I stayed at the Chedi with my wife and two daughters (19 and 11) for ten days following three days in Bangkok. The Chedi had been recommended by a friend who had stayed there wo years ago. I was however slightly concerned by some of the reviews. I had no need to be as this has to go down as one of the best holidays we've ever had.
First Impressions - terrific. The Chedi sits on the hillside overlooking the Andaman Sea. The hotel is very open and allows the sea breeze to circulate . We were greeted with scented cold towels and a cold drink while we checked in and then taken along the walkways to our cottage. We had booked a deluxe 2 bed cottage (#106) which directly overlooked the pool and had an amazing sea view.
The cottages are charming with a rustic feel to them.High ceilings and dark wooden floors and fittings along with the AC makes it a cool retreat from the outside heat. People who complain about them being shabby must be OCD freaks living in show houses! Lots of nice touches - fresh orchids on your pillows when the beds are turned down, fresh biscuits and fruit daily, unlimited bottled water and earthenware bottles of toileteries.
Other reviewers have made a big deal of the stairs. Yes they're there but the cottages are effectively built on stilts on the jungle hillside so you're surrounded by glorious vegetation. It would completely spoil the atmosphere if this was removed to make way for paths and golf carts. As long as you're reasonnably able these shouldn't be a problem.
The beach is stunning (and private) and being low season was deserted. Incidently the weather was superb. We only had one heavy downpour in the 10 days. I don't recall there being more than 20 people on the beach at any time. However even in high season I'm sure there would be no issue in finding loungers and an umbrella.
The beach vendors (not part of the hotel) were not pushy, in fact charming, like the Thai people in general. Soft drinks 40 baht and big beers for £1.50 kept the family hydrated. There's also a team of masseuses who will give a 60 min Thai massage for 400 baht on a lounger in the shade of the palm trees - paradise.
The pool is a minutes walk from the beach so you can easily alternate between pool, sea and beach.
Food at the hotel is pricey but good quality. However, a 10 min walk, turn right at the Chedi entrance for Surin Beach, and there's plenty of reasonably priced restaurants to choose from.
We did a couple of excursions, Phi Phi islands and James Bond Island - great days out - arranged by an agent on Surin Beach which probably saved us a bit on the Hotel rates.
I don't make a habit of writing reviews but felt compelled to do so after the great time we had and to counter the negative reviews on this site. I can't believe these people acually stayed at the same Chedi! Would go back tomorrow if I could.

We went to Thailand for 10 days spending 3 nights prior to staying in The Chedi in Bangkok.
The Chedi was excellent, Food was fantastic (but not cheap) worth it to get some fantastic Thai traditional food.
Staff were very friendly and helpful and whole hotel was impeccable.
Room was great, lots of lovely little touches with the bathroom products.
The beach and pool were superb, just watch the sea in monsoon season as it gets pretty rough!
There are people on the beach (not connected to the Hotel) selling drinks, they were great, bottle of beer costing about £1 as aposed to almost £3 in the hotel.
Our room was fabulous. The staff had noted it was my birthday and gave us a villa at the end of the path and with the most spectacular of views.
There were a lot of steps, but there are back pathways that the staff use golf carts on (we never had to carry our luggage!) so I don't see why they couldn't help some less able people to get to a bungalow.
If you are able to climb then just get over it and get up the stairs!!

DON'T go to Phuket town, it's a waste of time.

PATONG is great, go into the new mall its very good and prices are still cheep.
Since the Tsunami prices have become a little higher in Thailand, but it's still cheep overall.

I've stayed in lots of 4 and 5 * resorts and this lists among the top as for those who say they need redecorating, they must have forgotten that they are staying in a 5* glorified beach hut!! so you should expect it to be a little rustic!! If you really don't want the beach hut experience then stay in a hotel!!!!!

It was fabulous and we would definitely go back.

