By Wariya I.

          Samui Island is one of Thailand’s tourist attractions. There are plenty of hotels to accommodate both national and international tourists with the standard luxury island format but fortunately, one of the Design Hotels caught our attention when looking for places cultured foodies may like to stay. Located at the heart of Chaweng Beach, The Library Samui is particularly captivating because of its unique conceptual vibe and aesthetic.

          The persons behind The Library Samui are Owner, Kasemthan Sornsong who was inspired by books and their immortality, and Interior & Concept Designer, Tirawan Songsawat, who was commissioned to transform Kasemthan’s vision to reality. This design hotel is proof that bold coloured buildings and modern sculptures can merge with nature in harmony.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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          The moment Bangkok Foodies stepped out of the Fortuna limo organised by the hotel, it was as if we were in a different world compared to the hectic Chaweng Beach Road. The infamous and only main road in Samui, typically bustling with board-shorts and bikini tourists sauntering along its sidewalk, filled with shops, restaurants, massage parlours, cheap bars and those annoying trucks with speakers announcing Thai kickboxing matches at stadiums. Who would have thought that a well-decorated and serene hotel could thrive in this hyper-attention-seeking locale! Before passing through the second gate of the hotel, stands a white statue sitting on the bench with a book in its hand to welcome you. Trust us, you’ll see a series of these figures in different gestures in almost every corner of the hotel.

          At The Library, there are two places for foodies to try the hotel’s delicacies; The Page and Drink Gallery.

          The Page restaurant which provides breakfast, lunch and dinner combines contemporary elegance with a sophisticated concept design in architecture. The open-spaced restaurant is separated into 3 parts; the indoor with the air-conditioning, where you can dine in chilled comfort; the indoor without air-conditioning to appreciate the sea breeze and enjoy the sea view. If it’s particularly windy for the inside-outside patio, you can close the rustic wooden blinds. The Page opens for breakfast (07:00 am – 10:30 am), lunch (11:00 am – 04:00 pm) and dinner (07:00 pm – 00.00 am).

          Breakfast: You can walk around on the counter and enjoy their fresh baked-pastries, selection of milk; from whole milk to alternatives for those who have allergies or are lactose intolerant. They have quite the selection of juice and cold-pressed juice for those who would like a vitamin boost. Thai boiled rice is available for those who seek some Thai or Asian comfort foods and for those who hate to leave the table and the scenery, you can tick your orders from the menu to which the waiters will serve to you.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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          Lunch: Lunch consists of classic Burgers, sandwiches or pasta —  Thai fried rice too — which is ideal for filling your stomach before a stroll along the beach, fried snacks, salads, fruit sorbets are also available for a quick or light meal to accompany with hot tea or a refreshing ice drink. 

          Dinner: The menu has a selection of mouth-watering dishes from an assortment of meat and seafood or Vegetarian, our pick was the Pan-seared Australian Yellowtail Kingfish with Foie Gras (790 THB++) topped with salmon roes for added pop. An indulgent surf ‘n’ turf where earthiness meets oceanic flavours. For seafood lovers go straight for the seafood Angel Hair Lobster in Creamy Tomato Sauce (1,250THB++), which is enormous and one dish, in particular, we would like to recommend if you’re into going to go all the way. The sweetness of the fresh Phuket lobster combined with the savoury tomato was the highlight of the entire dining experience. To finish off, try the Mango Parfait (180THB++), mango with sweet sticky rice with Samui coconut sauce topped with mango sherbet to seal the deal.

           Another place to have a nibble is Drink Gallery where you can enjoy Thai tapas which every dish costs you only 99THB. Plah Pla (พล่าปลา), a dish that foodies can engage with by adding the 2 sauces and the fried shallots into the jar and shake it. You will enjoy the tanginess, spiciness and saltiness from the sauces, and the fresh tuna meat. The simple-looking Larb Pla Insee (ลาบปลาอินทรี) is so similar to its sibling dish, Larb Moo (ลาบหมู) which could confuse you because the cooked meat of the Pla Insee or Indo-Pacific king mackerel wasn’t flaky or fall-apart as most people would expect. The meat is mixed with herbs, fish sauce and lime juice. A crispy battered-fried soft-shell crab sprinkle with fried garlic, fresh spring onion and fresh chilli, Poo Nim Song Krueng (ปูนิ่มทรงเครื่อง) will give you a slight warmth and crunchy mouth-feel. The last but not least, Pla Neung Ma-Now (ปลานึ่งมะนาว) is the one you will enjoy chunks of softboiled fish meat with lemon juice mixed with fish sauce, sugar and chilli. And you can enjoy their selections of ‘gas-tropical’ cocktails.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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          The accommodation zones are divided into 2 sessions; Pages and Chapters. ‘Page’ is how they address their rooms and suites and ‘Chapter’ for their villas, which is really amusing and delightful to see how committed they are to their concept. Each room and villa was designed under Minimalism; clean and functional, and every all of them come with standard amenities and some luxurious technologies to make your stay extra lavish eg. internet-ready iMac, wireless headset, Bluetooth connected speaker and mood lighting which you can change through the remote control for some Chromotherapy . Colour Therapy, Colourology or Cromatherapy which is an alternative medicine method, which is considered pseudoscience. It is a use of light in the form of colour to balance “energy” lacking from a person’s body, whether it be on physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental levels.

