Every few weeks we get a booking enquiry that starts the same way: “It’s for me and my partner, but we’re not really at the same fitness level.” We hear it so often that it’s basically its own category of guest. Couples come to Koh Samui wanting to do this together, and that’s a good instinct. Where people go wrong is assuming “together” has to mean identical.
We’ve been running Lamai Fitness Retreat on Koh Samui for over 15 years, and in that time we’ve had plenty of couples through the door: some in their twenties training for their first Hyrox, some in their sixties rebuilding strength after an injury, and a fair few somewhere in the messy middle. What we’ve learned is that the couples who have the best time here aren’t the ones who match each other step for step. They’re the ones who picked the right package for each of them, then let the retreat bring them back together for meals, evenings, and the odd shared adventure.
You don’t have to book the same package
This is the bit people get wrong before they even arrive. If one of you wants to hammer Muay Thai pads every morning and the other wants a slower, more supported reset, forcing you both into the same program usually ends with one person bored and the other person injured. We’d rather you booked two different packages that actually fit than one package that fits nobody.
Our Complete Fitness package gives unlimited access to everything on the schedule — strength, functional training, Muay Thai, running, hiking, the lot — and it’s built for people who want variety and don’t need much hand-holding. Our VIP Over 50s package is the opposite end of the spectrum: mobility-first training, daily massage, physio, and a pace built around safe, lasting progress rather than getting run into the ground. Between those two sit Muay Thai & Hyrox for people chasing a specific event or skill, and our Weight Loss Transformation package for anyone whose main goal is simply coming home lighter and with better habits. You can see the full breakdown on the packages page. Nothing stops one partner booking Complete Fitness while the other books VIP Over 50s — you’ll still eat together, stay together, and cross paths on the schedule most days.
You’ll actually get a room together, not a bunk
A fair number of couples ask us, half-joking, whether they’re going to end up in separate dorm beds like it’s a school trip. No. Every package includes a private room with a proper double bed — queen in our self-contained apartments, king if you upgrade to the 4-star hotel option — plus your own bathroom, air conditioning, and a balcony. The apartments sit on what we call Fitness Street, about a two-minute walk from the gym, with daily access to the pool at LUMMA Spa. It’s a retreat, not a barracks, and we think that distinction matters more for couples than for solo guests, because you’re not just training here — you’re also on holiday together.
A real example: Colette and her husband
One of our favourite recent guests, Colette, came out with her husband for three weeks on the VIP Over 50s program. In her own words, they “enthusiastically recommended it for anyone looking to get in shape.” What stood out to them wasn’t the workouts alone — it was the combination of personalised training with the daily massage and spa access, which meant neither of them felt like they were grinding through a punishment camp. That’s the model we’d point most couples toward if fitness levels or ages are a bit mismatched: pick the package that suits each person’s body and goals, and let the shared perks — the pool, the food, the downtime — do the work of keeping you connected.
Plan the logistics before you land, not after
A few things are worth sorting out before you book rather than figuring out on day one. First, book the same weeks. Packages run in one-week blocks, so if you want to overlap entirely, just confirm the same start and end dates when you enquire. Second, decide honestly whether you want the same package or different ones — there’s no prize for suffering through the same class if it’s wrong for you specifically. Third, know that meals aren’t automatically included on every package (Complete Fitness has them as an optional add-on at 5,000 THB a week for three meals a day), so check what’s bundled into whichever packages you pick so you’re not caught out.
Outside the gym, the retreat runs weekend adventure activities like jungle hikes and boat trips to nearby islands, which tend to be the actual highlight for a lot of couples — a shared reward for a week of separate hard work. Airport transfers are free both ways, so you’re not sorting out taxis in a language neither of you speaks after a long flight.
Is it right for you as a couple?
We won’t pretend this suits everyone. If you and your partner want to be doing the exact same class at the exact same intensity every single day, you might find it frustrating that our packages are built around individual goals rather than couple bookings as a single unit. But if you’re happy training your own way and reconnecting over dinner, the pool, or a weekend boat trip, it works better than almost any format we’ve seen — and we’ve watched a lot of couples come through Lamai over the years.
If you’re weighing this up for you and your partner, the easiest next step is to message us directly on WhatsApp and tell us a bit about where you’re both starting from — we’ll suggest which packages actually make sense for each of you rather than just upselling the most expensive one. You can also read more testimonials from past guests, including other couples, or head to our contact page if you’d rather email. No hard sell — just an honest answer about whether this is the right fit for the two of you.
