Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GULF ISLANDS
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Ko Samui
POP 50,000
Ko Samui is like a well-established Hollywood celebrity: she's outrageously manicured,
has lovely blonde tresses and has gracefully removed all of her wrinkles without more than
a peep in the tabloids. She's been in the tourism business longer than almost any other Thai
island, but rather than becoming passe, she's embraced a new generation of resort goers,
many of them upscale and Russian. Academy Award-winning holidays here include fine
stretches of sand clogged with beach loungers, rubbish-free roads, world-class international
cuisine, luxurious spas and beach bar parties for scantily clad 20-somethings that start at
noon.
Behind the glossy veneer there's still a glimmer of the girl from the country. Look for
steaming street-side food stalls beyond the beach, backpacker shanties plunked down on
quiet stretches of sand and secreted Buddhist temples along the backstreets. It's then that
you remember you're in Thailand and not a globalisation-induced trance of a Photoshopped
beach vacation. To really get away, head to the south or the west of the island, where you'll
find authentic Samui family-run seafood restaurants, tourist-free towns buzzing with des-
cendents of the original Chinese merchant settlers and long stretches of refreshingly wild
and shaggy coconut palms.
