Came to stay at the resort by chance when the agent double booked my original booking for a hotel in Patong.

Having never been to Thailand this proved a complete blessing in disguise......Patong....Blackpool in paradise.... Araya Hilltops in Surin....Perfection.

What a fantastic hotel/complex....Beautiful luxurious room/suite, with wonderful service from the Buggy drivers who will take you to your room at the drop of a hat through to the reception,Spa and bar staff who could not be more helpful.

Surin itself is a quieter part of the island with some nice beachside resturants. Have lunch at La Plage which is such good value for money and one night should be spend at Weaves in the Town which offered superb food and service. Had the edge over the reccomended Silk resturant just outside the town which is also worth a visit..

Having read the reviews before travelling, I expected the resort to be of a high standard, but it is so good when expectations are surpassed and they definitley were on this occasion.

Would reccomend this to anyone.

This resort was fantactic.
We were upgraded on arrival to a better room and were greated with refreshing drinks and cool towels.

The staff were very accommodating and made sure we were catered for in every way. The first night we arrived they gave us a complementary bottle of sparkling wine and every evening we had flowers and cookies placed on our bed. They filled up a cooler with ice 2 times a day and provided complementary salt scrub for the shower on a daily basis. The maids did a very good job with cleaning the room daily and the staff in the restaurant were extremely attentive.

Breakfast was amazing and never busy, there was a huge variety available. The seafood buffet on a monday night is not to be missed and they will prepare everything fresh in front of you.

The room was huge and spacious with an outdoor spa on the balcony and an out door shower in the back courtyard to use if you wish. The views from the deck were lovely and looked out over surin beach. The setting and gardens around our room were lovely and well maintained. The room its self was also maintained well and we were happy with the standard of condition.

It felt like we had the resort to ourselves most of the time and there was only once that we had to share the pool with another couple. As for sun beds, you did not have to pre reserve them as it was always quiet. There is a well equipt gym and although we didnt use the day spa it looked very professional.

The only draw back was the amount of steps to climb (however they did provide a buggy if you wish) and the fact that our room was a little light in the morning due to all the windows.

I would certainly return to this resort.

The ultimate in luxury and perfect for a romantic getaway, Ayara Hilltops which then was Tree Top is a epitome of privacy. Me and my partner stayed at the Rachavadee suite which is the most expensive but the best suite in the resort.
Privacy is thy name Ayara. The resort apparently was running a full occupancy as it was a peak tourist season, but not once did we cross paths with other occupants, except at the breakfast buffet.
This suite is divided into a living room with kitchen and a bedroom with a humoungous bathroom with a bathtub, shower and closet. The amazingly beautiful infinity pool seperates the 2 rooms and overlooks the surin beach. Since this suite is on the highest point of the resort there are no other suites overllooking the pool. The service was outstanding and the staff ensured that we were never disturbed during our stay of 3 nights. Yet we used to always find our suite spic and span, with orchid stems and delicious cookies on our bed. The entire staff was always smiling and were definitely an example of Thai hospitality. Since it was my birthday, my partner had the restuarent arrange for a private candle light dinner by our pool and the ever obliging staff arranged everything beautifully and at the last moment.
I would definitely love to keep going there again and again and re-live the moments we spent in those 4 days.

Ofcourse goes without saying that such an experience comes with a high cost. This suite is the most expensive and we paid 23k Bhat per night but looking back it was the most relaxing vacation and worth every penny.

This is simply a fantastic boutique hotel. It is nestled in the hillside above Surin Beach. The service is impeccable and the food, as one might expect from a French managed hotel, is superb. We stayed in a villa with our own private pool and it was heavenly.

Surin Beach is a quiet sleeepy little resort not to be confused with the nearby meat market that is Patong. The sunsets are phenomenal.

The Ayara is a great place to get away from it all.