A large resort in north Chaweng with three pools and a kids' club - choose the wing first, and only then the room.
Amari Koh Samui is a five-star resort in the north of Chaweng Beach, combining a seafront location, three swimming pools, restaurants and facilities for families with children. Its main advantage is that you can enjoy a resort holiday in a relatively calm part of Chaweng without being too far from the restaurants, shops and evening life. But there are two things worth knowing before you book: some of the rooms are across the road from the beach, and the sea in the northern part of Chaweng is fairly shallow and not always good for swimming.
In March 2025, during our time on Koh Samui, we spent a day wandering along Chaweng Beach and getting to know the hotels on it. One of the places we went through was Amari Koh Samui. We were impressed by the open Thai-style lobby and the tropical atmosphere of the grounds.
The Amari is a fairly long-established hotel on Koh Samui. It has been open since 1992, underwent a major renovation and reopened in its current form in 2015. Today it has 193 rooms split across three different wings.
The hotel is in the northern part of Chaweng Beach, on the east coast of Koh Samui.
It's an interesting location, because Chaweng is one of the busiest areas on the island, with a long beach, restaurants, bars, shopping centres and nightlife, but its northern part is relatively calm compared with the middle of the beach.
The advantage is that you can enjoy quieter hotel surroundings and still go out to restaurants and shops in the evening, without depending on a car for every short outing.
According to the hotel's website, Samui airport is about ten minutes' drive away, and the centre of Chaweng is a short walk from the hotel area. Keep in mind that Chaweng is a long area, and walking to different places in the centre may take longer than the hotel's general estimate.
Central Chaweng has some of the busiest beach clubs and bars on Koh Samui. The further north you go, the calmer the atmosphere becomes in places.
It's a good compromise if you want to combine a beach holiday with the option of going out in the evening, but don't necessarily want to sleep next to the party hubs.
It can also suit families who don't want to be far from Chaweng's services and restaurants, but prefer a hotel with facilities for children.
Still, it's worth checking exactly where your room is within the hotel grounds, because not all the wings are on the beach itself.
One of the most important things to know about Amari Koh Samui is that it isn't a single building where every room faces the sea.
The grounds are divided into three areas: the Beach Wing, the Thai Village Wing and the Garden Wing.
The difference between them is significant, especially if you've come to Koh Samui for a holiday where you want to step out of your room and be straight on the beach.
This is the best wing for people who prefer to be close to the sea and the main pool facing the beach.
This is where the higher-category rooms and suites are, including sea-view rooms and family suites.
The hotel's website lists, among others, Grand Deluxe Ocean View rooms of 45 sq m, Junior Suite Beach Wing suites of 66 sq m and two-bedroom family suites of 99 sq m.
If being close to the beach is one of your main considerations in choosing the hotel, this is the wing we would look at first.
The Thai Village Wing is designed in a modern Thai style and combines low-rise buildings with tropical greenery.
This area is also home to the kids' club and some of the hotel's facilities.
However, the wing is across the road from the beach area, so getting to the sea means crossing the local road. The hotel provides help with crossing, but it's still something to factor in when travelling with young children.
The Garden Wing offers rooms set among gardens and another pool.
It suits people who prefer greener, quieter surroundings and don't need a room right on the beach.
But it's important to understand that choosing a Garden View room isn't the same as booking a Beach Wing room in terms of access to the sea.
Before booking, it's worth checking where the room is, the distance to the pool and restaurants, and the route to the beach.
Our advice: at the Amari, choose the wing first and only then the room category. That way you avoid booking a room based on photos of the resort and discovering it's in a completely different area from the pool and beach you wanted.
The hotel is on the northern part of Chaweng Beach, with direct access to the sand from the Beach Wing.
Scenically it's a lovely area, with palm trees, pale sand and an open view of the Gulf of Thailand. The beach setting is good for sitting, resting and spending time by the sea.
But there's an important difference between a lovely beach and a beach that's good for swimming.
In the northern part of Chaweng the sea is fairly shallow, especially at low tide. In some places there's also seagrass and rocks, and the water changes with the tide, the wind and the season.
Guest reviews from 2026 include comments about shallow water, seagrass and sometimes litter on the beach or in the water. On the other hand, other guests describe the beach area as pleasant for spending time and relaxing.
What this means is that you shouldn't choose this hotel based only on photos of turquoise water and expect long swims in the sea at any time of day.
Shallow water can look like an advantage for families with young children, but water depth alone doesn't make a beach safe for swimming.
You need to check the tides, the waves, the seabed and sea conditions on the day.
For families who mainly want to paddle by the shore and spend time at the pool, the Amari offers a convenient solution. But if you're looking for a beach with consistently good swimming conditions, it's worth comparing the central and southern parts of Chaweng and Chaweng Noi beach.
