Koh Samui tourist travel tipsThe island of Koh Samui off south-eastern Thailand is a holiday travel paradise covering 247 square kilometres and is about 700 kilometres from the Thai capital, Bangkok. Holiday tourist travel is a major island industry, the first flood of backpackers travelling to Koh Samui in the 1970s. |
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Thailand travel guide ... In October/November 2011, central and northern Thailand were hit by the worst flooding in decades with high waters entering Bangkok suburbs, threatening the central city and key transport infrastructure including airports. Central Bangkok escaped severe flooding but much of the city's outer suburbs were underwater. In October 2010, extensive flooding across Thailand killed several dozen people, affected millions and damaged hundreds of thousands of homes. Koh Samui tourist holiday tipsSamui Airport takes direct international tourist flights and holiday packages are plentiful. Thai Airways flies twice daily to Koh Samui island from Bangkok, the flight lasting 45 minutes. Bangkok Airways has multiple daily connections to Koh Samui from Singapore, Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket, and MAS airline Firefly also flies to Penang. It's easy to catch a domestic flight from Bangkok either directly to Samui Airport or to Surat Thani on the mainland, from whence an island ferry can complete the 55 kilometre trip. A cheaper alternative is to buy a ticket for a night train from Bangkok's railway station, Hualamphong. You can order a sleeper car if you want to snooze. The cheapest way for tourists to travel from Bangkok to Surat Thani is to catch a bus. Thailand travel tip ... Beware that the cheapest buses aren't particularly comfortable on the 10 or 11 hour journey and buses have been stopped and robbed early in the morning - although there's more chance of a traffic accident than a robbery. Koh Samui island ferry tips There are three ferry companies docking at either Ban Don in Surat Thani townsite or Don Sak further east along the mainland coast, and at Na Thon or Lipa Noi piers on Koh Samui itself. Ferry representatives are usually available when tourists arrive at the bus terminal in Surat or train station in Phun Phin-Touts to lead them to the appropriate ferry dock. Ferry prices vary from season to season. Seatran Ferry offers 14 trips to Koh Samui from the mainland per day, beginning at 6am, and the trip usually takes 90 minutes. Seatran fares: from train station to Koh Samui 250 baht; from bus station to Koh Samui 180 baht; from Ban Don to Koh Samui 220 baht; from Don Sak (east of Surat Thani) to Koh Samui 80 baht (2011 prices). The Seatrans ferry for a car from Don Sak to Koh Samui is 250 baht. Songserm Ferry has an Express Boat departing Ban Don in Surat Thani at 8am every day. Raja Ferry provides 15 ferry trips a day from Don Sak every hour from 5am to 7pm. Raja Ferry takes most passengers to Lipa Noi on Kho Samui (54 baht for adults; 20 baht for children from 6 to 12; 87 baht per bicycle or small motorbike; 200 baht per car in 2011) and buses then take them to the main port town of Na Thon, where there are a few necessities such as shops, banks and post offices. Raja Ferry also has services direct from Don Sak to Na Thon. The ferries to Koh Samui island are fairly basic and an Express Boat trip from Surat Thani townsite to Na Thon usually takes from two and a half to three hours. Alternatively, Raja and Seatran ferries take tourists directly to Na Thon in about 90 minutes. Seatran has the most modern ferries. Explore Koh Samui by hiring a songthaews (a small truck with two rows of seating in the back) or your own motorcycle. Be aware that motorbike riding on Koh Samui can be fairly dangerous and the rider must wear a helmet. Seatbelts are mandatory for all car occupants. Tourists are regularly fined 500 baht for helmet offences. A safer alternative is to hire a Suzuki jeep, usually costing about 750 baht per day (2011). A small car can be hired for as little as 1,200 baht per day. The island has a gruesome record of traffic fatalities and injuries, so be careful. Travel insurance is highly recommended. Koh Samui island travel tips You'll find Koh Samui island is peppered with accommodation ranging from cheap thatched bungalows to expensive holiday tourist resorts in idyllic locations. There is hardly anywhere on Koh Samui that isn't perfect for holiday views and tourist relaxation, although the subdivided estates of north-east Samui are a bit suburban. White sands, reefs, calm waters and coconut palms fringe much of the island, which also has the par 72 Santiburi Samui Country Club golf course which opened in 2003 on its north coast.
