Mantra Samui is perfect. From the moment we arrived the service was brilliant. My boyfriend and I stayed her for 6 nights after a week of backpacking. It was just what we needed. The hotel is full of sweet personal touches. The staffs were helpful, polite and spoke brilliant English. The hotel has an infinity pool and a swim up bar. We were given a free upgrade to the room. The restraint serves food all day; room service is available 24 hours a day. Try the pizza’s as the pizza chief is amazing. The staffs were really helpful changing meals to a vegetarian option if i asked. We had maid service every day. The hotel is out of the way, but this is not hidden at any point, that’s what gives it it’s amazing views. The hotel does offer a shuttle service and taxi’s are not that expensive. Compared to other places we visited in Thailand this hotel was slightly more expensive however, for 5 star services what do you expect. The owner of the hotel is a true asset to the hotel staff, you can always see him working in the restaurant, delivering room service, in reception; he really gets joined in and it’s really nice to see. Breakfast is a buffet each morning, so much choice!

I have just returned from a 3 night stay at the Mantra. We stayed for a total of 10 nights in Koh Samui and chose to spend our last few nights at the mantra based on the trip advisor reviews. We wanted a bit of luxury so didn't hesitate in booking.
The hotel itself is lovely and the gardens and pool are stunning. I did however feel the area for the loungers is very small in relation to the size of the hotel and is quite cramped.
We stayed in a love room and the facilities such as music and movie library, large balcony and free international calls were great; however I didn't feel the room lived up to my expectations. The bathroom was small and was showing signs of wear and tear. The finishing touches for a 5* hotel were not as expected. For example the shower walls were painted rather than tiled and therefore had watermarks/splashes all over them, and the worktops in the bathroom were wooden and painted black as aposed to a marble/granite/laminate and this therefore didn't feel very 'luxury'.
The bed was comfy but the black platform around the base of the bed was certainly not and made getting in and out of the bed quite difficult! It would also be nice to be able to watch TV in bed which is currently not possible. A simple bracket so that you can position the TV would be an easy solution.
The food was lovely but more expensive than eating in Fishermans village however the service was good.
My main criticism was the location. I was aware it was on top of a hill and had read the reviews, however I was not prepared to be so far off the beaten track! I think this is mainly as we were totally spoilt for the beach side location and short stroll from the Fisherman's village in the resort we stayed in for our first 7 days. Yes the views at the mantra are beautiful, but it did not make up for the lack of not being able to stroll to the beach or wander into the centre of Bophut whenever you wanted. I did not like having to plan your days around the shuttle service. The evening shuttles into Bophut were 4pm (a little too early for dinner) or 8pm (a little too late for dinner). The staff however did give us a lift to the bottom of the hill so that we could catch a taxi on several occasions. The taxi drivers did seem to think that they could charge a premium to take you back up the hill, as you were unlikely to trek up the steep dark hill on foot.
Would I recommend this hotel; unfortunately not, unless you are happy to be a captive audience or hire a car/scooter. There are so many hotels to choose from in Bophut with fabulous beach side locations in spitting distance from the centre of Bophut.

My wife and I have just stayed for a week in July 2013. Everything exceeded expectations. The location on a hill provides stunning ocean views and nice cooling breezes. Well presented airconditioned rooms with free wifi and phone calls. A free regular shuttle service gets you to (and back from) two other villages easily. The staff are helpful, well trained and very friendly. Host "Robert" is always on hand for advice and a chat. Restaurant food very good. Chef Jump does a great cooking class. Breakfast is open for hours and is excellent. Good bar, a large infinity pool and also a great gym. Free golf buggy transport at all times to get around the site. Great value. Well worth a stay.