Sea Dance Resort, Koh Samui

Never sponsored: As with everything I write – both on the blog and in The Koh Samui Guide – I'm completely anonymous, not compensated in any way. This is a totally independent review.

I’ve never done a straight hotel feature before – previous resort posts have had an angle: Koh Samui’s best eco-resorts, great places for families, etc. However, a recent visit to Koh Samui's Sea Dance Resort was so charming – I had to tell you about it.

Koh Samui's best boutique hotel?

Sea Dance Resort constantly circles the number one TripAdvisor spot for all Koh Samui hotels, keeping pace with some of Asia’s best-known brand names in hospitality – much larger resorts with bigger budgets, more staff and years in business. Winning formula? Looks like it. Here are 4 ways to tell if Sea Dance is the right resort for you...

1. Sea Dance is perfect for you if...

Sea Dance Resort will really suit those with fond memories of ramshackle beach bungalows, who want the same ambience, with more comfort. Broadly, it ticks everything I’d want on a relaxing beach holiday:

• It’s a quiet resort, with lots of character
• It has an environmental ethos, as well as its own hotel garden
• It’s ideally suited to both couples and families
• Its beach is beautifully clean, with no jet-skis

2. Couples? Families?

As with many Koh Samui favourites (notably SALA Samui Choengmon Beach Resort and Melati Beach Resort & Spa), it’s equally suited for honeymooners as it is for families with children. Its small size and tucked-away location mean it’s quiet, yet is very friendly.

Honeymooners can look forward to candlelit beach dinners, while kids (and babies) are extremely welcome (and might be put to work picking up fresh mangoes fallen from the resort’s large tree).

3. Ambience

Casual, thatched roof charm. In a word – Sea Dance Resort is lovely. If you’re looking for fuss – head elsewhere. It’s calm, quiet, and did I say lovely? Graph fuss and formality on one axis, with cost on the other, and Sea Dance hits the sweet spot – a perfectly casual island beach resort at a moderate cost.

4. The Sea Dance mindset?

In the owner Poy’s own words:

‍We want Sea Dance to offer both the comforts, amenities and luxury that one longs for when vacationing, while at the same time emphasize exceptional quality and services over glamour. We call this ‘going back to the basics’...

‍They’re some beautiful basics, I assure you.

Sea Dance Resort: Top 5 FAQS

1. Is Sea Dance on the beach?

Oh yes, indeed it’s beachfront. In little Hanuman Bay between Choeng Mon Beach and Chaweng Beach, Sea Dance shares a small beach with just one other hotel – SAii Koh Samui Choengmon (formerly Outrigger Koh Samui Beach Resort).

Of the two, SAii Koh Samui is the more formal while Sea Dance feels more intimate and is very charming. It's the kind of place you might become lifelong friends with both the staff and the owner.

2. Where is Sea Dance Resort?

The two hotels are very much in their own realms, so the Sea Dance stretch of beach remains very quiet (and more so than a large beach like Bophut, Choeng Mon or Chaweng).

SAii Koh Samui as your only neighbour is a lottery-win: they recently took over a resort that had made huge progress in regenerating an offshore coral reef, and they also have great pizza and a beautiful spa. Walk between the two resorts (at lower-ish tide) to alternate your sunset cocktail spots.

3. What's nearby Sea Dance?

As for walkable – let’s discuss Sea Dance Resort’s walkability. The resort sits some distance from the main road, down a dirt track. There’s not much on your doorstep (as you’d find staying on Bophut or Choeng Mon beaches), but it is walkable to Choeng Mon – just a kilometre or so, approximately 20 minutes’ walk.

You’ll want to be a ‘sensible pedestrian’ though, as there are no sidewalks and traffic can come around this winding road quite quickly. At night? Definitely take a taxi or be sure you’re wearing reflective clothing. In almost every case, I recommend hiring a car to properly explore Samui.

Sea Dance is quiet and just the right amount of secluded: from its gravel drive, it's a 20-minute walk to Choeng Mon Beach (with 7-Eleven and other conveniences just a two-minute walk, on the hotel's main road).

