Koh Samui blogged: how to make the most of your Samui holiday

Let’s cover the basics of Angthong Marine Park quite quickly: it’s beautiful, and you need to go there. Actually, you’ve probably already seen it without realising. When Leonardo DiCaprio wasn’t splendidly shirtless and fighting crocodiles, his character in The Beach spent some time at Angthong’s beautiful, bright blue lake: Thale Nai, or Emerald Lake.

Angthong Marine Park: quick stats

42 islands comprise this protected archipelago. If you’re picturing a “park-park”, replace picnic benches in your mind with, oh, three dozen more islands.
41 of the islands are uninhabited. Sea gypsies are said to live on one, living as traditional fishermen. Continue reading »

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You bend, you stretch… you get to feel impossibly smug. Whether you already love yoga, or want to try it while on holiday, just about anything is better with an ocean backdrop or smells of frangipani. As Koh Samui positions itself more and more as a destination for all things green, organic and healthy, Samui’s yoga options are really expanding.

Koh Samui yoga

Koh Samui yoga retreats – for the dedicated

For serious sessions of Koh Samui yoga – consider booking into a yoga retreat. A number of resorts with a health-focus offer holidays composed of early mornings, lots of yoga, and perhaps little else (certainly not Singha). Will you see results? Absolutely. Will you be sad never to see a Samui nutella pancake? Only you can say. Continue reading »

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Apparently, there’s an invented holiday called Hammock Day. Just one? Na – if you’re excited to be visiting Koh Samui this July, circle the calendar as Hammock Month. With assuredly glorious temperatures, plenty of sunshine and – this year – the Olympics to enjoy while sipping your Singha, it doesn’t get better than Koh Samui in July. Just a few things to look forward to:

What’s on: Koh Samui in July

Not too much in the way of big island events in July 2012, but perhaps you’re importing celebrations of your own? July is a popular time for weddings and honeymoons – if you’re in that lucky demographic, congrats!

See our suggestions for romantic ideas on Koh Samui
Boys, pay attention! This one’s for you: our idiot-proof list of nice things to do for your girl while on a Samui holiday.

Non-Thai national holidays in July include:

July 1: July 1st is Canada Day. If, to you, this means beer and BBQ – try The Shack, a great restaurant in Fisherman’s Village. (Or check out our Koh Samui Guide for pages of restaurant recommendations and self-catering advice).
July 4: And, indeed, the fourth means Independence Day for Americans. (For a taste of home around happy hour, perhaps try Fisherman’s Village pub The Frog & Gecko – co-owned by an American, you might be in luck).

If you need to satisfy a fireworks urge to personally celebrate either occasion, consider heading to a beach like Bophut or Choeng Mon after dark and finding a vendor selling a candlelit paper lantern. A very Thai way to celebrate whatever needs must! Get details and more ideas for Koh Samui nightlife.

Elsewhere in the world, the end of July means the start of the 2012 London Olympics.

July 27: Summer Olympics opening ceremonies (see the Wiki about Thai athletes participating). With Thailand 6 hours ahead of London, you’ll easily accommodate as much or as little Olympic obsession as suits, with no imposition on your beach time. Dozens of pubs and restaurants show international sports – you can even choose a bar to match the country you’ll support. Otherwise, most resorts offer satellite and/or cable TV to catch bits and pieces from your room.

Want more event details? See our 2012 Koh Samui calendar.

Koh Samui weather in July

Koh Samui’s average July temperature from 2008-2011? A more-than-acceptable 29.25 degrees Celsius (84.65 degrees Fahrenheit)*. The coldest it ever dropped was 23 degrees – not exactly jeans weather, even then. If you read much about Koh Samui in July, you’ll probably see the phrase “afternoon rain shower” – nothing to fret about! Learn more about Koh Samui’s weather, and why you’ll love the occasional tropical shower. Then, read up on recommended rainy activities while nature waters this island jungle. Seriously – rain – not a problem. It will be sunny plenty of the time (especially if you come prepared with great beach books).

Need help planning the rest of your trip?

If you’re excited beyond belief, but still have questions – definitely take a look at our Koh Samui Guide. You can download it instantly in PDF or Kindle formats, and consider your trip-planning complete (we even help you pack!).

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* Source: Wunderground

Travelling to Thailand, you might hear Jim Thompson’s name in one of two contexts: while shopping, or visiting Bangkok attractions. While we love the book Mai Pen Rai Means Nevermind for its honest and hilarious insight into 1960s Bangkok expat life – nobody did debonair high-flyer quite like Jim Thompson. Credited with reinventing the Thai silk industry, his life story is just as remarkable as his disappearance.

Jim Thompson House Thailand

Jim Thompson Thailand

Indeed, the question isn’t so much ‘who is Jim Thompson’ as ‘what happened to him?’. His mysterious disappearance is as confounding as Amelia Earhart’s. In 1967, he just – vanished. Continue reading »

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Just a banana? Overlooked as something quotidian – Thailand’s bananas hope to change your mind. Take a break from the supermarket and try out the Thai banana – you’ll find them hard to leave behind.

