Best Choice on Koh Samet for Family with Kids”

first time back on koh samet in 20+ years, so i didn't know which hotel to pick. luckily, some online review pointed me out to ao prao bay is a quite secluded beach suitable for kids. only 3 resorts on the beach, ao prao resort is not the most expensive one but since it was the first one on the beach it has the best location. rooms were clean and very very nice. staffs were very friendly and the service was great. we also went to sai kaew beach for dinner one night, and that confirmed that ao prao was a far better choice for a little bit more money. sai kaew beach was so crowded, no way i could've relaxed while the kids enjoy the beach. while sai kaew might be a little cheaper, it's obviously too loud and more suitable for young people.

Idealic Island Getaway”

In choosing Ao Prao, we were looking for an island getaway close in road commute terms from Bangkok. Ao Prao was perfect. Only 3 hours drive from Bangkok and a 10 minute launch ride from the mainland. We purchased a mini bus ticket in Bangkok which took us to the Ao Pao Pier in Ban Phe (the mainland arrival point to the Island). Just make sure you specify to the bus company you want to go to the Ao Prao Pier as there are many different ones that charge. From there we were transported free of charge to Ao Pao Resort on Ko Sumit. On arrival we were greeted by the Resort Staff who spirited away our bags and delivered them to our Chalet. Ao Prao resort has a fabulous restaurant serving both Thai and European food that we used daily. The breakfasts are excellent with a great variety and ours was included in our room cost. The chalet we stayed in was comfortable, situated only a couple of steps from the gorgeous clean white sanded beach. It had its own little balcony with a view overlooking the beach and was just a lovely spot to sit and relax. There is an open air Thai massage area situated on the beach in the shade of the palm trees, that we used daily. This is a little more costly than on the mainland though at around 400 - 500 Baht per 1 hour session. In the chalet, the only draw back I found was that the queen bed mattress was placed on a king-bed wooden platform. Not only did it make the bed quite hard, but this platform was low enough not to see in the low light of the dark wooden interior and caused a few bruises when banging into it. Just by increasing the size of the mattress to the same size or slightly larger than the platform would make moving around in the chalet so much more comfortable and prevent injury. The bathroom was well stocked with the usual soaps/shampoos/etc. Overall we were very happy with out stay at Ao Prao and will return to stay again

romantic location”

This luxurious beach huts hotel is on the quiet Western part of Koh Samet on a stretch of beach of about 400 meters. There is the sister hotel the Vinmarn and another hotel in the middle which made a dirty impression, Lima Coco hotel maintains a garbage deposit right on the beach walk which stinks and liquids from that run directly onto the beach and the sea. Shame about the owners of that hotel. The accomodation of Ao Prao Resort is unique and romantic, we had a cabin with A/C, shower, TV, minibar, all in excellent condition. The food, coffee of good quality, albeit a bit on the expensive side. But then again, this is an island and everything has to be shipped there from the mainland. There were people cleaning the beach from garbage every day but still I did not feel that this was one of the cleaner beaches I have visited in the past.

Welcome to Thailand's Eden”

A paradisical resort nestled in a quiet bay on the most idyllic beach on koh samet. Generously appointed rooms with sea views and large balconies. Lush & light bathrooms. Well stocked mini bar and international standard breakfast served on the beach terrace. Food & drink a bit pricey compared to lima coco next door, which offers similar food & drink at half the price, but the hotel's facilities don't compare to AP's. The stand out at Ao Prao has to be the infinity pool, which we lounged around all day and the exceptionally polite and attentive staff. Thank you knun wah. I will definitely return to this special resort, it's one of Thailand's edens. My only reccomendation for improvement: The 'taxi' pick-up to the busier beaches cost THB200, which is a rip-off for a 1k, 5-10 minute journey, somebody has a monopoly here. AP should consider offering free transfers a few times a day.

Enjoyed the trip because of this hotel”

Ao Prao Resort and the Beach were the saving grace for our weekend trip at Ko Samed. It was raining the whole day when we arrived. And frankly the island for us was just so-so (comparing to Ko Sichang!). The Resort was beautiful, the beach was clean, private and the water was much calmer on this side of the island than on the east side. The beach also sloped very gradually out into the sea so there is a good distance out to swim that is not too deep. There are 2 resort chains at Ao Prao beach, Le Vimarn which also runs Ao Prao, and Lima Coco. Both hotels kept the beach well maintained. Staff at Ao Prao (and Le Vimarn) are very friendly and attentive. They waited for your arrival by the beach (even in the rain!) and a bunch of staff would help send each guest off as well. Special thanks to the reception team for making it possible for us to change our boat time home at the last minute! The food was also delicious! Make sure to watch the fire show. The finale was epic!

