Koh Samui tourist information
Koh Samui is Thailand’s boutique island which offers lovely beaches and some of the best hotels in the whole of Asia. Every season Koh Samui gets a little more developed with luxury resorts and villas cropping up in previously unspoilt surroundings. Nevertheless, Koh Samui has retained enough of its natural charm to attract swathes of happy holidaymakers year after year.
And you do not have to spend your life savings to visit Koh Samui. The island still has a thriving backpacker culture with cheap digs in some of the less fashionable, but nevertheless picturesque, beaches available for less than a pub lunch in the West.
 | Bungalows & resortsKoh Samui boasts some of the plushest hotels and resorts of anywhere in the world, with Hollywood celebrities flocking to enjoy spa treatments in its exclusive hideaways...more |  | Koh Samui beachesWhile the east and north coasts of Koh Samui are certainly the most popular, there are great beaches all over the island with a few quiet coves that are still free of the tourist hordes...more |
 | NightlifeThere's plenty of nightlife on Koh Samui for all ages and tastes, with young people revelling in the all-night beach parties and older souls enjoying the beer bars of Lamai...more |  | TransportationGetting to Koh Samui is easy with frequent ferries and its own international airport, and getting around once there is likewise simple with taxis, songthaews and rental vehicles...more |
Koh Samui guide - the Thai Gulf's boutique island paradise
The most popular resort of Koh Samui is undoubtedly Chaweng Beach to the north of the island’s east coast. A little south of here is popular Lamai Beach which boasts some raucous nightlife, whilst quiet Mae Nam to the north is developing into high-end enclave.
Koh Samui suffered flooding in the hot season of 2011 which caused much of the island to be evacuated. Many resorts were left underwater and hotels suffered terrible damage, but the island is back to its thriving best and little of the devastation suffered is visible to tourists today.
Koh Samui has a smattering of great golf courses and is also a popular sailing hub, with the island’s annual regatta attracting boating aficionados from all over Asia and beyond. Top attractions on Koh Samui include the Big Buddha temple, a mummified monk and phallic-shaped ‘grandmother and grandfather’ rocks.
Koh Samui is easy to reach with its own International Airport welcoming visitors from Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. There are also a bevy of internal flights linking the island with Phuket, Chiang Mai, Bangkok and more. Otherwise, there are high speed ferries linking Koh Samui with the Thai mainland at Surat Thani and Chumphon, and also to its neighbouring Thai Gulf Islands of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan.
