Samui

This island, the second largest after Phuket, is a popular holiday destination. It cannot offer visitors the advantages of big city resorts - large hotel complexes, a rich nightlife, rich shopping. However, people come here for outdoor recreation, picturesque beaches and authenticity. The island has a good tourist infrastructure, there are various accommodation options, and the best hotels in Samui receive good reviews from travelers. 

✔️ A bit of chronology and facts

The island is believed to have been settled by fishermen from southern China and the Malay Peninsula in the 6th century. In 1687, the place was mentioned on Chinese maps as Pulo Kornam. The origin of the island's modern name is unknown. During World War II, Samui was occupied by the Japanese.

Until the 1980s, this place was isolated from mainland Thailand and lived almost autonomously. Locals were engaged in fishing, growing coconuts and rubber . Then tourism began to develop here, quickly becoming one of the main branches of the economy.

The main city of the island is Na Thon. The total area of ​​Samui is 228.7 km, the highest point is at 635 m.

✔️ Entertainment Features

The island is popular among ecotourists, families with children, couples. There are not many night clubs here, but if you want to light up the dance floor, then there is such an opportunity. But Samui is known for its white beaches, coconut plantations, vibrant underwater world with colorful coral reefs and an abundance of marine life, tropical nature with mountain slopes covered with forests, waterfalls and interesting representatives of the fauna.

There are also Buddhist monasteries and shrines to which you can go on an excursion. The regional cuisine makes many people arrange gastronomic tours to the island. Prices for holidays in Samui are at the level of other popular resorts in Thailand.

✔️ Possible transfer options

The island is located in the Gulf of Thailand, approximately 700 km from Bangkok and 40 km from mainland Thailand. Most often, tourists fly into one of Bangkok's two international airports and then transfer to a regional flight to Samui, where there is a local airport. There are various ways to get around the island: taxi, motorcycle taxi, minibus, rented car. You can arrange a transfer with the host company or hotel if it provides transfer services.

✔️ Weather conditions

Samui is located in the south of the country, where there are two seasons. The wet season lasts from May to December, the dry season from January to April. However, the island is drier than other resorts, with most rainfall in October-November. In other months, you need to monitor the weather in real time to choose the right time for a trip. In order not to worry about the comfort of natural conditions, it is better to find and select a tour online to Samui during the dry season. However, prices for accommodation, services, and goods increase significantly at this time.

✔️ What to bring back from your trip

The main center of trade is the city of Na Thon. This is the main transport hub and fishing port. You can also go shopping in Chaweng, which has gained attention after the construction of the airport. Samui is often called the island of coconuts, because it is one of the main exporters of this product. The most popular purchases among tourists are coconut, its milk and oil, products made from the shell, cosmetics based on it. Pearls are mined here, you can buy jewelry made from this precious mineral. Ruby jewelry is also sold on the island . Among other interesting goods are wooden carved crafts, batik and clothing, accessories and other things made from this precious fabric, ceramics, Thai blue tea, spices, seafood.

✔️ Search and selection of tours online to Samui, reasons to buy a tour or a trip

The island is chosen by those who want to immerse themselves in the calm atmosphere of pristine nature, while having the opportunity to spend time actively.

▶️ Beach holidays

The main reason to buy a tour to Samui is its snow-white beaches. In total, there are more than 30 areas for swimming and relaxing on the coast. There are equipped parts of the coast, wild beaches and places not intended for swimming, suitable only for photo sessions, picnics, romantic evenings.

On the east coast are:

◼️ Chaweng is the longest beach on the island. The sandy strip stretches for 6 km. It consists of picturesque bays, smoothly flowing into each other. The water is crystal clear, in season it can be muddy. This place is the concentration of active and nightlife of the region. There are many bars, clubs, restaurants, entertainment venues.
◼️ Lamai is the second largest beach. It is divided into three parts. The southern and central ones are suitable for swimming and entertainment, all the infrastructure is located there: hotels, bars, shops, cafes, entertainment venues. Near the northern one there are large shallows, this part is not suitable for swimming.

