Ko Samui

We decided to visit Ko Samui as we’d already been to Phuket, Chiang Mai and Ko Lanta and felt like a change. We visited one August as the weather is better on the gulf side of Thailand at that time of year with monsoons at Christmastime.

Initially we found the island to be quite touristy – lots of sports bars and European restaurants – but after a few days of exploring we found some quieter areas and great Thai food.

We rented a small jeep for a day and drove right around the island. We stopped off at a tiny beach where the only other visitors were some local children and even managed to find a great place to have lunch right on the beach. I would return to Ko Samui purely for that experience again.

We stayed at the Amari resort, which was terrific, just north of Chaweng beach, but I would consider staying further from the ‘action’ next time, somewhere on the north coast.

There was the ubiquitous Big Buddha, surrounded by shops, which was worth a quick visit.

We did a day trip by ferry to Ko Tao which is a small island nearby which mainly caters to divers. We enjoyed a day here but if you weren’t diving yourself you might find it too quiet.