villas are quiet, clean, and well-maintained and make good use of the resort's location on a seaside promontory. All units have terraces and 52 of them have private infinity pools, many with full sea views. Even the entry level Hideaway Villas are spacious, with 55 square meters of room (592 square feet) -- higher-category units obviously offer even more space. Other features include air-conditioning, safes, minibars, espresso machines, electric kettles, bottled water, flat-screen TVs with satellite and English channels, and Bluetooth speakers -- DVD players are available on request. Some villas even have wine refrigerators. Bathrooms are clean, well-lit, and spacious, and offer secluded outdoor showers. Some of the larger villas have a second bathroom with indoor shower and outdoor bathtub. Private butler service is available. 

The seafront Six Senses Samui features a white-sand beach with a water-sports center, including kayaks, sailboats, and motorboats. There's also a large infinity pool perched on a hill overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. The excellent Thai-style spa has several outdoor salas (pavilions) and indoor treatment rooms plus a beauty salon. Standout treatments include four-hand massages, seaweed body wraps, marine salt scrubs, and coconut butter body masks. The spa also offers two dry saunas, two steam rooms, and free Pilates and yoga sessions. The top-notch fitness center offers an excellent range of cardio and weight-training equipment. Children's activities include batik and coconut painting, soap carving, Thai cooking, and paper folding. The resort also offers a boutique gift and clothing shop, free DVD rental, airport transfers (for a fee), free Wi-Fi, and free parking. Staff can arrange island tours, temple tours, snorkeling and scuba diving trips, catamaran and sunset cruises, and Thai cooking classes. Note that construction work is being carried out next to the resort until April 2016, and the noise may affect guests' enjoyment of the beach. During this time, the resort offers a free shuttle to the nearby Six Senses Sala for use of its beach and other facilities.

The hotel offers a high-quality breakfast buffet featuring Thai noodles and other Asian items, cooked-to-order eggs, pancakes, breads, smoothies, freshly squeezed juices and smoothies. Unfortunately, it's not included with room rates and it -- like most meals here -- can be expensive. Dining on the Hill features superb sunset views and serves classic Thai and international cuisine, while Dining on the Rocks -- situated further down the hill, with panoramic sea views -- offers innovative fusion cuisine. Both restaurants use seasonal produce from the resort's own garden and each has an elegant cocktail bar. Drinks are also available by the beach and pool and there's an outstanding wine cellar and wine tastings on the hill at sunset. Room service is available 24 hours a day and guests can arrange for private barbecues on the terraces of their villas.