01. What is the Booking Process to Book a Villa?
Checking Availability
Once you have chosen your Koh Samui holiday villa, the first stage is to check availability with ourselves as not all of the online calendars are accurate and kept up to date.
Some of our villas show the online calendar on our website and for those that do not have this facility we ourselves have access to the villa's online calendars and can usually provide a swift answer. An enquiry form is provided on the villa details page and you will receive a response to this request for availability within 24 hours.
Should you show interest in any of the villas we are in a position to place a hold on your requested dates for a period of 48 - 72 hours depending on the time of year of the stay dates.
Providing a Quotation
If the villa is available the details of the booking, total cost and deposit required will be advised to you by email and in the currency of the villa GBP, USD or THB
A deposit of between 20 – 50% is required on reservation depending on the villa owner and the dates of the booking. The majority of owners require the balance approximately 6 weeks before arrival and a reminder wil be sent two weeks before due.
Sending a Booking Link
Should we have received the best rate for the villa enquiry the email sent will be a "Confirmation of Availability" and include a "Booking Link" providing options for settlement and securing the villa of your choice.
Settlement
The payment settlement options offered are- secure online payment by credit/debit card including American Express (GBP/USD) and bank transfer in either currency.
Although we are unable to offer secure online payments in other currencies we are able to provide bank details for other major currencies. (AUD, NZD, EUR, ZAR, SWFR etc)
Confirmation that the Terms and Conditions have been read is required before continuing to make a payment.
Once the deposit has been received a receipt will be sent confirming the amount paid and the due date for the balance.
It is a condition of the booking that travel insurance cover is taken out as soon as possible after the deposit is paid for the villa rental should unforeseen circumstances arise that prevents you from travelling to your holiday villa in Koh Samui .
Pre-Arrival Information
At some point after the deposit and before the balance payment a request for flight numbers and arrival and departure times will be sent in order that airport transfers to the villa can can be arranged.
Most of the villas provide a fridge stocking pre-arrival service and any requests for snacks and drinks will be forwarded on to the villa managment. Should your chosen villa have a chef service included in the rental or has been requested for the first night meal, a menu is sent to guests for completion of choices and returned to ourselves for forwarding on to the villa managment.
On going Requests and Information
We pride ourselves on our personal service and we shall be pleased to share our personal knowledge with any request for information on the villas and recommended tours and activities to enjoy during your stay on Koh Samui.
02. If there is a request for a reduced number of bedrooms at a villa do we have the use of the whole villa?
You will notice on the website that some of the larger villas provide lower rates for the use of fewer bedrooms than full occupancy.
This just means that the remaining bedrooms are just closed off and you will always have full access to the whole villa and it's facilities.
On arrival you unless specified previously in the booking process guests will be able to choose their preferred bedrooms.
03. How can I be sure that the villa description on the website is accurate
Generally we do rely on the owner or villa mangement to provide us with up to date images and descriptions of the villas
However our marketing staff from the UK team up with the Koh Samui office twice a year to review all the new villas before or shortly after adding them to the website to ensure they meet the strict criteria we apply in order to feature teh villas on the Samui Holiday Villas website.
The majority of the villas we promote for villa rental are managed by reputable villa managment companies who are known to us and it is their responsibility to ensure that the owners allow ongoing maintenance to keep the villas looking their best.
It is also part of the Code of Conduct as a member of ABTA that the villa is as described on our website however allowances need to be made should recent changes to the villa had not been communicated to ourselves before a guest arrives.
04. Do we have to pay a security deposit when renting the villa?
A small number of Koh Samui villas do require a refundable cash security deposit on arrival and the details if any will be advised at the time of the requested quotation.
The cash deposit can usually be made in most major currencies.
05. What is the minimum number of nights we can stay at a villa?
The standard minimum night requirement is 3 nights during the low and high seasons, 5 nights for Easter and Chinese New Year dates and 7 - 10 nights for the peak season dates of Christmas and New Year.
Fewer nights may be possible on request depending on the requested dates.
06. Will the villa be cleaned during our villa stay and how often?
The majority of villas have a daily housekeeping service, however the majority of the self catering villas in the "Simply Samui Holiday Villas" collection provide a cleaning service every 3 days together with a bed linen and towel change. Extra cleaning is always available on request at an additional cost.
07. Do you have a list of useful and important numbers for Koh Samui
The following numbers may be useful whilst you are in Koh Samui should you need assistance however the first call would be to your villa manager who will be able to assist you with any problems that you may have during your stay.
This information my also be available to you in the actual villa.
Emergency Numbers
Ambulance: 1554
Police: 191
Emergency Police 1155
Fire Brigade 199
Hospitals (there are 3 hospitals in Koh Samui)
Bangkok Hospital Samui : 077429500 (recommended_
Bandon Hospital: 077245236-9
Thai International Hospital 077414000-9
Transportation
Bangkok Airport
Bangkok Airways 1771
Seatran Ferry 077 251 555
Lomprayah Ferry 077 427 765
Embassies and Consulates (Bangkok)
UK 023 058 333. Australia 023 446 300. Canada 026 360 540. China 022 457 043. France 022 668 250-4.
New Zealand 022 542 530. Singapore 022 862 111. Spain 022 526 112. Sweden 022 637 200.
USA 022 054 000.
08. Is there a welcome provision pack at the villa?
Most of the villas will have a welcome pack all of which will include bottled water.
Details of items for each of the villas will be provided at the booking stage.
