Lub d Koh Samui Chaweng Beach

Rooms and decor

Lub d Koh Samui Chaweng Beach is a hostel that looks like a resort — Lub d is a Thai flashpacker chain known for modern design, central locations and hotel-grade facilities. The Chaweng Beach branch opened in 2017 right on the sand (not across the road), in a four-floor building in blue and white tropical-modern style that looks more like a boutique hotel than a hostel. There are 236 rooms in total — 4-, 6-, 8- and 12-bed dorms at $19 to $34, each with a privacy curtain around the bed, a power outlet, a reading light and USB per bunk, and a locker under the bed big enough for a large backpack. The Private Double and Twin rooms run 12 to 18sqm at $51 to $100, with an en-suite bathroom, air-con and fast Wi-Fi, comparable to a 3-star hotel. Real reviews on Trip.com (9.2/10, high for a hostel) mostly praise how clean it is compared with a typical hostel, the fresh bedding and the good vibe.

Food and amenities

Lub d Chaweng is not an ordinary backpacker hostel — it is a flashpacker hostel with the full kit of a 3-to-4-star resort. The highlight is a beachfront infinity pool, 15 by 20 metres right on the Chaweng sand, with a swim-up bar where the bartender makes your cocktail in the pool, and a floating DJ in the middle of the water every night from 17:00 to 24:00 — the thing that pushes the Trip.com score to 9.2. The beachfront Beach Club serves Thai and Western food at $6 to $14 a plate, with a happy hour from 17:00 to 19:00 at half-price cocktails and live music on weekends. There is a shared kitchen on the floor if you want to cook, plus a co-working area with outlets and fast Wi-Fi. Pool-side activities run daily — yoga in the morning, beer pong in the afternoon, and a party bus to Walking Street in the evening — and reception is open 24 hours. Overall score: 8.9/10.

Location and getting there

Lub d Chaweng sits right on Chaweng Beach in the middle of Samui's main tourist district. Chaweng Walking Street, packed with restaurants, pubs, bars, a night market and massage shops, is a 5-minute walk away — this is the heart of Samui nightlife. Chaweng Beach runs along the front of the hostel: a 6-kilometre stretch that is busy and lively all day, so if you want quiet, this is not the spot. Samui Airport is 9km away, a 15-minute drive, and the hostel runs a shuttle at about $7 per person, cheaper than a Grab. Bophut Fisherman Village is 15 minutes by car and Lamai 20 minutes. For an Ang Thong island trip, the tour desk books day tours from about $34 to $51.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. First, the dorms are loud at night because the Beach Club and floating DJ run until 24:00 and the party bus comes back from Walking Street at 1 to 2am — if you sleep lightly, bring your own earplugs and eye mask, or take a private room away from the Beach Club. Second, no children are allowed: Lub d Chaweng is for adults 18 and over and solo travellers, so families with kids should look at Mercure Chaweng Tana or Outrigger Lamai. Third, the 12-bed dorm is crowded — at $19 it is the best value, but it is hard to sleep in with people moving in and out all night, so a 4-bed dorm at roughly $26 to $31 is the real sweet spot for actually sleeping.

Our take

Lub d Koh Samui Chaweng Beach lets you live the real backpacker side of Samui — clean dorms on the sand, a beachfront infinity pool with a swim-up bar and floating DJ, and a full Beach Club social scene, all in a central Chaweng spot 5 minutes from Walking Street, from $19 a night. If the trip in your head is going solo, meeting new people, partying on the beach and not minding the late-night noise, this is the answer that fits. But if you are a couple looking to honeymoon, or a family with young kids, other places on the list suit you better. Overall we give it 8.9/10, best for solo travellers, backpackers and groups of friends in their 20s and 30s who want to save money and meet new people in a beach-party setting.