Koh Samui & Koh Phangan help

Dirk

Dirk

Well-Known Member
Dear all,

I am off to Thailand for my third trip in February and plan to visit Koh Samui & Koh Phangan as I havent been there before.

Does anyone have any decent recommendations for where to stay? I am the wrong side of 30, not really interested in doing a Shoreditch/Student type Full Moon party and can afford the luxuries of life.

Any help or suggestions appreciated! (I do plan on going to Bottle Beach?)
 
you might get some rain in february still in koh samui and koh pangan (nov till jan are the months with the most rain there), but else you should be alright.

i've heard good things about santiburi resort and the zazen resort. both are NOT at chaweng beach, which is the most touristic place in koh samui (but apparently still the nicest beach on the island).
 
Hello :D

We've stayed in a couple of places on Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. Personally I much preferred Koh Phangan, Koh Samui is much more commercial - McDonalds, Starbucks etc. However for a few days it made a nice change to be back in civillisation but without sounding w@nky, it's not really 'proper Thailand'.

Chaweng Beach is by far the most touristy beach (but probably the best) on Koh Samui, we stayed right at the north (quieter) end though in a place called The Island which is definitely more suited to a 30+ years flashpacker :lol:;)

We also stayed in Bo Phut on Koh Samui, the beach wasn't as good there but it was a much nicer area to stay - lots of really good little restaurants etc. We stayed in a place called Smile Resort there which was lovely.

You probably know this but on Koh Phangan don't stay in Haad Rin (where the Full Moon Parties are), although a FMP is definitely worth going to, and the aftershow at Backyard is really good.

We have stayed in Ban Kai (about 3 miles outside Haad Rin) a couple of times, in Bankai Orchid resort - highly recommended and attracts a more mature clientelle :lol:;) if you don't want to be surrounded by lots of gap year students.

To really get away from it though I'd recommend going right up to the north, we spent a few days on Thong Nai Pan Nio beach (bit further around than Bottle Beach) in a place called Baan Pan Buri and just totally chilled for a few days. If you are going to head north the roads up there are still essentially tracks so it's not that easy to get about but if you just want to chill then I'd head up there.

I'm not sure how long you have got, personally I'd do just 3/4 days on Koh Samui, maybe a week somewhere more accessible on Koh Phangan like Ban Kai/Ban Tai and then finish up right up on the north of Koh Phangan for total chilled-ness.
 
PS if you're wanting to do Gulf of Thailand islands then maybe think about doing Koh Tao (if you've not done it before) above Koh Samui.
 
We are in Chang Mai for a week and then flying down to Koh Samui and we have about another two weeks to spend around there.

Thanks very much for the advice, I will check out some of these places tonight! (we are definately Flash Packers! ;) )
 
phangan is soooo beautiful.... although its bean quite developed over the last 10years or so...
i usually stay way up north on had thong lang or had yao (fantastic diving) & magnificent beaches.... depends on what you wanna do....? last time i stayed there i played the black moon party & stayed in had thian (east)...... there is an AMAZING secluded hotel up on the cliffs just before you get to the santuary that left me speechless (& that NEVER happens)... (if you want me to get the name PM me dood... i will have to look through my stuff for their card.... i cant remember the name!)
there is also a wicked little tree-top club on had thian called 'guy's bar'...... cool vibe.... cool music.... wicked people.... usually happens every weekend.....
i love thailand 8)
 
discoplayer said:
phangan is soooo beautiful.... although its bean quite developed over the last 10years or so...
i usually stay way up north on had thong lang or had yao (fantastic diving) & magnificent beaches.... depends on what you wanna do....? last time i stayed there i played the black moon party & stayed in had thian (east)...... there is an AMAZING secluded hotel up on the cliffs just before you get to the santuary that left me speechless (& that NEVER happens)... (if you want me to get the name PM me dood... i will have to look through my stuff for their card.... i cant remember the name!)
there is also a wicked little tree-top club on had thian called 'guy's bar'...... cool vibe.... cool music.... wicked people.... usually happens every weekend.....
i love thailand 8)
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love love love the parties at Guys bar!! think they were on thursdays?

must go back
 
Dirk Bigler said:
We are in Chang Mai for a week and then flying down to Koh Samui and we have about another two weeks to spend around there.

