Guide to Koh Samui

Koh Samui is made up of different towns and villages, all of which have their own personalities. From the busy town of Chaweng and the quaint fishing village of Bophut, to the bar-packed streets of Lamai, they all offer a different perspective into this lovely Thai island.

Surrounded by a pristine sea, Koh Samui is a great base for diving, swimming or simply relaxing on the beach. There is some lush jungle in the centre of the island with many activities available including cable rides, ATV tours and paintballing, all of which can be booked through a local travel agent.

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Family attractions

Koh Samui is a friendly family-orientated place with plenty of fun activities to keep the children occupied. There are jungle tours and elephant trekking as well as a zoo, wildlife park and play areas in the shopping centres.

The Samui Monkey Club in Chaweng on the main road towards Tesco’s offers a place for the children to play during the day and is under Western management. They also offer a babysitting service in the evenings, providing a qualified child minder to your hotel or holiday home to give you a few hours to enjoy a romantic meal or a fun night in the bars.

Beaches

Chaweng has the longest expanse of pretty beach and there are numerous stalls offering jet skis for rent, parasailing and many other water sports. Lamai also has a large beach and it is quieter than Chaweng with bigger waves and fewer beach hawkers.

Fisherman’s Village in the Bophut area has one of the quietest beaches on the whole island due to its calm ambience and range of pricey restaurants and accommodation. Maenam attracts fewer tourists and has a clean and pretty stretch of white sand that is often empty; there are many other beaches dotted around that have good swimming and lots of privacy. Samui beaches.

Where to stay

There is accommodation to suit everyone’s taste and budget although prices are becoming outside the scope of the average backpacker’s funds, leaving just a few good cheap places in the main areas of the island. The Wave offers great rooms at good prices, and is owned and run by two of the nicest Englishmen on the island who are always on hand to book tours or offer advice.

Chaweng has the best range of places to stay with The Sportsman’s Inn offering clean and nicely decorated rooms starting at only 500 baht, and Al’s Huts in the centre of town are popular with backpackers.

The luxurious Amari and lavish Centara are both in Chaweng, and the tropical setting and beautiful backdrops offered at Rocky’s Resort on the main road after Lamai are unbeatable. Samui hotels.

Eating out

Kush can be found in Laemdin Market, Chaweng, behind the Chinese temple, and is popular with Western expats who live on the island. They offer sushi with a twist by booking only - served on the bodies of semi-naked men and women yet presented very tastefully; Kush offers something for everyone.

The eateries in Fisherman’s Village offer some of the best views over to neighbouring Koh Phangan island, with Billabong and Happy Elephant proving popular, as well as the lavish Villa Bianci. Lamai is home to a popular bakery which offers freshly baked bread and cakes, and there are many rustic Thai stalls scattered up and down its streets.

Bars and nightclubs

The Sportsman Inn at the far end of Chaweng has countless TV screens for watching any sport they can get their hands on. Tramps Nightclub has a Filipino band and a superb selection of wines and cocktails, and it can be found just past the traffic lights at Bophut heading towards Maenam.

The famous Soi Green Mango is in the centre of town and has selection of noisy bars and clubs including the cheap Catcandoo which is very popular with backpackers and expats. Sweet Soul Café pumps out hip hop into the street and competes only with The Green Mango Club itself. The PFC Bar down Soi Reggae is a great bar that attracts football fanatics from all over to watch live sport on TV and enjoy the best Sunday roast dinner available on the whole island. Cold beers and typical English fare are always available.

Lamai has a wide choice of go-go bars as well as regular watering holes like the Samui Shamrock and PJ’s.

Shopping

The best places to buy holiday souvenirs are the stalls scattered up and down the roads. Bargaining over the price is common practice here, but be aware of coming across as too pushy as Thai people will not accept losing face just to make a sale.

There is a good choice of supermarkets including Big C, Tesco’s and Makro as well hundreds of 7 Elevens. Shopping in Samui.

Weather and transportation

April is the hottest month of the year and it sees the Thai New Year celebration of Songkran, which is basically a huge water fight that lasts for days across the whole country. The weather is hot and humid year round but October to early December sees heavy rainfall and storms.

Getting around the island can be accomplished in many ways, but the roads here are dangerous and not as sophisticated as those in Phuket or Pattaya. Hiring a motorbike may look easy but the accident rate in Koh Samui is high so take care if you decide to hire one. Songthaew and taxis are everywhere and cars can be hired from most tour agencies at a fair price.

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