Koh Samui travel guide: which beach, which hotel, how to get there
A personal Koh Samui travel guide. Chaweng vs Lamai vs Bophut vs Choeng Mon, when to use Bangkok Airways, beach clubs, temples, viewpoints, and what to skip.
Koh Samui is the Thai island I would return to first when I want the trip to be simple. It is not the cheapest island, nor the quietest, nor the one to choose if you want to feel off the grid. What it does well is logistics: hotels, airport, food, beach clubs, temples, viewpoints, and enough choice that a week does not have to repeat itself. The full pin map sits below. This writeup covers the parts of it that change the trip.
On this page
- Getting there
- Festivals and big annual events
- Which beach to pick
- Getting around the island
- Temples and culture, half-day
- Natural sights
- Beach clubs and where to eat
- What to skip
Getting there
The airport in Samui is a small regional. No jet bridges (you ride a cart in), no international long-haul. You connect via Bangkok or fly low-cost into Surat Thani and ferry across.
| Route | Time | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-haul → BKK → Bangkok Airways USM | ~24 hours from US/EU | Premium-ish on the regional leg | Bangkok Airways owns the airport and runs the most frequencies. Reliably on time |
| Long-haul → BKK → low-cost URT → ferry | Same plus ~4 hours | Cheaper on the regional leg | The ferry route can flip the savings if the wind is bad and they cancel |
While you are in Bangkok, top up on anything you cannot live without. Samui has limited brand range. Specific Western things, craft beer selection, specialty hair products are all easier to find at MBK or one of the Siam malls.
Festivals and big annual events
Koh Samui runs on the standard Thai festival calendar plus the Full Moon Party scene anchored on neighboring Koh Phangan, which most Samui visitors pair with at least once.
| Event | When | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Full Moon Party (Koh Phangan) | Every full moon, year-round, with peak attendance December to February | Not on Koh Samui itself but on Koh Phangan 30 minutes north by ferry. Around 5,000 to 30,000 attendees depending on the date. The Haad Rin beach party runs from sunset to sunrise. Hotels in Haad Rin book out, hotels on Koh Samui fill on the same dates as the spillover. Ferry runs through the night for the party. Worth knowing about as a hotel-pressure window even if you are not attending |
| Half Moon Festival (Koh Phangan) | Every half moon, year-round | The mid-cycle version of the Full Moon Party, at Ban Tai. Smaller scale, less hotel pressure |
| Songkran | April 13 to 15 | The Thai new year water-throwing. Chaweng beach and Lamai are the centers on Samui. Smaller than the Bangkok or Chiang Mai versions |
| Loy Krathong | Full moon of the 12th lunar month, usually early to mid-November | The floating-lantern festival. Krathongs floated from every hotel beach |
| Samui Regatta | Late May or early June, a week | The annual yacht regatta hosted out of Chaweng Beach. International sailing event. Hotels in Chaweng fill |
| Chinese New Year | Late January or February | The Chinese-Thai community in Maenam runs lion dances and fireworks |
| Christmas and New Year peak | December 20 to January 5 | The most expensive hotel window of the Samui year. NYE fireworks over Chaweng beach |
| Vegetarian Festival | Nine days in late September or early October | Smaller than the Phuket version but real on Samui. Yellow flags on stalls, vegetarian-only food for the run |
The trip-shaping consideration is the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan. If you are visiting Samui during a full moon, the ferry routes and Phangan hotels are affected. The Christmas-NYE window is the most expensive non-festival hotel period of the year on Samui.
Which beach to pick
The island is a ring road. You will sleep on one beach and visit the others.
| Beach | Crowd | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaweng Beach | Backpackers, families, honeymooners. The biggest mix | First-timers. Choice in hotels, food, beach clubs, jet ski, nightlife | The most crowded. Faces east, so sunrise yes, sunset no. Close to the airport, planes overhead |
| Lamai Beach | Slightly older, slightly slower | Same idea as Chaweng without the volume | Still busy. Same eastern sunrise/no-sunset situation |
| Bophut / Fisherman's Village | Mature travelers, families | The strongest food base on the island. Holiday Inn Resort sits here | Neither sunrise nor sunset views are optimal |
| Choeng Mon Beach | Upscale, honeymooners, remote workers | Quiet, small bays. Six Senses, Vana Belle (Luxury Collection), and Kimpton Kitalay sit on this side of the island at $200+ a night | Limited nightlife. Some people find it too quiet |
The headline rule: the east side gets the planes and the sunrise, the north has the airport and the easiest food rhythm, the south and west are quieter but harder to range from.
Getting around the island
Local taxis and Grab cost roughly the same, with Grab being the easier card-payment option. Plan on roughly 300 ฿ to go between adjacent towns, which lands at about $20 round-trip on a day out. A scooter rents for about the same per day. Many hotels include a free airport shuttle on arrival. Ask before you book a transfer.
If you rent a scooter, a motorcycle license is legally required and increasingly checked, and most rental shops will hold your passport or take a large cash deposit.
