Koh Samui Bophut Beach

Bo Phut Village and Beach is one of the most picturesque locations on Koh Samui in Thailand. The village is situated on the north coast of Koh Samui, a few kilometres west of the airport and the famous landmark of Big Buddha Temple with its giant statue of The Lord Buddha. Bo Phut Beach covers about three kilometres of clean, white sandy beach front with coconut palms along the shoreline.

A feeling of calm and peace comes over you as you walk along the beach with its calm waters and lovely scenery over to the adjacent island of Koh Phangan.

Bo Phut is a popular anchorage for yachts and larger boats.

Originally a fishing village there are still several local fishing boats working out of Bo Phut but more common are the speedboats, dive boats and ferries that flock around the small local pier.

The main street of the village, which is very narrow and best suited to motorcycle or on-foot transport, runs right along the beach front and you can find a huge assortment of excellent restaurants offering cuisine from all over the world, many small and entertaining bars and clubs and an abundance of small gift shops, mini-marts, dive schools, hotels, resorts and cafes.

Bophut is a very good compromise for those who want plenty of entertainment and yet plenty of peace and quite.

During the day one can rent small yachts, jet skis, snorkeling gear, kayaks and a host of other water recreational items to ensure you have plenty to do all day, if you want to do anything at all other than simply bask in the sun on the beach sipping a fresh tropical fruit drink or pure coconut juice straight from the shell.

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Koh Samui Chaweng Beach

The largest and most popular of Samui's beaches, Chaweng is usually divided into three sections: North Chaweng, Central Chaweng, and Chaweng Noi (Little Chaweng) around a headland to the south. Chaweng Beach is longest beach located on Samui Island's east coast. The beach is beautiful here, and local developers are finally cleaning up some of the trashy area on the island. It attracts many young travelers and families alike, and remains good value for the money.

Chaweng beach is approximately 7 km long, with powdery white sand. It is bordered by emerald-blue waters and a coral reef where waves break, leaving the bay quite peaceful. Not far from the beach, there are two small islands near the reef. After swimming, you can explore the nearest one by walking through shallow water or go for snorkeling and kayaking at the second island which is further out and larger. The central part of the beach is a bit more crowded than the quieter north. Many vendors pass by offering beverages, fruit, ice cream and local Thai food for the more daring. A variety of local crafts and Thai souvenirs are also available.

The beach itself is usually accessed through the hotels, as there are no beach roads to disturb the peacefulness of the area. It is very relaxing but noticeably more touristy during the high season. The water is clean, with usual temperatures between 25-28 degrees Celsius. Parallel to the beach, clustered in the middle of the strip, lies Samui's greatest concentration of restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and of course, fast food and convenience stores.

Chaweng is just a few minutes from the airport. Taxis are readily available.

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Koh Samui Choeng Mon Beach

Choeng Mon is located on the north coast of Ko Samui, between Chaweng and Mae Nam. Choeng Mon is made up of a series of bays featuring white sandy beaches. Although only about 15 minutes north of Chaweng and 5 minutes from Big Buddha, the intervening coastline has kept the beaches quiet and the waters clean. 

Choeng Mon beach is a small but magnificent bay, it features wide sandy beaches with a rock formation on one side and a small island you can paddle out to on the other. It's is very family friendly area, and being dominated by a handful of three to five star resorts, relatively upmarket. 

Swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, and relaxing are the main activities.

There are a number of quaint restaurants and cafés throughout the area. The beach itself has many restaurants and offers a beautiful night view over the bay; it doesn't usually get to busy but has music, cocktails and reclining beach beds.

The nightlife is relaxed, best bet is to have a drink on the beach based restaurants.

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Koh Samui Lamai Beach

Lamai Beach, situated a couple of bays to the south of Ko Samui's most famous beach, Chaweng, has long been considered the latter's poor cousin. The beach isn't as long, the off-white sand isn't as fine and the restaurants and bars lack the range and quality of those on Chaweng. That being said, both the guesthouses and resorts are considerably more affordable, and Lamai Beach seems never as busy. So for those looking for value for money and smaller crowds, it can be a good choice.

The beach has three distinct areas, the north running from the headland to Sand Sea Resort, then the central and southern stretches. The north is quieter, with less development but there's a reason for this - the beach is prone to mudflats at low tide and, due to storm water run off from a creek between Sand Sea and Laguna Resorts, after rain, the water along this stretch can become extremely dirty. The central and southern stretches on the other hand have far cleaner water but on the central stretch there's more development and both areas have a lot of jet ski action.

Off the beach, Lamai has a small range of restaurant and entertainment options when compared to Chaweng and overall has a pretty low-rent feel to it, in no small part due to the dozens upon dozens of girlie bars that line the road and anywhere else you can stick a shack with a few stools. You can escape most of this by heading back down to the beach where there's a smattering of typical beach-seafood type places - prices are considerably lower than Chaweng and the food can be very good.

Overall if you're content to just lay on the beach and have low-key nights - all without spending mega-bucks, then Lamai can be a fine choice, but if you're looking for a wide range of eateries and entertainment venues, then Bophut or Chaweng are better options.

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Koh Samui Maenam Beach

Mae Nam is known for it's 7 km stretch of beach. Mae Nam Beach has to be one of the most under-rated beaches on Ko Samui. A delightful stretch of yellow sand on the north coast of Samui, it has for years been neglected and talked down by the guidebooks, yet it has some excellent value accommodation and a stretch of sand that takes around two to three hours to walk the full length of.

For those who are after a sleepy old style beach holiday, Mae Nam is really difficult to fault. The waters are calm most of the year and in places are shallow a long way out making this an ideal location for families with small children. Thumping beach parties till the early hours are the exceptional rather than the norm, a fresh change from many other beaches in the area. Another fine advantage of Mae Nam is that the main road runs a long way back off the beach, so there is very little in the way of traffic noise for much of the length of the beach.

Along the beach's entirety great vistas of Ko Pha Ngan are in abundant supply, and the sunsets from the eastern end of Mae Nam can be simply magnificent. While the bulk of the guesthouses and resorts on Mae Nam are budget orientated, there are also some fine upper-end options to choose from -- something for everyone indeed.

There's a few relaxed beach bars with reclining beach beds.

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Koh Samui South Coast Beaches

Quiet shallow beaches with views to the neighboring islands and the mainland. Mostly 4 and 5 star accommodation can be found here. The south coast is very relaxing and there is no shopping or nightlife nearby though it is only a 20 min. drive to Lamai or 30 min to Chaweng beach. 

The southern part of Koh Samui has the more remote beaches, less developed with only a few resorts spread at leisurely intervals. Hua Thanon and Bang Kao are for you if you want total peace and quietness, and Taling Ngam lets you get away from it all in style.

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Koh Samui West Coast Beaches

Some hotels are located at the west coast of Samui. Small, uninhabited beaches with crystal clear waters, perfect for relaxing beach holidays and snorkeling. From here you have the "best sunset" views: Bangmakham Beach, Lipa Noi & Taling Ngam.

The West Coast contains the island's main town of Nathon, which offers little in the way of sightseeing, but has a reasonable selection of shops and restaurants. The back streets still hide some old houses echoing a very different past, and a glimpse of island life before tourism arrived. Nathon is also one of the island's passenger ferry ports, the vehicle ferry port located further south, at Thong Yang. The western corner of the island is quiet and picturesque, with smaller roads and villages which are appealing, and most pleasant to explore.

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