A pilates retreat in Koh Samui: the five places you can stay

On a pilates retreat in Koh Samui with Isla, the class is the same for everybody: one group reformer class a day at the studio in Chaweng, ten people at most, with your ride there and back included. What changes is where you sleep — and that decides most of what the rest of your day feels like. Here are the five places guests stay, from the simplest to the most indulgent.

1. A studio apartment you can walk from

An apartment of your own rather than a hotel room: one king bed, a private kitchen and a balcony over the garden, a twelve-minute walk from the reformers. It suits people who like to cook, people staying longer, and anyone who wants to walk to class in the morning. There is no breakfast service — the kitchen is the point.

2. Our own seaview villa studio

A private standalone studio on Isla’s own estate in Bophut, about ten minutes’ drive from the studio: an open-plan living room, a full kitchen, a gallery bedroom, and a terrace with a jacuzzi looking over the bay. Breakfast is included. It is the most private place on the list.

3. A beach resort at the north end of Chaweng

A four-star resort on the sand at the quiet end of Chaweng, about eight minutes from the studio. You can choose a room in the main building or a standalone villa in the garden with its own terrace; the beach and the pool are a short walk across the grounds, and breakfast is included. Chaweng’s restaurants are close when you want them.

4. A five-star beachfront hotel in Bophut

A five-star hotel that sits directly on the sand at Bophut, about ten minutes from the studio. Suites rather than rooms, breakfast included, and — for the largest — a duplex suite over two floors with its own private pool. Fisherman’s Village, with its restaurants and evening walking street, is a few minutes away.

5. A beach resort in Maenam

A four-star resort on the beach at Maenam, on the calm north coast, about twenty minutes’ drive from the studio. Thai-style garden villas, seaview villas, pool villas with their own sala, and suites at the top of the resort looking straight out over the Gulf of Siam — one with a jacuzzi on the balcony. Breakfast is included. Choose it if the point of the week is quiet.

How to choose

• Walk to class, cook your own food: the apartment.
• Privacy and a view: the seaview villa studio.
• A beach on your doorstep and town nearby: Chaweng.
• The most comfort, a pool of your own: the five-star suites in Bophut.
• A slower, quieter week: Maenam.

Whichever you choose, every night includes the room, the daily class, the ride to the studio and back, and both airport transfers. Massage, private sessions and lunches at the café are add-ons, priced on their own. Nothing is charged until a person has confirmed your room is free. Which rooms are free changes with the dates, so the Isla retreat shows them for the nights you pick; the packs and prices covers single classes if you would rather start there.

Do it somewhere warm, for as long as you like

the Isla retreat is a reformer class every day on Koh Samui, on the dates you choose — from three nights, with your ride to the studio and back included and a room you pick. Nothing is charged until a person has confirmed your room. If you would rather start with one class, the timetable is the place.