Holidaying in Ko Samui

If you are planning your holidays to Thailand, don't miss the island of Ko Samui also called Koh Samui. Ko Samui is one of the most popular islands located in the Gulf of Thailand visited by millions of visitors every year. It is surrounded by many other small islands with lots of tourist attractions. People come to Samui to escape from the stress of regular world and enjoy the immaculate and serene beaches with blue waters waving towards from the long lost horizon.

Regular flights from Bangkok connect Ko Samui every day. You can get a flight to the island or choose water transport from Surat Thani. It would cost you 200-300 baht on a ferry to Ko Samui from Surat Thani. The ferry transportation to white sandy beaches of Samui would be an adventurous experience as you cross the rippling and waving waters.

Once you reach the island book a hotel room or resort immediately to refresh yourself and get prepared to explore the island. There are hundreds of hotels in this small island which provide affordable and luxurious rooms. Ko Samui hotels also provide spa resort services and extended villas for holiday makers who come with family and want complete privacy and freedom.

Ko Samui bungalows or luxury villas have been quite popular among tourists because of the freedom and privacy they provide. Almost all Koh Samui bungalows are located near the popular beaches of the island - Choeng Mon beach, Mae Nam beach, Bophut beach, Bang Rak beach, and Chaweng beach. You can take a quick walk to the beach whenever you wish from the bungalow you rent in.

The island is basically a leisurely escape in the mid of your holiday. Here, you have the complete freedom to lay lazily with cold beer in your hand near the beaches and enjoy the picturesque beauty of the blue water, white sands and fauna across the shoreline.

You can go for diving and aqua biking to some beaches like Bophut and Chaweng. Nathon, located on the southwest coast of the island is the capital of Koh Samui and primary centre for fishing and transportation. The other Koh Samui attractions include - Namtok Hin Lat water fall, Na Mueang waterfall, Ban Lipa Yai village for variety of fruit growing culture, buttery fly garden, snake farm and the coral beds of Laem Set and Thong Takhian.

guest post by Suchi

Beach Holidays in Samui

Koh Samui is a breathtakingly beautiful island off the east coast of Kra Ithmus in Thailand. White beaches and clear warm sea is the main attraction of this place. It is a great place for beach holidaying. Get away from the hectic troubling everyday life and lose yourself in the midst of nature. Koh Samui is a charming place away from the hustle and bustle of ordinary life. Everything about this island is exotic - the lovely beaches, the beautiful sea, the dense green jungles, the tiny Chinese shops and even the rural inhabitants of this place.

There are several beautiful beaches on this lovely island. The chaweng beach is a big one on the northeast side of the island. The beach bustles with life. The water is shallow, the beach clean and the scenery beautiful. A little way into the island from the beach is the one way beach road along which are situated several hotels, villas, spas, night clubs, shops and much more.

Lamai beach is cleaner and less crowded than the chaweng beach. This low budget town has charms of its own. Maenam has golden sands and offers spectacular views. Bophat refers to itself as fisherman's village. It lies east of Maenam and has a more traditional lifestyle. Lipa Noi is the best swimming beach. This beach is also very quite and undisturbed. There are several other such beaches on the island each with a charm of its own.

The island of Samui offers many water sports for its tourists like scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, sailing, canoeing and much more. there are trainers and staff available on duty all the time.The island offers several other adventure sports like mountain climbing and trekking. You can also play golf and other leisurely sports. But beaches and water are the most enchanting things about Koh Samui. You can come here with family or friends or even on your own. The food is Thai and Chinese. You can get the kind of accommodation you want. From luxury villas to small hotels - all sorts of accommodations is available for all kinds of tourists.

Koh Samui one of the best known beach holiday spots in the world with a huge number of tourists flocking in every year. Due to the ever increasing number of tourist influx in the island, a number of hotels, restaurants and bars have sprung up there. Samui also has its own international airport that connects it to all the major cities of South East Asia. You can also get there by train, bus or boat. The island is so small that it can be explored on foot.

Whether you are looking for a gala time or a quite retreat, Samui is the place for you. It is an excellent place for beach lovers. You can lie down on the beach for several hours forgetting everything. You find nature in its finest guise here as you see the limestone mountains and lush green vegetation complementing the white beaches.

The various top-class Samui hotels that you can consider staying in during your trip to this enchanting and adventurous island can include:

• The Muang Samui Spa Resort: This beautiful resort is located on the east coast of Koh Samui Island on the Chaweng Beach. A large number of tourists try their best to get an accommodation in this resort due to its high-class gym, food, and beachfront views. Its mind-blowing décor of the Southern Thai design captivates the heart of all the visitors.