Thailand banana flower and fruit

Thailand’s banana varieties: hard to count?

Thailand has about, well, a lot of banana varieties (we’ve read sources that claim 20, 28, 50 and ‘over a hundred’) – all with a preferred use. As with apples, some are better eaten raw, some stand out when cooking. Visit fruit markets around Koh Samui and you’ll begin to notice that some are fatter than others, and both colour and taste differ, too. GardenWeb has some great photos of a Bangkok banana tree show: Continue reading »

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You know Koh Samui is a tiny island paradise – and yet you’re spoilt for choice in terms of beaches, restaurants and things to do. You might be weighing up the pros and cons of Koh Samui versus Phuket, or just have a general interest in a science we’ll call ‘Nerd’s Google Mapping’. So! How big is Koh Samui? Long ago, teachers told us to show, not tell. As such, we’ll leave it to the magic powers of Google Maps and our new favourite site MAPfrappe to divulge every inch of Koh Samui’s comparative size.

Here’s what we came up with:

How big is Koh Samui?

Exactly the answer you wanted? Actually, Koh Samui is bigger than a lot of places! (Even ones you’ve heard of…). Continue reading »

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It may have been your idea, or it might have been hers. One way or another, you and the missus are coming to Koh Samui for a holiday, and you have several days of uncomplicated, soothing bliss ahead of you. Sure, the simple pleasure of allowing time to saunter on by itself is as pure and enjoyable on Samui as it is anywhere. But what if you want a head start? A few extra points, say? Whether she’s your girlfriend, fiancee or wife (or you’re hoping she’ll come as one and leave as another – in which case, bon chance, mon frère), consider the following your cheat sheet to relationship harmony while on Samui.

Spas & massage

1. Spas

Samui was voted second best destination in Asia for spas in TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards 2010, so be sure she samples some of the best the world has to offer in terms of prodding and pampering – even if it’s not your thing, it’s very likely to be hers!

Cutting to the chase, the following should do the trick:

Six Senses Spa in the hills above Plai Laem, on Samui’s quiet but accessible north-east
Tamarind Springs on the east coast, between Chaweng and Lamai
Eranda Spa, the “spa with a view”, on the coast road between Choeng Mon and Chaweng

And failing that, you can get a very good standard massage pretty much anywhere on Samui. If you’re worried about wandering into a den of iniquity, actual massage parlours usually have uniformed staff and no pink lights. If you’re in the area, try our current favourite – Charlie’s in Choeng Mon. Continue reading »

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Let’s take this step-by-step! Obviously you need money, a passport and (please, please, please) travel insurance for Thailand – but we’ll leave you to figure out all that grown-up stuff on your own. Here’s where we jump in: by making the trip you have planned in your head even better. From enduring a long flight, through to getting the most of out of beach time – this is everything we’ve ever wildly recommended about preparing for your Thailand holiday, all in one place!

What do I need for Thailand?

Guide books, and reading up on Thailand

Step one? Get the guide book. If you’re coming to Koh Samui, you’re in luck – we’ve written the guide book we’d give our very best friends. Total strangers give it strong endorsement as well – take a look and download your copy now! Otherwise, for elsewhere in Thailand, we’d be remiss not to mention that Lonely Planet does a great job at hand-holding travellers (as do Fodors/Rough Guide/whatever your preference). Continue reading »

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Long sandy beaches, beautiful hot weather, excellent food. It’s true – you can tick all of these boxes in many tropical holiday destinations around the world. Even within Thailand, Samui competes with Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Khao Lak, Krabi and a number of other hotspots for travellers’ attention.

Choeng Mon Sunset

So why choose Koh Samui?

1. Convenience versus seclusion

In our experience, Samui offers the best balance of convenience and seclusion. Within the course of the same day, you can feel like you’re the last person left on the planet one minute, and easily search out the buzz of crowds and nightlife the next. How does Samui achieve this? Unlike Phuket, Khao Lak, and Krabi, Samui is an island. The scheduled ferry and flight services mean that there is a finite number of people who can visit, and the tap of travellers is turned off overnight. Since Samui cannot be reached by bus, there are fewer casual visitors, and people tend to stay for longer.

Guess what! Come on… guess what?! If you like treating your family and friends to facts, tidbits and information (whether they like it or not) – here are a few Koh Samui statistics and island facts to tuck in your back pocket. Of course, if you’d really like to drive everyone crazy with the non-stop delivery of fascinating facts – pack Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything in your carry-on. You won’t be able to help yourself with the ‘guess whats’. (But you can blame us). Right! Samui by the numbers…

Koh Samui statistics Continue reading »

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Koh Samui Sunset

Angthong Marine Park: as good as day-trips get

Samui’s yoga: where to get bendy on Koh Samui

Koh Samui in July? Weather, events and more

Jim Thompson: Thailand’s most famous expat

Thailand’s bananas: your new favourite fruit

Men – 7 ways to treat your girl on Koh Samui

What do I need for Thailand? Our product round-up.

Samui versus the world – 5 reasons to choose Samui