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Dana & Lance Hardesty Sunday, March 7th 2010 - 04:02:12 PM blackhawkbluesmo2@yahoo.com Our hosts provided comfortable, clean hospitality. Plenty of privacy in the bungalows, with effective A/C and fans. Shower water was hot, and drinking water was readily available. Breakfast made-to-order, served in a 2nd-story sala, where the sea breeze gave a cooler start to a sunshiny day. Easy 5-minute walk to lovely Lamai beach. Easy to find a taxi or ring-road bus, when we wanted to explore the island. Past the corner convenience store on the ring-road, we kept meeting the same people at a recommended local Thai restaurant. Fellow guests tended to gather later in the evenings at the bar with big-screen TV, also part of Auberge services. We watched Winter Olympics on request, but we heard vintage films are frequently featured--a bit more variety than the usual sports bar offers. Would certainly stay again!

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Laura Sunday, January 24th 2010 - 02:04:30 PM Hello! Wanted to write here to thank you once more! I really enjoyed staying in your resort for 9 days. Location could be better, but at least I didn't had to wake up for traffic noises. Rooms were clean and comfortable. Catherine, you're such a nice person and so warmhearted. I really felt like being home when you took care of everything! I recommend this resort to everyone, who likes to have personal service and feel themselves welcome. Bigger hotels can't reach this level! I wish you all good year and hope to see you again soon!

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GRAHAM HALL & FAMILY Sunday, August 9th 2009 - 01:14:02 AM graham@avocetsteel.co.uk Shhhhhhh! don't tell anyone but the Auberge is probably the best kept secret on Samui.The owners Catherine and Roger Cornish don't advertise much and guests tend to arrive like we did through word of mouth recommendation. It's worth saying at the outset that Samui is stunningly beautiful both on the coast and inland and it is worthwhile having a car and exploring .There is much to see.The 2 main tourist areas of Chaweng and Lamai provide all the amenities for food drink and entertainment that you could ask for. The Auberge is located at the North end of lamai beach but down a small lane off the beaten track.It is short walk or drive if you prefer to a perfect palm shaded beach of white coral sand at Silver Beach- there are 3 beach bars on the beach for refreshments and you can even get a massage under the coconut palms.The sea temperature is like a warm bath ! The busier beach at Lamai is a short drive away or there is a plush beach club with a pool and sun loungers within walking distance that is open to non residents. The Auberge has 5 bungalows each with a capacious bed room and bath room. Each has tea making facilities and a fridge and a shady veranda on which to take your morning tea or evening cold beer. Each bungalow has air conditioning and is spotlesssly clean and cool.The water is filtered and safe to wash and clean teeth in . Cooled Filtered Drinking water is available on tap. The bungalows are spread around a pretty well tended garden shaded by mango trees and coconut palms .Catherine runs operations with her Thai staff from the main house on site and nothing is too much trouble.Catherine will willingly arrange car hire - we had a 5 seater 4x4 for the equivalent of £15 per day. Laundry will be returned the following day washed and ironed for a very small charge. Trips can be arranged through her and she has wealth of knowledge on local restaraunts ,many serving the freshest and cheapest seafood that will find anywhere.In 2 weeks we never had a bad meal and quickly discovered that you do not have to pay alot for a night out .One of our best meals fed 8 for less than £50 total including beers and cocktails and was within a short walk from the Auberge. If you don't have a car there are plenty of taxis and "buses" - pick up trucks with seats in the back who will take you where you want for 50 or 100 baht ( £1- £2 ). The Auberge is an oasis - it's only 300 mtrs off the main road but it's shielded by trees and is quiet at night - all your hear is the local wildlife .Birds geckos etc. It is worth taking the breakfast option. It is served under the pagoda roof of the roof terrace and usually consists of fresh tropical fruits ,yoghurt ,fruit juice ,toast or croissants.It is a lovely way to start the day in the cool of the morning acoompanied by birdsong and butterflies. We have just returned from 11 days at the Auberge -27th July to 7th August. This is the beginning of the rainy season but temperatures in the daytime were close to 30 deg and it was mostly sunny with some occasional cloud,in fact the cloud can be good because it provides a respite from the heat.Although it is more humid than we normally experience we did not find the heat or humidity to be unpleasant - quite the opposite. It can rain - really rain torrentially ,but this is usually late afternoon or early evening and lasts less than an hour, and it's warm rain. If it rains you can sit in the jacuzzi while it passes.There is no better way to end a hot day than with a soak in the jacuzzi sipping a cold beer.( it is sheltered under a traditionla sala). This was our first long haul holiday and it was the best experience . Fascinating Thailand , beautiful Samui and the perfect Auberge.Go there and tell Catherine I sent you but don't tell anyone else - shhhhh it's a secret. Graham ,Heather, Kieren . Gareth Hall and Rosy Wilson. Cheshire England.

