Samui the coconut Island in the gulf of Thailand

“Coconut island” is not a good reference in Thailand today but it was some 30 years ago. Everyone would know that the name referred to Samui island in the Gulf of Thailand as the island was then full of coconut trees. Boats that ply between the mainland of Surat Thani province and the 314-square-kilometer island used to actively carry coconuts. Today they become sleeper ferries offering affordable services to the visitors who would like to see the mountainous island where plains and beaches account for about 30% of its terrain.

From the coconut island, Samui is now the paradise island for the beauty of its crystal-clear seawater as well as wide and long beaches full of clean and fine sand in parallel with lines of coconut trees. Word of mouth keeps bringing more visitors to the island that is 20 kilometers off the mainland and some 80 kilometers away from downtown Surat Thani. Global travelers just want to experience Samui for at least once in their life and this is the reason why the island becomes a major tourist destination of the country.

Samui welcomes visitors to its beautiful beaches all year long. There is a road loop that conveniently leads visitors to every beach. Local communities lie in the western part of the island, near Na Thorn beach where visitors and their vehicles arrive on ferries. Those who arrive by plane land on Samui airport which is situated in the northeastern part near Choeng Mon beach. Well-known beaches on Samui island include Chaweng and Lamai beaches that are on the eastern part of the island. Less known beaches are Bang Rak, Son, Mae Nam, Bang Por and Bang Kao beaches. Nature remains impressive on these less known beaches especially during the low season (between June and October) when room rates are relatively low.

Apart from beautiful beaches, there are two waterfalls on Samui: Hin Larn waterfall which is shady and cascades all year long and Na Muang waterfall that is beautiful and flows considerably in the rainy season. There are a variety of activities for tourists to enjoy. They include elephant rides, all-terrain vehicle leases, and visits to snake and butterfly farms, a monkey school and a standard golf course.

There are various choices of accommodations on Samui island, ranging from expensive five-star hotels to bungalows that charge a few hundreds of baht per night. Visitors also have many choices to tour places of interest on the island. They can buy one-day island tour packages at their hotel, lease a car or a motorcycle to comb through the island by themselves, and even take passenger buses to beaches. Renting cars, visitors must drive very carefully because roads on the island are narrow and steep.

Samui island is also a transit point for tourists to travel on to nearby destinations. From Samui, travelers can take ferries to Tao and Phangan islands. One-day tour packages to Ang Thong islands are also available at resorts on Samui island.