My partner and Istayed for 8 nights during the monsoon season. We stayed in a hillside hut which had all basic amentities set in a basic but pleasant hut. Each dwelling has a little decking area which is off the main walk way so is semi private.

As the resort is built on a substantial gradient down to the semi -private beach, there are a number of steps, but unless you are significantly unfit or lazy then this should not be a deterrent for the beautiful isolation.

The qualtiy of build of the villa was not up to, say western standards but I think it is important to acknowledge you are not in a western country. With this comes the acceptance of local bugs and wildlife which are clearly outside of the resorts' control.

This was a lovely 4 star escape for a couple, but not a typical western established business in asia.

I would definitely recommend this to travellers looking for something a little different to their 'home away from home'.

This place will remain as a speial place with my partner and I

I have to admit, after booking at the Chedi I was worried about my stay after reading some of the Tripadvisor reviews. I even checked the cancellation policy and was going to book at the JW Marriott, instead. My sister brought me to my senses after asking why I’d stay at a Marriott in Thailand as it defeats the purpose of traveling to a foreign land. Thank gosh she did! My husband and I, and our two friends, just spent a wonderful 2 weeks at the Chedi. This hotel defines class and I am stunned that some of the reviews are other than stellar. I love staying at the Four Seasons when I want to splurge and consider my standards to be high. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with a friendly smile, cold cloth for our hands, and some tea to drink, which was much appreciated after our 20-hour flight from L.A. including a 6-hour layover in Kuala Lumpur. The check-in process was painless. We were immediately shown to our room and each detail was clearly explained. BTW…their breakfast is wonderful and includes a wide variety of breakfast foods.

Our Room
Our room was beautiful and a calm came over me right as I walked in (room #344). The complimentary wine and fruit helped, too! We stayed in a Beach Suite Studio. It was close to the pool, and only steps to the water, had an ocean view, private patio and was quite large. It also had a huge sunk-in tub, Bose iPod speaker dock, and flat panel LCD T.V. The beach rooms were remodeled after the tsunami, and the other rooms (those not on the beach) just had a standard shower with no bath tub, no iPod speakers, and an older model T.V., but are still quite stunning. If you’re like me and enjoy an occasional bath, you have to get a beach room. However, I was hardly in my room and didn’t take advantage of all of the amenities. I spent most of my days in the pool or at the beach. Some people have commented that the rooms are dated and I couldn’t disagree more. You can’t beat the hospitality and the location of this hotel. Some one would come each night to turn down your room and leave cookies. I had no problem eating them. P.S. The beds are very comfortable!

Beach Access
The hotel is on a private beach, which was priceless. Most of the other hotels in Surin Beach are across the street from the ocean, and beach access is not private, which is a deal breaker. During the on-season, Surin Beach is very crowded and anyone can swim there. At the Chedi, only guests of its hotel and the Amanpuri (which is right above and top $$$$$) have direct, private beach access. There are lounge chairs everywhere and some of the local vendors sell ice-cold beers, fruit juices and fresh fruit for very cheap ($1-2 U.S). It was so pleasant going to the ocean and not having to fight for a spot or lounge chair.

The Pool
I must say the online photos of the pool didn’t impress me, but I LOVED the pool. It was a great size, there were lounge chairs around it, and I could hardly feel the chlorine in the water. I thought it was a fresh-water pool, but figure it can’t possibly be. I like to swim for exercise and early in the morning, I had the whole pool to myself. Drinks and food at the hotel bar are pricey, though.

The Stairs
Almost every room has an ocean view so you have to work for it! The more $$$ you spend on a room, the closer it is to the beach and pool, meaning there are fewer steps to climb. However, you can’t avoid the stairs regardless of where you stay. There were 93 from our room to the lobby/breakfast area and we were on the beach. Since The Chedi doesn’t have a gym (which is my one complaint), you get plenty of exercise climbing up and down the stairs. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to anyone who has difficulty walking.

