Planning to visit koh samui? Take a look on different beaches of Koh Samui.
Chaweng Beach - Koh Samui
Koh Samui's busiest and biggest town has sprung up around one of the island's best beaches. As well as offering more accommodation options than elsewhere on the island, Chaweng is also nightlife central with bars and restaurants catering to every taste.
From beachside institutions to sophisticated cocktail bars, Chaweng's nightlife is streets ahead of anywhere else on Samui in terms of choice.
The famous Green Mango strip still forms the axis around which the rest of the town's bars revolve and is packed with (mostly) young revellers every night, alternating between the pubs, dance bars and girly bars. Chaweng's main strip is nearly three kilometres long though, and lots of smaller centres of activity have sprung up along it. McDonalds forms a landmark in the south of town just across the road from Chaweng's single most popular bar, Tropical Murphy's Irish pub.
Lamai Beach - Koh Samui
Lamai Beach is Samui's second-largest resort area after Chaweng. It is quieter and less bustling than its big sister, but still with plenty of accommodation, dining and shopping options, and some great spas and tourist sites to explore.
The general atmosphere is laid back and Lamai has slightly older, and by extention cheaper tourist facilities than Chaweng, although there is some indication that the area is slowly being rejuvenated. Along with the rest of Samui, there is a steady trend away from the 'cheap and cheerful' toward smarter, high-end accommodation and dining facilities and new resorts in Lamai such as The Pavillion, The Renaissance and Lamai Wanta bear testament to this upgrade.
View point : Lamai beach
Bophut Beach - Koh Samui
Bophut is really two places: Bophut beach, which sweeps down several kilometres between Big Buddha and Maenam beaches and perhaps one of the oldest places on the island, the charming Fisherman's Village, which takes up the middle section of the beach.
Fisherman's Village is fast gaining a reputation that stretches way beyond Samui for being the most elegant and well-preserved place on the island. Lined by old wooden Chinese shop-houses, interspaced with a few modern buildings that match the tone, it retains a distinctly Mediterranean feel. This has probably got a lot to do with the fact that it was the main French outpost on the island for many years.
Mixed in among the shops are several boutiques, selling high quality clothing and jewellery. There are also some dive shops in the area, offering scuba lessons or day dives to sites in the famous Ang Thong Marine Park, Sail Rock or Koh Tao Island.
La Sirene also offers some selected tours to secret spots in the surrounding islands or some Jeep rides to places difficult to access for visitors not familiar with the island, mainly the Secret Buddha Garden. Try an elephant ride in the tropical forest or go for a fishing trip on a local fishing boat (with local fisherman) around the island of Koh Phangan.
Maenam Beach - Koh Samui
Perhaps it's the excellent views of Koh Phangan that have kept Maenam as Samui's last predominantly backpacker beach. Or maybe it's the fact that many of its resorts are located at the end of long rambling pathways, affording a degree of privacy unavailable elsewhere.
Golden sands in morning sunshine : Maenam beach
Either way, Maenam is still the place to be while away for a few weeks (or months) on a low budget, staying in one of the many cheap fan bungalow operations that are dotted along the beach. At the other end of the scale, Santiburi Resort provides dependable five star luxury to those who can afford it and excellent Royal Thai cuisine at its Sala Thai restaurant.
Maenam beach sunrise
Photo credit : Birendra chanrda
EAST AND SOUTH COASTS
Travelers who would like to learn more about the island away from the usual touristy spots should explore Samui’s east and south coasts as the majority of these areas still maintain their exotic charm and a smalltown atmosphere. You will also find interesting small beaches or in some cases the rocky bays looking out to beautiful islets nearby.
Other Islands near Koh Samui
Ang Thong Marine National Park, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan
There are about 60 other islands near Koh Samui, most of which are tropical paradises in their own right. Some have small populations and reputations, such as Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. Others are little more than dots of land in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand, but are home to breathtaking scenery, unspoilt beaches and ideal conditions and surroundings for sailing, scuba diving or just relaxing far from civilisation.