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Steven and Ruxin Wednesday, May 6th 2009 - 02:12:13 PM ruxin@singnet.com.sg http://www.2wombats.com/rxblog a way of life and A way of life -------------------------------- When the plane touched down, what was presented to me was not an immigration hall, but a little hut. If not for the moving conveyor belts, I would not believe that we were waiting to clear customs. After we completed all the procedures and collected our luggage, a driver spotted us and drove us to Auberge. As the car drove into the imaginary gate, two local dogs greeted us anxiously. Their owners, Catherine and Roger, welcomed us and brought us to the Lilly, a villa where we would be putting up for the next 4 days. The next event was to go for a drink at their bar round the corner. It was my kind of bar, all the furniture was made from bamboo, there was a natural rock in one corner of the bar, which made the place look more unique than having any other man-made master piece. The dogs followed us and waited patiently at the door. At times one would try to step into the bar, but soon they realized the attempt was frutile. Named...... Nonny and Twooey.....they were rescued from a shelter by Catherine and Roger and given a home. Listening to the same music we can hear in Singapore and drinking the same drink we can get in Singapore, left no doubt that it was the atmosphere that made the entire experience different. The next morning, breakfast was at the roof terrace, with coffee, Orange Juice and Toast, again all something we can get easily in Singapore, but they just tasted so different when a breakfast table is visited with butterflies and surrounded with birds' chirping. 10 minutes walk away from Auberge, a friendly yacht club awaited us by the beach. Walking into the water we could see corals and marine fishes swimming in a borderless wonderland and yet they just chose to hang around where they felt comfortable, making me wonder if having a fish tank at home is really a good idea. I love to see the marine fish but shouldn't they be in the ocean where they belong? I cannot accept birds kept in a cage, how did I convince myself fish in tanks have more freedom than caged birds when I am not even a fish. After we have enough of the sun, the sand and the sea, hunger and thirst brought us back to reality. The food served in the Yacht club was nothing fantastic, but it served its purpose. The friend who brought us there wanted to show us a lamp shop in town, so after completing the mornings sun bathing ritual, we headed to town. Everything I saw came with a price deemed too high ( after the seller puts in a huge buffer waiting for the buyer to haggler for discount). Is this the cause or is this the effect? Do we gain something by asking for a discount or does someone loose something when they give us a discount? Or is this just an illusion created to kill time in a small town when everyone has so much time to spend? I refused to ask for a discount. I will either buy something if I like it or I will walk away if I think the asking price is ridiculous. My husband explained to me that such action can be seen as arrogance in some places/cultures. So I improvised and met half way.... I walked in a shop and when I saw something I liked, I indicated my interest by asking for a price. When given, my reply was "tell me a reasonable price and I will buy from you or else I will walk out of this shop". The sales girl smiled at me and gave me an instant 30% discount. So I bought what I liked and everyone was happy. Did I get the best price? Obviously not. But that was never my objective to begin with. When I walked in the shop, I saw something that appealed to me and I wanted to buy it and I got it. The bonus was I bought it at a price lower than what I had intended to pay and the sales girl sold it at a price higher than what she could possibly get from another patron. So to me, it is as good as having our cake and eating it. I don't see how else this will fail so I will use this method from now on. The day seemed so long and the hours moved so slowly as we wondered around town for a long time and finally it was time for dinner. We went to a beach restaurant with Catherine and Roger. While waiting for our food to arrive, we saw a man with his cute little monkey offering tourists a chance to have a photo with his pet in return for some money to fill his hungry stomach. But his monkey did not seem to feel as hungry. It was either too shy or too afraid so when it was supposed to be sitting still for a quick snap, it snapped at my friend's hand. The monkey was returned, no photographs taken and the man looked so clearly disappointed when we told him the deal was cancelled. If I offered him the same money he was supposed to earn but refused to take another risk with his cute little monkey, would he have been happy or offended? Given the language barrier, I will never know this answer and I never made that move. Dinner arrived and was consumed. Next activity.... to get a lantern, write our wishes on it, light it and let it rise into the sky. Now I asked myself, is this good luck to have the lantern with our wishes vanished into the sky knowing that it was no magic but just that the fuel had run out? But the people in this island believe in this and it is their culture, I would be rude not to follow. So I wrote something like "Wishing everyone's wish come true" hoping that it was not too specific and that it could strike a balance between my queries vs the culture. Life in this island must have little or no stress at least that's how it seemed to me. By visiting just one day, I could feel the lethargy in me vanish into the air. I woke up at 4.30am feeling fresh, this is magic! Another morning arrived, breakfast with birds and butterflies again but not the same birds nor the same butterflies as yesterday. They are not pets kept in a cage, they are free roaming, they come and go as they like. The only way to attract them is not by catching but simply to build an environment to entice them to return again and again. Memories of me visiting my grandmother when I was very little surfaced. This must be the same way of life our parents had. And they worked so hard to give us what we have today, concrete strong living space, high tech gadgets everywhere, convenience created by technology and inconvenience created by the same, only to have us return to nature feeling lousy for not having what needs to make way for a different way of life. This makes me wonder again. Did our parents do us a service? or did they not? The same question kept wondering in my head for the entire day and finally the next morning on the same breakfast table, I found the answer. Our parents worked hard to give us a choice, a luxury which they did not have. When they were young, they had no choice, they had to live in the same environment regardless. And today, we have a choice, like Catherine and Roger, we can also choose to stay in this beautiful island, the choice is ours. When we ask what do we need to give up in return? This is just an illusion. We never have to give up anything if we treat it as not ours to begin with. If our parents had not created today's world, we will still be living in the same environment as them. Fours days went by and when we finally have to say goodbye to Catherine, Roger, Nonny and Twooey, we told them we will visit their Auberge again, as in just 4 days, we have experienced an Oasis worth experiencing.

