Smoke🌐 Google Review

6 months ago

★☆☆☆☆

“Overpriced & deeply frustrating New Year’s Eve dinner – disappointing food, hidden costs & unbearable noise: We visited The Blue Spice on Choeng Mon Beach on New Year’s Eve after being convinced by the many 5-star Google reviews. Based on those reviews, we genuinely expected a special beach restaurant with good food and a relaxed atmosphere. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the worst dining experience of our entire 14-day stay in Koh Samui. Let’s start with the food. The menu is extensive, cocktails, seafood, European dishes, alcohol, everything you could imagine. So in terms of variety, there is little to complain about. However, the quality absolutely does not justify the prices. The most expensive dish we ordered was a steak costing 1,100 THB (around 30 €, close to German prices). It was ordered medium but arrived completely dry, served with only a small amount of pepper sauce, and was barely enjoyable. For that price, this was simply unacceptable. The seafood was decent, but again: not nearly good enough for the prices being charged. The biggest issue, however, was the lack of transparency and hidden costs. We had reserved a table in advance and even paid a deposit of 4,000 THB, which we were explicitly told would be deducted from the final bill. In the end, we had to pay another 4,000 THB, plus additional charges. Altogether, we ended up paying 21,000 THB for 6 adults and 2 small children (who barely ate anything). There were only two cocktails ordered, nothing extravagant at all. That comes out to roughly 600 €, which is absolutely outrageous for what we received. Only after questioning the bill did we learn that an additional 8,000 THB had been charged for a New Year’s Eve show ticket (1,000 THB per person). This was never communicated in advance, not during the reservation, not when paying the deposit, and not when we explicitly asked about costs. We assumed the short shows were part of the restaurant experience, especially given the already very high menu prices. Yes, there was a fire show (about 12 minutes), a few very short traditional Thai dance performances, and a saxophonist (see photos). The fire show was actually quite good. But honestly, one could have enjoyed the same show simply by sitting on nearby loungers or beach seating without paying this ticket fee at all. Charging 8,000 THB extra for this, without prior notice, feels like nothing but a cash grab. When we raised these concerns, the restaurant management showed no willingness to compromise, not even a small gesture of goodwill, despite the obvious misunderstanding and the high amount paid. What truly ruined the evening beyond repair was the extreme noise from the hotel/restaurant directly next door. This was not some distant background music – it was very loud Thai karaoke, with speakers pointed directly toward The Blue Spice. The screaming and distorted singing started before 8:00 pm (when we arrived) and was still blasting at full volume when we left around 10:15 pm. It was impossible to relax, talk, or enjoy any kind of atmosphere. No matter how much effort The Blue Spice puts into ambience, it is completely pointless if guests have to endure screaming karaoke throughout their dinner, especially at these prices. Final conclusion: High prices, mediocre food, hidden or poorly communicated extra charges, no flexibility, and an unbearable noise situation. In our personal experience, this felt like a classic tourist trap. Our honest recommendation: skip this place and go to a traditional Thai restaurant instead, you will get better food, better value, and a far more authentic experience.”

Martin Seaborn🌐 Google Review

5 months ago

★★★★★

“Very nice place, you wouldn't know it was there because it's down a dirt road off the main road but at the end of it there are cottages and a nice bar/restaurant with food and the beach with sun loungers (plus sun umbrellas which I have been trying to find all holiday as I burn easily). We had a meal and fruit shakes which were really nice and then had the best massages of our entire holiday. It was a very comfortable chilled experience visiting the Blue Spice and I would recommend it to anyone.”

А М🌐 Google Review

4 months ago

★☆☆☆☆

“They're so cheeky! We went there often last year, stayed in a villa nearby, paid for a sunbed, and the kids had all kinds of snacks. And now we paid for two sunbeds, got a massage, there were four of us, and they showed us the menu, which says you have to spend 500 baht per person, not on a sunbed, but per person!!! Like 2000 baht, like in a good beach club! Then tax, service charge! You're so cheeky! Everything is old, dirty, and tasteless! Horrible! Don't go there!”