Sun, sand, and the wild White Party at Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Koh Samui
A review of my stay in Koh Samui
I made my way into Koh Samui for the first time in my life, and I already felt like I stepped into a whole new world—a smaller paradise in Thailand that took me away from the deafening sounds, suffocating smog, and hurried concrete jungle that is Bangkok.
As alien as the area was for me, the journey there was a bit unexpected for a first-timer like myself. The shuttle that brought me to an ATR 72-600, a smaller propeller-driven plane that gave me some nostalgic sense of an Indiana Jones adventure.
There was the sight of the Koh Samui airport itself too, an open-air and picturesque airport that harmonises with the island of Koh Samui and welcomes visitors to the island. That was a bit strange for me as well. In some way, it clicked and in my head, a thought appeared.
“Ah, no wonder they are filming the third season of The White Lotus here!”
At the end of it though, there waited a van that would take me to the Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Koh Samui and there I began my vacation just a day before the White Party.
Arriving, checking, and staying at the Nikki Beach Resort
After a van ride that took me from the East to the West side of the island, I was greeted by a glass and wooden 2-story building that was tastefully overgrown with tropical flora. That was the lobby and as I made my way into there, I checked in and began seeing everything that the resort had to offer.
The first night in
The lobby was a facade to a wider space in the resort that was adorned with a small array of buildings that led you towards the Nikki Beach Restaurant. Colourful, green, and beautiful but my attention was elsewhere once I arrived, my room and dinner (I arrived at something around 7.49pm so I was eager to settle in).
My Room
However, my rush brought me to my second surprise and that would be my room. Spacious, eye-catching, and with everything provided inside.
Along three out of the four walls that make up the huge space, there were big windows that gave you sight into everything outside in its near entirety. However, I am a bit of a private guy and kept the curtains closed instead.
First dinner
Regardless, nothing stopped there, as I found myself needing dinner as soon as I arrived so I made my way to the the beach bar and restaurant called Escape down the path from where I was staying. It was a long trek down the path but it was a tranquil one.
Despite being dark, the walkway was lit well enough that you could see where you were going but not bright enough that it was overbearing. it was almost spooky but I had no fear of ghosts, just a fear that I peek in the other resorts where I am not supposed to and get called out for it.
Eyes forward and moving on, I arrived at the bar where you step onto the white sand to prepare you for the stretch of beach just down the stairs from Escape. I got onto my table that peered out into the sea and since the shore was not too long, I could stare into the void dotted with the warning lights of an anchored boat or two.
What more to say is that as I peered out, waiting for my dinner, the fire performers appeared in front of us and began performing, a clear juxtaposition from the void of darkness behind them. Truly a spectacle but I was pretty focused on the delicious I had in front of me too.
I had a three-course meal where I started off with a Burrata Caprese, the menu highlight of which is the Squid Ink Spaghetti Tuna Ragú (Thai fennel, lemon, olive oil, shallots), and then a medium rare Angus Beef steak with potato and chimichurri.
This food offered is a pretty good mix of Mediterranean options that fused to take the best of multiple cuisines of the region (like Italian and Spanish in this case).
After all was done, I headed back to my room to turn in for the night and looked forward to the next day.
The second day and The Nikki Beach Resort White Party
The second day is here and I woke up to the semi-darkness that was my room (I was as private as a vampire). Shortly after, I went over to The Nikki Beach Restaurant (The main restaurant in the resort) where I had a quick breakfast before heading off to my next activity.
Paddleboarding and massage
I went over to do some paddleboarding and it was a pretty smooth process to get a hold of one. Once everything was set, I was left to my own devices where I spent a near-good hour of paddleboarding as hard as I could going fast and falling down every so often.
At the same time, a jetski would zip by as well to which I spotted that there was a rental shop where you could ride one or ride the banana boat. Unsure if it belonged to the resort or not but it’s there if you wish.
The superbly blue but cloudy seawater was the perfect temperature to have fallen into, I thought about taking a proper swim there later, but eventually, time ran out and I returned to the paddleboat, paddle, and lifevest. Glancing at the area though, I saw that they offered various board games and activities too but my mind was set on swimming.
However, since I had a massage appointment, I made my way to the After 8 spa. Up the stairs in the middle of the resort, a smaller but more tranquil spot with a small desk on the top and I got started. After walking into the massage room, I was transported to a different world behind two wooden doors.
There were wooden furnishings, a shower, an aroma, and massage beds. The decor was decorative with a subtleness that I could not touch, but I understood that somebody put a lot of thought into the interior design. The massage began, and I requested a deep massage, so vigorous intensity was pressed onto my points.
After it was done, I was given some ginger tea to drink and while doing so, I read the spa menu which features a range of massages, body scrubs, hydro treatments, wraps, facials, and packages including some for those for anyone fresh off a flight.
The Nikki Beach Resort & Spa White Party
Once it was over, I felt refreshed, and then it was time for the next thing that I looked forward to: The Nikki Beach Resort & Spa White Party. For those who don’t know, a White Party is an occasion where the dress code is Chic White and I heard that they can get wild in Koh Samui.