Resort beutiful,hotel staff gracious and friendly”

we arrived on a quick boat trip and was greeted by wonderful staff on first day check in easy taken to room with ease .the rest of the day we swam,dranks,laughed ,played very relaxing and enjoyes some delicious food that night and retired to the very romantice room awaiting me and my beutiful wife .on the second we travelled to hasa gow main island tourist strip to look around shop,swim eat drink very good day. day three we enjoyed half day at ao prao resort relaxing,swimming,eating and then went back to town for more fun activities. most activities are limited at ao prao resort and other resorts on that strip unless you love night club atmosphere there is one on site but we never attended just walked past , our visit was aimed at romance and it was satisfieying ,overall a wonderful experience well delivered to tourists i give it 9 /10

Best service on Samed! ”

Our experience with Ao Prao Resort is utterly amazing from the moment we arrived at the parking area at the pier. This resort has superb management making our journey to the resort seamless. All staff have the service mind of the real 5-star hotel. We love everything from the in-land reception, super clean and comfortable speedboat, attentiveness of the welcoming staff, the location on Ao Prao which is very peaceful yet accessible enough to anywhere. Our deluxe hill view room is decorated in an old fashioned style but it’s clean and cosy and has everything we need. The view from the hill is worth climbing the stairs for. Breakfast buffet offers extensive list of foods, dinner is tasty (Thai dishes), amazing singers during dinner. Love everything here.

Wonderful trip In Koh Samet”

We had a splendid vacation In Ao Prao Resort. The place is such a paradise. Very quiet and peaceful location. Not much to do there but taxi cost 200 baht to Sai Kaew Beach, where you can find a bit more organized boat trips etc. Very kind and polite staff and excellent service. You dont have to matter your luggage anytime (they will carry it to your room when check-in and also during check-out). We strongly recommend Ao Prao Resort for couples who enjoy to be just together. Nice and veryyy clean beaches but watch out sea urchins. with swimming shoes no problem at all though. Only con was a little too high prices (food).

Fabulous resort”

ao prao beach is idyllic - small bay with only three resorts and unplagued by tourist boats from the mainland, hawkers and stalls on the beach. importantly it is a beautifully clean beach; i saw two other beaches on the island, both had a lot of rubbish floating in the sea/on the high tide mark. ao prao resort has staff cleaning the beach from early in the morning so the beaches were golden and clean. restaurant food was great, not cheap but very good. menu has lots of western food for the kids and the staff were very accomodating of children. the bungalows set in the hillside are very cute and comfortable. wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, but would caution against other beaches on the island.

stunningly beautiful and intimate resort”

we got off to a v bad start... they wanted to charge us for using their internet to book them, then said we cdnt book them on same day via agoda and said we had to pay full price... (turned out we were dealing with a trainee!)so we went to the resort next door with free internet (but more expensive rooms!) and booked online and went back to ao prao with booking confirmation... i complained and manager immed appeared and tried to make things better... he did... everything then worked beautifully, great staff, the most beautiful resort and cove, free speedboat to mainland if u need carbon monoxide fix... and we got free upgrade to beachfront room for our hassle... absolutley loved it... well done for fixing the mess.. its an idyllic place...

Relaxing holiday guaranteed”

Ao Prao resort is a quiet and beautiful gem on the usually loud Koh Samet. The staff is friendly and a relaxing time is always guaranteed. Ao Prao is the best option for families that wish to visit Koh Samet or for anyone that simply want to enjoy the beach and the quiet. Ao Prao is not the place to go for nightlife, you can however take a taxi to the other side of Koh Samet for 200 baht each way to Sai Geow where you can find lots of restaurants and bars.

Very good”

Ao Prao Resort is situated in one of the best secluded bays in Koh Samet. The beach is super clean; you can enjoy swimming there a lot. When it comes to the resort itself: We were satisfied with the service of the staff; there are always enough towel and sunbeds both in the beach and pool areas. The room that we stayed was on hillside, decorated in a simple way and needs some refurbishment (especially bathroom area) and cleaning should be improved (there were many black dots on the surface of the bathroom; we even saw a spider net - and the spider itself - on the ceiling...). The breakfast is the most disappointing thing in this hotel; the quality is not good, the pastries are not fresh, there is no fresh coffee at all - they have Nescafe machine from which you get something other than coffee. You expect more from such a pricey hotel (especially in the high season) I hope they will improve above conditions, yet, I would definitely stay again since it is in the "heaven" on earth.

Nice quiet resort, nice rooms, friendly staff”

i stayed 3 nights at the ao prao resort with my 17 year old daughter. we had a great time. the ao prao beach is relatively secluded and quiet, with only a couple of resorts and a couple of additional restaurants. the beach has no walking vendors so you can relax in peace. my only complaint is that there was no information provided regarding the boat to the island. you pay for it with the hotel. but they don't tell you that this is covering their private speed boat service that leaves from a different pier than the commercial boats. you are supposed to go to the samed resorts office which is in bahn phe about half a mile up the road from where the bus from bangkok drops you off. we went to the commercial peir across the street from the bus and they could only tell us that this was the wrong place. i called the resort and they gave me the number for the office in bahn phe. i called them and they sent someone to pick us up. this all would have been a disaster if i did not have international coverage on my cell phone, and still those calls were not cheap. so it would be good for the posting on agoda for ao prao included the details for the samed resort boat service. once you get to their offices in bahn phe, everything is very organized and runs very smoothly. the taxi service on the island is well organized with a fleet of small pick ups with benches in the back. but the cost adds up if you go back and forth to town a lot. i recommend renting a scooter (motorbike) for a couple of days. but keep in mind the roads are dirt and heavily rutted so it is not for the uncoordinated or faint at heart. getting the motorbikes also allowed us to scope out some other cool beaches on the island.

