First Impressions:
Let me start off by saying that my ‘first impressions’ of Intercontinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort started way before we even caught sight of the property. We were contacted by the butler team a week before our stay date, and they requested that we send over our pick up location, and any special requests that we may have. They even followed up with us a day before our stay to confirm the pick up location.
On the day of our stay, the Intercontinental van picked us up in style. It was a large family van, with plenty of space for us and our (many, many) luggage bags. Between the seats were trays of glass-bottled Evian water, refreshing cold towels, breath mints and candy. Our 3-year old Khalifa was definitely happy with the whole ‘candy’ part of that ride. I was impressed with the hotel-provided iPads that were full of informative things about what we can do at the resort. In the middle of our ride, our butler called to let us know that our villa was ready, and that it would take us about half an hour to reach the resort. He also asked if we wanted any room service meals waiting for us by the time we arrived— come on, that’s an indication of amazing service, right?!
After a quick half-hour drive, we were at the resort. The lobby is so breathtaking! Its located at the top of the hill and overlooks the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen at any property in Koh Samui. The waters are turquoise blue, the sands are white and the ocean is speckled with small islands in the distance. I could’ve just stayed there looking at the view throughout the entire stay.
Our butler, Steve, came to greet us, handed us our fresh orchid welcome bracelets and also gave us a cellphone that we could use at any point during our stay to call him or the front desk, regardless of where on the property (or island) we may be! MAJOR points for service!
Our Villa:
We were driven in a buggy to our home for the next few days, which was one of the largest villas at the resort: the Club 2-Bedroom Residence Villa. The entrance opens up to the large, living and dining area. This villa is a proper house! It feels so homely, as soon as you step in. It has a really nice family atmosphere and a lot of open space. The living room area is comfortable and has plenty of seating. Its like a picture-perfect beach house from a magazine.
The 6-seater dining table had fresh fruits laid out for us, and the china cabinet has plenty of plates and glassware for the whole family, the fridge was fully stocked with drinks and the mini bar with snacks. Since we had Club Benefits, we had unlimited complementary access to non-alcoholic mini bar drinks, which is a huge benefit, especially when you have a 3 year old constantly asking for juice from the fridge. We also had complementary TWG teas (my favorite brand!) and coffee.
The staircase from the living room, leads down to the bedrooms. My 10-month old is quite the crawler so I asked the butler to install a baby gate and he immediately sent a maintenance team to secure a sturdy gate!
Downstairs there are two bedrooms. Both are en suite but one of them has a king-sized bed and the other room has two double-sized beds. The staff had already placed a baby cot in the room for us, which was very convenient.
Now let me tell you what is truly the most convenient thing that they did for us— they placed practically EVERY necessary baby/toddler item we would ever need for a 3-4 day stay. Among these were two training toilet seats (one that goes directly on the toilet and one porter potty), a baby bathtub, baby bottle brush, bottle sterilizers, baby bottle soaps, bathroom amenities for both kids (including toothbrushes, shampoos, bath wash, etc.), beach toys and so much more. All you really need to bring for your kids while staying at this resort is clothes, diapers and milk bottles!
The real show stopper feature in this villa is the view. It was one of the most incredible views to wake up to— the villa sits on top of the hill and looks over the hillside and on to the ocean. Simply breathtaking!
Dining:
Breakfast is at Amber restaurant, which is located right below the main lobby. It has the same spectacular view as the lobby. The spread is a buffet with many different kinds of dishes— Thai, Chinese and Western. There’s even a fresh juice bar where you can have any kind of juice combination that your heart desires, freshly squeezed right in front of you. The spread is delicious, but the view is what makes the experience even more memorable. How I wish I could have breakfast with this view every day!
As part of our Club Benefits, we also were able to enjoy complementary sunset drinks at Air Bar and Afternoon Tea at Serene Lounge. Both were lovely experiences and the afternoon tea especially is a must-try!
Activities/What We Did:
Our daytimes were spent enjoying the different pools. They have 6 large pools all over the property. One between every 3-4 villas, some up in the hills, some down by the beach, and there are even private pools for some suites.
The pools and beaches are so relaxing and the view just washes all of your worries away! They have some complementary water sports (including kayaking and paddle boarding) and activities, as well as some paid-for ones too.
If you have little kids in tow like we did, the Kids Club is amazing for setting up activities for them. Khalifa did a Junior MasterChef Cooking Class and had a one-on-one with the chef from Flames Restaurant. He learned how to make a delicious pizza margarita (which we happily devoured afterwards)!
Both Khalifa and Jude (my daughter) loved the Kids Club play area! They have trained caretakers, but if your little ones are younger than 4 years old, its best to stay with them while they play, or if your traveling with your nanny like we did, you can have her keep watch of them there as well.
Drawbacks:
The resort itself has absolutely no faults whatsoever. In fact, out of all of the resorts we’ve ever stayed in WORLDWIDE, this is by far the best one for families. Yes, I said it! The only thing that I would ever consider as a drawback for this property is that its a bit far from the main town area, so if you want to explore the island’s nightlife or want to do a bit of shopping, its about a 45 minute drive. We explored the town for a day or so before we got to the resort, so we had no intention of leaving the property during our stay, but its just something to keep in mind.
Best For:
As I said before, this resort is the best family-friendly resort that we’ve ever stayed at! They provide everything you could possibly imagine to make sure that you and your kids have a comfortable, homely stay. Its also an impeccable choice for any luxury traveler and even for honeymooners. The property has so many different kinds of rooms and there’s something for everyone. If it was just my husband and I on this trip, we would have chosen to stay in the Beach Front Pool Villa, which is perfect for just a couple– it has a private jaccuzi, private yard, private pool and direct access to the beach!
Also, if you book with Club Benefits, you have so many complementary things that come with it!
Sweet Life in the Sandpit ♦ Luxury Family Lifestyle 
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