Koh Samui Beaches, Chaweng, Lamai, Bophut and Choengmon Beach

Chaweng Beach and Lamai Beach are Koh Samui's most beautiful and popular beaches. Both have a huge selection of accommodations suitable for the travellers from all walks of life. Please note that there is the difference in room rate according to the season basically low season, high season, and peak season. The nightlife of each beach is different: Chaweng beach is better for couples, women and families, while single men are drawn to the beer bar culture of Lamai beach. Other beaches include Choengmon beach, Mae Nam beach and in the north and Na Thon town, the island's major seafront settlement where shops, restaurants, ferry pier and tour agencies are situated. Apart from its many lovely beaches and tranquil bays, Koh Samui is also noted for its high quality coconuts that grow densely everywhere.

Chaweng is the longest and most developed of Samui's beaches. The soft white sands attract thousands of visitors all year round and there is a vast choice of accommodation and food both on the beach and all along the main shopping street just behind it. Chaweng is the resort capital of the Island which gives the area an international flavour and means that much of the best shopping and entertainment is also to be found here. There are stalls and shops selling every kind of gift and souvenir plus innumerable bars, clubs and restaurants.

Even the big fast food chains have outlets in Chaweng, so anyone who stays or visits the place certainly won't be lacking the comforts of home. Those really desperate for a bit of western consumer culture head for the main island road where a brand new Tesco lotus Hypermarket can cater for their every need.

Lamai is Chaweng's smaller sister, another fine white sand beach with good swimming and lush tropical scenery all around but slightly less developed in terms of the big international resorts and chains. There are more mid-range and budget choices here as well as a large number of resident foreigners who came to Samui years ago and never quite managed to leave. lamaj has the same type of long shopping and entertainment strip as Chaweng and the nightlife can certainly be iust as lively as the number of bars, clubs and restaurants is increasing all the time. The food market in lamai is also an attraction with stalls serving up authentic local dishes and some excellent fresh seafood.

Big Buddha beach, so ed after the famous golden statue that sits proudly at its southern tip, is one of Samui's calmer beaches. Many people prefer to stay here as an alternative to the busy tourist beaches and it's proximity to the airport makes it a popular first and last stop on trips to all of the three local islands. The long sweep of beach enjoys tranquil waters all year round and there are several modest but comfortable laid back resorts with good beach side restaurants. Local entertainment mainly consists of a couple of beach bars and the regular Sunday live music festival at Secret Garden resort, but it's still only 15 minutes to Chaweng for those who want a big night out.

Once a simple fishing village, Bophut has since been transformed into a fashionable centre for shopping and dining, as well as an elegant and peaceful place to stay. Many of original wooden fisherman's houses have been converted into smart restaurants and boutiques and there are several quality resorts along the beach as well as some budget accommodation. The French and Italian influence is strong around this part of the island and this certainly affects the ambience of the town, which is an interesting blend of local Thai, Chinese and Southern European styles. There's also a wilder side to Bophut, with several bars quite capable of livening things up on a busy night.

Maenam is another beautiful stretch of wide beach on the Island's North coast facing Koh Phangan. It has long been a popular destination for budget travellers but recently has started to attract a more salubrious clientele, thanks mainly to the presence of the impressive, top class Santiburi Dusit Resort and some expensive residential developments. This is another area popular with foreign residents and both the main road and village have an increasing num5er of good restaurants and shops selling everything from Indian incense to home baked bread. Maenam has a very relaxed, quiet feel to it, some good value food and accommodation and truly wonderful views.

Not far South of lamai is Hua Thanon fishing village, a working Muslim settlement with seafood restaurants, a fresh food market and a small harbour where brightly coloured local fishing boats dock to unload their catch of the day. A stroll through the daily lives of these hard workinB local people provides a living insight into what Samui was like before the tourists came, and there's also a high chance that you will spy one of your future meals lying in one of the fisherman's hand woven nets.

This area to the south of the island is perhaps Koh Samui's most unspoilt. The beaches aren't as wide as on the other side of the island, but the waters are clear, the scenery beautiful and the peace is quiet complete. There are a handful of modest bungaloY-.( operations, as well as an impressive an? luxurious le Royal Meridien Resort on a small hill overlooking the southern bays. This is definitely the place to get away from it all and after the short 23km drive from downtown Chaweng it's easy to imagine you've made a trip to another island completely.

Nathon is the main port town for passenger ferries and cargo boats arriving from and leaving for the mainland and it is also Koh Samui's administrative capital. Once the largest town on the island, Nathon is still perhar.s the most Thai of the larger centres and as well as the shops and offices, it boasts some interesting old wooden architecture and a large fresh food market. The shopping here is also good, and often cheaper than on the big tourist beaches. There are also banks, government buildings and a large post and telecom office opposite the main pier. Nathon has some local flavour and it can be a fascinating experience to sit in one of the restaurants on the road overlooking the port and watch the bustle and variety of local life drift by.