Ko Samui

As far as popular islands in Thailand go, Ko Samui is surpassed only by Phuket. With an international airport, a mass of ferry connections and close to 500 hotels and guesthouses, this is not somewhere to come to glimpse a corner of the Thai kingdom untouched by tourism development.

But if you're hunting for white sand beaches, turquoise waters and all-day sun, Samui can be a fine choice and our Ko Samui travel guide should help you to find the best beach, guesthouse or hotel for your needs.

With over a million visitors a year, Ko Samui's inadequate infrastructure is at breaking point, yet development continues unabated. Huge swathes of land are cordoned off for developers to slap up massive "luxurious" residential compounds -- well away from the chaotic mess some of the beachside developments have become. Then, as Ko Samui's first million-dollar house was sold, the lure of big bucks has even more developers scrambling for a piece of the action.

As the lush inland areas are deforested and concreted, topsoil run-off blights the roads in wet-season -- even a short downpour leaves many roads awash in red water -- areas such as Bophut and Chaweng flood in an instant. At times you can really be left scratching your head wondering if anyone really cares about what a mess parts of the island have become.

 

Nevertheless, put the environmental degradation and unabated development aside and you'll find that Ko Samui still retains some lovely beaches -- you just need to look a little harder to find them.

Before the crowds drag themselves out of bed popular Chaweng and Lamai remain pretty, while on the north side, quieter Mae Nam has a growing reputation. Of course there are many other beaches worth investigating -- don't make the mistake of spending your entire Ko Samui sojourn on just the one stretch of sand.

Amongst all this development, there have been some stunning resorts appear on the island -- boutique spas and hidden jungle hideaways -- if budget is of no concern, then Samui has some terrific options for serious pampering -- and best of all you'll not need to leave the resort.

For backpackers and the budget traveller, Samui is not yet a lost cause. Mae Nam beach in particular has some outstanding old-style backpacker guesthouses that are excellent value. Big Buddha is also decent, though the noise from the aircraft darting in and out at the nearby airport is a distraction. For mid-range and up, Chaweng and Lamai are home to the majority of hotels, though Lamai should be considered Chaweng's ugly sister -- the beach is fine enough, but the guesthouse, hotel and restaurant selection is not nearly as good.

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Recommended reading

 » What's a good beach on Ko Samui?
 » Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao Diving Guide
 » How do I get from Bangkok to Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao?
 » Do I need reservations for my holiday?

 

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