We decide our holidays by distance. Distance to the destination, distance from our room to the pool, distance from breakfast to the kids club, and distance from our sun lounger to the bar. And that’s exactly how we ended up at Intercontinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort.
After a very handy direct flight from the red dot to our favourite go-to Koh in Thailand, we were expertly escorted to this stalwart resort in record time. So far, so good. Upon arrival at the massive main pavilion dotted with day beds and sculpture, we were met by breathtaking views straight out over the ocean and a delicious breeze. Distance between us and Singapore humidity? Vast.
And vast is the Intercontinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort itself. This pioneer of luxury villa accommodation (first established in 1993), occupies a stunning position high on the hilltops overlooking the west coast of Koh Samui. Colonial style, individual houses are spread out to allow for ultimate privacy and an uninterrupted ocean vista. As we stepped through the door of the beautiful 2-storey villa we’d been assigned to, the kids rushed forward with squeals of delight to take ownership of their complimentary beach toys and measure the distance between us and the closest pool – mere steps. In fact there are seven pools within the resort so you are never far from a dip and a plunge.
So off we went to investigate each of them and very quickly we discovered the convenience of covering the resort by golf cart. This measured high on the novelty factor for the kids and made the distance between the hotspots of breakfast (delicious buffet at Amber), beach, kids club and pool a pleasure, just so they could go for a ride. And so it became our ritual during our stay to cover the ground between our villa and breakfast on foot then order up a buggy to bring us to the beach pool each morning where most of the day played out water-side.
Conveniently, the Planet Trekkers Kids Club is a stone’s throw from the sun-loungers by the beach, bar and pool. There is an ever-rotating schedule of daily activities that feature both indoor arts and crafts and more active outdoor fun. We really loved that the arts and crafts on offer featured both free and purchase-able activities. We made use of both and were happy to fork out for those crafts that came at a cost, especially when we saw how creative the kids club staff were in using recycled items (Koh Samui is not without its share of pollution issues). They were extremely attentive with the kids too.
And that meant we were able to wander back over to our position on the sand and kick back with a drink in one hand and a book in the other knowing they were close-by and happy. Come afternoon, it was time to squeeze in some sandcastle building, jetty walks, shell collecting and spontaneous football games while we grazed on snacks from the beach bar. Forget the fried stuff . This was one holiday where we were guilt free on the food front – Intercontinental has enlisted Annabel Karmel to tailor a healthy option kids menu, which we give 2 thumbs up.
Come sundown, it was time for a quick golf-cart ride back to our house on the hill and a pre dinner soak. While the whole villa was exquisite, if a little dated with squeaky floorboards underfoot and noisy aircon, we spent a ridiculous amount of time in the plush bathroom. In particular, the freestanding bath was a hit, with us and the kids, and the exclusively designed personal products (Tharn for adults, and a children’s line for little ones) did not go amiss.
Each night we had the option of dining Cliffside at Amber restaurant or Flames on the beach. While the view on top of the hill is spectacular, the draw of eating barefoot in the sand was a winner each time. This is BBQ territory, and therefore an easy dinner option for young families. The wait-staff quickly got to know us by name, and were instantly on hand to organize the grilling of quality surf and turf. We’re used to rushing our meals when we eat with the kids so it was a nice change to be able to take our time dining while the kids played in the sand again (and yet again, another bath required which the kids didn’t mind a bit).
While it would have been nice to finish our nights with an after dinner cocktail at Air Bar, the distance between that and bedtime was fast closing in. Instead, each evening finished with a glass of wine fireside on the beach while the kids put on a performance. The only distance left to cover was a short buggy ride back to our villa and in to heavenly beds. Bliss.
Take advantage of their great family package. Check the website for details.
Intercontinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort, 295 Moo 3, Taling Ngam Beach Suratthani, Koh Samui, 84140, Thailand, p. +66 (0) 7742 9100