If you purchased a Groupon voucher for the Banburee Wellness Resort & Spa, demand a refund immediately. This place is a desolate scene from a horror movie--what might have been bright and shiny thirty years in the past is now a wasteland of crumbling facades (complete with musty odor...as if none of the toilets have been flushed in over a decade). There might be one or two other people who have the misfortune of occupying the resort at this moment, but other than that it is eerily quiet and abandoned. I spied an uneaten pizza cast aside in the empty restaurant--I don't dare eat here following such an ominous warning as that. My partner and I are checking out a day early from our two-night booking, tomorrow. We would bail today except for torrential rains--and a 45-minute ride from Chaweng. Even at $143 for 2 nights via Groupon, this place is no deal! You couldn't pay me to suffer this place--the zombie-like staff who nod and smile when you ask what happened to your promised deluxe room with jacuzzi, satellite TV, and private balcony. The jacuzzi is a small bathtub with jets. The satellite TV offers 4 channels. And the private balcony is neither private nor large enough to fit a chair. The pool area was void of staff/service members when we swam in the leaf-infested waters at 5pm. And to top it all off, this is the first place that has charged us for ice cubes (100 Baht/ $3.33 AUD/USD) to complement an already over-priced minibar. Preposterous! I can't get out of this hell-hole soon enough--shame on Groupon for not investigating this place prior to dangling the carrot.

I booked this resort as part of a package deal back in January thru Orbitz. Well June finally rolled around and my new bride and I were off on our honeymoon. I had been in Email contact with Rose for several months prior to arrival asking numerous questions. As she promised, a shuttle was waiting for us at the airport and was easy to find. After about a 35 minute drive we arrived. The resort is isolated and quiet and just what we wanted. It was absolutely beautiful. The staff was amazing. Some of them spoke limited English, some spoke English very well. But then again it is Thailand, and you can’t expect everyone to speak your language as well as you. It also gave a great opportunity to practice our Thai. We were promptly taken to our room on the 3rd floor in the deluxe room building. Along the way we were amazed at how well the grounds were maintained, and how friendly everyone was. The room afforded a beautiful view of a small beach and the pool. They lugged our luggage the whole way there. The room had beautiful flowers floating in the tub, and our towels folded into birds on the bed with more flowers. Tile floors make for a cooler experience in the humidity. Upon entering the room you place your key in a holder that activates your power. When you leave and take your key 15 seconds later it kills the power to the room. Pretty eco-friendly feature! All the lights, the A/C and the TV can be controlled from a controller next to the bed. The A/C unit was quiet and works fast! All the rooms had a balcony with chairs. The bathroom has a shower and a tub.

The restaurant was very well priced, and the free breakfast every morning included cereal, lots of fresh fruit, yogurt, eggs and meat cooked to order, juice and coffee for free. The restaurant overlooks the pool and the ocean. The staff there was amazing and we enjoyed our time with them.

They rent scooters for 250 Baht a day or $7.93 US a day. We rented these after a few days to allow us to explore everything the island had to offer. We heard the horror stories of scooter accidents and fatalities. Most of the poor riding and accidents is after dark, and by drunken stupid tourists. Wear a helmet and ride smart and you will be fine.

The shuttle to Chaweng and Lamai is 50 Baht each way per person. I’d do the scooters though and make your own schedule.

There is security roving the property 24 hours a day and they were super friendly and helpful. I can not say enough good things about this resort or the wonderful people there! I know as soon as I post this I will remember something else we loved about it.