          They have 4 types of rooms and 4 types of villas but we are not going to go through all of them, just a couple of rooms and villas that we presume that foodies would be interested in.

          Starting with the one that we stated, Page 4, which is a Smart Studio (13 rooms available, Price ≈10,000THB++). This spacious 67 square metres accommodation suitable for those who travel alone has enough space to be divided into 3 parts, the master bedroom with a living corner which delivers you a sense of borderless, the balcony offers a garden view for you to just get in touch with nature, and the bathroom with dressing area is the part of the room which need the sense of space management to separate the wet zone where you can enjoy dipping your body into an ice-cube designed bathtub and chilling under an oversized rain shower head. Lastly, there is the dry zone where there is a spacious closet and a big mirror for you to check-out your total look before leaving the room for a meal or hitting the main road.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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          Featuring an expanding floor area, tailored in-room amenities and the inclusion of activity spaces, The Bookmark (1 room available, Price ≈14,000THB++) is a much larger room of 102 square metres and considered to be one of The Library Samui’s most opulent chambers. Using the touch of soft fabrics as part of the décor and adding a custom-made bed of 11 feet-wide, living space comes with a full-size bar and bespoke toiletries. This room has sensual characteristics, which is suitable for a budget couple. The 55 inches smart TV with Blu-ray and home theatre and personal music player with soundbar will entertain you. More affluent features such as jacuzzi for those who enjoy bubbling bathing, and walk-in closet with his and her washbasins for beauty routine and grooming, full-size fridge for foodies can hoard food and wine fridge for those wine lovers out there.

          Before we are going through the Chapters, we should finish with the Pages, and the last but not least, 2 Bedroom Suite (1 suite available, Price ≈18,000THB++), This room of 156 square metres has capacity for 6 people but not exceeding 5 adults. This suite is perfect for a pair of parents with kids or a group of 4 and comes with an expansive living space with dining area, and additional features eg. outdoor lounge with jacuzzi, sprawling master bedroom and a twin-bedded auxiliary guestroom. The amenities are the same as the Bookmark with extra 2 plasma TVs of 43 inches and 2 sets of entertainment devices.

          At the ‘Chapters’ part of the hotel which is more private for those who seek sanctuary or privacy and every villa comes with 24/7 butler to take care of your every wish possible. We would like to start with The Editor (1 villa available, Price ≈26,000THB++) which is probably the most colourful villa in The Library. Interior Designer, Tirawan Songsawa, created this villa to be a special space for travelling couple by adding an extra vibrant palette of red and green which are contrasting colours according to colour theory but she harmonised the 2 colours and give this villa to be sensual to awake the couple passion and soothing senses at the same time. It is considered to be a bespoke pool villa for lovers –but a single person could also enjoy it, and to light more fire to the stay, this villa comes with outdoor sala with sun lounger and coffee table any couple to enjoy a romantic corner to sip coffee or thrown down shots of Thai whisky (whatever your preference) and for singles, take the opportunity to indulge in some much-needed chilling in luxury time. This villa also features some standard amenities like the Secret Pool Villa and The Editor but has a few key differences such as reading room and Macbook Air to enrich sophistication of your stay.

          And finally, The Writer (1 villa available, Price ≈45,000THB++), a beachfront villa that melds the Western and Eastern sensibilities together. This one could be described as a foodies’ heaven due to the fact that this villa accommodates a large dining area with pantry and BBQ dining facility, and those who enjoy entertaining, they provide you with a complimentary set of spirit of your choice and mixers which you could transport to your personal library or swimming pool with floating deck, where you can watch your favourite movie on the projected cinema. We’re not done yet, why not also indulge yourself with spectacular sea view at the upper floor terrace or at the secured courtyard which is the location of the private gym. Further proof of hyper privacy of this villa is the outdoor rain shower is completely secured from prying eyes, so you can really feel one with nature.

          The Library Samui offers something extra special that foodies would be pleased to discover. 

          “Breakfast Culture” is an exclusive breakfast experience at the beach where you do nothing but lie on a cushion-y futon-like bed and tick what you want to be served to you, on the menu. They provide only 3 tables for guests only, so you better book at least 1 day in advance. Starts at the same time as The Page’s breakfast time.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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          Do be warned, that servings here are typically ginormous. We ordered a BLT sandwich from room service for lunch after we just came from the Samui Airport and were surprised at the hugeness of size. The BLT is served with coleslaw and steak-cut fries and with 2 lemongrass stems impaled into the baguette bread. The theatrical presentation along with the entire hotel’s creative concept was one we truly appreciated and so should any discerning foodies looking for refinement and culture along with their beaches and BLTs.

          The communal facilities like gym and library are well designed and all, but the Red Pool (The Pages) and the Long — also red — Pool (The Chapters) are something that always catch the eyes of The Library Samui’s guests and became ones of the hotel’s selling points because, when it comes to pools, people often think about the banal colours like blue or green so, thumbs up for having a bold choice of colour for the swimming pools’ tiles. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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The Library Samui
14/1 Moo 2, Chaweng Beach Koh Samui 84320
Tel: 077 422 767

#WariyaI

Author: Wariya I.

Author: Wariya I.
Wariya has a strong passion for cocktails, and you may have met her several times but she likes to keep it casual and low-profile. She also likes to enjoy quality tea, especially Japanese green tea.