The northern side of the island is known for its beaches:

◼️ Bophut , stretching for 3 km. There is a pier here from where you can go to neighboring islands, there are shops, cafes, supermarkets nearby. The sea is deep, clean, well-groomed beach, nightlife wakes up in the evening.
◼️ Chong Mong , 1 km long. There are comfortable conditions for rest, hotels offer different types of water sports. Sometimes there are too many yachts here. At low tide, the bottom is exposed, creating a land road to the neighboring island.
◼️ Mayenam , the place where the first hotels of the island appeared. The strip of sand is 4 km long. From here you can go on boat trips. An atmosphere of peace reigns here. Nearby is a Chinese-style village. There are many cafes, restaurants, dive centers.
◼️ Bang Po is one of the quietest beaches on the island. Its length is 4 km. There is a coral reef in the surrounding waters. The entrance to the water is gentle, the sea is clean, so this place is suitable for a holiday with children. There is a national park nearby.
◼️ Bang Tai is similar in conditions to the previous one, but there is not much infrastructure here.

On the western and southern coasts there are only wild and hotel beaches and areas not intended for swimming.

Among the water activities are surfing, windsurfing, jet skiing, snorkeling, diving.

▶️ Ancient landmarks

Most locals are Buddhists, so the architectural monuments here are associated with this religion. The most famous temple is Wat Khunaram. The monk Luang Pho Deng is buried here. He predicted his death, ordering his disciples not to cremate him, but to put him in a glass sarcophagus. In 1974, they did just that. It is believed that his body mummified itself. Now everyone can see it, frozen forever in the lotus position. Believers honor the monk with flowers and incense.

Another important sacred place is the pagoda in the Laem Sor temple. The shrine was rebuilt by a sailor after it was destroyed by lightning in the 19th century. The pagoda is painted gold, decorated with spires and statues. Nearby is Wat Sila Ngu, built recently, in 1935. The temple stands out with its terracotta color, unusual for Buddhist shrines. It is decorated with lace carvings and sculptures.

You can also visit the Big Buddha statue. It reaches 12 m and is located on a hill surrounded by temple buildings. You can get to the top by a special dragon staircase. The attraction appeared here in 1972.

▶️ Nature

Natural attractions and interesting places are another reason to buy a tour to Samui. Tourism and the popularity of this island have affected the ecological situation in the region, but this place is still an example of untouched nature. Samui itself is not flat, its center is covered with impenetrable mountain jungle, where the highest peak is located. Closer to the coast, the landscape is lower.

Ang Thong National Marine Park consists of 42 islands with mountain limestone massifs and tropical forests. Here you will see caves, hidden lagoons, beaches with clean white sand. On Ko Mae there is a salt lake called the "inland sea". It is surrounded by vertical cliffs, so getting to this place is quite difficult, but the view of the bright emerald water is worth it. On some islands, there are hiking trails to the peaks, from which magnificent panoramas open up. There are also many places for diving in the park.

One of the popular locations of Samui are the rocks of Hin Yai and Hin Ta. They are located on Lamai Beach and are known for the shape of the stones, resembling external human genitalia.

Children will be interested in visiting the oceanarium, where you can see a collection of colorful corals, bright tropical fish, turtles. You can also go to the tiger zoo and meet leopards and Bengal tigers.

▶️ Additional entertainment

Many people buy gastronomic tours to Samui to enjoy the unique local food. In general, Thai cuisine is one of the richest and most original in the world. Each region has its own variations of national dishes, local treats are added. There are many restaurants on the island, most of them are located near the coast, which allows you to simultaneously enjoy the taste of the dishes and beautiful views of the ocean. In addition to establishments with traditional cuisine, there are places that serve European, Indian, Chinese and other dishes.

Nightlife lovers can have fun both on Samui and go to neighboring Phanagan, where the Full Moon Party is held monthly. These parties are famous throughout the world. Sometimes they gather more than 10 thousand people.

You can go to this resort for the whole vacation, there is everything for a rich leisure. There is also an option to buy a weekend tour to Samui to take a break from the noisy big cities, and then continue exploring Thailand.