Koh Samui Hotel and Travel Guide
Koh Samui is an island off the coast of Surat Thani and is the third largest island in Thailand. Although not as busy or as crowded as Phuket, Koh Samui is still very popular with the tourists.Samui has beautiful white sandy beaches and coconut trees that surround the island and there is a lot of undeveloped and untouched land here. Most of the population is near the ocean, which is where all the tourists and jobs are located.
The island has a population of around 40 to 50 thousand people and most people living here are either, fisherman, coconut farmers, expats, or are in the hospitality or tourism industry.
You have your usual massage places in Samui, which are located everywhere and like Phuket, you have the tailor shops and mini clothes stalls here too. Samui is more laid back than Phuket so you are slightly less likely to be hassled to buy things.
Top Rated Koh Samui Hotels
Staying in Koh Samui:
There are many resorts, hotels and guest houses in Koh Samui with facilities and activities to cater for all kinds of holidaymakers. There are discount hotels, and there are basic cheap beachfront bungalows, guest houses and places for backpackers to stay. There are 5 star luxury beach resorts and retreats that cater for the more wealthy travelers. Most of the luxury resorts here are located on, or are very close to the surrounding beaches. Koh Samui 5 Star Resorts.
Chaweng Beach, in front The Ark Bar Beach Resort.
The stunning water and white sand at Chaweng Beach.
The main road with the usual taxi's, tuk tuk's and tailors.
Nightlife:
There is some lively nightlife in Samui with many bars, nightclubs, pubs and restaurants. The nightlife scene here is much smaller than Patong but there is still plenty to do here on any given night.
Most of the nightlife is in and around the Chaweng Beach area and in particular Soi Mango, where you will find a large concentration of bars, nightclubs, pubs, and places to kick back and have a drink.
There are hotels and resorts here in Samui that organise transportation to the Full Moon Party, which is held at least once a month in the nearby island of Koh Phangan. Some of these resorts hold pre Full Moon Parties the night before. Expect there to be plenty of young people hanging around Samui whenever there is a full moon coming up and expect more rooms to be filled whenever it gets close to this time.
Walkways and shops at Samui Airport. It really doesn't look or feel like an airport at all when you walk though here.
Hut terminals with no walls at Samui Airport. The airport is an open air type of airport and is truly unique.
Getting to Koh Samui:
Koh Samui has an airport at the northern end of the island and is owned and operated by Bangkok Airways. The airport, believe it or not, is an outdoor airport which has a modern and tropical look to it, with hut style terminals and futuristic facilities. Flights with Bangkok Airways and Thai - Airways are available daily to and from Bangkok and there are also flights from Phuket and Krabi. There are plans to turn the Airport into an international airport sometime in the future. Samui Airport
Getting a Ferry to Koh Samui:
There are ferries available to Samui from Surat Thani, which can take 2 1/2 hours or much longer if you get the night ferry. The ferries from Surat Thani leave almost every hour throughout the day and you can also catch other ferries from Don Sak Pier, Tha Thong, and Ao Ban Don, these ferries are less popular options but are still available.
Chaweng Beach on a clear and sunny day.
The diner at the Ark Bar Beach Resort.
The beautiful pool area at the Ark Bar.
Another photo of the main street.