Banyan Tree Samui 

Nice family vacation in Samui, travelling 2 adults and 3 older kids (11,13,17 years old). Picked up in the cute small airport by the hotel and driven about 30 mins to the resort. We were in F03 on the hill side across the reception with a nice view, the villa was very comfortable for us, however showing a bit of age - will highlight the pool and hot tub, beautiful, and what a nice morning swim at sunrise. Expect a bit hassle being driven around the resort in buggys, but you can enjoy the nicely maintained grounds and we did not experience much waiting time. We did not see a lot of animals or bugs within the resort, but was annoyed a bit with mosquitos. We experienced the Thai boxing training near the gym, a lot of fun for the kids. We also really liked the main pool area, great spot to sunbathe and very nice service. The beach was a bit of a let down, sand was grainy, but worse the water felt dirty and not transparent. Also some trash floating around. We had a nice kayak and stand-up paddle trip - amazing look a the resort from the sea. Food. Amazing food a the Thai restaurant, wow, a must try. The beach restaurant was fine, the room service meal only ok. Breakfast was great, stunning views, large selection. A bit hot outside, the parasols did not provide sufficient protection from the sun. Only let down was the coffee, at this level I would hope for barista level, here it was machine at decent level. General stand-out was the service level here, living up to the exception and we had a great vacation in Samui.