Thanks very much for the advice, I will check out some of these places tonight! (we are definately Flash Packers! ;) )
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Chiang Mai is wonderful, have you got somewhere to stay there? If so I really recommend Vanilla Place, it has the loveliest Thai owners who will do anything for you and treat you like thier family.

A must do in Chiang Mai is the Elephant Nature Park about 2 hours north of the city http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/

Also back on Koh Phangan, there is an amazing restaurant called Anahata between Ban Tai and Ban Kai - think KM5 but nicer with waterfalls and hammocks etc, they do a fantastic evening menu and on Sundays do an all day buffet with DJs etc.
 
zarbtron said:
love love love the parties at Guys bar!! think they were on thursdays?

must go back
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That's why I keep telling everyone to stay at the Sanctuary but no one ever listens! (except you that is) I'm dying to go back and do a course in Ayurvedic yoga massage but it won't be happening for a while.

http://www.thesanctuary.co.uk/

Still - the north of KPG is gorgeous too. Lucky lucky you - I'm dying to revisit Thailand.
 
I'd recommend the the Bo Phut Spa Hotel, we stayed there for our honeymoon and loved it.

there's some nice places to eat in Bo Phut, The Pier is great to dine in - there's no front on the building and you eat gazing out across the moonlit bay. You can get a speedboat across to Koh Phangan for the full moon parties.

The big Buddha is quite nice and theres some other really nice temples too.


Have a great time :)
 
I was about to recommend the Sanctuary as well.
Fantastic place....one of the best New Years Eve parties I've ever been to.

Koh Samui used to be good 20 years ago. We were there in Dec last year and thought it had changed completely. More like Benidorm now.
 
zarbtron said:
love love love the parties at Guys bar!! think they were on thursdays?

must go back
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cant remember what days they are on..... but i remember the 'weak' shake they made me before i had to play..... half way through the set i didnt know if i was 'imagining' the music slowing down & speeding up or if the generator was actually losing some juice! :lol:
great place! 8)
 
alistair said:
I'd recommend the the Bo Phut Spa Hotel, we stayed there for our honeymoon and loved it.

there's some nice places to eat in Bo Phut, The Pier is great to dine in - there's no front on the building and you eat gazing out across the moonlit bay. You can get a speedboat across to Koh Phangan for the full moon parties.

The big Buddha is quite nice and theres some other really nice temples too.


Have a great time :)
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The big buddha was built really recently though so it's not a proper temple. ;)

Also - there's very little in the way of natural landscape on Samui - most of it has been bulldozed to make way for coconut plantations.

Beware the falling coconuts - lots of people are killed by those there! :eek::lol:

There are some really temples in Chiang Mai - especially the oldest ones (with the exception of Doi Suthep which is reeeally busy - always packed with camera clicking tourists)
 
there's alot of rip off merchants in Thailand. They'd seriously want straightening out. On two occasions I got wrong change in pubs. There's no real reasoning with them.

Also I hate it when they charge the 'farang' one price and Thai natives a lower price - sickening **** just on principle alone....

A British lad I met, said he was sick of that nonsense as well.....paying over the odds for lower-class bus excursions etc....

be on guard I say....it's not all rosy in the garden....

I shan't be returning (as if the country is going to fall to pieces in my absence.....)
 
I think it's fine to charge farang more in market stalls etc...we've got tonnes more money than them! :eek:

It's harsh for westerners who live there but seriously, how are we going to feel the pinch if they charge us 1,000 baht instead of 400 for a feed?

The country is built on tourism after all.
 
joecc said:
there's alot of rip off merchants in Thailand. They'd seriously want straightening out. On two occasions I got wrong change in pubs. There's no real reasoning with them.

Also I hate it when they charge the 'farang' one price and Thai natives a lower price - sickening **** just on principle alone....

A British lad I met, said he was sick of that nonsense as well.....paying over the odds for lower-class bus excursions etc....

be on guard I say....it's not all rosy in the garden....

I shan't be returning (as if the country is going to fall to pieces in my absence.....)
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This must be some kind of joke? You think they should charge the local fisherman who lives in a straw hut and earns 30p a day to feed his family the same price as you - a tourist who has probably paid over £1000 for his holiday alone?!

The average Thai earns about 8000 baht a month, which is about £120, significantly lower I'm sure than the salary you earn!

I'm glad you're not going back to Thailand, you're the kind of tourist they definitely DON'T need there!
 
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