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goumon elisabeth Sunday, March 22nd 2009 - 02:22:56 AM elisabeth_goumon@hotmail.com Un grand merci à ces charmants hotes qui nous ont permis de passer un trés agréable séjour Small oasis est un havre de tranquillité ,on s'y sent merveilleusement bien . Les chambres dans les bungalows sont confortables et propres les petits déjeuners sont trés copieux nous y retournerons l'an prochain avec un grand plaisir et je recommande cet endroit à tous les amoureux de la nature Elisabeth et didier goumon séjour de 10 nuits en février 2008

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Jacqueline Boston Thursday, March 12th 2009 - 08:01:32 PM bostondec02@yahoo.com What a great escape in an exotic setting. The landscape looks like a perfect foundation for lifelong memories. Dreaming of taking advantage of it at some point in the future.

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Mark & Barbara Abrahams Sunday, January 25th 2009 - 03:39:06 AM MarkJBAbrahams@aol.com We loved staying at Auberge Samui, with Catherine and Roger. It was a 'home from home' with great hosts and excellent, wonderfully quiet and well managed facilities and service. The air-conditioned accommodation was great. Breakfast on the balcony was 'quality' and the location and access was good for those, like us, who wished not to be surrounded by too much tourist activity and the hustle and bustle which can be experienced just around the corner, in Lamai and Changwai. Beaches lovely, but a bit of a walk away. For us, the short walk was part of the fun.

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Arne Fredriksen Saturday, August 30th 2008 - 03:50:10 PM apfred@online.no When you read this, remember I am 48 years old. Me and my girlfriend stayed at this oasis for 3 nights in August 2008. I boooked it on internet and had no idea what it was. When we travelled from ferry I started to worry some because of all the noise and traffic and chaos. Then the taxi-driver took off from the main-road and this BEAUTIFUL oasis appeared. Few cabins and a beautiful garden. This truly was an oasis, and the host and the staff gave us a perfect stay. Cleanest rooms I experienced in Thailand and a nice and quiet place added to MY bonus. If you want night-life right outside your room - maybe you should look elsewhere. But I wanted my stay JUST like this. Thank you for a wonderful visit. I will certainly return one day.

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Laurie & judith Wednesday, May 28th 2008 - 03:07:44 PM laurie@nortons.org Hi. It looks great!

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Roger Tuesday, February 12th 2008 - 07:54:19 AM roger@aubergesamui.com http://www.aubergesamui.com Guestbook started today. We are looking forward to your comments.

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