A Koh Samui resorts review and fun guide for the fasmily with child- friendly options, nightlife and bars. ADVENTUREA detailed Samui fun guide to nightlife, the best beaches, dives, top resorts, and aromatic spas.
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Also how to catch a tiger by its tail, BIG rocks, and why boys will be, well…, ladies. Written and photographed by Vijay Vergheseupdates by Tenzing Y Thondup. SEE ALSOBangkok Hotels | Bangkok shopping | Chiang Mai Guide | Phuket Guide | Phuket Resorts | Thai spas | Hua Hin Guide | Krabi resorts | Pattaya guide | Bali fun guide. Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui. JUMP TOGetting to Koh Samui | Choeng Mon, Tong Son | North coast and Bophut | West and Taling Ngam | Chaweng | Lamai Beach | Koh Phangan | Koh Samui Spas | Nightlife and shopping | Hotel Contacts.
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KOH SAMUI ROCKS. In fact this Thai island in the Gulf of Siam is all about rocks – big rocks, bigger rocks, characterful rocks, and even fibreglass rocks for those who lack natural granite and common sense. The original rock is at Tamarind Springs, the herbal spa retreat. This much- photographed boulder was assembly- line cloned and plonked down in so many Koh Samui spas, Tamarind was forced to hit back with THE MOTHER OF ALL ROCKS. An even larger boulder. Camera- wielding Japanese meanwhile continue to head for Hin Ta and Hin Yai (Grandfather and Grandmother rocks), the former a proud and naturally phallic landmark.
And, for louder rock (music) or just Ecstasy- fuelled head- banging, there is always Koh Phangan and its famously over- the- top full moon parties, just 2. Bophut. Drugs, overcharging, overcrowded boats, and buckets of barf have dimmed Koh Phangan’s appeal somewhat but the young and restless will be young and restless. Slide Show. E- mail Page. Print. Hotel Contacts. On Ko Samui, Thailand, the most active denizens used to be the monkeys. Turn anywhere and you'd spot the ubiquitous, sign – "Monkey work coconut".
There is even a Monkey Theatre in Bophut where you can watch our distant cousins clamber up coconut trees to pluck the fruit. I am glad to report this is not a drag show with Wonderbras and red lipstick though we would certainly pay to see that.
Monkeys do less work these days, its impact evident in the slowing economy. Then there are the tigers. I came across one behind a hotel reception counter. Apparently they do a show too. Butterflies brazenly strut their stuff as do slithering snakes.
Someone find Noah and put this place on his map. For travellers, a simple Koh Samui map will suffice. Samui Airport trolley transfer. Scratch the sand, find a spa. Koh Samui spa resorts are dotted all over the island like a rash threatening to exfoliate visitors alive and deposit them neck deep in Deep Sea mud.
If you're looking for a quieter, pre- pubescent version of Phuket with decent food, scenic drives and a spot of professional "colonic irrigation" to get the innards humming, cast an eye over this Samui guide. The beaches and water are not quite up to the Phuket mark but there are some outstanding stretches. These days local spas and hotels are inseparable so we've reviewed the whole lot together.
For purposes of clarity and ease of use our Koh Samui resorts review (with a small Samui spa guide for some stand- alone establishments at the end) runs in a circle around the island, pretty much following Highway 4. See our Koh Samui map. Send us your Feedback / Letter to the Editor. A host of fresh faces have invaded Samui, considerably enlivening the hitherto rustic cupboard. The W Retreat Samui struts its stuff on the northern Maenam Beach; Le Meridien (September 2.
Langham (Gurich) in Lamai that succeeded in garnering much negative feedback after Langham departed; the 2. Cinemascope- sunset Conrad Koh Samui (September 2. Aow Thai Beach is a debutante in the west; and Vana Belle Samui Resort & Spa, a member of The Luxury Collection, that arrived late in 2. Also look out for the swish Banyan Tree Samui on a quieter private access Lamai Beach. On now with our Koh Samui fun guide for families in search of child- friendly resorts, lovers seeking romantic villas, and executives hankering after the best corporate meeting getaways.