Exercise
I like to exercise and was so bummed the hotel didn’t have a gym. I went to the Twim Palms resort, which is waking distance, and used their gym for 412 baht a day ($12 U.S). When that got expensive, I ran the stairs, swam, jogged along the Surin Beach path and got a really good workout. You make do…

Weather
We went in July (the “off-season”) and the weather was great. We had 5 Hawaii like days (very hot and sunny), 2 rainy days, and the other five were mostly sunny, with clouds, wind, and few sprinkles. The rain was not debilitating, though. When it did rain, it was still hot, and we would just go for a walk, visiting the local shops and shop owners. I still laid out though, which was nice because the breeze actually made it bearable.

Things to Do, Places to Eat, etc.
To get to The Chedi, you drive along the Surin Beach road, and off to the right is a hill and it’s on top. Surin Beach road has a ton of shops and restaurants, which were all very good. Being naive, I was worried about getting sick from the food or the water. The restaurants cater to tourists and there’s no way they’d prepare their food or serve water without caution. Word of mouth spreads fast and they can’t take the financial risk. As a result, you don’t need to worry as the water that’s served at the resorts or any restaurant near by is bottled. We loved the Surin Bay Inn for lunch and dinner. It was cheap, and is the Cheesecake Factory of Thailand, meaning it serves everything including burgers (which were good). Weaves (another restaurant) was also very good. It had a very hip atmosphere and is expensive for Thailand, but not for Los Angeles. Service was wonderful everywhere and it wasn’t uncommon to have five people waiting on one table with four people! I’m not used to that, but it wasn’t difficult to acclimate.

My husband and I and our two friends got daily massages. There’s a place within walking distance from the Chedi. There’s a yellow sign with red letters that says “massage” with a reflexology foot. Two very nice guys named Moo-Moo or Bam-Bam worked there and helped us with everything including excursions, laundry, massages, etc. It was one of our daily stops and for 300 baht ($9 U.S.) per hour, the massages were wonderful.

There’s a plethora of suit makers along the street. They can be very pushy, which for me was a turn off. However, right as you walk down from The Chedi, you face a suit place before turning right to head down the road. I think it’s called “Armani”. The gentleman that works there, Ram (he’s from Nepal and so is the owner), is very nice and not pushy at all. Because of that, we chose his shop to make my husband’s suit. They also made me an Asian style blouse. The service was very efficient, detailed, and fast. We were very pleased with the outcome and would go to them again in a heart beat.

There’s a local artist to the left, about 3 shops down from Ram. We bought two paintings from him. I looked at a lot of different art shops and liked his the best. There are many laundry places along the road, much cheaper than the laundry service provided by The Chedi. It stinks having to haul your laundry up and down the hill, but you will save a lot and that’s one extra beer, painting, or dress.

Go to Patong! It’s sensory overload, but is so exciting. I went three different nights for shopping and the hotel provides a free shuttle. The first night I hated it and swore to never go back. However, I had to go back to finish up my shopping. I returned a second time and really enjoyed it because I knew what to expect. By my third visit, I was a Patong pro and had a blast. You haven’t seen Phuket without seeing Patong. Phi Phi islands were just okay for me. Glad I went, but the water was choppy making the boat ride (speedboat mind you) miserable. I was ready to leave after seeing the first island, but it was a full day affair. Had the weather been better, I may have enjoyed it more.

Go to a Muy Thai boxing match. We had a blast and went to one in Phuket town. They’re offered everywhere including Patong, but the Phuket town stadium had a lot of locals and from my understanding is less touristy.

Why did I write all of this? It’s not often I travel internationally so during the planning phase, I was fishing for information online. Although I found a lot, I was still unsure about many things and am hoping this helps you. I’m quick to complain when I’m not happy about the service I receive, but also quick to share when I the service I receive is top-notch. The Chedi is amazing and I can’t wait to go back to Phuket! The people of Thailand are very kind, accommodating, and aim to please! I’m planning to return in 2013 and hope this has helped you in planning your trip!