Is the Holiday Inn Resort Samui Bophut Beach the World’s Best Holiday Inn? [Review]

If you’re anything like me, you associate Holiday Inn properties with 1990s family road trips (anyone else remember a Holidome?) and staying a night near an airport. But the Holiday Inn Resort Samui Bophut Beach in southern Thailand isn’t your average Holiday Inn. The hotel is a sprawling and attractive tropical resort with all sorts of amenities perfect for families.

My husband, son, and I stayed there for 4 nights this past summer, and there are key things you should be aware of before you stay or when deciding whether or not to book.

Here’s a review of my stay at the Holiday Inn Resort Samui Bophut Beach in Koh Samui, Thailand.

1. Compare Pricing When Booking — And Ask for Upgrades

Rates for a summer night at Holiday Inn Resort Samui Bophut Beach were around $500 per night. Luckily, I had IHG One Rewards points, so I used 142,000 points for 2 free nights (71,000 per night).

Before booking the other 2 nights using cash, I did a bit of comparison pricing. For the same room on Citi Travel, it was half the price — just $250 per night. While I really love earning IHG points and getting my IHG Platinum Elite status recognized (I get this through my IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card), paying half the price listed on the website was a solid deal.

Plus, the $300 Citi Travel hotel credit that comes with my Citi Strata Elite℠ Card had just renewed, meaning I got $300 off the $500 cost for a 2-night stay. Booking through Citi Travel using my credit meant I paid just $200 for 2 nights, instead of $1,000, which is what I would have paid if I’d booked through IHG.com. While I much prefer to book directly through a hotel’s website, especially if I hold that hotel’s elite status, $800 worth of savings was simply too much to ignore.

However, I knew I’d have to be extra nice at check-in to see if I could get an upgrade or if they would recognize my status for the nights I didn’t book through IHG.com. The agent had to check with her manager, but in the end I was offered a free upgrade to a family room (several room categories above the standard garden-view room I had booked, because the hotel was very full) for the 2 nights I had booked via IHG.com.

Staff originally said the upgrade wasn’t possible for the nights I booked via Citi Travel. But then I asked if I could pay the difference for the room upgrade for the other 2 nights so we wouldn’t have to switch rooms. After consulting with her manager, the staff member quoted me ฿2,220 ($67) per night, but because I was an IHG Platinum Elite member, they offered it at a discounted rate: ฿1,500 ($46) per night, which felt extremely reasonable.

During the original booking process, the family rooms, which feature kiddie bunk beds in a separate bedroom, were hundreds of dollars more when I looked at them on IHG.com. Thanks to my status and politely making suggestions, I was able to get this room upgrade for the full 4 nights for less than $100.

2. The Hotel Has the Best Location

The Holiday Inn Resort Samui Bophut Beach, as its name suggests, is on Samui’s Bophut Beach, with the hotel’s main entrance on Route 4169, the island’s main ring road. This street isn’t much to look at, but it’s extremely convenient to be on.

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The entrance of the Holiday Inn Resort Samui Bophut Beach.

The back entrance opens up to the beach and one of the walking streets in Fisherman’s Village. Fisherman’s Village is a resort and shopping area with nightly food markets, beachfront fire shows, and plenty to do. Almost every night, we’d wander the area, stopping at street food carts, enjoying the bars and restaurants, getting Thai massages, or watching the fire shows.

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The beachfront walking street.

The hotel is also a short walk from my favorite food market on the island, Free Wave, where you can get mango sticky rice for ฿80 ($2.45) or panang curry for ฿120 ($3.70).

Nearby, I discovered VGrace for hair blowouts, Burger King for when my son just wanted chicken nuggets, and of course, plenty of Thai pharmacies and 7-Eleven convenience stores. I found a place to do my laundry just a few minutes’ walk from the hotel that would even deliver it back to the resort for free 24 hours later, freshly washed and pressed for just ฿70 ($2.14) per kilogram (2.2 pounds). Everything and anything we needed was within easy walking distance.

Even though there were a lot of bars and some nightlife nearby, the area is extremely family-friendly, and there were children everywhere, even later on in the evening.

