We arrived at the small charming airport and we split our stay between The White House and the Boat House
The White House
This TripAdvisor review is quite harsh, but I have sympathy with it. The hotel was trying to put too many guests into too small facilities, so not enough sun loungers, etc
When we arrived at the hotel we were very disappointed with our room. It was very "tired" looking and smelt damp, but as it was late and we were tired ourselves we accepted it. In the morning I went to have a shower but then realised there was no shower, just a very deep partially sunken bath that you had to get into (very dangerous to get out of and then negotiate the now wet steps to get on the floor) There was a hand held shower to rinse your hair but the hose too short to try to shower with. We asked if we could change room and in all fairness after a couple of days we were moved to a junior suit. The room was better and had a proper shower but the entire hotel feels like it is set in the middle of a jungle, so is incredibly dark. (It's not, it's practically on the beach)The windows are completely covered by huge plants so there is no view of anything at all. All of the plants are watered in the afternoon and this then causes midges to be everywhere. The staff around the restaurant and beach area (no actual bar to have a drink from, just restaurant staff to serve you) were not attentive at all. They joked among themselves a lot but were not very happy to break from their conversations to serve you at all. All in all, its not terribly expensive place to stay, but I would never want to stay there again. There's a lot better for less money. I will go back to Choeng Mon, but not to the White House. For this sort of budget, I'd recommend the Boat House.
Boat House
The Imperial Boat House Beach Resort is on Choeng Mon Beach, on the north-eastern tip of Samui Island. The resort provides a unique nautical theme, featuring 34 authentic teak rice barges, converted into luxury boat house suites - they were more expensive than the normal rooms, so we had to settle for a normal room. Set on 7 acres of tropical garden and beach front land, the 210 rooms include 34 Boat Suites. 2 swimming pools and it is on a soft, sandy beach. The teak wood Boat Suites are an integral part of the resort and they were used as real rice barges on the Chao Praya river in the past and after crossing the ocean, followed by a 1 year renovation to convert them into unique suites with a outdoors deck, a living room, sky-lit bathroom and down-below master suite.
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When we passed by Samui 15 years later on a cruise, the place had lost its charm. It had become built up and over hoteled. Too many tawdry souvenir shops, too many hustlers trying to sell you stuff, men sending sad monkeys up trees for coconuts.