Temples and culture, half-day
A half-day circuit on the northeastern corner of the island.
| Stop | Why |
|---|---|
| The Big Buddha / Wat Phra Yai | A 12 m gilded Buddha at the northern tip. Photogenic, quick. Free, dress to cover knees and shoulders |
| Wat Plai Laem | A short drive from Big Buddha. 18-armed Guanyin statue and a laughing Buddha across a lake. Thai-Chinese fusion architecture |
| Hin Ta Hin Yai (Grandfather/Grandmother rocks) | Natural rock formations on the south coast. Brief, slightly silly, between Lamai and the south end |
A morning covers all three plus coffee. Bring covered legs and shoulders for the temples.
Natural sights
| Sight | Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park | Day boat trip from Nathon or Bophut Pier | 42 islands of limestone, hidden lagoons, white-sand beaches. The flagship day-trip from Samui |
| Secret Buddha Garden (Magic Garden) | Half-day, hill drive | Hidden hilltop sculpture garden by a local fruit farmer. Quirky, quiet, photogenic |
| Namuang Waterfall | Half-day | Two-stage falls in the center of the island. First is easy, second needs a moderate hike |
| The Cocoon / Samui Viewpoint and Jungle Club | Half-day, hill drive | Cliff-side bar/restaurants with wide inland views. Sunset-timed if you can |
Beach clubs and where to eat
The Samui beach club scene has grown sharply. Pricing is European (€10 to €15 for a cocktail at the headline names), but day-bed minimums are usually F&B credit you can actually use.
| Spot | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SEEN Beach Club Samui | Maenam | The polished, design-led one. Sunsets |
| Coco Tam's | Bophut | Lower-key, beanbags on the sand, fire-twirlers at sunset |
| Elephant Beach Club | Lipa Noi (west coast) | Day-club energy, day beds, west-side sunsets |
| Night Market Fishermans Village | Bophut, Friday nights | Street food, locally cheap, the right move for a cheap dinner |
| Crab Shack | Maenam | Beach-front seafood, casual, lobster and crab at honest prices |
| Tops Food Hall Central Samui | Chaweng | Air-conditioned market with a good sushi counter, cheap takeaway |
What to skip
The "floating market" excursions are mainland-Thailand sales, not Samui ones. Sea Walker tours (helmet on the seabed) photograph well but feel staged. The "tiger temple" attractions are not what they appear to be. They have been shut down repeatedly on welfare grounds and should not be on a 2026 itinerary.
Planning Koh Samui
Koh Samui is the Thai island I would return to first when I want the trip to work without effort. The headline decision is which beach you base on, since the island is a single ring road. Chaweng for choice, Lamai for slower, Bophut for food, Choeng Mon for quiet. Fly via Bangkok unless you really want to ferry.
Fly Bangkok Airways via BKK
There are no long-haul direct flights to Samui. Connect in Bangkok and fly Bangkok Airways into Koh Samui Airport (USM). They own the airport, run the most frequencies, and tend to be punctual. Stay a couple of days in Bangkok on the way in or out.
Pick the beach that matches the trip
Chaweng is the big, social, family-and-backpacker beach. Lamai is the same idea, slightly older crowd, slightly quieter. Bophut around Fisherman's Village is the food base. Choeng Mon is the small, upscale, work-from-island base.
Stock up in Bangkok before you fly
Samui has limited brand range. Specific Western brands, craft beer selection, and specialty hair products are all easier to find in Bangkok. A quick MBK/Siam run on the way through is the move.
Budget transport at $20 round-trip between towns
Local taxis and Grab cost roughly the same. ~300 ฿ between adjacent beaches, which lands at $20 round-trip on a day out. Motorbike rental is about the same per day. A license is legally required to ride. Check what your insurance covers.
Quick answers
- How do I actually get to Koh Samui?
- There are no long-haul direct flights. Fly into Bangkok (BKK), then transfer to Bangkok Airways for the short hop to Koh Samui Airport (USM). They own the airport, run the most frequencies, and tend to be punctual. The alternative is fly into Surat Thani (URT) on a low-cost and ferry across, which is cheaper but adds 3 to 4 hours each way.
- Which beach should I base on?
- Chaweng if it is your first trip and you want choice. Biggest beach, most hotels, restaurants, nightlife. Lamai if you want the same idea but quieter, slightly older crowd. Bophut/Fisherman's Village for food and a more local feel. Choeng Mon if you want quiet, upscale, and remote-work friendly. The island has one ring road so anywhere is "everywhere" eventually, but where you sleep is where you spend most of your time.
- Will I see sunrises or sunsets?
- Both Chaweng and Lamai face east. Great sunrises, no sunset over the water. For sunset over the water, the west coast (Lipa Noi, Taling Ngam) is the move, but it is mostly resort-only. Most of the island's tourist infrastructure clusters on the east and north because that is where the airport and ferry pier sit.
- Do I need to rent a scooter?
- It is the cheapest way to range across the island, and you can rent one for about $20 a day. But a motorcycle license is legally required (and increasingly checked), most rental shops will hold your passport or a large deposit, and the drive into the hills around the viewpoints can be sketchy in wet weather. Grab and local taxis run roughly the same price as elsewhere on the island. For two people, a 300 ฿ short hop is about the same as a scooter day rate.
Keep reading
Companion pages on places and themes that overlap with this list.