plz help me I'm going to Samui island in Thailand near to Chaweng beach any tips ?

3 Comments

1. knettle17 says:

   March 16, 2010 at 10:48 am

   Step one, invest in Lonely Planet’s "Thailand" and "Thai Phrasebook". The guidebook will give you an overview of all the areas on the island, attractions, and contact info for hotels. The prices listed in the book are pretty right on for everything except hotels. The phrasebook is great because it has a dictionary section where you can find words written in English and Thai, as well as phonetically. So if you are having trouble communicating, you can just point to what you are trying to say. There are also free maps of the island available in the Tourism Authority of Thailand offices, and other travel agencies and shops around the island.

   In Nathon, in the evenings, there is a little market that sets up with food stalls, and you can get a delicious, cheap dinner. For the most part, food stalls are safe and have a great variety of tasty and inexpensive food, you will save your money and soak up a little local culture while you eat your meal.

   I reccommend trying a Thai papaya salad. They are the unripened green portion of a papaya shredded with carrots, tomato, long bean, garlic, lemon juice, and fish sauce.

   I think that a good "middle of the road" town to stay in on Samui is Lamai. It has the nicest beach for swimming, it is close to Chaweng if you want to go out at night, and on the inland side of the main street you will find some nice, cheap hotels.

   I would not suggest renting a motorbike unless you’re really comfortable with riding one. The streets are hilly, twisty, at times poorly paved, and full of brazen drivers. You could rent a jeep, but they are quite expensive. You can catch a songthaew during daylight hours for anywhere between 10-50 baht and get anywhere on the island that is along the main road. If at all possible, try not to take taxis, because it will be about 10 times the cost of a songthaew. Motorcycle taxis are a slightly better deal. If you need a ride to the airport, go through a travel agency, songthaews typically do not go by there, and you’ll get a better price than if you go in a taxi.

   All necessary services are easily found, and reasonably priced (i.e. banks, laundry, internet, doctors, etc).

   If you are going to be in Bangkok on a Saturday or Sunday during your trip DO NOT buy anything on Samui. There is a weekend market in Bangkok called Chatuchak and there is something like 15,000+ vendors there. Anything you find in a shop on Samui can be bought there, and cheaper!

   I would also suggest taking a ferry to Koh Phangan. The ferry ride alone is absolutely breathtaking. Phangan has much better beaches for snorkelling (I suggest Hat Khom) and overall has a lot to offer. There are many lovely beaches which aren’t as populated as Samui, and there is also Hat Rin (where they have Full Moon Party) which is filled with people from every corner of the world.

   On Samui, Grandmother and Grandfather rock are ok… Not too impressive, Big Buddha is definitely worth a trip though. I would say also that elephant trekking can be passed, but a canopy tour should not. Also, a day trip to Ang Thong Marine Park is nice. Go see Talay Nai "Emerald Lake".

   Where ever you end up going/staying do get a Thai massage. Just remember not to tense up during the massage, you’ll only make it worse for yourself. Make sure that you go somewhere that looks legit, and doesn’t have a bunch of ladyboys hanging around outside.

   There doesn’t seem to be too much crime on Samui, just don’t leave your stuff laying around unattended. Use common sense, don’t drink tap water, and haggle, haggle, haggle; and you should be alright. Most of all, remember to relax and enjoy yourself, you’re in an awesome tropical paradise!
2. Gerald J says:

   March 16, 2010 at 10:48 am

   You pretty much have everything right around the Chaweng Beach area, probably the best shopping, restaurants and nightlife are all right there. A good thing to do is to rent a motorbike, for 200 baht a day or so you can explore the entire island, there’s some nice waterfalls, the Big Buddha, crocodile farms, zoo and aquarium and few other thing worth seeing, I’m sure your hotel will have brochures on all there is to see there. The airport is probably the greatest little airport you’ll ever see, it’s almost an attraction in itself. But mostly Koh Samui is for kicking back, relaxing on the beach during the day and a great place to party at night, it’s a very small island, and if you’re going to be there for more than a few days, you won’t have any problem seeing everything there is, have fun.
3. pongtheb s says:

   March 16, 2010 at 10:48 am

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