Here’s what’s hot, what’s not, who’s lost the plot.▲ top. Getting to and around Samui. A reader at the Library resort. Far to the northeast is the tiny but steadily modernising airport. Samui Airport (www. Bangkok Airways (Bangkok tel: [6.
Samui airport has been through an upgrade, moving from a two- shack homey affair to a small international airport (there are now several more breezy shacks) while still shaking its eco- friendly tail. The Hawaiian feel remains, right down to the trolley cars with floral paintings that shuttle passengers to their aircraft. Check- in and then walk a baking 1. Samui Park Avenue”, which houses outlets from Quicksilver, Roxy and Jim Thompson (for Thai silk confections) along with a few eateries. En route on a grassy lawn are a few driftwood chairs, relics from the original airport.
Air- conditioning is only in the Bangkok Airways club lounge and in the duty- free shopping corner. Bangkok Airways uses small Airbus jets and prop planes connecting Koh Samui to Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport), Singapore, and Hong Kong. Expect a remarkably stress- free journey with friendly service. On a Bangkok Airways international service A3. Row 4 (the first economy row in a 3- 3 configuration) that allows you to stretch your feet immodestly into the business cabin. Seats are surprisingly wide but inflight entertainment is solely in the form of drop- down overhead screens that may be hard to watch. Exit row 8 is another option with more leg space and a better viewing angle for the video show.
THAI Airways International (www. Bangkok. Other airlines with flights to Koh Samui include Berjaya Air (www. Kuala Lumpur and budget airline Fire. Fly (www. fireflyz. Penang, Malaysia.
Fire. Fly is set to become a full service airline in the fullness of time. Silk. Air (www. silkair. Singapore. The only other way to get to Samui is via a three- hour ferry from Surat Thani (served by Thai Airways) on the Thai mainland. The island's hilly centre is encircled by Highway 4. Highway 4. 17. 0 branches off from 4. Baan Taling Ngam and the southern coast before rejoining it just before Lamai. It’s hard to get lost.
While cheaper car rental options abound, it is perhaps safer to go with Budget (tel: [6. Avis (tel: [6. 6- 2] 2. An Avis Toyota Vios 1. Bt. 1,6. 50 per day. Budget is set up at the airport and at Chaweng Beach. Akatsuki: chic and Zen.
Local taxis have meters that are notoriously underused. Perhaps the manual does not explain how to turn them on. The brief journey from the airport to Chaweng will cost around Bt. US$1= Bt. 31. 9) by taxi depending on your bargaining skills. And the equally brief run from Chaweng Beach to Lamai Beach may be quoted at Bt. Bangkok to distant Suvarnabhumi Airport, including highway tolls.
A taxi from the airport area to the west coast Taling Ngam is Bt. It is highway robbery, no less, but you’ll have to grin and bear it unless you enjoy the risk and bottom- numbing rigour of a moped (rentals from Bt. On then with our Koh Samui resorts review.▲ top. Resorts in the northeast: Choeng Mon, Tong Son.
The north and northeast of Samui, along Choeng Mon Beach, Tong Son Bay, Bophut and Maenam, is where much new building activity is feverishly concentrated. Villas sprout every week and entire hillsides disappear as builders excavate for rock, sand, and access. Still, the northeast fringe has its nice spots and the far northwest, where Four Seasons Resort, Koh Samui, is located, remains fairly verdant and unspoiled. The Six Senses Samui – A SALA Property (reopened 1 July 2. The Hideaway sprawls over 2. The Six Senses Spa at this high- end Koh Samui spa resort features a range of exotic treatments like the “Tibetan balls” or “ringing” balls laid out on your back to send good vibes through your body. Alternatively, vibrate to the sounds of an Australian didgeridoo.
The 6. 6 villas set along a rise ensure there are ample views for all and they feature "open" bathrooms, with 5. Six Senses Hideaway infinity pool. Care has been taken for the development to blend into nature and all- pervasive bamboo screens create interesting enclosures and line pathways. Personal butlers are on hand in each villa to ensure you don’t have to lift a finger. A Pool Villa set higher up the hill throws open vast vistas from a gauze- draped bed set above a small outdoor patio with plunge pool.