Journey times between Koh Samui other islands is relatively short and each offers something a little different. Koh Phangan’s full moon parties are legendary, as are Koh Tao’s pristine, uncrowded beaches. Koh Taen abounds with history and folklore while the 42 islands of Ang Thong Marine Park are home to a rich variety of exotic sea creatures and plantlife.
Ang Thong National Marine Park
Ang Thong National Marine Park is a pristine archipelago of 42 islands in the Gulf of Thailand with towering limestone mountains, thick jungle, white-sand beaches, fertile mangroves, waterfalls and hidden coves and lakes to explore. Within sight of Koh Samui, Ang Thong park is a protected area of more than 100 square kilometres of land and sea, and home to a rich variety of exotic wildlife and sea creatures. Snorkelling, hiking, sea kayaking, diving, sailing and simply relaxing on one of its idyllic beaches are the main activities to enjoy on Ang Thong.
Most Ang Thong visitors arrive on a join-in day trip or by boat charter from Koh Samui or Koh Pha Ngan. For those who wish to stay overnight, there are simple bungalows and camping tents available for rent at the Park Headquarters on Koh Wua Talab, where a simple restaurant is found as well. Though the park has started to get busy with day-trippers in the peak season, the Ang Thong islands remain the postcard-perfect image of a tropical paradise.
Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan, with an overall area of 167sqkm, is Thailand’s fifth biggest island. Located 70km from the mainland and just 12km from Koh Samui, Phangan does not have an airport and relies heavily on ferries from the mainland and Koh Samui.
Predominantly made up of granite, its almost unspoilt beauty is accented by a hilly, lush tropical jungle interior, many idyllic, long white-sand beaches and over 20 nearby dive sites. The main disembarkation points are Thongsala and Haad Rin where you will find plenty of ATM machines and banks. While there are no Tourist Police on Koh Phangan the island’s police station is situated just outside Thongsala.
Transportation is mostly provided by ‘song teaows’, converted pickup trucks that ply the hilly roads and rental jeeps and motorcycles while private taxis can also be hired. Parts of Phangan – especially between Ban Tai and Haad Rin – are extremely hilly with not the best road conditions so caution should be exercised – especially at night and in adverse weather conditions.
Phangan’s main claim to fame is largely due to its many Full Moon, ‘Black Moon’ and just about any other moon beach parties, with the Full Moon celebrations attracting from 10,000 to 30,000 revellers at New Year’s Eve.
Koh Taen and Koh Mudsum
Located a short boat ride from Samui's south coast, these two small islands often come together as a package (with either fishing or snorkelling thrown in) offered as a daytrip by local tour companies and individuals. Koh Mudsum is basically one long beach that is unfortunately rather dirty in places. There's also a dead reef directly off shore, which makes swimming tricky, and a pearl farm that's open to visitors.
Rather more interesting, Koh Taen has bungalow accommodation, a couple of restaurants and a wooden walkway through a mangrove swamp. The Koh Taen Conservation Society, has erected helpful blue signs identifying plants and buildings of historical interest. The island is home to several families of Muslim fishermen who are slowly abandoning their villages in search of better opportunities elsewhere.
Local folklore also notes that there are no dogs on Koh Taen, and that any dog setting paw on the island will die. Some people ascribe this to an ancient curse, but it may be that the high-pitched emissions from the thousands of bats living in the island's caves are too much for canines to bear. The most likely explanation, however, is simply that the Muslim inhabitants won't allow dogs on their island. Thong Krut is the best place from which to charter a boat to get to the islands. Alternatively, most tour companies will offer trips.
Koh Tao Island
Once the haunt of sea-turtles, this small island north of Koh Samui with its quiet undisturbed beaches has become a magnet for those who really want to get away from it all and for divers who come to view the colourful coral beds. Since the main attraction is diving - the beaches remain tranquil and uncrowded while facilities, food and accommodation have greatly improved.
Since its "discovery" in the early 80's word has spread of the island's natural beauty, beaches and marine life with faster, more efficient ferries providing better access. It's a great place to relax.
The basic bungalows of the past have now been supplemented by new resorts with 24 hour air-conditioning and better facilities. The island, though, still remains a beautiful and unspoilt paradise.
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