Koh Russey Resort

The resort location and the stylish rooms are the good things to look forward to in this resort. We stayed for 3 nights in the 1 Bedroom beach pool villa with breakfast. The breakfast buffet had sufficient choice and when asked the staff did accommodate for dietary choices. The staff though completely undertrained for the role in hospitality are friendly and serve you with a genuine smile on their faces in keeping with their culture and customs. The downside is that the prices you pay for the whole stay does not compare to the service you are given. It is a 5 star resort accommodation and we have certain expectations when the price tag is higher, which we didn’t mind paying. But after our stay we felt cheated because besides the room with a pool by the beach, we did not receive any of the service that one would expect for a five star resort nor one with the hefty price tag. We talked with the manager “Samanta” and gave feedback about the undertrained staff, lack of English speaking staff, understaffing in general and the poor quality of the food. When we had an issue with the food, they did not charge us for it though we would have preferred to have had a nice dinner with quality food to round out our holiday experience. The manager was understanding and listened to our concerns and that helped a bit. She admitted that the staff are all new hires and still needed to undergo intensive training to bring to the required level which takes time. While I sympathize with the manager’s situation, i however absolutely disagree that the onus is on the customer to bear with the fact that the management did not train the staff before the season started. We did not pay a heftily discounted rate for our stay so why should we as the customer have to suffer for the poor management of resources. That is my biggest grievance with this stay. I was unsure whether i wanted to waste my time by writing a review but i think the hotel management should take corrective actions to improve the overall experience and bring it in line with the price that they charge their customers.

This is the place to go for island fun and relaxation. The staff excel at ensuring patrons are taken care of in every way possible. Staff go out of their way to ensure your experience isn’t impeded in anyway. The food and drinks are spectacular as well. The accommodations exceeded expectations as well, they blend comfort and convenience with luxury styling. Will definitely return and would recommend it to anyone looking for a luxury island resort experience.

What a beautiful resort! From start to end this resort did not disappoint. We arrived at the port and were slightly early for the boat transfer so enjoyed some time in the arrival lounge with some fresh juice and then were taken to paradise. Check in was a very smooth process and we were shown all of the highlights of the resort and our room which was beautifully spacious with all the little touches (water outside to wash sandy feet, a sarong for use in the resort and a beach bag). From then on it was mission relax. The hotel has various chairs to relax on during the day and we made use of all of them during our stay. The pool is beautiful and good sized and was great to cool off in. The beach is also stunning with it's amber sands and there are a nice selection of chairs / hammocks / beanbags to lounge on with the sea to dip into. As to facilities the hotel has a nice gym which we made use of - it has all the expected equipment and was lovely to run on the treadmills and watch the wildlife in the gardens. The two restaurants were great - food was top notch (we stuck to local dishes and honestly didn't have a bad meal all holiday) with very attentive staff and also a good wine / cocktail selection. Finally the spa was excellent - we both had a massage when we were there and I think we both came out new people. Would definitely return as Koh Russey ticked all the boxes for a beautifully relaxing few days in heaven

This place is close to paradise. Reading some comments beforehand we were -like others- a bit bewildered. After having stayed at the koh russey for four nights in a two bedroom beachfront suite, we are nothing but amazed. It's a tranquil haven with beautiful architecture and views, wonderful staff, an exceptionally large and gorgeous pool, good food (esp breakfast) etc. etc. 100% recommendable. Thanks for everything.

We debated whether this was worth 2 stars or 3 and feeling generous we have given three stars. In summary, we would not recommend this place - there must be better chill resorts to stay at. Starting with the positives: We had a lovely beach view apartment which was spacious, well equipped and had a private pool and a great view of the sea. The views from the two restaurants were lovely and the restaurant and bar service was very good. Now the negatives: you are stuck in the resort with very little to do apart from walk along the litter strewn beach. We asked about walking around the rest of the island but were told that this was not possible. The menus don’t change and with few guests they alternate between the two restaurants for dinner. The menu selection is very poor and the quality of the food is awful - worst club sandwich I’ve ever seen and beef and squid were tough. We asked about trips but they were eye-wateringly expensive and didn’t sound as good as similar trips that we had already experienced in Cambodia. The beach is strewn with litter and the resort’s response to another guest about regularly removing litter is completely untrue - we saw plastic bottles, lighters, plastic rope and a load of other debris still in the same places for three days. It’s not an attractive resort - the architecture is dreadful. The photos on their website make it look great but, whilst genuine, they give a misleading impression. The resort looks tired and despite several people meeting us on the jetty, we didn’t feel particularly welcome.