With Christmas and New Year arriving in just a few weeks, now is a great time to think about grabbing an away break to celebrate in style. And, if you’re thinking about hitting the islands, it’s worth checking out these offers on Koh Samui.

Dancing in the Sand at Koh Samui

The festive period at Banyan Tree Samui is always a lavish and fun affair with a mouthwatering set menu for New Year’s Eve at The Edge, the resort’s all-day dining venue which sits perched on the hillside with a spectacular vista overlooking a secluded beach and the shimmering seas of the Gulf of Thailand. Countdown on Dec. 31 sees guests and staff descend to open-air beachfront restaurant Sands, where fireworks, cocktails, champagne and much merriment takes us into the New Year. Highlights this year will be a fire show and a live DJ as guests dance the night away on the sand. For dining reservations or hotel bookings, go to https://www.banyantree.com/en/thailand/samui; or contact: reservati…@banyantree.com

Meliá Koh Samui Marks Its First Season to be Merry

Meliá Koh Samui is pulling out all the stops to mark its first Christmas and New Year with jolly good cheer, ushering in experiences ranging from tropical barbeques around beach bonfires and all-day tapas to lighting up a large Christmas tree, a visit by Santa Claus, and plenty of Christmas activities for the kids. The beachfront resort will host a cocktail party, four-course Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas and New Year’s buffet brunches, a New Year’s Eve gala dinner buffet, and more from Dec. 19 until Jan. 3.

The festive program begins with a Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Dec. 19 from 6.30-7 pm amid the resort’s lush tropical gardens and lagoon pool. To a backdrop of Christmas carols, the management team will host a complimentary cocktail party with free-flow canapes and wine for in-house guests. On Christmas Eve a four-course Western dinner with Canadian lobster and Australian grain-fed tenderloin crafted by executive chef Azizskandar Awang, who has won a string of coveted awards during his 20-year career, will be served at Breeza Beach Restaurant and Bar. Santa Claus is coming to town on Dec. 25, arriving at Christmas Day brunch from 12-4 pm by the picture-perfect infinity pool to hand out treats to the kids. On the last day of 2020, the resort will host a gala dinner buffet under the stars. To contact Meliá Koh Samui or to make a booking, click here.