A boat docked at a Koh Samed pier.

Taken on: 24th April, 2012. Copyright: All Rights Reserved - See Chris.E's page of Flickr

Read more about Ko Samet

Meet the troublesome teen of Thailand's islands: Ko Samet. Its older siblings – Ko Chang, Phuket, Ko Lanta – have grown up into respectable, package-holiday resorts. Meanwhile Samet remains the one that stays up late, wears its henna tattoo on its sleeve and sips vodka from a bucket.

Ko Samet is part of Khao Laem Ya–Ko Samet National Park, which encompasses Khao Laem Ya on the mainland, as well as various other islands. Ko Samet has been developed over the past few years and remains hugely popular with Bangkok folk who take up many of the rooms during the weekends.

Despite its national park status all of Ko Samet's beaches have been developed -- the only way you'd know you're in a national park is via the entry fee charged to visitors. Many who come looking for an island paradise complain that the island has been ruined: tacky resorts crowd the best beaches, and trash sometimes spoils the landscape. Nevertheless, Ko Samet retains enough beauty and ... Read our complete Ko Samet travel guide

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