Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ko Samui
As the most popular destination off of the east coast of Thailand Ko Samui is also the
second biggest island after Phuket. Samui is small enough to be toured in just a few hours
by motorcycle or other vehicle but for the physically fit you can take your time and hike
around. Though in the last two decades tourism has skyrocketed you can still enjoy the nat-
ural beauty that made KoSamui sopopular in the first place. It has an abundance ofdazzling
beaches dotted with coconut trees that should not be missed.
The best time to visit Ko Samui is a bit different than in the rest of Thailand as its weather is
slightly different seasonally. From April to September when most of the country is drenched
Samui stays pretty dry. However from October to December it is wet in Samui and drier
elsewhere in Thailand.
Due to their popularity some of the beaches on Samui have become very developed like
Chaweng and Lamai and although they have a great nightlife and many resorts they can
become quite crowded on the beach during the high season. Chaweng has a reputation for
packing more debauchery so if you missed the girlie bars or beer bars in Bangkok then you
can find them there. To take advantage of the less developed areas head to the northern
beaches of Mae Nam, Bophut, Bang Rak and Choeng Mon.
As an island Samui has a lot of seafood available in both Thai and western restaurants. Co-
conuts and coconut dishes are also very popular as they grow all over the island. Be on the
lookout for dual pricing, sometimes the menus have different prices on the English menu as
opposed to the Thai menu so if you see curiously high prices then choose a different spot to
eat.