The hotel has three main swimming pools, one in each wing.
This is one of its strengths, because guests can choose between different settings depending on where their room is and how they want to spend the day.
The Beach Wing pool faces the beach and suits people who want to combine a pool with a sea view.
The pools in the Thai Village and Garden wings are in greener surroundings, and the Thai Village area also has a jacuzzi built into the pool.
According to the hotel's website, there are also swimming areas for children. The advertised pool hours are 07:00-19:00.
For us, precisely because the sea in front of the hotel isn't always ideal for swimming, the pools are a significant factor in choosing it.
In guest reviews too, the pools come up as one of the most appreciated facilities, alongside occasional comments about crowds and service at certain times.
Yes. In fact, it's one of the hotel's standout advantages compared with resorts aimed mainly at couples.
The Amari offers a kids' club, child-friendly pools, play areas and family rooms.
The kids' club is in the Thai Village Wing.
According to the official website, it has games, books, craft activities and imaginative play, with staff who run and supervise activities.
There's also an outdoor play area with flooring designed to cushion falls.
The opening hours advertised on the English version of the website are 09:00-18:00, but there are differences between the site's language versions, so it's worth confirming the hours before you arrive.
It's also important to check in advance which ages can take part without a parent, whether registration is needed and whether some activities cost extra.
The hotel has family accommodation options, including connecting rooms and two-bedroom suites.
Some categories can sleep two adults and three children, or four adults, depending on the mix and the hotel's conditions.
It's a convenient option for families who don't want to book two separate, unconnected rooms.
We would focus on three things: the wing your room is in, the route between the room and the pool, and whether you need to cross a road to get to the beach.
Especially with a pushchair, it's important to make sure you won't face an awkward route between wings.
It's also worth checking the kids' club's current policy, rather than assuming it's a free babysitting service for all ages.
Amari Koh Samui has several places to eat, which is an advantage if you want to spend a good part of your holiday within the resort.
This is the hotel's main restaurant, serving breakfast as well as other meals through the day.
The concept is based on a range of Asian and international dishes, with cooking and preparation stations.
Breakfast is one of the topics many guests comment on in reviews. Some praise the variety and the quality of the food, while others report crowds at peak times and slower service during busy periods.
One of the more interesting options at the hotel is the Italian restaurant Prego, in the Thai Village Wing, across the road from the beach area.
The restaurant specialises in wood-fired pizzas, pasta and other Italian dishes.
It lets you go out for a different kind of dinner from the usual hotel meal without leaving the grounds.
According to the official website, the restaurant also offers some gluten-free and lactose-free options, but if you have coeliac disease or an allergy, check suitability and cross-contamination separately.
Besides the restaurants, the hotel also has a beachfront bar, a cafe and options for drinks and light meals by the pools.
This adds convenience on holiday days when you don't want to leave the hotel.
That said, food and drink prices at resorts of this type can be higher than at local restaurants, so on a longer holiday you can make the most of Chaweng's restaurants.
The advantage of the hotel's location in north Chaweng is that there are places to eat outside the grounds too.
The closest and most obvious option is the Prego restaurant, right in the part of the Amari grounds across the road.
Along Chaweng Beach Road there are also Thai and international restaurants, so there's no need to rely only on the hotel's dining room.
North Chaweng has several hotels and resorts, each with a different character.
One of the standout options nearby is SALA Samui Chaweng Beach Resort, a modern luxury hotel with suites and private pools, aimed more at an intimate, design-led stay.
Another option along the northern part of the beach is Beyond Samui, a Thai-style resort with pools and low-rise buildings.
The wider northern area also has Casa De Mar, a seafront boutique hotel with a relatively quiet atmosphere.
The main difference between them is the style of stay. The Amari particularly suits people looking for a large hotel with several pools, restaurants and facilities for families. Some of the nearby hotels, by contrast, focus more on couples' holidays, design or privacy.
According to Expedia, Beyond Samui is being renovated, with completion expected around January 2027. It's worth checking the actual reopening date before booking.
The location in north Chaweng lets you combine a beach holiday with other activities without changing where you stay.
Central Chaweng has restaurants, shops, massage places, bars and nightlife.
The Central Samui mall is in the central area, and can suit the hours when you want to cool off from the heat, go shopping or spend time away from the beach.
Bophut's Fisherman's Village is about 15 minutes' drive away, according to the hotel's estimate.
The area has restaurants, cafes, bars and shops, and particularly suits an evening out.
On Fridays there's usually a well-known night market, but it's worth checking what's currently on before you go.
The north-east of Koh Samui is home to two of the island's best-known cultural sites.
Wat Plai Laem is a temple complex with colourful statues and Buddhist architecture, while Big Buddha is known for its large golden Buddha statue.
