It's a WOW when my girlfriend and I first arrived at the W Retreat, a warm welcome from the friendly staff (from the porter to Christian, the Manager) followed by the spectacular view from the lobby. Even though I had some problem connecting my iPad with the WiFi, Christian promptly fixed the problem and delivery it to my room in person with his great smile.

We stayed in the Tropical Oasis room, it's very cozy and everything was neat and tidy with a touch of taste, such as the change of lighting, decoration inside the room and, oh, the teddy bear. However, my advice is not to open the glass door to the private pool for an extended period because most likely your room will fill with mosquitos and you will get some nice bites from them when you try to get a sweet dream!

Food is excellent, we had breakfast and room service during our stay and everyday was a new experience. Omelette on the hot pan on the first day was a WOW , everything was fresh and the taste is just right. We were offered different kinds of drinks and food throughout our 2-hours breakfast chill-out everyday and they just tickled our taste bud with joy. Oh, don't forget the hamburger, it's very fresh and juicy, I prefer more onion and pickle though. I know Phad Thai is a no-big-deal dish in Thailand but this is the one you must try in W. Don't forget to try out the Japanese restaurant as well and you can enjoy a breezy night along the beach after the Jap dinner!

I had a great time in W and I am sure I will be back for my holiday.

Zach
Hong Kong

So I'm about to check out of the W Retreat. I heard about in the mags and on reviews here and was definitely psyched to check out this (new) place and Koh Samui, I love the islands...stayed in Phuket, as well as Bali and Fiji. Now have you ever gone to a hotel and thought that the room was AWESOME but that the hotel (including F&B) needs help? Well, welcome to the W. This place was built/planned before the global recession. You can tell. The villas are huge. Awesome. Best I've seen. But getting around the facilities is ridiculous. You can tell that it wasn't planned out in the owner's attempts to get it done (which by the way, are in trouble financially). This place is a graveyard and it's kind of sad. Employees will linger over you. You'll have every facility to yourself. And why is this? Well, first off, the location isn't v. good. The beach is at best average. V. little area. Sand isn't great. Sure, it's great to not have to fight for space, but you literally are in a dead zone. Next the restaurants are lacking. Choice? nope. Is this place close to the island's many other options. Not at all. Your taxi driver which will have no idea where and what this is WILL get lost. so be prepared to pay. Finally, and the most alarming is that the prices are a joke. Now, yeah, this place is nice and you get what you pay for. This i prob the best hotel/villa rom I've ever had and I've stayed at some great places. But $70 USD for A SINGLE GLASS OF champagne, that they try and sell to you? What? I understand why foreign wine is so expensive in Thailand because of taxes. But what's the point? Don't even bother. Further, peanuts or any nuts for $15? A soda for $5? I mean when you have limited options, no little store to buy such items and no place to get sundries in the vicinity this is excessive. What bothers me is that you're forced to pay ridiculous amounts. And true I can afford it and so can you if you're considering this place, but there's a difference between splurging/indulging burning money. It's a waste. And as I love champagne, there's no way i'll pay $300 or $70 USD for something that's $15 or $50 anywhere in NYC...which is where I live. So the employees here are great. What else can they do? But keep in mind that you will have a hotel that is AT BEST 30-40% occupied (this place must be hemorrhaging money). So, will I stay here again? Nope...the Conrad is brand new...might as well try that one out. And there are so many options with better locations. This place is sharp, modern and the rooms are awesome. Otherwise, you will spend 20 minutes walking to anywhere at the hotel (elevator system was poorly developed...and why waste so much room on a juice bar and the gym when you could have implemented further F&B options?). I'm in the real estate business so I know a few things about great hotels and planning. And this one smacks of a hotel built during the "bubble".
Oh and another point, I pointedly told the front desk that I wouldn't mind upgrading for an ocean view. The darn place is dead...why the heck not upgrade me to a room that is sitting empty???? What is wrong with the management here? Oh, that's right, they're busy pacing upstairs wondering how they'll make payroll. Sorry if I sound a little angry, but I can't stand when someone in the service industry doesn't endeavor to make a valued guest happy. Instead the ocean view rooms sit empty. Oh well

If they say the 'devil is in the details' then W Retreat Samui is truly evil, in a very nice way. I have stayed in many W Hotels over the years and this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. From arrival to departure the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. You always felt like you matter to them, that your visit was somehow important to them.

The design of this development was well thought out with the hilly land stepping from the top of reception down to the beachside bungalows. The flow from the property moves down from the restaurant, pool (wet) and gym (sweat) and spa areas on the way down to the beachside bungalows set out like a leafy residential community style.

Along the beach the W style extends into the lounges and sun chairs. At the end of the private beach is a very nice open bar area (sip) with lounges, sofas and sun beds, tables and drink stands. I spent quite a bit of time sipping the odd beverage while working on my tan and iPad.

I opted for what the W call the Jungle Oasis room. Looking from the beach, these pool villas line four rows across the top left of the hill. Accessing these rooms 24 hours is done via buggy or you can walk but it is 'hilly and steep'

What I like about this brand is the way they use color and textures. They aren't afraid to use blend natural materials with modern products. Stone and timber, it’s hard to beat and the mix was very simply yet stylish. The room was long and rectangular with the very comfortable bed at one end and the lounge/entertainment area in the middle and a huge bathroom at the end, running parallel is the sun deck and private pool. Its more than a ‘plunge’ pool, you can swim several strokes in it and it was wide enough to not feel like a tub. There were plenty of nice ‘free’ products for the shower and bath, water was re stocked twice a day and there were lots of treats in the mini bar. Turn down service always left a little special treat, different each night after they turned down the bed, changed the towels, restocked the water and generally gave the room a once over.

I used the Whatever Whenever service for a private BBQ, Aussie style with lots of fresh local seafood. They came and set it up, I cooked and it felt like a nice afternoon bbq after the beach. It’s a great service for something different.

The breakfast and the restaurant is something that needs to be experienced to really be appreciated. There is pretty much anything you could possibly want for breakfast. I'm pretty simple; I loved the fresh fruits, muesli and yogurt but they weren’t, or at least didn’t feel like they were out of a box. They looked and tasted homemade. They do a signature omelet you must try at least once. The restaurant menu has a nice mix of western and Thai dishes, I tried most and the quality was excellent.

I could go on about all the cool new equipment in the gym, the pool at the top, long enough to train in, looked about 20 meters but there are so many nice things about this place. While I didn’t use my spa certificate, I did visit the spa reception and it had that ‘yes I’m on holidays and I feel very relaxed’ vide about it, like spas should. The other great thing about the W are the smells, they cater to all the senses here and the smells relaxed with the ‘always’ cool tunes drifting out of the speakers in the gardens or bar areas. Stylish, almost too stylish for this simple man ;-)

Overall this is a great brand who has designed a very guest focused Retreat across what might have been a challenging piece of land. I will definitely stay there again as I really felt like I was on vacation. I left after 4 nights feeling fantastic. Great work W Retreat Koh Samui!