Very good view”

It was very good idea to choose to stay at Ao Prao Resort. The speed boat service from land to Samed island was included in the room rate. The room is very clean. We got the deluxe room no. 101 where was not far from the lobby with swimming pool and beach front view. The beach is very clean and nice. The breakfast is good. There are several restaurants in this resort area. If we want to find 7-11or other restaurants, we have to take a taxi for THB200 to go to other beachside. However, we like private and calm beach. Next holiday we will go to this resort again and stay more days.

A hidden secret just for you!”

Close your eyes and imagine beautiful white sands, all day massages and the most wonderful Thai food and cocktails. An endless ocean view from the beach that gives you the most perfect sunsets of all.Once the sun sets the ocean is lit up with the lights of the fishing boats in the far distance. The staff of Ao Prao make the journey worth while and are happy to help you enjoy your holiday. It's like a 5 star resort where you can relax and let the days go by. If you want to party then it's either a 20 minute walk or a bumpy taxi to the other side where you can enjoy a range of restaurants and bars right on the beach. We liked the idea of staying at Ao Prao and visiting the other tourist side when we felt like it. We know you will enjoy it. This was our 5th time staying there and we'll be back again.

Good deal for Samet!”

Samet is not a cheap destination in thailand, but Ao Prao is definitely a good deal Pro: location on the best beach, room super modern and nice, nice pool Cons: kids in the adult pool! There are 1 pool for kid and 1 for adults only but there were kids in the adult pool... the staff should told them it is not allowed. Sea was not super clean as well, but the hotel is not resposnible and this is true in every beach...

Just great”

Our family spent a great time there. The beach is so beautiful. There are only three resorts on Ao Prao, and base on my observation, Ao Prao resort has the best beach and highest quality of service. There is one thing you must pay attention to: Ao Prao resort has a reception center at Ban Phe, do tell the mini van driver to drop you at there, there is free shuttle speedboat service.

Quiet beach, lovely cottage”

Of the three resorts on Ao Prao beach the Ao Prao Resort has villas closest to the beach. Ao Prao is perhaps the prettiest and quietest of the beaches on Ko Samet. I had Villa 207 which had a nice sea view. The villa was so cute - hard wood floors and a little bay window. I liked the balcony, I sat there and read my novel and one night I watched a tropical storm break over the palm trees and beach. The bed was uncomfortable - there was some weird, hard slat that stuck into my back so I slept diagonally. There was construction being carried out on the villas next to mine and that work - the drilling and hammering went on into the night, until I complained on two sequential nights. The beach itself is one of the nicest I have been to in Thailand. Less touristy than Railay Beach and much nicer water and sand than Hua Hin. The water was warm and the sand seemed white and clean. I watched in wonder as workers swept and cleaned the beach with brooms. I loved lying on the sunchairs having cocktails brought to me. The cocktails were very good! Ao Prao is a bit upmarket - there were no back packers here, thank Christ. Generally the people here were super chill. Normally I find Europeans at these resorts loud and abrasive but here they were surprisingly pleasant. The food was really average. I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner there for three days - it was all a bit bland - and I only ate Thai food. I ordered a Massaman curry and the vegetables - onions and potatoes were not cooked. On another occasion I ordered chicken satay sticks which were dry and under seasoned. The breakfast buffet was OK. The service over all was pretty good - it was much better than other Thai resorts I have stayed at in a similar price bracket. The property has been well maintained - the pool and common areas were all spotless. I would recommend staying here.

Lovely location & perfect place to relax”

After 2,5 hour car drive from Bangkok airport + 15 min with a speedboat I was there. The Ao Prao resort has a lovely beach. They clean it everyday. You are surrounded by coconut trees and the cottage I rented was lovely. Staff is friendly and helpful and the food is really good. It's a perfect place to relax ! They have Spa and the massage on the beach under the coconut trees are just lovely.. A place to go if you need to reload your battery again and fill yourself with some new energy and well being . Was my second time here!

I was very impressive”

Ao Prao Resort so Beautiful and Peaceful suitable for relax, well-cleaned both hotel and beach. This time I went there with my friend due to we saw review from Facebook page if one day I have boyfriend I will take him to there certainly It would be nice, if the hotel provide the promotion for single persons. *** Thank you for your good take care for me and my friend.