We stayed at Sandalwood at the beginning of December 2011 for 5 nights and absolutely loved everything about this resort. We were traveling as a couple and stayed in the Jasmine Villa. Although we were traveling as a couple, we think the Jasmine Villa is also perfectly suitable for a small family w/ children as well, as it has an upstairs loft with a queen size bed in addition to the king size bed on the main floor. Views were absolutely stunning as the hotel is perched atop a cliff overlooking Chaweng beach/east coast of Koh Samui. Also, the staff was incredible. Jip, and the rest of the team were always available to answer questions and provide advice and recommendations (i.e. local restaurants), and always seemed to be fully aware of our itinerary (i.e. what excursions we booked, where we were on the island on any given day) making us feel safe and taken care of. See more details in categories below:

LOCATION: Stunning views (one of the best features of this resort, in our opinion). However, as other reviewers have mentioned already, we note that this is not a beachside property (since it is on a cliff) so if that is what you are looking for, then this resort might not be for you. However, there is free shuttle service to Chaweng beach (approx. 15 minutes) as well as Lamai beach, which are two of the main beaches on the island, twice a day (once in the morning and once at night). At any other time, all you need to do is call the resort (with the cell phone they provide all guests) and the resort will promptly pick you up anywhere for a small fee. From Chaweng back to the resort, it cost us about 400 baht, and even less when travelling to closer places (i.e. local restaurants). At an exchange rate of approx. 30:1, we could care less paying this small fee given the prompt/convenience of personalized pickup. There is a small beach (coral cove) at the bottom of the hill that the hotel provides free shuttle service to (at all times of the day), but is not as nice as Chaweng. We walked down the hill from the resort once, and took roughly 10 minutes to get down, but we do not advise walking back up due to steepness (unless you are a masochist).

ROOM: We stayed in the Jasmine villa. Villa was very clean, spacious and had many nice touches, such as Thai artwork and paintings that gave the room a pleasant exotic feel. Lying in our bed, we could look out the glass porch doors overlooking our balcony and Chaweng bay, which was an amazing view to wake up to. Air conditioning worked well. Had a TV. There were mosquitos in the room (to be expected in a tropical location), but the resort does what it can by providing repelent and a mosquito smoker/repellent aparatus. It also has an upper loft with a queen size bed, which we didnt use much being just two people, but if anything it made the villa more open with the high ceilings. Washrooms were very nice and had a jacuzzi tub and two showerheads. There were some ants that made their way into our washroom through the bathroom window, but it was never a real issue for us. The villa had a safe in the closet, as well.

FOOD: We ate at the resort restaurant each day for breakfast, and a few times for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is free, but lunch and dinner prices were comparable to Western prices (more expensive than in Chaweng area). For breakfast, they always have a spread of different kinds of yogurt, cereals, fruits, croissants/bread, and juice on offer. Then you can also order from the menu, which has western and asian-style choices. The food was good. We really really liked the mango salad in particular, the thai red curry and the spring rolls. Another convience is that for a nominal $3, you can get the food delivered to your room.

SPA: Absolutely superb. Prices were more steep than what you could get in Chaweng (i.e. we got a 1 hour thai massage for 200 baht...which is about 7 bucks!!!!!!! At the resort, it cost around 20-30 bucks, as far as we remember), but the experience at the resort spa was much more luxurious. That, and the fact that the resort spa is just outside your door and very private, made it worth the extra money to us. We note the soundtrack does not change, so if you go as often as we did, you will start to memorize the tunes (and perhaps even like them). We especially liked the thai massages, aroma therapy and the body scrub treatments.

POOLS/GROUNDS: The main pool was located just below our villa (so really close/convenient). There is a second pool that was closer to the spa (which we didnt use). Both pools were infinity pools. The main pool had the same beautiful views overlooking the bay as our villa. Pool was clean. It wasn't big enough to swim laps but is a good size to frolic in. The grounds were beautifully designed and kept.

WHAT WE DID (if you care): We did a snorkeling excursion with the Lomprayah company, which was one of the tour operators recommended by the resort. Full day excursion, picked us up at the bottom of the hill (the resort driver stays with you in the car until you're picked up). A high-speed boat takes you to Koh Tao/Koh Nang Yuan to snorkel and chill on the beach. We liked it. Decent restaurants in area that we tried include: a) The Cliff (western/italian food). b) Dr. Frogs (Italian)...both of which were located cliffside with beautiful views/patios. In Chaweng, go to "Will Wait" restaurant...amazing and affordable food and drinks!

I stayed at this resort in December and loved it, didn't want to leave! The views were spectacular, the staff was very accommodating and our villa was superb. The resort is up on a hill and has a view of the ocean that is so relaxing to look out at. We also enjoyed the restaurant, the food was great and again, the service from the staff was excellent. Can’t wait to go back again!!

My husband and I stayed for 5 night at the Sandalwood in begining of february. We stayed in the beautiful Amarin villa, which we liked very much. Everything from the reception to the location was perfect the swimming pool is small but with a lot of privecy. The staff were very warm and kind and the location is amazing. It was the ideal place for a romantic getaway.

Stayed at this hotel a couple days during my vacation and LOVE IT!! The service is amazing, staff super friendly and helpful. The swimming pool is great and helped to release my stress from my busy day in Bangkok whenever I jump into it you can see the beautuful sea view from the pool and it was amazing experience ever. I would highly reccommend this hotel Sandalwood to all my friends..