So you have run the gauntlet of choosing a dive centre on Ko Tao. You have decided whether you want to take the SSI or PADI course. What should you expect while you are studying how to dive? Firstly, you will be asked to complete a medical questionnaire. If you have any of the conditions … read the full post

Le Beach Club, located along the 4169 Ring Road, just before Bang Po enters Nathon, has added a fresh breath to an area of Samui that was looking a little neglected. Several little beach bars have recently popped up along this road, so it’s worth heading this way, particularly at sunset hour. We weren’t quite … read the full post

We have all done it. Far in the back of a cupboard lies a box of corny oh-my-word-what-was-I-thinking souvenirs from past holidays. Some things feel so right in the heat of the moment and we end up buying useless junk that is not a true reminder of our adventures away. Here’s a suggested list to … read the full post

If you look online, the only long-term accommodation options you’ll find on Thailand’s Ko Tao are very high-end villas at very high-end prices. This is not the case once you are here. Here’s our suggested plan of attack for finding somewhere to live once you do arrive. Most people who come here looking to stay … read the full post

In our quest to find food and accommodation on Ko Samui at reasonable prices, here we bring you a selection of beach bungalows (yes, on the beach) for 500 baht per night. The area we’re covering is from Bang Po to Choeng Mon along the northern coast of Samui. You may not get air-con and … read the full post

My house is perfectly positioned to appreciate Samui’s sunsets, and it seems as though each night — insert your favourite deity here, perhaps the Goddess Ra — tries to outdo her sunset creation from the previous evening. Sometimes they are a pretty pastel pink with soft wispy clouds looking like cotton candy. Other evenings present … read the full post

Bam Bams in Ko Tao is one of those rickety looking, plastic chair, roadside Thai restaurants with garish wipe-clean table covers.  While that description probably does little to entice you in, those who have travelled through Thailand will know that these can often the best places to eat, especially when you’re on a tight budget. … read the full post

Walking down Plai Laem’s main road and hearing sultry sounds winding through the palms and banana trees, it would be easy to forget the location and imagine you were in Cuba or perhaps Columbia. But no, Ko Samui has quite the active salsa scene – the dancing, not the sauce that is.  Here we give … read the full post

Located at the far eastern end of Bang Rak, 100 metres before the entrance to Big Buddha, one will find one of the most character-laden little beach bars that Ko Samui has to offer: Fisherman’s Reggae Bar. A simple wooden structure perches on stilts at the water’s edge. Inside, every available spot of wall space … read the full post

When asked to write about life on Ko Tao from a longterm stayers point of view, all I could think about were the three biggest lies told on the island. I’ll leave you to ponder the other two but the biggest, without a doubt is, “I’m leaving tomorrow.” This is not used to wheedle one … read the full post