Thailand forum

Lisa,

Kia Ora!

Have you considered Koh Samet for your last week of holiday? It's only about a 4 hour busride from Bangkok, and offers a good range of beaches, accomodation, and activities. We spent a week on Samet and a bit longer on Samui during our recent trip, and actually preferred our time on Samet. The fact that it is close to Bangkok might make logistics and travel costs a bit easier on you, and Samet tends not to get the full-on monsoon rains that impact places like Ko Chang and the Andaman Sea areas. The best time to visit is mid-week, as it can get a bit croweded on weekends and Thai holidays. Cheers.

Lisa,

As for when to go, at the beginning or the end of your trip, it is difficult to say. We started our trip in Bangers, then spent two nights in Kanchanaburi before heading over to Koh Samet for a week. That worked well for us, and was a nice way to front load some beach time on our trip. But going at the end has an advantage too because it is nice to have those days to relax at the end, and also builds in a margin or error in case you get behind (or ahead) of your schedule. Does that make sense?

As for where on the island to stay, my favorite area is Ao Hin Khok. That's the beach just one beach south (and only a few meters really) from White Sand Beach, and a relatively short walk from the main ferry boat pier. I'd recommend staying at either Naga or Tok's. Keep in mind that these are backpacker places, meaning that the digs aren't fancy, but they are clean and cheap and friendly. Both have beach bars, free evening videos, and great restaurants too.

The next beach down is Ao Phai, which is also a little gem in terms of water, sand, and fun stuff to do. I'd recommend staying at either Tutu, or a place back off the beach a bit called The Lost Resort.

Two other great options, and places you can check out once you get settled elsewhere too, are Ao Nuan, a deserted little cove just a few more beaches south of Ao Phai, and Ao Lukyon and the Pineapply Beach Resort. Either of those will give you some serious kick off your shoes and relax moments.

Most of what I've mentioned are profiled on Travelfish's Koh Samet section, so have a look and see if they appeal to you. A few other things to keep in mind are that Samet has mossies, so have plenty of bug spray with you (or buy it there), and that the National Park fee is scheduled to increase to an annoying 400 baht per foreign person beginning in October.

I love Samet, and should you wind up there, I hope you do too. Cheers.