Merit Wellness & Mind Retreat Resort Samui

The rooms at Merit Wellness & Mind Retreat Resort Samui include Deluxe rooms with a sea view or a garden view, a twin room with two single beds, and several villas. Free Wi-Fi is available in all rooms, and several of the rooms have air conditioning, a satellite TV and a private bathroom with a shower and toiletries.

Bathrobes, a hair dryer and toiletries come with some of the rooms, and complimentary tea and bottled water are provided in several of them. Some rooms have a king bed, and the twin room has two single beds, so each guest can choose the set-up that suits the group.

The resort's facilities centre on wellness, with a spa and sauna, a massage service and a fitness centre, plus an outdoor swimming pool and a children's swimming pool for families. The spa, the sauna and the massage service sit alongside a fitness centre, so wellness is central to the resort.

Dining is on site with restaurants, a bar, breakfast service and room service. Free parking is available on site, and the resort offers an airport transfer.

Practical services include luggage storage, safety deposit boxes, laundry service, daily housekeeping, cash withdrawal and 24-hour security. Cash withdrawal is also possible on site, and the resort has non-smoking rooms alongside a designated smoking area.

Lamai is a busy stretch of coast on Koh Samui, with a long beach, a string of restaurants and bars, and a night market in the evenings. Merit Wellness & Mind Retreat Resort Samui is close to several beaches: Coral Cove Beach is 600 m away, and Lamai Beach is 1.7 km away. The lively coast sits alongside the quieter wellness side of the resort, so guests can split their days between the sea and the spa.

The island's best-known sights lie a little further afield. The Big Buddha, 9.4 km away, is a seated Buddha statue on a hill, and Wat Plai Laem, with its large Guan Yin statue beside a lake, is another temple to visit. Samui Airport is 6.9 km away, and the resort offers its own airport transfer.

A good day could start with a swim at Coral Cove Beach and continue along the coast to the Hin Ta and Hin Yai rocks, known as Grandma and Grandpa Rocks. In the evening, the Lamai Night Market is the easiest place to eat out, with street food and local stalls. After dark the beach road and the market are lively, so the evening is easy to fill without leaving the area.