Same as everyone else I guess I had been reading all those reviews in the upcoming months to our holidays and as usual, the good reviews were outstanding and the bad ones were really bad so I got worried a bit about perhaps having chosen the wrong hotel. We did not.
Yes, the whole resort is on a hill so there are a lot of steps involved but I guess it's mainly down to the humidity in Samui that you might find them difficult to climb every day.You do get used to it eventually and as others have said as well, good exercise to work off the excellent Thai food.
I could not see any fault in friendliness any staff membeer as I found them always very happy to help and always with a lovely smile on their face.I felt at times like a ''mystery shopper'' as I was very aware of the negative comments having been made about Centara's staff but as mentioned, could not find any fault whatsoever. The food was good if overpriced but so it is in every hotel worldwide and as soon as you eat elsewhere in the few but very good restaurants outside the hotel, you can get a really cheap meal again.We ate twice in the hotel (for Steak night and for Seafood night) which was very good and you get to choose your steak or fish by weight so it's completely up to you how much you're willing to fork out :o)
Do make use of the Shuttle bus to Lamai or Chaweng (we had no problem booking it either) as with your Centara key you can use all the facilities at the Centara Grand in Chaweng and it really makes for a good day out and to see all the hussle and bustle in Chaweng. Having said that, we did also enjoy the private beach at the Villas very much and breakfast overlooking the little bay was sheer peace and bliss.
My only minor moan is that upon arriving at the Villas, we were asked to pay upfront for the entire stay without having even seen the room yet. Also, we had planned to pay by T/C upon departure and since we didn't have enough cash on us that night, we had to stick the whole amount on credit card. No big deal as such but certainly not normal hotel practice to ask for payment upfront.
All in all, we had a lovely time at the Centara Villas and enjoyed the quiet and peaceful surroundings away from Chaweng and Lamai but it was great to have the opportunity of the hotel shuttle bus to see a different part of Samui as well.

my husband and i stayed at centara from the 6th to the 16th may.
we had travelled from bangkok and we arrived at the villas in the afternoon. after booking into reception where we were asked to pay a £100 cash deposit( as we never travel with credit cards). no problem with this, but just wish we had been told beforehand.we were then allocated our villa which was a deluxe garden villa.i can only say that the villa was lovely. very clean , well presented and not overlooked in any way.
we walked around and viewed the amenities. not a lot of these but the surroundings are delightful. you feel as if you are in the middle of nowhere( which i guess you are really!!) with lush greenery everywhere. do NOT book here though if you cannot manage steps because every where you go you have to go up and down lots of steps. the swimming pools are very clean and well cared for. the restaurant is very nice although we only ate breakfast in there. not much of a selection on the hot plate some days , but you have your choice of eggs or omellettes also pancakes and waffles. they tend to run out of baked beans quite a lot much to my husbands dissapointment!! there is a vast array of breads and rolls and pastries, cold meats and salads , 4 choices of juice, 3 flavoured milks fresh fruit galore, smoked salmon, cereals, fruit salads and fresh meusli and unlimited tea or coffee, also the thai/chinese breakfast choices too,what more can you ask for!?
the beach isnt a lot to write home about , i do like to have a wander along the beach but there isnt really anywhere you can wander to, it seems a bit manufactured but pretty neverthe less.
all the staff we came across were very, very nice and helpful and always smiley as the thais are reknowned for. i have read that some people found the staff surly and unhelpful but i must stress that we NEVER came across that attitude. but i think if you portray yourself to be miserable and always moaning you will get that back, my philosophy is always to treat people how you would wish to be treated and smile at everyone and you will always get it back. and it works.
there is a inn just to the right of the villas which do massage a lot cheaper than at the resort and also apparently they do nice meals quite reasonably priced. we tried the restaurants down the hill a few times and the food was lovely. the fisherman is very good.
the shuttle bus does tend to get crowded and booked up but we always booked the day before to ensure we got a seat.
we alternated between chaweng (very busy) and lamai( smaller and quieter . we found we needed longer in chaweng as it was a lot busier and bigger and lots more choice shopping wise.
i could go on and on about this holiday and believe me when i say we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and would definitely return again. if you need to know any more about this resort feel free to email me. i will try and answer your questions. it is not a holiday for people who want to be right in the middle of the action but if you want a get away from it all holiday then this is for you.

My husband and I have just returned after a 10 night stay at CSV. In some degrees I will agree to some of the reviews about this resort. Yes in certain areas the resort needs updating ie room slightly dark even during the day, furniture are slightly out dated and we had a major problems with ants in our room( which was sorted out as soon as we contacted reception). Food was slightly overprice and limited in selection. Apart from that we found that the staff were friendly most of the time. I always believe that being polite will almost guarantee a better service from the staff.

Did not venture to the beach, but just stayed by the pool. Used the Spa facility twice. But since they are in the process of renovating the services they offer are quite limited and the ambience does not quite cut it compared to the other spas that we have tried from another resort.

Did not have any problems with the free shuttle transfer to Chaweng. Most of the time we still managed to get a space even at the last minute.

We found the steps to be our daily exercise....burnt off those calories! We have seen a few guest who have difficulty in walking but still manages just fine.

All in all I will rate this hotel at least a 3 star....Once fully renovated I am sure it will become a more competitive resort.

I have recently stayed at centara villas with 3 other people. We stayed in the garden villas which, according to other reviewers were dated and tired looking, this was not the case. I guess some people have very very high standards. The cleaners were excellent and changed sheets, flowers etc everyday. The food in restaurant was brillant or though alittle over priced. The pools were great always clean as was the beach, though the sand wasnt the greatest. The staff were friendly and always had a smile on their face. Again some reviewers complained about how diificult it was to obtain the free shuttle bus, this was not the case it was there were regular bus and there was always spaces. Located near the hotel are a few little restaurants which are reasonably priced but it is worth taking to the shuttle bus to either lamai or chaweng. In my opinion lamai is a nice place for a quiet meal and a few drinks while chaweng has the great beach and a cracking nightlife. Overall it is a wonderful hotel and part of the island and i would recommend it to anyone except the elderly as there are alot of steps at the hotel.