You can combine both on a fairly short trip from the hotel.
Day trips also leave Koh Samui for Ang Thong National Marine Park, with islands, cliffs and impressive scenery.
If diving is a central part of your trip, you can also look at getting to Koh Tao. Of the three Gulf islands we travelled, Koh Tao is the one we would choose in particular for a diving holiday.
Guest reviews paint a mostly positive picture, but not a uniform one.
The strengths that come up repeatedly are the pool facilities, the service, the location and the options for families.
Some guests describe very successful holidays, with helpful staff and varied breakfasts. Families speak well of the options for children and the spacious layout of the grounds.
On the other hand, there are also reviews that mention rooms in uneven condition, crowds at breakfast, plane noise because the airport is close, and the need to cross a road from some wings to the beach.
There are also reviews describing difficulty swimming in the sea because of the water depth and the seagrass along the beach.
These are details worth knowing before booking, especially if you're expecting a completely quiet, intimate five-star experience.
In an Agoda search we ran as part of comparing Koh Samui hotel prices, the Amari came up at about 7,500 THB (about $223 / €198) a night, including taxes and fees as shown at the time of the check.
This is a sample price, not a fixed rate, and it doesn't necessarily refer to a sea-view room or the Beach Wing.
The price may vary with the season, availability, the room category and the cancellation terms.
Before booking, we would particularly compare a room in the Garden or Thai Village wing with a room in the Beach Wing. Sometimes the price difference justifies being close to the beach, and sometimes it's better to choose a more basic room and enjoy the rest of the hotel's facilities.
It's worth comparing Agoda, Booking and the Amari's official website, making sure you're looking at the same room type and the same booking conditions.
The hotel particularly suits families looking for a resort with several pools, a kids' club and places to eat within the grounds.
It can also suit couples who want to stay in a relatively calm part of Chaweng but still enjoy the option of going out to restaurants, shopping and nightlife.
If you're planning a trip with young children, the combination of the pools, the kids' club and the family suites is a real advantage.
On the other hand, if you're looking for a small boutique resort, complete privacy and quiet all day, the Amari may feel too big and busy.
And if you're coming mainly to swim in the sea, it's worth checking the beach conditions and comparing other options in Chaweng and Chaweng Noi.
In our eyes, the Amari is an interesting choice for anyone looking for a five-star hotel in Chaweng with good facilities for families and a location that combines the beach with easy access to the nightlife areas.
From our visit to the public areas, we particularly remember the open Thai lobby and the pleasant atmosphere.
A closer look at the hotel brings out both its strengths and its weaknesses.
The strengths are the three pools, the kids' club, the range of restaurants and the chance to stay in north Chaweng without being right in the middle of the party scene.
The drawbacks are the gap between the hotel's three wings, the need to cross a road from some rooms, and sea conditions that aren't always good for swimming.
If we were booking a room here, we would give priority to choosing the right wing rather than just comparing prices. For families it can be a very good hotel, and for couples it will mainly suit those who prefer a large resort with lots of facilities to a small, intimate boutique hotel.
The hotel is in the north of Chaweng Beach, on the east coast of Koh Samui, a short drive from the airport and close to Chaweng's restaurant and shopping area.
The Beach Wing is on the beach and offers direct access to it. The Thai Village and Garden wings are across the road, so it's important to check where your room is before booking.
The sea in north Chaweng is fairly shallow, and at low tide swimming may be less comfortable. In some parts there's seagrass and rocks. Conditions change with the tide and the season.
Yes. The hotel has three main swimming pools, with areas for children, and additional play facilities.
Yes. The kids' club is in the Thai Village Wing and has games and activities. Check the entry ages, supervision arrangements and current opening hours in advance.
Yes. The hotel offers children's pools, a kids' club, family rooms and several places to eat. It's worth choosing a wing that suits your children's ages and gives easy access to the pool and the beach.
Yes, there are restaurants in north Chaweng, including Prego, which is in the part of the hotel grounds across the road. Walking to the more distant nightlife hubs depends on exactly where you're going.
In a sample Agoda search the price came up at about 7,500 THB (about $223 / €198) a night, including taxes and fees. The price may vary with the date and the room type.
Because the airport is close, some guests report plane noise at certain times. How disturbing it is depends on where your room is and on the flight schedule.
The Amari suits people who prefer a slightly calmer area with pools and facilities for families. A hotel in central Chaweng may better suit people who want to be very close to the nightlife, the shops and the beach clubs.
Same level of comfort and price - hotels we stayed at
Also in Chaweng, Thai design with pools among the gardens - about 7,400 THB (about $220 / €196) in our search
Also in Chaweng, a resort with a large pool - about 7,300 THB (about $217 / €193) in our search
