Perfect getaway spot

Name: Perfect getaway spot
Item: Mooban Talay Resort
Rating: 4
Author: Jules B

Review of Mooban Talay Resort

Reviewed October 28, 2012

If you are looking for a quiet, beautiful and romantic hotel on Koh Samet, this is the perfect spot.

Located on a beautiful and calm beach, nice bungalows between jungle and beach next to ponds (although all very close to beach), with outside shower (very nice but beware of the insects!). Food is good and reasonably priced (although breakfast should be improved), staff is welcoming but sometimes lazy, pool with beachview but not very attractive. When we visited other spots on the island, it was clear that the resort was one the best ! Mostly couples and families with children, very peaceful, we definitely recommend the hotel if you are looking for calm, tradition and nice beaches; if you are looking for busy nightlife and modern hotels, choose another one !More

Date of stay: October 2012

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travellingants wrote a review Jul 2012
3 contributions3 helpful votes
Totally relaxing....not modern...not lively but very enjoyable!
We spent a long weekend here. Lovely Thai bungalows, lovely Thai food, lovely setting but hungry sand flies......make sure you take Insect repellent!
Accomodation rustic so if you want modern then don't come. Food good and lots of it.....200 baht taxi to the main beach....really enjoyed it. We booked a beachfront bungalow direct with the hotel, with American Breakfast and set Thai lunch and dinner meals included for almost the same price as B&B (see packages and deals on website). Although we love Thai food after a few days we wanted something different for lunch and went to another restaurant. Great for us at night as we could put the baby to bed and then sit under 10 metres away from our bungalow at a table in a restaurant. Always quiet at night....if you want nightlife then don't come here.
If it was just the 2 of us then we would not pay the extra and stay in the pond view bungalows at the back which are really nice.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lisarow_Travellers wrote a review May 2012
115 contributions27 helpful votes
Absolute tranquility
Travelled here with my wife after a frantic few days in Bangkok and this is a beautiful, peaceful getaway spot.
Of you prefer nightlife, noise, excitement etc, don't come here. The accommodation is clean, quiet and the outside shower (open roof) is ok. Hearing the sounds of the jungle as you shower is nice too.
The staff are friendly and whilst their English is limited, it's a lot better than my Thai so I'd never complain about that.
Food was fine, reasonably priced for a resort, drink prices similar.
Struck me as very much a place for busy couples who really want to get away from it all for a few days, we loved it.
Remember to pack plenty of tropical strength flyspray as you are in the rain Forrest.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
glbtrotter_11 wrote a review Nov 2011
2 contributions6 helpful votes
Great wonders come in small packages.
I and my wife visited Bangkok, we took a weekend getaway to this beautiful resort located on an island called Koh Samet. The resort gives a feel that you are living in a tribal village or forest. The rooms and open to nature bathrooms are the special attractions. Our room was all of wood and bamboo. No plastic found. The beach was average which needed maintenance. Also breakfast was no so good. Need to improve because this could be the best resort on the island if minor mistakes are rectified.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Artidon wrote a review Aug 2011
126 contributions24 helpful votes
Private, quiet and relaxing
Private, quiet and relaxing place. However, beach doesn't have as white and fine-grain sand as Sai Kaew beach, and quite a bit of shells. It's situated at the end of the road so the beach is private unlike most other beaches on the island. Strangely, when I arrived, water wasn't as clear as I expected, perhaps due to the storm earlier.

Staff is very friendly as much as you intereract with them. Swimming pool is more to dip in and relax. No in-room TV but they have free wi-fi. I missed the dinner as it's closed at 9pm so I had to get the motorcycle out.

I rent motorcycle 300bt/day (resort's renting out at 500bt/day) from a shop just a short walk out on the road. Taking 10 mins to arrive Sai Kaew beach where it's the most happening spot and food can be found late night and 7-11 convenient store.

The place is not new but quite well maintain and I hope they keep it up or even renovate the aging shower (outdoor)

I'll definitely come back again.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
r0amingtraveller wrote a review Aug 2011
69 contributions49 helpful votes
a standard stay in a very tranquil setting
There are some things that were really quite special about our stay at Mooban Talay. We had been forced to move for our last two nights on the Island as it was Mother's Day and Samed Club (where we had been staying) was fully booked for our last two nights.

We consequently paid way over the odds for this hotel just because it was Mothers Days and the island was really quite busy as a result (3500 baht per night). In usual circumstances I would not have paid this amount for this hotel, but all the hotels upped thier prices significantly at this time. (Note: 12th August is Mother's Day : as its the Queen's B'day).

On arrival I was prepared for the room not to have a television and for the shower to be outside as I had read previous reviews on a number of websites. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the room and I liked the personal touch of an tea light scented burner. (Retrospectively...it may have been a cunning plan to help you fight the mosquitos). It was certainly clean and we were happy to stay there.

Outside there were chipmonk-like creatures in the tree and these frequently dropped fruit on to the the bungalows roof. Amusing to watch in the early evening. There were all manner of lizards and frogs and every so often the sound of a gibbon. We liked how well the hotel blends into its surroundings. It feels quite organic and although it doesn't look brand spanking new it shouldn't. This hotel actually fits its' environment.

Breakfast however, was a big disappointed and I have to say was the worst we had inThailand. Very little continental choice. Bread / toast / rolls and jam. Hot choice was fried or scrambled eggs or an omlette. Very limited!

The beach (as per my previous review of Samed Club) is fine but there are much better ones on the island, where less boats are passing and polluting the water. There is a spa at the hotel and had we spent more time at the hotel, I would have tried it. I saw several people having treatments in the grounds and I have to say they looked very relaxed. Perhaps worth a try and the prices were quite reasonable for Samet!

One word of advice: Be prepared for the mosquitos. Have plenty of repellant to hand as there are lots of water features in the hotel grounds. The outside shower must also encourage them!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.