You'll find the west coast of Koh Samui island is much more peaceful, largely because the shallows are often strewn with coral. If you want to escape the madding crowd, it's worth exploring the west coast settlements of Lipa Noi, Laem Nan and Bang Kao. On the island's north coast, Tongsai Bay and Mae Nam are popular alternatives. The north coast fishing village of Bophut has retained more of its traditional Thai character, despite considerable development of cafes, bars and lodges in recent years. Arguably the best and thus most popular beaches are Hat Lamai and Hat Chaweng, both on the east coast of the island. The crowds are usually a little smaller at Bo Phut, Big Buddha and Mae Nam on the northern coast. Diving is a strong tourist magnet and the island has several dive schools. Diving and snorkeling are popular in the Ang Thon marine sanctuary. There is a broad range of accommodation from budget lodges to five-star retreats. However, it's difficult to nowadays find accommodation for just a few dollars a night, as was the case in the '70s and '80s when Koh Samui was a backpackers' haven. Many tourists now use Koh Samui as a springboard to less-developed and cheaper Thailand islands such as Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. It can be difficult to find beach accommodation in Koh Samui during the high seasons from December to February and during July and August. In the wet season, temperatures are still high, prices are lower and there are far fewer tourists, but you must risk rain that can sometimes be fleeting and other times persist for days. Located in the Gulf of Siam, Kho Samui island is within the Thailand province of Surat Thani and officially has a population around 55,000 people (2011). Unofficially, the population is closer to 100,000 because of unregistered residents such as foreigners and Thais working away from their homes. The island is approximately 25 kilometres by 21 kilometres. A 51 kilometre road circles Koh Samui, the main town is called Na Thon and there are about 60 surrounding islands. Major tourist attractions on Koh Samui island include the Magic Garden (tucked away in an upland jungle gorge), the 15 metre golden Big Buddha at Wat Phra Yai near Bophut (often overrun by tourists), Namuang Waterfall south of Nathon, the Hin Ta-Hin Yai rocks at south Lamai, and the Ancient House near Ban Thale. There are plenty of four wheel drive adventures to be had in Koh Samui's jungle interior including waterfalls, elephant treks, bird-watching and snake or crocodile farms. Koh Samui island travel in Thailand People have lived on Koh Samui island for about 1,500 years, the first settlers being fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and southern China. Five hundred year old maps from the Chinese Ming dynasty clearly show the island, where the traditional source of income was coconuts and fishing before Koh Samui's travel industry took off with the advent of cheap bus, ferry and plane tickets to southern Thailand. There were no roads until the 1970s. Huge coconut plantations cover much of the inland and Koh Samui ships more than 20 million nuts a year to Bangkok. Tourists (known locally as "farangs") have been saying for the past 20 years that Koh Samui is about to lose its inexpensive, undeveloped charm as a cheap travel destination. The island nowadays usually hosts more than a million tourists every year. In 2011, about 800,000 tourists visited Koh Samui, 75% of them foreigners. Much of north-east Samui has been developed for housing subdivisions over the past few years, mostly for expats and retirees rather than tourists, and in many ways resembles a modern Western-style suburbia. There have been major changes such as construction of the airport and several luxury tourist hotel resorts. There are about 430 hotels on the island in 2011. However, the island still has plenty of coastal hideaways within the budget of backpackers seeking a cheap holiday in Koh Samui. In 2011, the cheapest Koh Samui resort hotel room spotted on the internet cost about 700 baht per night. A more typical price was 3,700 baht per night. The cheapest bed you'll find on the island will cost about 240 baht per night. Koh Samui has several nightclubs and an illicit background industry of prostitution and drugs which relies largely on tourists. Full moon parties are regular alcohol and drug-fuelled celebrations on the island. There is usually abundant cheap transport to get you to and from the nightspots from evening till early morning. Agree on a fare before departure in taxis and be prepared to haggle. If you want to study the Koh Samui property market for residential, commercial, rental or other real estate opportunities, it's worth checking Ko Samui Properties. To book flights, hotels, car rentals, etc. in Thailand, visit our Travel Shop. |
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