Kanda Residences

If anyone has booked their 4 BHK ocean villa (which is what they mostly market & draw your attention with) - you're in a BIG FIX. After checkin we were directly taken to a 3 BHK villa without our knowledge. When it seemed fishy & different from the pics seen online, we enquired and finally were told that the villa wasnt available as there was "a severe last minute damage" which needed repair. Worse case, we were not even allowed to access or see the villa due to their so-called "privacy policy". Apparently Kanda just manages villas and has no right of access to it. the beautiful 4bhk villa were seen online on different websites even after we booked it & they have only 1 or 2 of those. The 4 bhk was Definitely a scam! PLS DONT BOOK.

We were hesitant in staying after reading such mixed reviews, but I think if I had my time again we wouldn't book here. The villas are ok - they are private, and the way they are laid out facing the sea with private pools is beautiful. The staff are very friendly and kind. Those were the only positives. Other than that, I wouldn't say this is a 'hotel' by any means. There is barely reception available, and at night there is none at all. The breakfast is basic (e.g. 2 boiled eggs, porridge (my partners had a hair in it as the chefs don't wear hair nets) and some toast). We opted out of the breakfast menu altogether and the staff were kind enough to just give us some fresh fruit. I can't see how they get to call it 5*. Breakfast was always empty and I assume it is because most guests just avoid it. The villas are ok, but they need a facelift. There are marks/scratches everywhere. They are clean but you can feel they are used. E.g. stained shower tiles, drainage marks, broken safe etc. If I had brought kids and didn't want to be anxious about them ruining a property, I'd stay here, because it is already not in a good state. However for a couple looking for a 5* resort, this isn't it. The villa next to us had been bought out privately, and were doing extensive work. There was constant drilling during the day, meaning we couldn't relax by our pool. Reception were apologetic but told us there was a 'no refunds' policy and they can't control what a private owner does. It appears they are slowly selling the villas off. The one next to us was bought and no longer owned by the hotel. A good google search and you can find there are multiple others for sale. I got the impression it is slowly being sold off, which is why they can't be bothered to actually facelift any of them. The worst bit about it though is that once sold, the ''hotel'' has no control over who uses it/who it is rented out to/noise levels etc. To top it all off, there were some severely malnourished animals begging for food at our villa everyday. It was just sad to see. I know Thailand has strays, but one cat that kept coming to our villa was on the verge of death to the point I contacted a local sanctuary because I couldn't bare seeing it beg every night. It's not the villas fault, but it's just not the kind of thing you expect to see in a 5* ''hotel''. We were at an actual 5* hotel a week prior in a different area of Koh Samui, which also had strays, but fed them ,because I think we can all agree, no-one wants to witness animals suffer generally, let alone whilst trying to relax. I would say if you're reading the reviews and can't understand how some are so positive and others so negative, that was the same position I was in, and if I could go back in time, I would listen to the negative. I believe the positive ones are true but I think the resort has changed significantly since then. In summary - if you were looking for a 2 star villa with a 5 star view, I'd say that is more what in-line with what to expect.

Villa was lovely and staff were exceptional. Service was great and was always willing to assist with travel, tour recommendations and food recommendations. Would recommend this place to stay to anyone and hoping to come back soon! Thank you Kanda!

The maintenance is pathetic the swimming pool and the kitchen appliances are dirty the curtains torn generally an unkept property Really don’t know how they get their ratings There is absolutely no manager at night so in case of emergency god help you

We will come back for sure, all villas have private infinity pool and we were in first line with direct access to the beach. Service is wonderful, always available by WhatsApp and very customer oriented. Special mention to Ms. Pornthip, the best manager!