Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa

Zazen completely exceeded our expectations. We left Koh Phangan early because of a passing monsoon and wanted a beautiful place on Koh Samui where we could still have an amazing trip even in the rain — and Zazen delivered. It felt like the Four Seasons for people who don’t want to pay Four Seasons prices! The grounds are gorgeous, the architecture is stunning, and the staff were incredibly kind, attentive, and generous. The breakfasts were amazing, the cocktails delicious, and our beachfront villa was beautifully designed with thoughtful lighting, multiple cozy lounging areas, and a perfect view. The gym and yoga studio were excellent, and the location near Fisherman’s Village made it easy to explore by Grab. We’d love to remodel parts of our home to look like this place — especially the bathroom!What truly sets Zazen apart, though, is the spirit of the place. The warmth of the staff mirrors the beauty of the grounds — lush, peaceful, and deeply rooted in Thai architecture and Zen garden aesthetics. It’s not just a boutique resort; it’s a living work of art, curated with care and creativity in every detail.

The only thing that kept it from being a perfect 10 was the beach. We found a few pieces of broken glass on the sand — likely from storm debris, since it was the rainy season. The day the sun came out, the staff cleaned it up beautifully, so we think it was just a timing issue. People (ourselves included) were still enjoying the beach and water despite the rain. The bed was also a bit soft for our personal taste, though still very comfortable overall. None of this overshadows how wonderful the property and staff are — truly 10/10 service and facilities. We would absolutely stay here again, especially during the dry season when the beach can really shine.

The hotel is beautiful, the rooms, the beach and the pool are very comfortable and with a very nice and modern design. The staff are super kind and the breakfast was tasty and everyday with different and tasty food.

In the room the is no wardrobe and the shower is ok but misses a bit of comfort.

The hotel is overall nice and beautiful. The breakfast staff was lovely and very welcoming. The rooms are nicely designed and stylish. Overall, we had a good experience.

Some of the reception staff were not very helpful or service-oriented compared to the wonderful breakfast team. The rooms, while pretty, are not very practical – the ones with stairs feel quite unsafe, and the air conditioning blows directly onto the bed. Breakfast was okay, but the portions were too small.

Fabulous! Everything was posh and clean.

It was a distance to walk to town, and the beach right in front of the resort is where tour boats come in and refuel, so not so great for swimming.

We adored Zazen. We felt so welcome from the moment we arrived and we loved the beautiful design of the whole place.

It was a little far to walk to Fisherman’s village but we loved that it was so quiet.

Stunning property with gentle and friendly staff, wonderful ambience and luxurious feel.

Our particular room was old and a little tired and did not match the high quality of the rest of the resort, being a little dark and gloomy (tropical garden rooms). Other more expensive rooms looked wonderful though!

Beautiful resort facilities, delicious food & fantastic location!

Nothing!!

The pool area was wonderful, as was the SPA. Beautiful location and again, will be back!"

The design of the room, the crew, the breakfast, and the pool.

There was only one free night of this gem.

Plenty of variety at breakfast Staff very accommodating

Slow service on occasion

Everything from breakfast to dinner, ambient, pool, staff everything was perfect

I took a massage at the spa area but it was not that good

Lovely intimate hotel. Excellent staff. Good breakfast. Fabulous spa .

The breakfast was very with a good range of breakfast styles,, English and Asian.Although coffee was available i think the staff are still learning about the the process for a good flat white, (1st world problems i know!). in general the breakfast was excellent.

My room was beautiful and spacious. The staff was excellent - they remembered my name and room number each time. The pool was perfect - comfortable lounge chairs, perfect water temperature. Breakfast was excellent - many choices including a menu of made-to-order options. The spa services were top notch and reasonably priced.

Beach access from the property was not great and the beach was not very welcoming. Perhaps because of tidal patterns. I didn't see anyone swimming during my stay.

The restaurant is beautiful and delicous. Deco of rooms is nice too. Staff is very friendly.

Beach is always dirty. they say they clean it but it’s not true with other guests we cleaned it a bit everyday. Honestly if you come for the beach don’t book this place. Some of the guy staff that served us at the beach had really dirty clothes like really dirty. even though it just got renovated the white floors in the rooms and bathrooms are already super stained looks like it’s already 5 year old. Et still enjoyed our stay.

The hotel exceeded every expectation we had. Lovely family owned boutique hotel- every detail thought about in advance for customers staying. The owners themselves & Team were delightful, engaged with us everyday, made it more special with little touches. Food was fantastic - we stayed over NYE & to be honest we were concerned about the £/quality of the gala dinner but it was outstanding & made our stay even more special. Breakfast was made to order every day & we ate lunch in the restaurant a few days which was lovely. Great wine list too! Quiet & very relaxing environment from the moment you arrive into reception, we spent lots of time relaxing by the pool listening to chilled vibe music that played often and took advantage of the onsite spa- massages were really well priced & amazing experience. Highly recommend Zazen to anyone looking for a little peace of tranqullity & something less corporate in Koh Samui- We will definitely visit again when on the Island, looking for an excuse to rebook already!

Not much to be honest but... breakfast would have liked wider range of granola/museli/ nuts/ seeds options & in the room- we stayed in 2 - we had coffee machine in one & not the other- only instant sachets in the 2nd room which was a little let down- I think they should also be replenished daily. Coffee machines would be a nice touch across all rooms though?

Excellent facilities, great food and first class staff.

Only negatives were access to wider beach towards Fisherman’s Village isn’t easily accessible (although there is small beach with the property). Also a larger than normal step down from bedroom into bathroom in our bungalow wasn’t ideal.

LocationFood, very good breakfast and food+ cocktails from the restaurantVery modern and cleanVery friendly stuff- especially the manager of the resultant Olivier

Could be adult only

The staff were kind and helpful although their lack of English was a little problematic particularly in the dining room. the pool is lovely although very cold. The beach is not great although we knew this to be the case before booking. Breakfast was not always good with cold food arriving and misunderstandings about the orders (language difficulties). However on balance the food was very good and we much enjoyed the Christmas Eve gala dinner - the food, decorations and the staff were all lovely.

Breakfast.

Beautiful hotel that feels very luxurious. Very clean, and amazing food in the restaurant.

Pool area was too small, you had to be very early to get a sun bed. The beach was full of motorboats in the morning and the water was pretty dirty so you didn’t want to swim there. Nice with lots of live music in the restaurant and by the pool but the volume was way too high, especially for us who had a small child with us.