Any pre-arrival fridge stocking requests of snacks and/or drinks will be forwarded to the villa managment.
09. Will there be any hidden extras when staying at a villa?
All taxes and service charges will have been included in the cost of villa rental.
A small number of self catering villas in the "Simply Samui Holiday Villas" collection do not include electric and water usage in the villa rental and a meter reading will be read on arrival and on the day of departure and charged on average 7THB a unit. This information will be provided in the quotation at the booking stage.
Any pre- arrival shopping list and all ingredients for meals taken at the villa will have 15 - 20% added to the invoice with a minimum shopping fee.
10. Are the villas child friendly?
There is an increasing number of families choosing to spend a villa holiday in Koh Samui and although we cannot guarantee that all the villas are 100% child friendly. The Thai people just adore children and will make them very welcome with plenty of activities for them to enjoy.
Any villas not recommended for children of a certain age will be advised in the villa details such as a sharp drop from an infinity edge pool on a hillside villa. Please note also there is no law in Koh Samui Thailand to have a fence round the swimming pool and only 1 or 2 villas provide this.
Should parents need a break from supervising their children there is a babysitting service offered by some of the villa mangement companies and can be arranged during your stay. However if day care is required then specialist nanny services are available on the island but need to be booked well in advance before arrival due to high demand especially in the busy seasons.
You will find that the large supermarkets (Tesco and Big C) stock most things you need for children including imported baby food and baby pampers. Inflatable pool toys etc can be found in outlets all round the island.
11. Can we arrange for a chef to cook for us during our stay?
The villas in our Luxury Villas in Koh Samui collection have a full time chef included in the cost of renting the villa and other villas may have a chef for breakfast and lunch with an additional cost for a dinner service.
If the villa does not have resident staff then a chef service can be on request. The villa managment can confirm only if a chef is available for the requested time. On average a chef service would be 1500 - 2000THB each lunch or dinner session or 2500-3000THB for the day plus the market cost of the food + 15- 20% shopping fee.
12. Can we get married at the villa?
Yes our luxury villas are perfect for that special destination wedding venue creating a perfect backdrop to a dream wedding with family and friends and have your own private space.
At hotels and resorts you’ll often be sharing the venue with other holiday guests and in a villa you minimise your chances of an unknown crowd watching your ceremony.
It’s worth mentioning, that there is not a private beach on Koh Samui - this is part of the law. Some of our villas are tucked away within a cove withvery little through traffic, so you could almost consider them to be private. Of course the villas themselves are private and if you are in a hillside villa, it is very likely to be a very private bolthole.
Choosing a particular villa for the ceremony would depend on the occupancy of the villa and how many guests will be attending the event.
For events that involve guests more than 1.5 times the occupancy of a villa then there will usually be an "Event Fee" charged by the villa ( $1200- $1500)
We are able to recommend wedding planners who will be able to create that magical dream tropical Koh Samui wedding you have dreamed of.
Please contact us for further information.
Other useful information can be found on our Wedding & Events Page
13. Are the check in and check out times flexible?
The actual day of check in and check out at the villas are flexible and are not fixed eg Saturday - Saturday.
The check in and check out times are mostly a standard 3pm check in and 10.30 - 11am check out and these times need to be reasonbly strict due to the same day change over of guests with back to back bookings for the villa.
However should there be a request for different times for a check in due to flight arrangements, the villa managment will do their best to look after luggage and suggest nearby resorts, shopping areas orrestaurants for guests to remain until the villa is cleaned and ready.
If there is not a same day guest change over then the villa managment usually are able to accommodate the guests with an early check in.
14. Is there someone to assist us booking tours?
A guest relations manager or villa manager will be available to provide any information on the various tours and activities on Koh Samui that interest you and we have also provided some information on our Activities and Attractions page.
15. Why book with Samui Holiday Villas
The Samui Holiday Villas website has been providing luxury villa holiday rentals in the beautiful island of Koh Samui for a great number of years complimenting our parent company marketing holiday villas throughout the beach resorts of southern Thailand.
Samui Holiday Villas is a booking plaatform of Thailand Retreats Ltd with offices in the UK and Thailand and can offer a 24/7 service by email, telephone & WhatsApp - so please contact us and check us out.
Our company has grown with the development of the island of Koh Samui since arriving in 2002 when villa rental companies actually did not exist for the small number of villas scattered around the island as owner's second homes only.
Thailand Retreats is now recognised as one of the most reputable companies offering luxury villa accommodation throughout Koh Samui, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Phangan.
The feedback from our guests is that our first hand knowledge of the villas and their locations and the first class customer service tops the list and that is why they booked with ourselves and will return again and again for their holday villa in Thailand.
Guests booking with Samui Holiday Villas benefit from our membership of ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) as we are governed by their Code of Conduct to ensure that the villas in Thailand that we market for holiday rental are as described on our website. Our membership number is Y2460 and we can be identified by clicking on the following link https://abta.com/find-a-member
Booking a holiday is an exciting time - a chance to meet new people, discover new places and escape routine and by booking with ourselves then you will be able to relax a little earlier safe in the knowledge that you have booked with a villa rental company you can trust.
As we have a presence on Koh Samui the villas are viewed regularly and only those that meet our strict criteria will feature on our website www.samuiholidayvillas.com.
We have provided you with an easy to navigate website and to assist with your budget and choice we have arranged the diverse portfolio of villas into 6 six different type collections based on the services offered in each. You will also note that we have a secure website for online payment settlement for quotations in GBP or USD or the option for bank transfer in multiple currencies..