Travel Guide -Thailand.com

With soft sandy beaches shaded by towering palms, delicious fresh seafood and a vibrant nightlife, Samui has a magical formula that seems to cast its spell on everyone. Ko Samui, often called just Samui is an island in the Gulf of Thailand, some 700km south of Bangkok and about 80km from the eastern coastline of southern Thailand.

Ko Samui is all in all a fairly big place. The most popular and commercialised beaches are Chaweng and Lamai, while the northern beaches and their adjacent villages of Mae Nam, Bophut, Bang Ruk (Big Buddha) and Choeng Mon are more peaceful choices, and the west coast beaches are still (comparatively) quiet.

Clockwise from Nathon on the west coast, the main beaches are:

* Nathon - Samui's port and administrative center, but with little to attract the tourist

* Mae Nam - a quiet and beautiful beach on the northern coast

* Bophut - known for its Fisherman's Village, laid-back but growing fast

* Bang Ruk - at the northeastern tip, home of the Big Buddha

* Choeng Mon - quiet North shore beach

* Chaweng - the largest and most-developed beach, with a curious mix of luxury hotels and backpacker guesthouses and a hopping nightlife

* Lamai - Samui's "second" beach south of Chaweng, more backpackery than Chaweng

* South Coast - the small beaches of Ban Hua Thanon, Na Khai, Laem Set, Bang Kao and Thong Krut

An island of great natural beauty and variety, Samui is home to about 40,000 full-time inhabitants, 90% of whom are Buddhist. The palm fringed shoreline and coconut and fruit cultivation of the coastal lowlands rise to a central granite massive, the slopes of which are cloaked in virgin rainforest.

Samui is the largest island in an archipelago of over 80 (mostly uninhabited) islands which form the Ang Thong National Marine Park, a kayaking and snorkeling paradise. At 25km long and 21km wide, Samui is big enough for serious exploration by the adventurous and fit, but can be circumnavigated in just a couple of hours by motorbike or car.

Tourism has long since overtaken coconut farming and fishing as the main sources of income. The latter are still practiced though to a lesser extent and the pleasant aroma of charring coconuts can still be smelled on many parts of the island. Many of the fish on local restaurant and hotel dining room tables come from the surrounding Gulf of Thailand's warm waters, although increasing amounts are imported from elsewhere as demand outstrips supply.

How to get to Samui

By plane

Ko Samui Airport (USM) is a private airport originally built by Bangkok Airways, which is still the main operator and was for a long time the only airline with services to Ko Samui from Thailand until Thai Airways operated the flights between Bangkok and Ko Samui from April, 2008. They have near-hourly departures to/from Bangkok; tickets are expensive by Thai standards, with advance bookings costing 2000-3500 baht, while a walk-in booking may be twice as much. There are also daily flights to/from Phuket for 2200 baht, U-Tapao, and Singapore; four direct flights a week from Chiang Mai (but no direct flights in the opposite direction); and twice weekly flights to/from Hong Kong.

In addition to Bangkok Air, Ko Samui is served two flights a day from Bangkok on Thai (starting February 2008) as well as by Berjaya Air from Kuala Lumpur and Firefly from Penang, both in Malaysia.

Visa-on-Arrival and Visa-Free entry is available at Samui Airport for some nationalities - see Thailand for more information.

Ground transportation from the airport is readily available. A seat in a minibus for the 20-minute ride to Chaweng costing 100 baht/person; a faster taxi will cost 150-300 baht. Be sure to negotiate the rate to your destination before you get into the taxi since many drivers refuse to use their meters. Recently a regular shuttle bus service was introduced that uses listed prices and allows internet booking and payment - Samui Shuttle.

A cheaper but less convenient option is to fly to Surat Thani or Chumphon and connect by road and then ferry.

