Having just spent a wonderful vacation at this resort, I can only agree with other comments that the Tongsai Bay is a "must" for everyone seeking to get away on a truly magical and romantic holiday. But without repeating what already has been greatly written about this fabulous resort, let me instead add the following observations: The Tongsai Bay hotel itself is not a five star hotel as such. It lacks some polishing hereto. Rather it has a homestyle atmosphere to it. Also the service provided by the staff is extremely warm, heartily and feels honest, but it is not over the top. However having said this, you still end up with more than a five star experience of a holiday when you stay at Tongsai Bay. The resort is located in a lush green private bay with it's own private beach, and where all motorized boats, including jet ski is banned from entering, thus providing a very tranquil and safe feeling when either swimming in the waters or sunbathing on the beach. We had booked "The Island Explorer package" which included daily buffet breakfast, one free massage at the Prana Spa (wonderfull, and you may even chose to have your massage outdoor by the beach), a cooking class with the Executive Chef (Australian Mark Kroeger), highly recommended and much fun!, 1/2 island sightseeing tour, free r/t shuttle to the airport. We specifically booked the Hideaway cottage no. 215 at the resort and what a gem! At the end of a road, down some stairs all by itself, completely undisturbed from neighboring cottages and built right on the rocks leading straight down into the ocean, this cottage really felt truly like a summer vacation home. This cottage was so great because of it's isolation that we almost had no need to leave it for any reason, except going for food. On the cottage's gigantic terrace with undistrupted view to the bay and the ocean, there was an outdoor bathtub, a four pole canopy, table with four chairs and two plank beds for sun bathing. The Tongsai Bay Resort faces east, so you are in for some of the most beautiful oceanic sunrises you can imagine. Set the alarm at 6:30 AM, step out to the terrace, and for the following 20 minutes, enjoy how the orange sun rises quickly above sea level into full power. After show time, we headed straight for breakfast which was just another wonderfull experience. Especially the fruit station was amazing in that you could request for your own private mixture of freshly squeezed juice in all various sorts and combinations. And again, the staff was so warm and smiling all the time. Speaking about dining, the Tongsai Bay Resort is somewhat remotely located from any nearby city (20 mins to Chaweng and 800 Bath roundtrip), thus we really never left the resort during our stay and thus dined at either of the three restaurants available. It could prove costly to some, I actually missed a small feature inside the resort such as a sandwich bar where I could grab a quick bite during main meals, but with a daily lavish breakfast and full scale dinner, we sufficed. Throughout the week, there are various activities going on such as Friday night open air beach cinema, Monday night beach BBQ, weekly yoga classes, twice weekly lunch cooking classes Friday and Tuesday - try this just once please! Afterwards, you get to enjoy your own cooked Thai lunch together with the chef - he was really outstanding, by the way, and much involved in us "students" getting it right. Looking back on our stay at the Tongsai Bay resort, I cannot recommend this place highly enough to others: Go, go, go and have a dream vacation of a lifetime. We will definitely return.
- Tongsai Bay Hotel
- Tongsai Bay Resort
- Tongsai Bay
