Anantara Lawana — The Quiet North End of Chaweng, a Beachfront Infinity Pool and Dinners in the Treetops
Chaweng has a reputation for noise, but the far north end is calmer than most people expect. Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort sits right on that corner — a few minutes' walk from Chaweng's restaurants and bars, yet quiet enough back inside the grounds that the loudest thing you hear is the surf. What guests keep coming back to: a beachfront infinity pool that reopened after a renovation in late 2024, and Tree Tops, where dinner tables are set up in the canopy with a view over the water — the kind of setting that's hard to find among Chaweng's other beach hotels.
Anantara Lawana stretches along the north end of Chaweng Beach, the grounds running parallel to the sand and shaded by coconut palms and tropical garden. There are 122 rooms, suites and pool villas in total, starting with the 55 sqm Deluxe Lawana Room and topping out at the 160 sqm sea-view pool villas with their own private pool. The design is contemporary Thai — dark timber, hip-roofed pavilions, and maritime blues borrowed from an old fishing village. Many rooms open through folding doors onto a balcony that looks straight out to sea, and that's the detail guests mention most consistently.
Late in 2024 the resort reopened its renovated beachfront — a beachfront infinity pool with timber decking, sun loungers and white umbrellas lined up facing the bay. Before mid-morning the pool is nearly empty, the early light so still that the water mirrors the sky. Just below it sits the resort's stretch of sand, with navy umbrellas and loungers set out in rows. Early risers tend to claim the waterfront spots before anyone else is up.
"Morning coffee by the pool, just watching the sea — quiet enough to hear the waves, even though Chaweng's buzz is only a ten-minute walk away."
The other thing this resort is known for is the food. There are six restaurants and bars in all, but the one people remember is Tree Tops, where dinner tables are raised into a canopy pavilion, candles lining the walkway and the sea showing through the leaves — a meal a lot of couples book for a special occasion. Breakfast is a buffet that draws praise for its fresh produce and Thai dishes. For seafood there's the oceanfront Crab Shack, and Cay serves a more refined take on Thai cooking.
Beyond the pool and the restaurants, there's a spa built around Thai massage and Ayurvedic-style treatments, a gym with yoga classes, and something you don't see at many resorts — a rooftop muay Thai ring where you can take a boxing session with a sea view. A kids' club rounds it out for families travelling with children. The mix is what makes Lawana work for two very different crowds: couples after quiet, and families who want things for the kids to do.
The location is a genuine advantage. It's about a 10-minute walk to the main stretch of Chaweng Beach with its restaurants, bars and markets, a 7-minute drive to downtown Chaweng, and — the part that matters for short trips — only 6 km from Samui Airport, roughly a 10-minute drive. Bophut's Fisherman's Village is around 7 km away, under 20 minutes by car. You get the calm without sacrificing convenience.
The Trip.com score sits at 9.4/10 from 79 reviews, and the resort recently picked up a MICHELIN Guide One Key and a top-10 Thailand place in the Condé Nast Traveller UK Readers' Choice Awards 2024. The honest caveats from lower-rated reviews: this stretch of beach can get seaweed or sand wash at certain tides and seasons, so it isn't the postcard-white sand year-round. Some rooms that haven't been refurbished feel older than the new beachfront wing. And because the airport is close, you'll occasionally hear a plane. Worth knowing before you book.
The bottom line: Anantara Lawana suits travellers who want a Luxury beachfront resort on Koh Samui without being stuck in the middle of Chaweng's noise. At around ฿8,000/night for a Deluxe Lawana Room it's good value next to comparable pool-villa resorts on the island. If your budget stretches and privacy is the priority, the 160 sqm sea-view Pool Villa with its own pool is the one to look at.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Staff attentive and warm — remember guests by name
- ✓ New beachfront infinity pool is beautiful and quiet
- ✓ Breakfast has plenty of fresh produce and good Thai dishes
- ✓ 10-minute walk to Chaweng yet calm inside the resort
- ! Beach on this stretch gets seaweed/sand wash at some tides
- ! Unrenovated rooms feel older than the new wing
- ! Close to the airport — occasional aircraft noise
- ✓ Tree Tops canopy dinner — an atmosphere unlike anywhere else
- ✓ Pool villas spacious and private, ideal for honeymoons
- ✓ Close to Samui Airport — you're checked in fast after landing
- ✓ Kids' club and rooftop muay Thai for families and active guests
- ! Pool villa high-season rates climb — book ahead
- ! Resort is long; some rooms are a fair walk from the beach
- ! Premium restaurants priced high by resort standards
- 💡If swimming off the beach matters to you — check the tide and season, because north Chaweng can have seaweed or sand wash in certain months → if you mainly want to swim, the beachfront infinity pool is the real draw over the sand itself
- 💡If a refurbished room matters — ask at booking for a room or villa in the renovated section → some older units feel more dated than the website photos; the reservations team can confirm
- 💡If you want the Tree Tops experience — reserve the table before you travel, especially for sunset and weekends → the canopy pavilion seats are limited and fill quickly