Santhiya Koh Phangan Resort and Spa

The spa, food options and quality, good price to value ratio

Villas are dated, the air conditioning was loud, the outdoor bathroom had lots of mosquitoes, the resort is a bit isolated and away from the main parts of the island

We recently stayed at Santhiya Koh Phangan Resort and had mixed feelings overall. There are genuinely many positives — the resort itself is visually stunning, the natural surroundings are beautiful, and the service staff were consistently warm, polite and hardworking. The rooms were also lovely and there is clearly a lot of effort put into the aesthetic of the resort. However, unfortunately there were several significant issues relating to management, communication and the gap between what is advertised and what is actually delivered. The biggest concern was the ferry access. The resort strongly markets its private pier and speedboat experience. At booking, we were specifically informed that alternative docking at Ban Tai Pier would only happen in poor weather conditions for safety reasons. During our stay, we were again told we would be informed 24 hours beforehand which pier would be used, reinforcing the impression that the resort pier was still actively operational. However, after returning home and escalating our concerns, the hotel eventually confirmed in writing that the speedboat service now operates from the public pier as standard, with guests transferred by shuttle van. This directly contradicts how the experience was presented both before and during our stay. Had this been communicated transparently from the outset, our expectations would have been very different. That said, I do want to acknowledge that the staff managing the ferry and shuttle transfers themselves were helpful and professional throughout, particularly in assisting with luggage handling and ensuring the transfers ran smoothly. Secondly, one of the main features that attracted us to the hotel — the large waterfall at the main pool — was switched off for the vast majority of our stay. It would occasionally come on briefly after complaints before being turned off again. We were never informed of any operating hours or limitations beforehand, and this definitely impacted the atmosphere and experience we expected from a five-star resort. The most disappointing aspect, however, was the excursions. Given the hotel’s location on a remote part of the island, reliable excursion support is critical to the overall guest experience. A major reason we were comfortable booking such a secluded resort was because of the extensive promotion of tours and activities both before arrival and throughout the stay via WhatsApp messages and signage around the resort. However, in reality, many of these tours were not operating unless minimum participant numbers were met — something that was never made clear prior to booking. In fact, when questioned further during our stay, staff effectively admitted that the hotel-run tours do not really take place in practice because they rarely meet the required numbers. The “alternative” offered was effectively for us to pay the equivalent cost of multiple guests for a private tour, which was not a reasonable substitute. The suggested “land tours” were also essentially private taxi arrangements at a high cost and did not reflect the premium experiences being advertised. The hotel later recommended a third-party provider for the Ang Thong Marine National Park tour, which we booked, only for it to then be cancelled the day before without explanation. Following this, the hotel was again unable to provide a workable alternative. As a result, we spent a significant portion of our holiday trying to organise excursions ourselves rather than enjoying the resort. For a remote five-star property charging premium prices, this level of support fell well below expectations. There were also smaller inconsistencies that contributed to the overall feeling that certain corners were being cut: - Water shoes advertised but appropriate sizes not available in practice - Frequent insistence on photographing guests when borrowing items, which felt uncomfortable and unnecessary - Difficulty speaking with senior management when concerns were raised Importantly, I do want to reiterate that the frontline staff themselves were excellent throughout and did their best within the systems they were operating under. The issues were far more on the management, operational and communication side. Overall, this is a resort with huge potential and many genuinely fantastic qualities, but we left feeling that several services and features were marketed in a way that did not reflect the actual guest experience. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and improves transparency for future guests.

It's in an beautiful location with amazing view. The buildings are all traditional wooden structures. The staff was super friendly and attentive.

The fact that you have to order food and drinks in the restaurants yourself from tablets, which makes it feel really cheap. The pool towels were awful and not much of use. The fact that it's located in the middle of the jungle makes it hard to keep everything clean, but it did feel messy and dirty in some places.

Jättefint hotell...vi hade poolvilla svit.. Stranden var så där, men 50-100m bort fanns en fantastisk strand. Liten by i närheten, som hade allt.. Vi kommer åka hit igen👍

Stranden möjligtvis..fin men inte så badvänlig.

wunderschöne Anlage, perfekte Sicht (oberste Villa mit Pool), super Shuttleservice, tolles Frühstück

Preis-Leistung im Restaurant solala, Englischkenntnisse an Rezeption und Check-out nur basic basic