Four-star One MICHELIN Key Tongsai Bay, Koh Samui
Garrya Tongsai Bay Samui
Twenty-eight acres of hillside running down to a private bay on the north-east coast of Samui, where the island's first five-star resort opened in 1987.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- One Key, first awarded 2026
- Suites and villas
- 82
- Opened
- July 1987
- From the airport
- 6.6 km, about 15 to 20 minutes
The hotel
Bought from the sea in a week.
In 1985 Akorn Hoontrakul, then chairman of the Imperial Hotel Group, saw Tongsai Bay from a boat and bought the land seven days later. The resort opened in July 1987 as the first five-star hotel on Koh Samui. When he sold the group in 1993, he kept Tongsai Bay, and since 2000 Khun Thanakorn and Khun Saisiri have managed it. The founder's name lives on in the Akorn Two Bedroom Seafront Pool Villa.
In 2021 the owners met the founders of Banyan Group, and the resort reopened as Garrya Tongsai Bay Samui. The 82 suites and villas climb the slope above the bay through 28 acres of gardens, and 74 of them have a bath outdoors. The 8LEMENTS Spa sits in the gardens, and Rhoy Rhoy! serves Thai food in an open-air courtyard. In 2026 the MICHELIN Guide gave the hotel its first Key.
- A bay to itself A long sandy beach in a private bay on the island's north-eastern side.
- 8LEMENTS Spa Treatment cottages in the gardens, a herbal steam room and open-air tubs, open from 10 am to 8 pm.
- Half Moon Pool A second pool, kept for adults only.
Rooms & suites
From beach suites to villas on the hill.
Suites sit by the beach and the sea; villas, many with their own pool, rise up the hillside behind.
- On the water Beachfront Suite About 72 square metres, a step from the sand.
- Pool villa Grand Seafront Pool Villa About 141 square metres, facing the sea, with a private pool.
- Families Tongsai Three Bedroom Pool Villa Sanctuary About 410 square metres for up to six guests, with a private pool.
Dining
Thai food in the courtyard, fish by the sea.
Restaurants as listed at the rebrand and by the resort. No restaurant on Koh Samui holds a MICHELIN star. Shown for information.
- Rhoy Rhoy! Thai The signature restaurant, in an open-air courtyard
- Fish Tales Seafood On the beach, lunch and dinner
- EVOL Balanced dishes, vegan options Lighter cooking
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in after 3 pm, check-out by noon.
- Spa hours 8LEMENTS Spa opens daily from 10 am to 8 pm.
Getting there
Flying to Koh Samui.
Samui Airport (USM) is 6.6 kilometres away, about 15 to 20 minutes by car. Bangkok Airways flies in from both Bangkok airports and from Singapore and Hong Kong. Private jets can land at Samui with permits arranged in advance; larger aircraft use Bangkok.
- Bangkok 1 h 00
- Kuala Lumpur 1 h 20
- Singapore 1 h 40
- Hong Kong 3 h 00
- Dubai 7 h 00 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How many MICHELIN Keys does Garrya Tongsai Bay have?
- One. The resort received its first MICHELIN Key in the 2026 selection.
- Is Garrya Tongsai Bay the same hotel as The Tongsai Bay?
- Yes. The Tongsai Bay opened in 1987 and joined Banyan Group's Garrya brand after 2021, under the same owners.
- How far is Garrya Tongsai Bay from Samui airport?
- About 6.6 kilometres, or 15 to 20 minutes by car.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Koh Samui?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Koh Samui, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Koh Samui
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui Pool villas and residences among coconut palms at the island’s north-western point, with two Keys in 2026.
- Banyan Tree Samui Eighty-eight villas stepped down a hillside over a private inlet, the largest suites made of two villas joined.
- Six Senses Samui Sixty-seven split-level villas on twenty acres of headland, most with their own infinity pool.
- Samujana Villas Villas of three to eight bedrooms high on the hill, each with an infinity pool, some with a private cinema.
- Kimpton Kitalay Samui One hundred and thirty-eight rooms and villas above Choeng Mon beach, with an Olympic-size pool a few steps from the sand.
- SALA Samui Choengmon Beach Resort Fifty-three villas with private pools and two more pools on the beach.
- Anantara Lawana Resort and Spa A private beach at the northern end of Chaweng, with plunge pools to many of the rooms.
- Kerem Luxury Beachfront Villas Four three-bedroom villas by Gary Fell, two on the beach and two on the terrace above, furnished by Meridiani.
- Cape Fahn Hotel, Koh Samui One Key in the 2026 selection, the tenth hotel on the island to hold one.
Staying at Garrya Tongsai Bay Samui?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Koh Samui, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.