4. Wait, isn't it ... on Bophut Beach?

Wait... but isn’t Sea Dance in Bophut? As with many places on Koh Samui, the addresses can be very confusing. Agoda lists Sea Dance as ‘Choeng Mon’ and many other spots call it ‘Bophut’. Both are technically correct (it's nearest to Choeng Mon town but within the Bophut administrative area), yet it’s on neither Choeng Mon nor Bophut beaches.

Even more confusing – Sea Dance often sits at #1 on TripAdvisor for Bophut hotels. However, it and the current 2nd place spot – Bo Phut Resort & Spa (which is on Bophut Beach) – are a car ride of at least 15-20 minutes between each other.

Confused? Learn how to thoroughly navigate Koh Samui, beach by beach, in The Koh Samui Guide.

5. How far is the airport?

Another point in favour of Sea Dance Resort is its proximity to Koh Samui Airport – just 5 minutes’ drive. Whereas many resorts with similar seclusion require a long drive of 30-45 minutes to Samui’s west coast, Sea Dance allows you to start your holiday sooner and makes a crack-of-dawn departure a little more palatable.

What to expect at Sea Dance Resort

Sea Dance Resort pool and pool bar

The pool is absolutely beach-front – a long-legged frog could make it between the two in one jump. Besides its view, the pool’s two best features are the swim-up pool bar and in-built paddling area (which you might see as a children’s pool or shallows for reading a book).

The shape and set-up of the pool and bar areas make it easy to find both shade and sun throughout the day. An abundance of pool beds sit on the wooden pool deck, on a small grass lawn just below the pool and on the beach as well. Tucked in the very corner of the beach/pool area is a coconut-thatch sala – truly THE spot to cuddle up and watch a sunrise.

You might prefer to stay in the pool, in which case Sea Almond is your swim-up pool bar. Already dried off and showered? There are dry-land bar stools, too. (See the bamboo pools that act as both roof supports and wine bottle holders – architectural genius!)Sea Dance has a pretty sweet pool bar – but it's got some competition. See Koh Samui's best swim-up pool bars and decide for yourself.

Food and drink at Sea Dance

Unless you rent a car, walk next door to SAii Koh Samui Choengmon or the approximately 20 minutes to Choeng Mon, you’ll be (very happily) hanging out at Sea Dance. The resort’s owner is a former restauranteur in Dubai – you know the food will be good.

Activities at Sea Dance Resort

Sea Dance Resort will really suit guests hoping to do a lot of nothing but, when excess energy strikes, his and hers kayaks are available (use them take a sneak peek at SAii Koh Samui Choengmon's coral reef, just offshore). Kayaks and snorkel equipment come with life jackets. As a great rainy day option, you can take a cooking class with the chef as well (learning exactly what’s growing in the Thai herb garden).

Your room choices at Sea Dance Resort

Like your privacy? All rooms at Sea Dance are freestanding cottages and small villas. How to choose between the two? Consider how much time you plan to spend in your room and whether you want it to include your own outdoor space and pool. If you'll spend all day on the beach anyway, a garden cottage would be perfect and at a slightly lower room rate (translate any room savings to more passionfruit mojitos).

‍Décor: Bamboo, rattan, coconut thatch and polished concrete make it a beautiful, restful environment and rain-head showers add extra happy points.

‍Best room for families? A brand new 2-bedroom pool villa has a king bed and two twins in a second room, with your own pool as well.

Of course, Sea Dance Resort isn’t a secret. I thought this exciting discovery was one I'd made on my own – only to find it’s rightly received all kinds of praise – including a recent Travellers' Choice Award and winning Best Luxury Boutique Resort in Thailand at the World Luxury Hotel Awards.

More Koh Samui boutique hotels?

If you like to try a few places each vacation and think that Sea Dance sounds ideal, you might also like a few days at the following Koh Samui boutique hotels in different parts of the island:

• Bophut: Cielo Boutique Hotel & Spa Samui
• Chaweng: Banana Fan Sea Resort
• Newly renovated: Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa

Enjoy!