Koh Russey Resort

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.

Fantastic stay for 4 nights. The resort’s setting is absolutely beautiful on a private island close to Sihanoukville and the staff are all incredibly kind and gracious (despite sometimes limited English abilities). The food options are somewhat limited (after all this is a small resort on a private island), but the food is delicious and the kitchens are willing to go off menu. There are plenty of free beach/water activities available including racket sports, paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkeling, etc., but honestly we enjoyed just lounging around and enjoying the spectacular beach and pool. Will definitely try to come back!

I truly do not have the words to capture how perfect an experience my stay here was. From the peaceful and serene island, to the incredibly kind, warm, and accommodating staff, to the delicious food. incredible spa and water sport options, there is just so much packed into this one tiny island. One huge highlight of my trip: learning to scuba dive under the informative guidance of Ali. He was an absolutely phenomenal teacher, and though I was very nervous, I felt safe as I learned thanks to Ali’s very knowledgeable approach. By the time we started diving and exploring the incredible world of life underwater, I felt so comfortable being underwater I hardly wanted to ascend. Truly, it was life-changing. I’d also highly recommend the spa. Every time I went to the spa was such a treat, and I will crave the beautiful lemongrass tea they serve before and after your treatment forever. Lastly, truly, the staff are so wonderful here. I was greeted warmly and had the pleasure of getting to know the incredible team behind Koh Russey during my stay. Some of the most wonderful people you could ever meet! I cannot recommend Koh Russey enough. I’ll be dreaming of my return to this island, and hope to come back soon!

Where to start!! This place is heaven I would say. You got everything you need for your holiday. Beautiful and clean Beach, awesome pool, play area,mouth watering food and not to forget the welcoming and super sweet team of Samantha. 100% will visit again. Do Not Miss the Sunsets !!

TL;DR - Do not go here As this will be longer review, I will give little bit of context. We are traveling couple (35M, 31F) and we are usually seeking for retreat like resorts with beach, private pool, villas and gym. As this was our first time in Cambodia, we were seeking for the good resorts to finish our trip including Angkor and Phnom Penh and Koh Russey was in filling in our criteria as it was advertised as tropical retreat, with lot of activities around. We stayed in beach view villa for 11 nights, with price around $350 / night so in comparison to Vietnam or Thailand it was bit pricier, so we had some expectations. Boy, were we wrong. I will start with the positives as it will be shorter. Location on the private island is absolutely amazing, besides us, there were max 6 other people for 1,5km long pristine beach, this was exactly the retreat we have been seeking for. First days, the beach was stunning and clean, later it got very messy and was not taken care of. Staff was very friendly and even nobody speaks English, we managed to get by. Now for the negatives. When we arrived, we felt literally trapped (vibe was similar to “Get Out” movie) - you immediately see that money and profit is the first and customer is not even on the list. Almost everywhere, you are faced with subtle messages about fines when you bring your own food, about just “one hot drink” at the breakfast and as there are not any options to get food besides one restaurant in the resort the prices are out of this world (I am thankful for our intermittent fasting as breakfast are enough for us) - in room delivery (100m) club sandwich for $25. Also, we planned our trip with possible activities in mind and on the web page resort got lot of activities, which can be done so we wanted to go “Island Hopping”, which is priced around $150 / pax with minimum 2 people. When we wanted to book, price was suddenly $1,000 after discount from $1,300, so we went just for the plankton night boat trip - 60 mins for $250. I do not have problem with paying for the services, but want to be treated fairly, or at least based on the pricelist. Secondly, resort is definitely not 5 stars - it is very old, not taken care of, rust and dirt is everywhere, we had to ask staff to clean our room on arrival as it smelled like public toilets, gym is there but 4 out of 6 cardio machines are broken or not working. I need to stress out that staff working in resort was amazing and without it, our stay would be much worse (we were even thinking about leaving after 3 days). I believe that current situation is caused by very poor management of the resort, who does not understand that “milking” few customers will not do the trick and that there is difference between covering fixed costs and variable costs pre guest. - during our stay out of approx. 30 available rooms max 5 were occupied. Do not make mistake of coming here.

Samantha the manager and Cholsa had nothing to say after I asked to speak with her regarding a horrible transfer experience despite promises otherwise. I wasn't informed of any service recovery being offered and no apology was provided despite being given the opportunity. Disappointing "welcome" to a supposedly five-star resort you pay a premium for.