I got to the Beach Restaurant pretty early and was sitting in the slow burn of the beginning. Unless I know people, parties aren’t usually my thing so I basked in the buildup. A slow burn started from the restaurant area, with delicious food by the way, which then poured into the pool area with the daybeds.
There were dancers there who moved rhythmically with the music in a continuous improvisation to keep the beat alive but evolved into bringing flames into the mix not too long after. Before I knew it, there was a fire show, people were gathered towards the beachside of the pool area, and the party had really started.
With the increasing intensity that followed the fire show, there was dancing, music, more fire, and a crowd of people building up towards the end of the poolside.
When the show was finished, the floor was open to the many swaying bodies who had the feeling and courage to throw themselves centre. A young bunch of guys danced on the top of a daybed and some stood nearby nonchalantly.
Things were wild and I stood more towards the sidelines of it all, outside looking in. Unless I knew somebody, parties aren’t my thing. However, I could tell that people were lost in the euphoria of it all until the climax happened, a fireworks show!
Off an anchored platform just a bit from the shoreline, fireworks made their way into the sky to give us another show of light and fire to juxtapose the void past the patio. quite a spectacle! Everyone essentially stopped to look at it, videoing it and the reactions of other guests.
After the show was finished, I gave one more glance into the void past the patio before making my way past the villas to get to my room.
The third and final day
On the third and final day of my stay, my flight was late and I was allowed to check out late as well. I skipped breakfast entirely but I went to the Beach Restaurant for lunch. To my surprise, I found that the whole area was cleaned up fast and rearranged almost like the Nikki Beach resort White Party did not just happen last night.
My daybed was reserved and it was towards the edge of the pool area, to the beach. While eating my lunch, the Burrata Caprese which I am starting to miss, I stared off to the blue sea. Barely anything out there other than a few anchored boats and the occasional jet ski.
Under the umbrella shielding me from the searing sun, I thought about swimming in that ocean but that was not where I went, I wandered off to the gym instead after. Two storeys and despite appearances from the outside it was pretty roomy inside. There were the cardio machines on the first floor but I went to the second floor for the weights.
Free-weight dumbells, kettlebells, a pullup bar, and a Smith machine were inside. There were also, medicine balls, a bosu ball, a balancing ball, and two adjustable benches as well. In my opinion, just enough is needed during vacation time.
After I was finished with a pull session there, my mind raced back to a previous thought, I wanted to swim some. Off I went to Escape Bar where I got my paddleboard before but I went past that and straight into the water instead. The perfect temperature with a bit of coolness to offset the beating sun and I glided through the salty water.
The current was not bad at all and I felt no concern about being pulled away from the shore and the water was consistently getting deeper as far as I knew. The water was salty but fresh however, it was opaque. many guests stayed closer to the shores and an occasional jetski zoomed out of or parked at the station next to the stairs to Escape.
Done and refreshed, I went back to my room, packed up and began to leave. The checkout was easy and once the car was ready, I left the facade of the Nikki Beach Resort and onto the airport again. What was there to reflect on from the whole journey was that although I sought more action in my life, this was a time when I felt peace and a standstill.
Even at the Koh Samui airport, I got to see something I would never expect, a small array of shops set up like a mini town on the way to departure security. I mean look at that! For real!
A far cry from the busy life in Bangkok, it gave me that pause. I was indebted to nobody and had no flow of traffic to follow for a short while.
Why I suggest the Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Koh Samui
I could be a bit biased as I spent a few nights at this resort for my first time in Koh Samui but I believe it is worth a stay. From the time I spent there, I have seen their consistent efforts to ensure that guests have a relaxing time that flows.
Openly spaced, guests will not feel constrained, but the grounds are not so massive that whenever you walk somewhere, it feels like a trek. The best way I can describe it is that going somewhere on the resort grounds gets you lost in the lush beauty just for you to reach your destination before you know it.
As I mentioned before, the rooms are spacious and provide you with everything that you need inside which includes a hair dryer, toiletries, and a safe (as required). this sounds obvious but when I travelled in the past, some hotels missed this and even though it’s not mandatory it helps a lot when one forgets to bring their own.
The resort is split into three sections and the middle is the lobby which has the shops, spas, gym and the Nikki Beach Restaurant and pool. On the right from the lobby is an array of single-room bungalows, one of which I stayed at.
There is a path that leads towards the beach side where you will find the Escape Bar and the steps to get to the beach. However, on the left side, There is another array of bungalows and villas surrounding a very long pool that measures 75 metres long.
The staff is very attentive and polite and they handle the requests promptly. Even seeing the management, they were very hands-on with the resort and are doing their best to socialise with guests and ensure that the experience is smooth especially what I saw during The White Party on March 14.
That is not entirely all though as I’d say that the part that brings it all together is how photogenic the resort is. From the lobby to the poolside, from the rooms to the bungalow paths, from the beach to the view of the sea itself, and from the spa to the restaurants.
If it’s not the static sights, the fire performances and the music played by the sunken DJ booth at the resort will provide dynamism like the ones that I saw the night before and the night during The White Party.
If you are looking for a few relaxing nights in Koh Samui, there would be a lot of options for sure. However, I can assure you that a few nights spent at Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Koh Samui are a few nights spent well.
The Thaiger was invited as a media guest by Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Koh Samui to experience the property and participate in the resort’s White Party.
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