What dreams are made of

i wanted to take my girlfriend on a holiday that would take her breath away. although i did keep the hotel a surprise (and may have even played it down on the way there!) the entire experience upon arrival; the location, hotel grounds, service, private beach/bay, and finally the awe inspiring villa itself ended up bringing her to tears of joy and gratitude - mission accomplished! you'll see why she had this reaction when you get there.

value is everything to me. whatever i pay, if it's a little or a lot, i expect to get what i paid for. if it is a little, i expect little and i am happy with anything extra. if i pay more though, my expectations grow. i wanted to avoid all of the "fakes" that pretend to be 5 star, but was at first nervous about paying my way out of the nerves associated with poor quality...my bank account usually doesn't permit me to do so. having been to banyan tree bangkok, and now banyan tree koh samui.... i don't regret a thing.

pros: everything. might sound over the top.. but it is everything you see in all of the pictures and more. we were in a villa that was almost at the top of the mountain and had uninterrupted views of the southern coast of koh samui. it was completely private (it was clearly designed to be this way), and very peaceful. every whim had been thought of and provided. the grounds are huge and you can get complimentary buggy rides wherever you need to go (breakfast, private beach, lobby etc). our host (butler?) was very helpful, and all staff speak english very well. hammock, 2 different sets of sun beds on either side of the villa, 3 separate divisions in the villa (lounge area, bedroom, and bathroom). fresh fruit every day. extensive menu for both in room or restaurant dining. "activities" every day!!! yoga at sunrise/sunset, snorkelling, kayaking etc etc... all complimentary!!! the breakfast was typical of banyan tree, completely decadent and wide ranging.

everything you could want at an extremely high standard