Are you heading to Koh Samui in Thailand?\u00a0 Wondering what to expect, or some of the highlights to check out while you’re there?<\/p>\n
I’ve been to Koh Samui 4 already, and I want to pass on some hints and tips so you can make the most of your time there.<\/p>\n
At the bottom, I have a quick list of top-tips you should know before travelling to Koh Samui – it’s not comprehensive so feel free to leave a comment at the bottom if you have any items to add!<\/p>\n
If you want to learn more about Thailand, for example:<\/p>\n
… you can get a whole range of low price ebooks here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Koh Samui is a very popular tourist resort island and for good reason.\u00a0 It’s got simply some of the most beautiful, that I have experienced, combination of people, beaches, food, and scenery, you can get for any price.<\/p>\n It caters for just about every traveller. from those that need a break in a quality spa resort, to those that will need a good break in a spa after <\/em>their holiday.\u00a0 And depending on where on Koh Samui island you go, the price you pay will vary dramatically, as will your experience – but I don’t believe there’s any correlation whatsoever between experience and cost!<\/p>\n Last time I stayed in Koh Samui, I opted for 2 different places (due to availability) in the Bo Phut area, that were right beside one another “on the beach”.\u00a0 Both places supplied bungalows of varying quality and features, and in both cases were well stocked with friendly, accommodating staff.\u00a0 The cost, per night, for a double\/twin room with no air-con set me back between \u0e3f700~900 (US$22). This provided either a more modern bungalow but with cold shower only (Cactus Bungalows), or a seemingly older (wooden) room with a warm shower and mosquito-net covered beds (Free House Bungalows).<\/p>\n There was also the air-con option going at roughly double the price – which is most suitable for you depends on your needs and your tastes really.<\/p>\n You also have the option of walking 5 minutes up the beach and stopping at a 5* resort for at least 8x the price, where a small bottle of still water costs nearly \u0e3f100.\u00a0 Not my idea of fun.<\/p>\n As I said, Koh Samui caters for all tastes, from the humble backpackers to those looking for the 5* or pseudo-5* resorts.\u00a0 These high-end resorts have their fan-base and meet the needs for many tourists, but for budget-conscious travellers the bungalows mentioned above are excellent.<\/p>\n This was in Bo-Phut on the north coast which, while not the party-Mecca of the universe, is supplied with a rich variety of watering holes and tasty restaurants (in Fisherman’s Village – worth a visit!).\u00a0 Alternatively, if you’d like to be a little closer to the action, then you should head towards the north east beach, Chaweng, or slightly further south to Lamai.<\/p>\n Both of these places are naturally running along the length of the beach with spas, bars, restaurants and hotels occupying every available square-inch of land (sand).<\/p>\n Chaweng and Lamai each have their different flavours – if you want the finest choices of hooker bars on the island and a selection of a few good bars, I believe Lamai is the place to be at, while the party-lifestylers (whatever that means) can be found in the heart of Chaweng.<\/p>\n I’m reading a great book at the moment and to quote directly from it “There are 2 sorts of Thai women.\u00a0 Those you pay, and those you marry.”.\u00a0 I don’t wholly subscribe to that view<\/a>, but it does contains a solid nugget of truth.<\/p>\n Thailand’s sex-tourist scene literally lights up at night (obviously) and you’ll hardly recognise the same places in the daylight hours.\u00a0 There is no shortage of hooker bars in Koh Samui and typically they’re glowing a bright pink decorated with scantily clad, beautiful women (and men) appealing to the reasoning centre nestled in your pocket – and I don’t mean your wallet, though that is their<\/em> ultimate prize, regardless of the high opinion you might have of yourself.<\/p>\n The best thing about these places, depending on your perspective and how long it’s been since you got laid, is that they nearly all have pool tables.\u00a0 Don’t be intimidated by these places, they are worth the visit, certainly if you don’t mind being waited on by beautiful ladies for a price, and of course if you think you have the will-power to keep it <\/em>in your pants.\u00a0 If their pool table is what you’re after, check with them before you order your drink though as some will charge per game, but many are free.