There's more to Koh Samui than Chaweng!
For those who don't know it, Koh Samui still has a reputation for being an extension of the darker side of Bangkok. We were in for a pleasant surprise when we landed in the airport and were taken to our villa in the north east side of the island in the lovely bay of Choeng Mon.
Choeng Mon Beach is located in a very secluded part of Koh Samui with mostly upmarket hotels and private villas for accommodation. The beach is cresent shaped and is lined with some excellent restaurants serving fresh fish daily. Here's the pace is super slow and the most energetic we got was to cool off in the villa's pool where we could enjoy the fantastic views across the bay. This was heaven indeed.
The only drawback about area is that it's slightly cut-off from the rest of the world and getting around, if you really wanted to, could be a problem. The songtheaws (privately owned buses)
rarely stop here and taking a taxi costs a small fortune. To get around this, we managed to hire a open top jeep for next to nothing and went on a few advertures along and around the island.
Our first stop was Bophut which is on the north coast of the island and the next bay after the famous Big Buddha. At the eastern end of the beach, we found the Fisherman's Village which has a cool and rather hip appeal with mid-range to upmarket restaurants, boutiques, cafes and bars. We chose a thai fusion restaurant to have lunch, sat on large cushions that over looked the beach and enjoyed a nice glass of pinot grigio with our food. It's a very chilled and friendly area with a nice mix of thai and westerners all relaxing together.
Having peeled myself off the cushion we decided to head further east and towards Nathon which is the sleepy capital of the island. Pass the wonderful beach of Maenam our next stop was Bang Por which is a fantastic long stretch of white sandy beach at the very north west of Koh Samui. This area offers a tranquil retreat, warm crystal clear waters and wonderful views of Koh Phangan and the Angthong Marine Park.
Nathon has a slightly strange feel to it. As we saw a couple of goats cross the main high street, it it was just hard to believe that this is the business hub of Koh Samui. Here you can catch the boat to Koh Phangan, have one of the best papaya salads on the island and even shop at Tesco's if you want to.
Lastly Chaweng. Between sunrise and 7am, this is probably the best beach on the island but after that, it starts to get busy with deckchairs, masseurs, hawkers and all the holiday makers who are staying here. It's not a bad place and most of the large hotel chains are here as well as some mid range hotels. If you like to party then this is certainly the place for you.
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Choeng Mon Beach is located in a very secluded part of Koh Samui with mostly upmarket hotels and private villas for accommodation. The beach is cresent shaped and is lined with some excellent restaurants serving fresh fish daily. Here's the pace is super slow and the most energetic we got was to cool off in the villa's pool where we could enjoy the fantastic views across the bay. This was heaven indeed.
The only drawback about area is that it's slightly cut-off from the rest of the world and getting around, if you really wanted to, could be a problem. The songtheaws (privately owned buses)
rarely stop here and taking a taxi costs a small fortune. To get around this, we managed to hire a open top jeep for next to nothing and went on a few advertures along and around the island.Our first stop was Bophut which is on the north coast of the island and the next bay after the famous Big Buddha. At the eastern end of the beach, we found the Fisherman's Village which has a cool and rather hip appeal with mid-range to upmarket restaurants, boutiques, cafes and bars. We chose a thai fusion restaurant to have lunch, sat on large cushions that over looked the beach and enjoyed a nice glass of pinot grigio with our food. It's a very chilled and friendly area with a nice mix of thai and westerners all relaxing together.
Having peeled myself off the cushion we decided to head further east and towards Nathon which is the sleepy capital of the island. Pass the wonderful beach of Maenam our next stop was Bang Por which is a fantastic long stretch of white sandy beach at the very north west of Koh Samui. This area offers a tranquil retreat, warm crystal clear waters and wonderful views of Koh Phangan and the Angthong Marine Park.
Nathon has a slightly strange feel to it. As we saw a couple of goats cross the main high street, it it was just hard to believe that this is the business hub of Koh Samui. Here you can catch the boat to Koh Phangan, have one of the best papaya salads on the island and even shop at Tesco's if you want to.
Lastly Chaweng. Between sunrise and 7am, this is probably the best beach on the island but after that, it starts to get busy with deckchairs, masseurs, hawkers and all the holiday makers who are staying here. It's not a bad place and most of the large hotel chains are here as well as some mid range hotels. If you like to party then this is certainly the place for you.
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posted by Holiday Velvet Team at
6:03 AM
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