Samahita Retreat

It’s with a heavy heart I leave this place after 7 nights. Everything is so beautiful where to start. The rooms are fantastic, clean and spacious with everything you need and right on the beach and in a remote area that doesn’t feel like Koh Samui. The yoga is the best I’ve done. It gradually gets more intense throughout the week but there’s people of all abilities (I was worried I’d be arriving to a yoga place full of expert yogis, so was happily surprised). The teachers are amazing and give you plenty of options according to your ability. I loved So’s exercise classes in the afternoon, always delivered with such enthusiasm and I always left exhausted. The restorative yoga following exercise is a welcome stretch and chill down. There’s no pressure to attend all the classes if you don’t wish to. I loved waking up and watching sunrise on the beach with my morning tea, ahead of yoga. Then it’s free time to eat the incredible food (no food was the same during my 7 nights), sunbathe, swim, have a massage, walk or explore until afternoon exercise. I floated around the place for days having massages and chatting to different people from around the world. Thank you to the amazing food service staff, and wellness staff, who always remembered your name. The massages were great. The rooms always clean and everyone always so friendly and kind. There is no doubt I will be booking again soon! Thank you

The Retreat is designed for one purpose only - as a spartan, rule-following yoga destination on the southern coast of Koh Samui. Food is mostly vegetarian, with some fish. Having read extensively about the location for a while, I had some idea of what to expect but I was still not prepared for the many problems which befell us. This is a very small place. Postage stamp size. The location seems remote, at least from many services. It is a 45 minute ride to the airport. Trying to get a Grab to the airport when I left took almost an hour of trying. The Retreat is not staffed around the clock. The main phone number goes unanswered and no staff can be found between 9 or so pm and 8 am. If problems arise in the night, as they did for us, there is no one to help you or to respond to calls for help. We were without water for two days, off and on, and without AC between 2:30 am and 10 am, and without other power for hours on end. The responses to these problems during business hours was indifferent. One very serious safety issue happened to us when my wife attempted to turn on the table lamp at her bedside in the early morning. She was shocked by a 240 volt charge which threw her across the bed. Her finger and hand became swollen for a day and she was in significant pain from the jolt. Management was unimpressed and suggested, after a maintenance guy weighed in hours later, that the lamps were old and had frayed wiring inside. Another data point - the woman in the unit next to ours was shocked be her lamp, as well, but with less impact. I was expecting vegetarian food and some fish. I can do vegetarian but was not impressed with what was on offer. So meals became a sort of fast. Very limited fruit was offered at 6:45 am, along with coffee and tea. Espresso drinks became available at 10, along with breakfast, at 10. These drinks are at extra charge. Lunch was 12:30-1:30. Dinner was 6:30 to 8:00. The standard fare was marginal to unacceptably thin for me. A few other items can be ordered, for extra charge. The one I tried was the single worst cheese sandwich I have ever consumed. The slight cheese was overwhelmed by bread and vegetables and had no taste. This mostly vegetarian establishment is not big on any added flavors. Quiet time every day is wake up until 10 am. There are a couple of polypropylene kayaks available for use, and one SUP. It was too windy and choppy during our stay to try these. There are exercise bikes on site, but only for use by organized classes, so hands off! Had one massage at the”spa” which was good, if workmanlike. I found the other guests, and staff, to be pleasant. Pleasant staff do not equal attentive staff, at least not in real time. There is not much of anything to do here if not doing yoga. No tv or radio or anything beyond self amusement. This is by design. I would suggest this is simply an unacceptable location for you if you are not plugged into the yoga scheme. I found myself contemplating the spin direct

Wonderful place to stay and recharge. As a regular guest at Samahita I highly appreciate the family feel of the place, the communal tables, familiar faces, staff remembering my name and overall care for guests and staff. I very much enjoy the teacher trainings. While not a teacher myself, I see the TTs as intensives that help me deepen my own pranayama practice and exchange with other practitioners, many are also regulars. The 2 week advanced TTs are intense but somehow I am still resting and come home recharged. The Christmas and New Year retreats are very special with wonderful buffets and ceremonies on the Holidays and the vibe is a bit more relaxed than during TTs. The retreat is strongly linked in Thai culture, the buffet and a la carte include Thai dishes and local holidays are celebrated with the guests. In other retreats you could be anywhere in the world, in Samahita you really feel that you are in Thailand. The rooms and facilities are very clean and the bathrooms are quite large. Very valuable afer a sweaty class :) The new beach rooms are particularly beautiful. It is not only the yoga and pranayama (and massages and food…) that I enjoy. Seeing the same staff around for so many years shows how deeply the leadership team cares about the people who work for them. I am already looking forward to my upcoming visit.