Soneva Kiri

WOW! We stayed for 2 nights and 3 days at Soneva Kiri. You definitely need more time than that to truly take in all the resort has to offer. The view from our Bay View villa was spectacular! Our barefoot guardian, Gift, was awesome. The whole staff knew our names and were very attentive. We chose not purchase the half or full board plans and just pay as we go. This worked out great for us. Breakfast is included for everyone, along with the ice cream, chocolate, cheese and meat rooms. We ate at The View, Tuk's Kitchen, and Treepod dining. All of the food was great! We explored So Sandy beach and did the complimentary snorkeling which was fun. We can't wait to go back and also explore other Soneva properties.

Great resort if you’re looking to recharge, soend quality time with a friend, family or partner. It’s the slow life & barefoot luxury. Excellent service, food, views, stunning sunsets. Each villa gets their own buggy, they have a telescope and a chocolate room which were real highlights

A Paradise Like No Other – Soneva Kiri From the moment we arrived at Soneva Kiri—flying in on their private plane and landing on the island—it felt like stepping into a dream. Our villa was a private sanctuary, surrounded by lush jungle with a pool and direct beach access. Waking up to the sound of the waves, with nothing but nature around, was pure bliss. The barefoot luxury concept made everything feel effortless—no pretense, just comfort and serenity. Service was impeccable, with our Barefoot Guardian (Ikkyu) anticipating every need. Dining was unforgettable—treepod dining above the jungle, fresh farm-to-table meals, and unlimited access to their famous Chocolate Room and Ice Cream Parlor (yes, unlimited!). Beyond luxury, Soneva Kiri is about experience—stargazing, overwater cinema, hidden beaches, and a deep connection to nature and sustainability. It’s a place that lingers in your heart long after you leave. We’re already dreaming of coming back.

The resort itself isn't up to the standard of Four Seasons Koh Samui or Six Senses Koh Yao Noi. The villas have past their sell-buy date and wouldn't rate 4-stars elsewhere. The service was patchy and getting relevant resort information from staff was very hit and miss. What is good about this place is the location, and I assume that when it was ranked #8 Best Beach Resort in the World this is what swung it - without which it wouldn't rank in the top 50. Easily one of the best beaches in Thailand, and where they take their promotional pictures. For my money better even than Koh Lipe, albeit a 3-minute speed boat away from the main resort which has no beach and is rocky. The food is good and comparable to Four Seasons. A word of praise for two outstanding members of staff, Khun Chelsea and Khun Spy, who really went above and beyond and without whom I would have docked another star.

When my wife and I arrived at Soneva Kiri for the first time in February 2023 we had never stayed at the same hotel or resort more than once but had always been eager to see new places. Now two years later we have just returned from our fourth stay at Soneva Kiri. And we have a reservation covering two weeks in October 2025. Soneva Kiri has become “our resort”. Our recent stay at Soneva Kiri was a two week stay and we loved every second. From the moment we arrived at Koh Mai Si airport and were welcomed by our Barefoot Guardian, Khun Gift, to the moment where we had to say goodbye at the Soneva Kiri jetty. During our stay we did not only relax at the beach or the pool by the villa, but also did the Koh Kood Discovery tour, went on three jungle hikes, enjoyed almost all dining options, enjoyed spa treatments, visited the eco center, went kayaking and swimming, did long walks along the jungle paths inside the resort and much more - and still left Soneva Kiri with our batteries fully recharged and with big smiles on our faces. To us Soneva Kiri is so much more than a luxury resort. The combination of a beautiful jungle setting, villas that fit perfectly into this setting, a fantastic and very private beach, many unique and exceptional dining options and locations, extremely dedicated hosts that always go the extra mile to personalize your stay, chefs that are not only able to create the most fantastic meals but are also able to handle every dietary or other preferences you may have, and a very relaxed and personal vibe makes Soneva Kiri the perfect resort for everyone looking for a relatively relaxing vacation where luxury is unpretentious, real, aligned with nature and very personalized. A few examples may illustrate the impressive dedication of the Soneva Kiri hosts: • From home we had completed the questionnaire that Soneva Kiri uses to personalize the upcoming stay. In this questionnaire we indicated that my wife would prefer gluten free food. At all restaurants and dining locations (even at the beach) the Soneva Kiri hosts managed to serve dishes prepared without gluten for my wife and “normal” dishes for me during our entire stay. • One day at the beach I asked one of the hosts if there was any waterfalls or other things hidden in the jungle behind the beach. Less than 15 minutes later I was on my way through the jungle with two very capable hosts to discover and climb up to the top of a beautiful waterfall. • As return guests we had already been on the usual Koh Kood hiking routes and one would therefore not expect the Soneva Kiri Life Team to be able to find new hiking routes for me. However, the Life Team made an agreement with a local plot owner and a local guide and arranged a hike for me through dense jungle to a lake where no tourists and only few locals had been before. I would be surprised if this level of dedication and personalization can be found at any other resort. I will end my review by saying a big thank you to the Soneva Kiri hosts and a special thank you to Khun Gift, Khun Palmi, Khun Ple, Khun James, Chef Fang, Chef Ram, Chef Tee, Khun B, Khun Gigie, Khun Nok, Khun Aung, Khun Ya and Khun Ae. I totally recommend this resort and that you stay long enough to really experience the unique Soneva Kiri vibe.