Nora Beach Resort and Spa

A peaceful retreat.

The hotel was a very pleasant surprise. It offered the comort and luxury of any good 5-star hotel albeit in a very traditional, natural and green surrounding. Could not have been more relaxing. However, the gym at the resort however leaves much to be desired for. A signle small room with one treadmill no cycle and some weights. It has its own pool (beautiful and conveneint to relax in...not for exercise swimming though). and its own beach-front restaurant / lobby. The breakfast is served at the beachfront restaurant and is very relaxing. The rooms are comfortable and convenient. as are the washrooms. The TV in the rooms can be improved as can be the choice of TV channels. overall, we had a great experience.

Rent a motorbike to go around - you get these automatic - motorbikes which are very easy and simple to use. Try the water-ball activity (the put you inside a water ball and roll it off a slope....good fun (for around 15 seconds).Do plan a day trip to Ang Thong National Marine park - a group of beautiful islands. Definitely go on the trekking and visit the blue lagoon. If you’re looking for god snorkleing than Ko Samui is NOT the place for you.

Great for a week of relaxation

- Great beach - Good 4* standard - Reasonable (not typical hotel-like) prices at pool bar and restaurants

Can’t beat the view at breakfast!

The hotel nestles ever so perfectly into the landscape, so it feels almost like a little jungle retreat rather than a beach resort. The hotel has its own beach and while we were there, it felt like our own person. You can also rent ocean kayaks and snorkel gear for next to nothing from the service people by the pool. If you want to do day trips out to the Marine Park, the reception was more than helpful and set us on a great tour. The hotel itself good use some light sprucing up, but it was really nice and we would recommend it. Don’t get me wrong, it is really nice, but it isn’t NEW. Breakfast was wonderful. They make eggs to order with anything you want. Each day there was another station where they were making waffles or crepes or Thai soup ect. There is sausages and beans to the Brits, French toast and pancakes to the Americans, musceli and yogurt to the Scandinavians and Germans, and dim sum and fried rice to the Asians. Dinner at the hotel was very nice. The food was both western and Thai, and the same price as in town. They had two people who played acoustic guitar that were quite good and could play most requests. On the checkout day we could use the showers at the spa in the evening before our flight which was really nice. In the airport they can also check your baggage through even if you are flying with different carriers, and booked separately.

Traveller's tip on getting the most out of your stay

As an aside you will get taken by the Taxi drivers. The ride from the airport was less five minutes, but still cost as much from LGA to grand central. You can also have the hotel pick you up and you get a slightly better price and don’t have the trouble. The location was perfect, just outside Chewang but a quick 5 minutes on a scooter. I would highly recommend renting a scooter for the week from the place across the street. The hotel has a shuttle but it isn’t convenient.