White House Beach Resort & Spa

Coming into the White House Beach Resort is like entering both a living museum and a greenhouse. The resort is situated inside a tropical garden filled with large trees and foliage, and lined with statues that look like they could have been pulled right out of an ancient temple. The original owner is a Cambodian who expresses his love for the treasures of Angkor by filling the lobby and rest of the property with carvings, sculptures, and other art pieces. The lobby continues the theme, with stone lions and even a Sphinx statue, carved wooden fish, and sitting and standing and Buddhas. It's set around an open green space, complete with a pond, ferns, and potted plants, with a lounge on one side and a cozy library on the other. This is a laid-back resort in one of Samui's quieter corners. It's certainly not the epitome of style, and much of the property does feel a bit dated (particularly the rooms), but most guests find it a pleasant enough place to kick back for a couple days. Expect to see mostly couples and a few families here.

The White House Beach Resort is located in Choeng Mon, a small village in the northeast corner of Koh Samui. The resort is right on the beach, just off the main road through the village. There are a good selection of restaurants, shops, bars, and massage parlors just outside the resort's entrance, though it's much quieter than nearby Chaweng. It will take about 15 minutes to get to the center of bar-mad Chaweng for those looking for wilder nightlife, and the island's iconic Big Buddha is a 10-minute drive in the other direction. Lamai Beach, where the infamously shaped Grandmother and Grandfather Rocks are located, is a 40-minute drive south. It's only a 10-minute drive to the airport from the resort.

There are 43 rooms and villas at the White House Beach Resort, all set in the hotel's tropical gardens. Rooms are large and feature cheerful colors, rattan furnishings, and large tinted windows that look out at the plants and foliage outside. Expect to see satin bed runners that almost match walls, curtains, and other fabrics throughout the room, plus faded art hanging on the walls. It's not the most contemporary look we've ever seen, and the heavily matched color schemes are a little tacky in many rooms. Still, some rooms that we saw -- like the Executive Suite -- are more attractive, and have a rustic charm created by bamboo-panel furniture and a more sober color scheme. The wooden cabinets containing things like the bathroom mirror are particularly quaint.Rooms come in Superior and Deluxe categories; the latter include both a king bed and a twin and are a good option for families. The resort also has several Thai Suites which offer similar layouts, but they are decked out in a more traditional Thai style and feature lots of dark wood. Top-category Executive Suites have Angkor-inspired art pieces. All rooms come with DVD players, TVs, minibars, safes, electric kettles, safes, giant umbrellas, and robes and slippers. Unfortunately, some TVs are old tube-style units, further contributing to the dated effect. Most bathrooms have either walk-in showers or large shower/tub combos, whereas the villas have separate walk-in showers and soaking tubs. It's worth noting that not all shower/tub combos have an overhead shower, which can make rinsing off a bit tricky.

This property has similar features to mid-range hotels all over Koh Samui, and there aren't too many surprises to be had. Of course, it's biggest selling point is its beachfront location. The hotel has lounge chairs and umbrellas set up on the beach, and thus the hotel's small swimming pool generally stays quiet throughout the day. The pool itself is quite nice, surrounded by Angkor-inspired statuary, with a few wooden lounge chairs set between umbrellas. Other facilities include a simple fitness center with a few pieces of cardio equipment and a universal machine, and there's also a sauna. Despite its name, the White House doesn't actually have a spa, though the hotel does offer massage services on the beach.The sole restaurant -- Rueang Sai Lom -- is set in a traditional open-air Thai pavilion with a peaked temple roof. Breakfast is included in room rates, and there are also lunch and dinner options, including Thai favorites and Western dishes. There's also a gift shop full of statues, busts, and other collectibles. Limited free on-site parking is available, and guests can park on the street outside. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and there's a cozy library stocked with DVDs and books.