It’s taken me a while to review this hotel, as I left with so much anger and disappointment I couldn’t write anything of value. Many of the staff are kind and lovely. So I’d like to try remain constructive in my criticism, but ultimately my view of this place is mostly negative. There’s a really weird atmosphere and vibe here. The management try to sell you paradise, but ultimately it’s like being in an episode of black mirror - a futuristic setting that gaslights you. My first criticism is the rules. The rules you encounter on booking, on arrival, on the menus, and in the rooms. The rules translate to “you are not allowed to spend your money anywhere but here”. In fact, you can’t, as there’s nowhere else to spend your money. But they keep reminding you that you will be fined if you bring food/drink on site. Then there’s the subversive approaches to make you spend more money. There is only one way on/off the island, which you have to pay for. The only food is what’s on their menu, which is more expensive than some of the best restaurants in the capital. They highlight on arrival that you will get board (proudly displaying board games at the front desk) and then offer activities that nearly all cost more than a whole day private registered tour guide of Angkor Wat. You can even use their bikes, but only in the grounds of the property as it’s too dangerous outside - unless you pay for their guides to take you. We get it, you are a business. But I felt like I was bringing treated like a cash cow being squeezed dry if any cash. Wasn’t a pleasant feeling. You will be trapped on this island and at this resort. So be prepared to not leave for the stay. The beach is man made. There’s overflow pipes, rubbish, broken glass, and “bags” of sand on the beach. We all know rubbish appearing on the beaches of south east Asia is a constant battle. But the end of the advertised long beach is not cleaned. I got very angry about the boat fees. They have a staff boat. An option should be provided to offer choice if you want to pay more for the speed boat. The food menu is very limited and the two restaurants have the same menu for both lunch and dinner every day. So you quickly cycle out of options in a short time. I’ve seen his this hotel resounds to negative reviews. I’m anticipating personal attacks on my character. But I believe that if this place wants to survive (it was pretty much empty our whole stay) they should listen to criticisms. To improve they should make a free boat transfer option for all customers, provide a wider diversity of food options beyond the restricted repeated menus, sort out the beach rubbish and pipes, reduce the cost of food to reflect the average quality provided, cut out the rules that gaslight guests, consider the wear and tear in rooms (see photo of bed side tables coming away from the wall) and think about strategies to enable people to not feel trapped due to high costs of any activities or ways off site. I’ve added

We arrived at this beautiful resort on Saturday after a busy few days in Siem Reap and immediately felt welcomed and fully relaxed. Check in was quick and efficient and the rooms are stunning. My husband and I are celebrating a significant anniversary and the bed was beautifully decorated ready for us. I seriously cannot think of a single thing I need that has not been catered for, from extra towels in the evening, a continuous supply of drinking water, delicious scented natural mosquito repellent. The staff are, without exception, friendly and attentive and really happy to engage. Everywhere I go on the island I’m greeted with genuine smiles. The resort has mostly been quiet whilst we have been here with just one day seeing more guests arrive for an overnight stay during a national holiday. As a result the menu is understandably more restricted than at busier times but there is still plenty of choice and everything we have tried has been delicious and well prepared. I would name check individual members of staff but there are just too many and everyone has been great. I will be really sorry to leave tomorrow.

I've visited this resort before and had a pleasant experience, but this time was a different story. Despite the resort being advertised as luxury with all the first-class amenities, the unacceptable service ruined our stay. To shell out $530 for a single night and not even receive what's been promised is a clear indication of how the resort values its customers. Instead of enjoying the beautiful views and luxurious amenities that are expected when visiting Samui, we were left to deal with an array of issues like water-damaged rooms, a messy lobby, impersonal service, and a complete lack of apologies. The standard of the resort this time compared to our previous visits was incomparable. For instance, upon entering the lobby, staff had piled wet cushions all over the sofa, leaving no place to sit while waiting in line to check-in that took more than 15 minutes. Our villa had water stains all over the floor, and the door was left open while we arrived. The staff didn't take the time to apologize but instead said that they would have the cleaning team tidy it up. Moreover, the service was impersonal, which was unexpected as it was our third visit, and they could have easily looked up our previous visits to provide a personalized welcome. To add on, we booked a shuttle to the front desk after lunch, but the front desk merely walked us to our villa, making the booking pointless. Despite events not going as planned, we offered to see the general manager, but we didn't get the chance until we were leaving. We'd visited this resort twice before during covid, and our experience was far better than this time. Therefore, I deleted my old review as it would have been unfair not to speak to the resort themselves and to give them the opportunity to make it right before posting a bad review. But after examining the situation at hand and seeing no improvement, I felt it was best to update everyone about my experience, especially those who have stayed here before. All in all, a terrible experience that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.