Most of our 10 days on the island of Samui were spent relaxing and swimming with friends, either in a pool or at the beach, so this post will not be a daily play-by-play. Instead, here’s the crew and some highlights.

The Crew

Emma:

Lives and teaches in Suratthani, Thailand. Kat and Emma met and became good friends in Dongtan, Korea in 2011. Tammy and Emma also met in Dongtan back in 2011. Emma has a beautiful wife and a cute cat, neither of which were able to join us on the island.

Kat:

Lives in Brisbane, Australia. Tammy and Kat also met in Dongtan, Korea back in 2011. Kat has visited Tammy twice in the USA. Plus we got to finally hang out in Australia recently!!

Corey:

I think you know him well, but here is my loving “why not” travel partner! He likes to say yes to adventures of all sizes.

Tammy:

Do I even need to introduce myself?

The Highlights

Bay Bungalows

We rented beach bungalows at the Bay Samui resort, located in the quiet, northeast corner of Samui. We liked it so much that we extended our stay! (There are other establishments on the island with a similar name, which sometimes made it confusing for our drivers.)

The complex included a pool, beach loungers, and a beach shack (called Again) that served up excellent espresso, tiki drinks, and Thai culinary classics. The prices were a little high (by Thai standards) but that meant we never had to leave our little paradise.

It was a great, secluded place to stay way out of the hustle and bustle that now characterizes most of Samui. We paid about $50 USD per night for the regular rooms (the private pool bungalow was additional, and in our opinion, not worth it since we spent more time at the regular pool).

Beaches

The beaches were very nice and I was pleasantly surprised that there were many soft, sandy stretches of clear warm water. Our bungalow was only a few steps to the beach but we also explored some other nearby beaches.

Thongson Beach

Thongson Beach was within walking distance to our hotel and Corey and I visited twice. It was a nice half moon bay with a restaurant, coffee shop, and hotel. Plus they had wild pigs roaming the beach!

Cheongmon Beach

When we get back to Samui at some point, I would probably look for accommodation here. The half-moon beach is filled with hotels, restaurants, outdoor massage venues, and a long stretch of silky sand to enjoy. Yet it did not feel overcrowded. The tides are funny here though. There is little beach available during high tide but as the water receded in the afternoons, restaurants would set up romantic tables to enjoy in the evening.

Chaweng Beach

The powdery white sand was still visible even though this is the main hub of Samui. There were tons of bars, clubs, hotels, and restaurants. It’s a party vibe filled with international tourists.

We grabbed cocktails one afternoon and walked the entire stretch. It was a nice visit but I would absolutely not stay in that area. Prices seemed inflated and the experience felt crowded and inauthentic. It was a pretty beach though with some tasty restaurants, which is why it still made my highlight list.

Food

Ran Khang Non

My favorite meal on Samui was a small northeastern Thai restaurant that we somehow stumbled upon while walking around the Fisherman’s Village neighborhood. The menu was limited and the food was exceptional!

It was a little garden oasis, with authentic food paired with a great price tag. if you’re in Samui, add this restaurant to your must-try list. The location can be found on Google Maps.

Reggae Bar aka Old Bar

This is the bar/restaurant that we ate at the most often. It was just up the road from our bungalows, so when we did not want to eat at the hotel’s restaurant, we headed here. The establishment was recently opened at that time, and the name may have changed from Reggae Bar to Old Bar during the time that we were frequenting it, probably because there are other bars on Samui with Reggae in the name. Like the Bay Samui, this is the one in the northeast corner of the island.

The bar had a definite reggae vibe and smell, if you know what I mean. That’s not our thing but we kept returning because the service and food were outstanding! From spicy curries to homemade spring rolls, every dish was flavorful and delicious. The prices were reasonable and the owners were so kind. They took great care of us and even gave us a small gift as a nice farewell during our final meal there.

The Bagel Samui

As much as we love Thai cuisine, we also enjoyed plentiful Western options on Samui. After a few months of travel around Asia some of those carb-filled Western dishes were drool-inducing. One of my faves was a bagel place that served up awesome sandwiches and wraps. The bagels were authentic, and they had a wide variety of toppings, including Alaskan smoked sockeye. Get there early, as they bake in the morning and may be out of your favorite bagels when you get there!

Getting There & Away

The only bad thing we have to say about Samui is that it’s not that easy to get to unless you fly.

Our trip from mainland Thailand (Surat Thani) to the beach bungalow involved a 40-minute drive to Nathon ferry, a 75-minute ferry ride, and then another 40-minute drive to arrive at the hotel. If you are not already in Surat Thani, it could be an all-day or a multi-day travel adventure.

To leave Samui, we opted to fly to Bangkok to avoid long driving times. Because we delayed our booking, we ended up overpaying for flights: one ticket was reasonable but the second ticket never came down in price, so our average cost was $128 USD per ticket. The ferry/bus combination is much cheaper, around $30 USD.

Then it turned out that we decided to spend some time in Hua Hin, which is a backtrack southwest from Bangkok, and thus would have been a shorter bus trip. The lesson: don’t delay when flights are involved!

The flight experience in Samui was seamless and quite pleasant! Samui Airport is one of the nicest I’ve ever experienced. It felt similar to small Hawaiian airports but even nicer. There was a large garden area with gazebos, restaurants, and bars. Even the check-in counter was open air under a large pavilion!

The planes do not roll up to the gate. Rather, at boarding time they pick up guests on a shuttle and drop them off down the way for boarding. This creates a calm, quiet environment without the planes being too loud or creating wind gusts.

Samui Overall

We really enjoyed the island! It’s a highly touristed place but there are still unspoiled nooks and crannies to explore.

We would come back and spend more time on Samui itself, and also add the nearby islands to the itinerary.

Most importantly it was a great place to just hang with old friends!!