By boat

Numerous ferry services direct from mainland Surat Thani include an express boat (3 departures daily, taking around 3 hours and costing 150 baht) and slow night boats (taking 6-7 hours). Call operator Songserm Travel (252 9654 in Bangkok) for the latest schedules, which vary according to the season.

There are also regular speedboats and ferries to Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao.

Lomprayah offers a combined bus/high speed catamaran ferry service from Bangkok to Ko Samui which takes about 11 hours and costs around 850 baht (1000 baht in the opposite direction). The bus pauses in Hua Hin and then stops at Chumphon where it connects with the ferry, which calls at Ko Nang Yuan, Ko Tao and Ko Pha Ngan on its way to Ko Samui. The buses and ferry are air-con and very comfortable. They also offer a free minibus transfer from the dock to your hotel if you book when you pick up your tickets - alternatively, it costs 50 baht when you arrive in Samui.

From Surat Thani train station, combined bus/ferry services to Ko Samui cost 200-300 baht - some entail a 60 minute bus ride followed by a 90 minute ferry crossing, others a 30 minute bus ride but longer on the ferry. Tickets are sold by numerous agents who meet each train.

How to get around Ko Samui

As on many islands in Thailand, small motorbikes are available for rental. Compared to other nearby islands, Samui's road systems is very developed and there are plenty of taxis cruising about, although it's a challenge to get them to use their meters.

Pickup trucks (songthaews) also serve as group taxis. Hail one on any major road with a wave or yell, negotiate a fare, and sit down on the bench in the back.

To See

The reason why people come to Samui is, quite simply, the beaches which remain stunning after decades of development, helped in no small part by a height restriction on new buildings. Other than lying on the beach with a cold beer in hand and ogling at the babes and hunks sauntering past, there isn't all that much to see on the island. A certain pair of rocks on Lamai amuses some visitors, Bang Rak has a large but nondescript Buddha statue, and there are some waterfalls (notably Na Muang) of minor interest.

Do

The usual panoply of watersports are available, including plenty of dive shops, but most diving is done either in the nearby Angthong Marine National Park or Ko Tao as the visibility around Samui's sandy beaches tends to be poor. You can book diving day trips at dive shops, most of which are based in Chaweng. The dive boats tend to leave from the pier at Bophut.

Sailing is beginning to become more popular in Samui being led by the success of the Ko Samui Regatta and the continued popularity of the day crusies and sunset cruises aboard the 52 foot sailing catamaran Kia Ora. The major hindrance to sailing in Ko Samui is the lack of a marina to provide safe mooring, the support infrastructure and services. There have been many rumours about marina construction being imminent but nothing has yet been done. So when you get to Samui, expect to find it hard to locate a suitable provider and also expect to either clamber over rickety wooden jetties or be ferried out on the tender dinghy – all adding to the wonderful Thai style sailing adventure.

Santiburi Samui Country Club boasts the only 18 hole golf course on the island. Located inland from Mae Nam, the neighbouring town to Bophut, the challenging mountain-side and high valley fairways offer stunning views of the bay area and distant Ko Pha Ngan. Golf carts are compulsory, to prevent the exhaustion of players otherwise following the steeply rising and falling fairways. Large greens offer some compensation to players distracted by the fabulous views and lush tropical setting. The clubhouse includes locker rooms, dining, conferencing rooms as well as a driving range, practice green and shop.

Kayaking is a great way to see the Angthong Marine National Park. Look for a credible tour operator when on the island.

There is a nice natural pool at the top of the Na Muang waterfall 2. It's about 30 minutes steep hike from the point where the road ends. There are also some elephant ride businesses, that can take you to the bottom of the waterfall.

Shooting you can visit the Samui shooting range and fire various 9mm and revolver pistols and even the famous AK-47. Turn up and shoot - prices are quite steep around 1000 baht for a magazine of ammo but it does make for a memorable experience and is suitable for small groups.

Bungy Jump situated on the Reggae Street side of Chaweng lake.

Tiger Zoo and Tropical Bird Show - south of Hua Thanon