Unfortunately we only stayed at the Waterfront for 1 night on our way to Koh Phangan, but Robin and Sue were amazing hosts.

After a long flight from the UK we couldn't have asked for a better welcome. We were picked up at the airport and taken back to the resort free of charge.

The rooms were lovely, they were airy, well maintained and very clean.

The location is beautiful and we wished we had been able to stay a bit longer. Oh well, maybe next time.

We have just returned to Dubai after spending 16 happy days doing nothing more than enjoying the peaceful location of the hotel and the warmth and hospitality of all the staff.
Sue and Robin have got it right! The hotel is clean and well organised and has great staff in all departments -always willing to do that little bit extra, the beds are to dream in (best sleep for years), the garden and pool area is well maintained, the food is good and they make great 'sundowners'!
It is not a 5 star hotel and doesn't pretend to be one. The beach is not good for swimming and the pool small (read reviews and you know that before you arrive). I'm sure there are some other points, but hey!
After reading some of the negative reviews about this hotel I believe that people have just not stayed long enough to appreciate all the good things about it.- it's one of those places that just 'grows' on you! The view is great from all the bedrooms and public areas of the hotel and there are loads of good restaurants a short stroll away. Enjoy!

We have just returned from staying at The Waterfront.

It is a fantastic property to stay at for the following reasons:
*Excellent value for money
*Incredibly clean and well appointed rooms (though they are not luxurious by any means)
*Amazing staff - so very friendly and helpful
*Small and intimate - great place to meet other travellers
* Wonderful views
*Fantastic location to Bo Phut restaurants - its just a walk to a really diverse range of eateries.

We researched where to stay quite extensively and we knew that the pool was small (and it is SMALL) and the beach was not swimmable (it is very rocky and I believe the only times of year that you could swim is December - February and even that would be restricted due to the large coral outcrops off the beach.

Swimming further up the beach in Bo Phut is possible however there were quite a few boats moored off the beach and also the run off from the streets goes directly into the water so it is debatable as to how clean the water is . So if you were looking for a beach holiday and wanted the white stretches of sand and lots of swimming,then The Waterfront and in fact Bo Phut is not the place to stay.

If we visit Samui again we will definitely stay at The Waterfront because we just loved the atmosphere and the proximity to the village. But we would probably combine it with another property which offered the beach/resort pool experience.

Like many other people we were drawn to The Waterfront by Trip Advisor reviews. We have been travelling through Asia for many months and usually find Trip Advisor fairly accurate, however I am still at a loss to work out why this place is so popular.

Firstly the good stuff. It is very clean, efficiently run and the staff are extremely friendly. The food is also pretty good and there is nice village nearby where you can get excellent if somewhat expensive food.

But from the moment we got there, we knew we were going to have trouble warming to the place. This is not the tropical Thai beach paradise we envisaged!

There is no swimmable beach. Bophut Beach consists of reef (not suitable for snorkelling) , lots and lots of rocks and gritty coral sand. The water is extremely murky and uninviting. It's even difficult to walk on the beach.

Ok, so there is no beach. I can live with that if there is at least a decent pool. The pool at The Waterfront is the size of a postage stamp. It's the size of small backyard pool. Infact one day we were talking to some other guest and one lady mistakingly? called the pool “the pond”. If you have more than 3 people in the pool your cramped.

The rooms are basic but very clean. Don't expect some resort style bungalow even though the rooms are advertised as bungalows because you will be disappointed.

We had booked in for 8 nights. As soon as you get there you are asked to pay for the whole time. That is the only reason we stayed. If we could have left after 1 night we would have. The lack of beach and pool facilities make it very difficult and sometimes expensive to actually experience the Thailand beach holiday we had dreamed about. We became even more depressed when we did venture to the main swimming beach on Samui and realised what we were missing. It was absolutely glorious. White powdery sand and crystal clear water that went on forever. It 's not however possible to walk to any decent beaches from The Waterfront so you have to have some form of transport. Unless you hire a care that you can lock your stuff in when you are at the beach, it makes it difficult to go anywhere and have a swim. If we had been staying at a resort on a better beach we could have left valuables in our room while we wandered off for a swim. Essentially what I am saying is, in order to access a decent beach you not only have to leave the resort, but the whole Bophut area.

I'm not trying to totally dismiss The Waterfront as a holiday destination, I just can't understand the hype about this place as the number 1 hotel in Samui when it doesn’t even have a decent pool or beach. If you like to swim this is definitely not for you. Think very very carefully about what you want out of your holiday before booking in here.