Luxury Getaway Review: Soneva Kiri, Koh Kood – Thailand’s Premier Resort Experience

Hello, everyone I am Chifumi Maeda, a Japanese female president living in Bangkok.

Thank you, guys, for visiting this “True comments from Japanese female presidents living in Thailand” blog.

Today I will talk about a wonderful place where if you take your kids with you,

they will say “I am not going back! I am going to live here!” 

and refuse to go back to the real world.

So, what about the grown-ups?

Well, you will also say

The place is called Soneva Kiri, king of the Thai resort.

[Stay Review] Soneva Kiri: A Luxury Retreat in Koh Kood, Thailand

First Impressions: Arriving at Soneva Kiri

The resort is very popular in Japan among the newlyweds as a Honeymoon destination.

And, I’ve been there 3 times already myself

(with same hubby, haha).

It’s 308 km from Bangkok if you draw a straight line.

It’s on Kood Island (in Thai called Koh Kood) in Trat Province,

east of Thailand close to Cambodia.

The private fight will take you to as far as the Province of Trat.

Then you must get on a ferryboat for about 3 hours to reach Kood Island.

Soneva Kiri has its own private plane and its own airport specifically

for the purpose of serving the resort,

and you can get there from the Suvarnabuhmi airport in 90 minutes by air.

As you will be sitting in an 8 seater Cessna plane, you will be able to enjoy the cockpit view.

Even we adults find it very exciting,

so when you are sitting with kids, they will go crazy with the cockpit view.

And as it’s a small Cessna plane, it flies at low altitude.

Shortly after leaving Bangkok, you will start to see islands here and there.

The cabin is bit small but remember that you are sitting in a Cessna.

The cockpit view in front and the view outside from the side window will make you forget all that.  

After 90 minutes’ flight, you have already landed at the Maisi Airport,

the private airport, at Soneva Kiri.

A private boat will take you from the Maisi Airport to the resort,

On the boat, your only view is blue ocean and islands…

You cannot wait to get on the island.

After 15 minutes on the boat, you have now reached the island.

The concept of Soneva Kiri is: No News, No Shoes…,

You have access to internet alright, but there are no newspapers.

And when you come onto the island, they will collect your shoes and put them in a bag,

so you have no choice but to walk on your barefoot and live barefoot.

This is done so, so that you are forced to detach yourself from your everyday busy life

and detox your information minded mind to return to real you,

instead of staying as city slicker you.

It is so clean everywhere on the resort that your feet stay clean even without your shoes.

Did you know that it is so nice to live days on your barefoot?

You will feel the ground gets hot from the sun, and gets cooler in the evening…

You can feel that your five senses are now coming to work.

Accommodations: Embracing the Luxury at Soneva Kiri

Something to take note of Soneva Kiri is that the enormous size of the land

and the size of the rooms you stay in.

Even the room with economical category offers 450 sqm.

and comes with a large swimming pool.

Room being so big already gives you a relaxed feeling.

You know how much it affected your mind with “STAY HOME” and “WORK FROM HOME” time

that is going on for so long time already, and you will only realize that impact

when you are in this kind of large space. Very very comfortable large space.

Because it was not the first time for me to be here,

this time I stayed in the room facing private beach, the Beach Villa Pool Suite.

In the day time, take a nap or read a book, that you wanted to for a long time,

on the beach where the gentle sea breeze passes on your face and body.

Aaaah, the luxury of doing nothing.

That’s right.

A luxury of doing nothing is what you get here.

It’s a private space here, so no one you don’t know is coming into your space.

Just listening to the sound of breeze passes by with birds singing somewhere…

This is something you definitely will NOT get when living in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok.

 

The room is excellent enough to stay and spend your time but there is a private beach,

the North Beach, about 5 minutes by boat where you can also let your soul rest.

As there is no one coming from outside world,

you can live in a safe and tranquility surrounding.

One of the nicest things about Thailand is that

you can be in a place like this without traveling too far and too long.

If you ask me, I think that Soneva Kiri is one of the top class beach resorts that I have been to.

The best, The top class, The ultimate, is how you will express this place.

You will say to yourself when you experience this place,

Even for those of us who are not a great fan of sea as well as those are,

should at least once, but I will give you my personal guarantee that

you will be more than once, to stay here.

You will see and experience something new every time you come here.

Seeing is believing, but experiencing (= staying) is what your senses will remember forever.

While you are in the resort,

your transportation other than your barefoot is a cart

and repeating visitor has their names on the cart.

Every time you leave your room,

you can be sure that you will lose your way and wonder around here

and there not reaching where you wanted to go.

From the spa to our room took us 20 minutes (some well oriented people makes it in 5 minutes),

and to the restaurant took us 15 minutes (actually its only 5 minutes away).

My hubby is always worried about losing his track every time we go out.

While we are in the resort on the island,

we get our own Ms. Friday (female butler) to look after us and the one that looked after us

was Ms. Taeko who once asked us when we got lost,

Then my hubby jokingly answered

(In Japan we say “they came to get you” when someone is about to leave this world for the next)

By the time when we have to go back to Bangkok,

we learned our way around and a worry of being “lost” is no longer there.

Best Season to Visit Soneva Kiri, Koh Kood, Trat

The dry season is from November to February,

and there are many sunny days, which is the best season for staying.

The hottest months of March and April have the lowest rainfall and therefore the highest temperatures.

As May approaches, it will begin to rain and the rainy season will begin.

From June to October, there is a squall due to the influence of the monsoon due to the rainy season.

Information on Soneva Kiri

Tips for a Comfortable Stay at Soneva Kiri Resort

As you are on an island, foods are expensive.
Make sure to book a full board or half board plan.

If you do not use Suvarnabhmi airport – Soneva Kiri airport (Maisi Airport),you will get a discount.
It depends when you are going but it will be about 25,000 baht cheaper.

please check price at agoda /