3. Comfortable, Kid-Friendly Rooms

I was thrilled with our family room upgrade, mainly because I knew my 5-year-old would be very impressed with his safari-themed bunk bed; he said, “This is the best bed I’ve ever slept in,” after our first night in the hotel.

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My son was obsessed with the bunk beds.

After about 3 weeks of sharing a hotel room with our son throughout our Thailand travels, it was nice for everyone to have some personal space, thanks to the extra bedroom.

Beyond the separate bunk-bed kiddie room, there was a main room with a large bed and a sitting area, plus a separate walk-in closet. Both bedrooms had large windows, and although we didn’t have great views, the room was comfortable, spacious, and quiet. I thought it was well-designed, with lots of bedside outlets, simple-to-operate cooling and lighting systems, and plenty of space for our suitcases and storage.

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The bed was comfortable.

The only thing missing was an outdoor balcony or space to hang our wet swimsuits, but we managed with towel rods in the bathroom and hooks in the closet.

The bathroom was spacious, as well, with a huge soaking tub, rainfall shower, double sinks, and toilet. The hotel even left us kiddie bubble bath.

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The soaking tub was a nice addition.

I also liked that our room was set away from the busy pool areas, which were loud and chaotic during the day. Yes, we gave up those nicer beach, garden, and pool views, but we got excellent sleep and a quiet space as a trade-off.

4. This Is a Family Hotel, and Couples Should Go Elsewhere

During my stay, I didn’t see a single person without children. This is a family hotel that focuses on keeping the little ones happy. There’s a kiddie playground, a splash pad, a kids pool, a massive kids club, and a long main pool that’s hectic and full of children running around. The hotel also operates children-centric theme nights (participation comes at an extra cost), such as circus night, neon night, and movie night.

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The splash pad and kiddie pool.

There isn’t an adults-only pool, but when my son was happily immersed in the kids club, I would hit the beach, which felt quieter and more blissful. It wasn’t the most beautiful beach on the island, but the water was pleasant and the vibe was relaxing and idyllic.

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The beach was a relaxing hangout spot.

The hotel doesn’t have a spa, and during the time I spent in the gym, kids were also in there, so I really don’t recommend this hotel if you’re visiting without children, as there really weren’t any adult-oriented spaces or even quiet areas where kids weren’t running around. I didn’t mind the chaos, but I definitely wouldn’t have enjoyed my stay as much had I visited on a honeymoon or with friends.

The only thing about the hotel that I found not so kid-friendly was the smoking areas. They were pretty gross, actually, covered in cigarette butts, and I needed to pass through one of them to get to the kids club and my room, which I found stinky and annoying.

5. Kids Eat Free (And Other Dining Perks)

With so much street food and so many restaurants nearby, I didn’t eat too frequently at the resort. However, thanks to the IHG One Rewards Dining Privileges program, I got 20% off food and drinks during my stay, so the times I did eat at the resort were a fairly good deal.

Additionally, my son ate for free thanks to a kids-eat-free program available at the Fisherman’s Table and Essence restaurants (but not at the pool or beach bars). It worked as such: If an adult ordered a valid main course, 1 kid would get a free main course and dessert from the kids menu.

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The sea bass with herbs was flavorful.

When it came to breakfast, the rate I booked through Citi Travel included breakfast for 3, but not the 2 nights I booked with IHG One Rewards points. Breakfast was ฿590 ($18) per person, and the spread was fantastic — it even included soft-serve ice cream (my son is still talking about it). Because I got 20% off and kids eat free, the total cost of daily breakfast for 3 was ฿944 ($29). The breakfast buffet was open until 11 a.m., so we breezed through daily about 10 a.m., and it felt more like brunch.

Final Thoughts

Is Holiday Inn Resort Samui Bophut Beach the world’s best Holiday Inn? It might be, at least for families, thanks to its perfect beachfront location on the charming Thai island of Samui, its child-friendly amenities, and comfortable, well-designed, and modern rooms. It’s definitely a large step above the average U.S. Holiday Inn.

I would stay at the Holiday Inn Resort Samui Bophut Beach again for a family trip, though I really hope the resort adopts a no-smoking policy.