What Guests Really Pay for Food & Drink in Koh Samui
A hotel's room rate tells you almost nothing about what a week there costs. Restaurant prices, minibar policy, what's actually included in a half-board plan, what a bottle of water costs on the beach — none of it appears on a booking page, and star ratings don't capture it. Guests, on the other hand, write about it constantly, usually after checkout and usually in detail.
We read what guests in Koh Samui reported paying, and what surprised them. Every finding below links to the reviews it came from. Where hotels are consistently fair about pricing, that shows up too — this isn't a list of complaints, it's what the evidence says either way.
Of 26 hotels in Koh Samui with enough guest evidence, 19 drew consistent complaints and 7 were mixed. We track 66 hotels in Koh Samui; the rest don't yet have enough guest evidence on this to call.

Food and beverage pricing is perceived as expensive relative to quality, with several billing concerns raised including non-included beverages at breakfast and disputed minibar charges.
View finding
Dining is consistently viewed as expensive, though quality is recognized as high. Limited evidence on breakfast inclusion; some meal pricing provided but mostly subjective cost complaints.
View finding
Food and beverage pricing is contested. Most reviewers report overpricing across restaurant meals and drinks, with specific complaints about hidden charges and beverage-by-the-bottle restrictions, though one reviewer found pricing reasonable.
View finding
Food and beverage pricing at Nikki Beach Resort & Spa is consistently reported as overpriced or unreasonably high across multiple dining venues, with limited positive counterbalance.
View finding
Food and beverage pricing is consistently criticized as excessive, with overwhelming negative sentiment across multiple categories. Breakfast is sometimes not included and incurs additional charges when offered, though at least one reviewer found the breakfast buffet reasonably priced at $11.
View finding
Food and beverage pricing at Impiana Resort Chaweng Noi is consistently reported as expensive and overpriced relative to quality and portion sizes, with limited countervailing evidence.
View finding
Chaweng Regent consistently charges for items typically complimentary at resorts (iced beverages at breakfast, ice, water), with widespread complaints about high F&B pricing across all categories. Only happy hour drinks and normal rates receive limited praise.
View finding
Food and beverage pricing at Celes Samui is consistently reported as expensive and poor value for money, with additional service charges and VAT adding significant costs on top of already high base prices.
View finding
Food and beverage pricing at Avani+ Samui is consistently reported as very high; guests regularly source meals outside the resort at a fraction of in-house costs.
View finding
Food and beverage pricing is consistently reported as very high and poor value. All five claims report negative experiences with restaurant prices, drinks, and markups for in-hotel dining compared to local alternatives.
View finding
Multiple recent reviewers consistently report significantly inflated food and beverage prices at the resort—particularly drinks marked up 5–10x local market rates—with little indication of value for money.
View finding
Food and beverage pricing at the resort is consistently reported as prohibitively high across restaurant, cocktails, and general dining, with reviewers noting external options offer significantly better value.
View findingShowing 13–24 of 26 hotels