<\/p>\n If it’s partying, dancing, and frolicking with Thais and foreigners alike, then it’s Chaweng in Koh Samui for you. There are a few places to go and typically if you say to any taxi driver the names of the places you’re after, they’ll know where you mean.<\/p>\n – Ark Bar<\/strong>: Probably one of my preferred places in Chaweng because of the option of food and drink alike, and the great evenings I’ve spent in there before now.\u00a0 Every Wednesday, from 4pm, they host a free<\/em> BBQ for all customers and while I haven’t actually made it there yet, it comes highly recommended.\u00a0 Drinks aren’t expensive and the food is pretty darn good.<\/p>\n – Green Mango<\/strong>: This is a massive bar\/club sat squarely in a field of debauchery that caters to most needs.\u00a0 It has your requisite dance-floor, large bar, and even has 4~5 pool tables which, while I was there, was \u0e3f50 a game or \u0e3f150 for an hour.\u00a0 Most famously they supply, as do the other bars in the area, “buckets” that are cocktail mixes served literally by the bucket-load.\u00a0 Remember to take with you a card from your hotel to show the taxi driver later when you’re incapable of forming meaningful sentences in either Thai or English.\u00a0 The area around Green Mango has a few clubs also and it’s mostly filled with backpacking tourists, but they’re not alone and some on-the-level Thais also hang out here.\u00a0 You’ll of course find plenty of “pink-bars” in the area too – for when you want to play some pool. \ud83d\ude10<\/p>\n – Reggae Club<\/strong>: I’ve been here twice, the first occasion I was just in-time for the live reggae band throwing out mostly Bob Marley covers but they were actually quite good.\u00a0 I think it’s around midnight when the band is replaced with a DJ, or at least an iPod-toting fake.\u00a0 But who can really tell the difference anyway?<\/p>\n Before this trip, I had travelled to Koh Samui twice before and undertaken a 7-day detox fast, outlined here<\/a> and here<\/a>.\u00a0 There’s no doubt in my mind about the efficacy of this particular program<\/a> and it’s something I’d recommend every adult try.<\/p>\n That’s a discussion for another time however, and the point here is that Koh Samui is covered in Spas of varying focus designed to provide you with that wonderful pampering experience.\u00a0 How successfully they meet this challenge is anyone’s guess since I haven’t ever gone to any of those resorts.\u00a0 The one I’ve been to, and linked to above, isn’t of the same nature as the 5* resorts.\u00a0 I don’t believe the accommodation there is up to par with other spas, and the prices reflect that.\u00a0 But then, it’s not designed to compete with them as it appears committed to supplying a true detoxing experience at a very affordable price point.\u00a0 Just search online “koh samui spa” and you’ll be greeted by heaps of websites for the spas and retreats on Koh Samui island.<\/p>\n If a spa\/retreat is what you’re looking for that is far away from all the chaos outlined earlier, then take your time while researching as not all are created equal.\u00a0 Have a look around for discussions, ratings, and reviews for the ones that catch your eye, but most importantly, define quite clearly what it is you’re looking for before you start.\u00a0 Detoxing and fasting is a different spa experience to say, “relaxation and pampering”.<\/p>\n The following are bits of information to keep in-mind while you’re in Koh Samui (and other part of Thailand also). This list could go on forever, but I’ll try to keep it succinct.<\/p>\n Hope that helps to give a decent overview and helpful information of Koh Samui.\u00a0 It’s got practically everything you need.\u00a0 It’s not as inexpensive as it once was, but it’s still a great treat\u00a0 =)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Are you heading to Koh Samui in Thailand?\u00a0 Wondering what to expect, or some of the highlights to check out while you’re there? I’ve been to Koh Samui 4 already, and I want to pass on some hints and tips so you can make the most of your time there. At the bottom, I have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[431],"tags":[307,312,319,338,345,354,356,381,387,395,397,548,400],"class_list":["post-1585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cat-travel-tips","tag-ark-bar","tag-bophut","tag-chaweng","tag-green-mango","tag-information","tag-koh-samui","tag-lamai","tag-raggae-club","tag-retreat","tag-sex-tourism","tag-spa","tag-thailand","tag-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nVery accommodating<\/h2>\n
Love you long time – Thai Sex Tourism<\/h2>\n
If in doubt, have a drink<\/h2>\n
When you feel like a bit of a Spa<\/h2>\n
Important Koh Samui Tips<\/h2>\n
\n
\n