My Incredible Stay at The Retreat in Koh Chang
I recently spent 3 nights at The Retreat in Koh Chang and it’s easily the best place I’ve ever stayed.
If you’re planning a trip to Thailand, I’d encourage you to add Koh Chang to your itinerary just so you can spend a few nights here.
In this review I’ll tell you everything you need to know about staying at The Retreat – covering the rooms, the restaurant, the facilities, service, and what I think makes it so special.
My stay here was gifted, but all opinions are my own. I don’t accept stays in places I wouldn’t pay for myself, and I write honestly about the experience I had.
Where is The Retreat?
The Retreat is in Koh Chang, located in the Gulf of Thailand in the eastern part of the country.
It’s Thailand’s second-largest island after Phuket, renowned for its dense jungle, stunning waterfalls, sandy beaches, and coral reefs.
The hotel is located between Kai Bae beach and a small fisherman village, and it benefits from one of the best sunset spots on the island.
First impressions
The Retreat is set back from the main road in Koh Chang, tucked away down a narrow lane which offers total escapism from the rest of the island.
My first view of the hotel was the open air reception – a vast wooden structure that wouldn’t feel out of place in a gallery.
It’s bright and airy with plenty of space to sit down and enjoy the welcome drink provided by the hotel.
It’s hard not to be impressed when you arrive here – the hotel is beautiful, with perfectly landscaped lawns lined with palm trees, and uninterrupted views over the ocean.
Food and drink at The Retreat
The Ocean Terrace restaurant at The Retreat sits overlooking the water at the edge of the resort, and you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Koh Chang with better sunset views.
They serve a mixture of Thai and Western food, and every dish I had was delicious.
What I found really surprising in a hotel of this standard was the price of the food and drink, although on the pricier side for Thailand, it was very reasonable for the quality of the ingredients and the location.
Breakfast is included in the room rate and can be eaten at any time of day, so if you fancy a leisurely morning in bed, you can. I don’t see this often enough in hotels and it was a refreshing change not to have to rush out of bed to get breakfast.
Room categories at The Retreat
The Retreat has four room types available: Deluxe, Premier, the Ocean Suite, and the Duplex Pool Villa.
DELUXE ROOMS
The Deluxe Rooms are the cheapest rooms available at the hotel, starting from £145/6,594 THB per night, and there’s two choices when it comes to the room type: the Deluxe Pool Access Room (has a pool), and the Deluxe Balcony Room (doesn’t have a pool).
All of the deluxe rooms have a bedroom with either one king sized bed or two queen sized beds, a separate bathroom, and an outdoor space with a seating area.
The main difference is that the Deluxe Pool Access Rooms are on the ground floor and have direct pool access to a shared swim up pool. The Deluxe Balcony Rooms are upstairs and don’t have a pool, but instead benefit from a large balcony with a spacious seating area.
You don’t get a full ocean view in these rooms as they face inwards, but you’ll still get a glimpse of it.
If you’re on the ground floor you can request the corner room if you want to be closest to the ocean, but on the top floor you don’t have this option as the corner is where the Ocean View Suite is.
PREMIER ROOMS
The Premier Rooms are pretty much the same as the Deluxe Rooms, but with slightly more space. Prices start from £160/7,339 THB per night.
ocean suite (my room)
I stayed in the Ocean Suite, a jaw-dropping room with a wraparound balcony and incredible ocean views.
The room has its own entrance with a spacious hall that’s the perfect place to leave your coats and shoes.
There’s a generously-sized dining area, complete with minibar, wine cooler, table and a day bed to lounge on, as well as a very comfortable bed with views over the ocean, a flat-screen TV, and a large bathroom with his and her sinks, a rainfall shower and a bathtub.
The interiors are beautiful – with wooden furniture alongside neutral colours that create a relaxing environment.
The Ocean Suite starts from £456/20,916 THB per night.
duplex pool villA
The Duplex Pool Villa is the most luxurious room in The Retreat, and is the perfect place to stay if you want the privacy of having your own space, with the amenities of a resort.
It’s a two-storey villa with its own private pool, large kitchen and dining area, spacious bedroom and a large bathroom with a bathtub and double shower.
The villa starts at £746/34,219 THB per night.
Things to do at The Retreat
One of the things I loved most about The Retreat was their brilliant events schedule.
Each week, there’s a variety of activities that take place, and there’s something suitable for everyone.
During our stay there was a cocktail making lesson, a painting session perfect for children (and adults!), and even an outdoor movie night under the stars.
We also happened to be staying over Valentine’s Day, and the hotel put on an amazing dinner for the guests, with a set menu and live music.
Service at The Retreat Koh Chang
I’ll admit that I’m very fussy when it comes to service in a hotel. I don’t want anything too overbearing, but I always appreciate when the details are considered.
I pay a lot of attention to the small things in hotels, because they’re the details that make a difference to a stay.
And The Retreat got it spot on. Every member of staff was friendly, taking the time to chat with me and find out more about my trip.
Free bottled water and fresh fruit was handed out each day whilst I was relaxing by the pool, a small gesture that added a lot to my experience.
When I visited the front desk to ask if we could get our laundry done, the receptionist told me it would probably be quite expensive for them to do it as it’s priced for single items (and I was on a longer trip so I had a lot of laundry).
Instead, she gave me a recommendation for a laundrette down the road that would be considerably cheaper.
How easy would it have been for her to take my laundry and charge me for it? I was floored by her willingness to put my experience above hotel profits, it’s not very often I see gestures like that.
And one night when I was given a different cocktail to the one I ordered (I didn’t say anything because it was delicious so I didn’t mind at all), the waitress came running over apologising. She realised she’d got the order wrong and said she’d make me the original drink.
I insisted she didn’t, as I happily slurped on my new cocktail, and told her not to worry at all, but a few minutes later she came over with the drink, apologising and letting me know it was on the house.
And who’s going to argue with two cocktails? Not me.
But in all seriousness, even though I truly didn’t care that the order was wrong, I was really impressed with how the situation was handled.
What all of these examples highlighted to me was that time had been taken to coach the team, and empower them to make decisions with the guests bests interests in mind.
It meant that the service I received throughout my stay was seamless, there wasn’t any area that needed improvement.
Facilities
The Retreat is the kind of hotel you never want to leave, and we barely did.
There’s a large swimming pool that never feels overcrowded, thanks to the majority of the bedrooms having a swim up pool, and a small gym that overlooks the water.
They’re in the process of building a spa where you’ll be able to enjoy massages and treatments.
There’s also free bikes and kayaks available to hire, perfect for exploring the island.
Would I recommend a stay at The Retreat Koh Chang?
Without a doubt, yes. I’d go as far as to say The Retreat is the best hotel I’ve ever stayed at, and it’s set the standard for all my future trips.
With delicious food and drink, incredible facilities, meticulous service and beautiful rooms, all set within an idyllic location, staying at The Retreat will make your visit to Koh Chang even more special.
If this review has convinced you to book a stay, you can find the latest prices and availability at The Retreat here
