“I don't want to repeat what has been said in many other reviews but this really is a very special place indeed.
We returned this summer to Tongsai Bay exactly 20 years after our honeymoon - but this time with our three children (19,16,13). Our stay was 12 nights in the fabulous 2-bedroom Akorn Villa which like the other large villas had its own large terrace, private pool, outdoor bath and daybed.
Overall this place has what we all felt was a genuinely unique combination of stunning, natural beauty and incredibly friendly 5-star service from every single employee across the resort. The scenery is truly stunning and we lost count of the number of different types of wildlife that literally crossed our path during the stay - including a beautiful golden tree snake (not venomous!).
Breakfasts were a real luxury with freshly made juices/shakes, multiple chefs taking orders for egg dishes, noodle dishes, pancakes, waffles and anything else you could think of.
Other meals we had at the Beach Bar/Restaurant where the service was always excellent (Sakrai was our superstar there but the whole team were amazing) and the food of the highest quality (even great pizzas too if you fancy that). The fire show night is also highly recommended!
For other meal options outside the resort, both to have some variety and save some money, we would recommend Mr Eung, just a 10 minute walk away, or in Fisherman's Village (15 min taxi ride) Marigold Restaurant, a very unassuming restaurant with delicious Thai food. The resort was always great about booking/ordering these reservations/taxis for us without any fuss.
In terms of other trips the resort offers a booking service for a long list of exciting activities although the only one we did was to the Elephant Sanctuary - not cheap but a truly memorable and well-organised experience.
Finally we all also really the enjoyed the various onsite activities on offer including the gym, pool table, watersports - SUP, kayak and sailboat - but especially the tennis court. Nothing better than a steamy hour of tennis to start the day 8-9am before a huge delicious buffet breakfast, although floodlights also made it possible to play in the evening when it was cooler. Having two separate pools - half-moon infinity pool, for 14+ years old , and the main pool for families/kids etc is also a real bonus.
There were also so many other lovely small things that were done every day to make this trip a very special one and we all felt very lucky to have had the opportunity to spend time here again, especially after the difficulties this resort, like all the others, have suffered during COVID.
We will certainly be back and hopefully we won't have to wait another 20 years! Thank you to the entire Tongsai Bay Team from Mark the manager to every other employee, including:
Sakrai - beach bar, Obb - waitress, Lek - buggies king, Joy/Eak - chefs
Nok - reception, and Pu - the hugely entertaining fruit/juice queen!
and many more that we unable to remember the names of.
From all of us…….Kob khun krab!!”
— D Cope
“This is a wonderful hotel and is very well run. The staff are friendly, attentive and helpful. They always seem to be pleased to help. The General Manager even came to speak to us a couple of times at breakfast.The Prana Spa is pricier than the local places but the quality - in my experience - was way better.Breakfast is enjoyable. The fruit lady (Chef Pu) in particular is very joyful. I'll have whatever she's having.The hotel has a genuinely private beach that no one else has access to. On top of that, there are a couple of pools (one of which is adult only).The gym is ok...typical for a hotel.You can always rent a car via the reception. The company they used (TA Tours) brought the car to the hotel and collected it from there. I was given a new car (<2500km) and in good condition. No problems with the rental whatsoever.Bring lots of big spray though. The geography means there are insects everywhere, but that's the way it is. Este es un hotel maravilloso y está muy bien dirigido. El personal es amable, atento y servicial. Siempre parecen estar encantados de ayudar. El Gerente General incluso vino a hablar con nosotros un par de veces durante el desayuno.El Prana Spa es más caro que los lugares locales, pero la calidad, en mi experiencia, fue mucho mejor.El desayuno es agradable. La dama de la fruta (Chef Pu) en particular es muy alegre. Tomaré lo que ella esté tomando.El hotel tiene una playa genuinamente privada a la que nadie más tiene acceso. Además de eso, hay un par de piscinas (una de las cuales es solo para adultos).El gimnasio está bien... típico de un hotel.Siempre se puede alquilar un coche a través de la recepción. La empresa a la que recurrieron (TA Tours) llevó el coche al hotel y lo recogió de allí. Me regalaron un coche nuevo (<2500km) y en buen estado. Ningún problema con el alquiler de ningún tipo.Sin embargo, trae un montón de spray grande. La geografía significa que hay insectos por todas partes, pero así son las cosas.”
— Anthony H