• The Tongsai Bay Hotel: It is a perfect blend of natural plush surroundings and excellent facilities. All the villas and suites are specially created following the concept of Great Outdoor Living. Apart from the common amenities offered by the hotel such as luxurious bathtubs, open terrace and excellent room services, it also provides options for relaxation like sailing canoes, boats, swimming pools, spa, Jacuzzi and windsurfs.

• Bo Phut Resort and Spa: Located on the Bo Phut Beach's northern tip, this grand resort is surrounded by natural plants. All the villas and rooms have been designed in the contemporary Thai style and offers significant amenities of spa, L'Ocean restaurant and Sala Thai.

• Peace Resort: This is a really marvelous beachfront resort that is designed in the true Thai architecture styling. The main attraction of this resort is its Sea Wrap Restaurant that offers great food and cocktails to the guests. The resort is known for its hospitability.

• Sarann Hotel: This great beachfront hotel is just a few steps away from the shopping paradise and bustling nightlife of Chaweng. The comfortable hotel enjoys easy access to the serene Chaweng Noi Beach stretch that is a less populated yet peaceful among the most admired beach of Samui.

• Bandara resort and spa: This relaxing resort is the perfect gateway to a luxurious accommodation. Located in middle of the coconut grove, the resort also features spacious and well-equipped villas and cottages. The seaside restaurant in the resort is considered to be its major attraction.

So, instead of wasting your time in searching for the best hotels in Samui, it is advisable that prior bookings should be done in order to save that time for traveling and enjoying the island to the utmost.

guest post by Thanakit K

Hotels in Koh Samui Island

Hotels in Koh Samui Island: Fusion of Luxury and Hospitality

Bangkok has always been the most loved destination for the beach lovers, especially the Koh Samui Island. You can fly down at Koh Samui Airport which is connected by direct flights from Bangkok. Great beaches and wonderful climate all round the year are the major temptations for the travelers. You can choose from a myriad range of quality hotels in Koh Samui Island during your trip to this exotic island.

Accommodation

Koh Samui Island hotels are mainly concentrated in the popular beaches of the island like, Nathon, Bophut, Chaweng, Choeng Mon, and Lamai. If you are eager to experience the opulence of Samui Hotels come to Chaweng beach. This is the largest and most-modernized beach which is gifted with an assortment of luxury hotels and backpacker guesthouses.

Some of the noted luxury hotels in Koh Samui Island like, Melati Beach Resort
& Spa in Thongson Bay, Karma Samui at Choeng Mon Beach and Bophut Resort & Spa are the ultimate places of extravagance. These magnificent hotels offer you elegant guestrooms, elaborate dining options and an endless number of recreational facilities. Most of these hotels also have updated business and conference facilities.

Like other 5-star hotels in Bangkok, the Poppies Samui Resort and The Briza Beach Resort & Spa at Chaweng Beach have earned the reputation of offering excellent services. The travel desk of the hotels in Koh Samui Island arranges short tours to the places like, Big Buddha Temple, Samui Butterfly Garden and other destinations on your behalf.

Do not miss to visit Wat Khunaram Ko Samui, Grandmother and Grandfather Rocks, and Samui Aquarium and Tiger Zoo, during your stay in these hotels. Travelers mainly flock in these hotels between late December and the end of March which is considered the best time to visit Koh Samui Island.

If you want to stay comfortably without spending much you will find a number of economy hotels in Koh Samui Island. Samui Garden Resort at Big Buddha Beach, Sandy Resort in Bophut Beach, and Bill Resort in Lamai Beach, are some of them. These well-maintained hotels are equipped with a moderate range of modern amenities required for a comfortable living.

guest post by Mahendrasingh singh

Diving in Thailand - Holiday Koh Samui

Holiday Koh Samui

Koh Samui is Thailand's third largest island. It is still covered with coconut trees, jungle and rugged rocks of granite sloping into the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Siam. Samui measures 21km in its length and is 25km wide.

Nowadays Koh Samui is a preferred destination for divers who are looking for an up-market western infrastructure in the Gulf of when compared to what is available on Koh Tao the main diving destination in this area and great ko samui accomodation.

5 Star resorts and luxury villa accommodation down to cheap hotel ko samui, this koh samui best hotel is easily found on all parts of the island. Four international hospitals are available as well as a golf course, plenty of Spa treatments from traditional Thai massages to healing fast and hot stone therapies. Many restaurants employ international high class chefs and the variety of international cuisine is enormous with no doubt -delicious. All the major fast food chains will be found as well.

Diving from Samui is varied, mainly boat diving and virtually possible all year round. The journey to the dive sites differs between 45 mins (Speedboat to Sail Rock) and 3.5 hrs (slower displacement boats/tourboat) depending on the destination and boat type, which means Speed- or Tourboat.

Depths range from shallow reefs between 10-18m and deeper Pinnacles down to 40m. However most of the dives are not conducted deeper than 30m and depending on diver's experience.

The majority of dive trips offer two or three dives which are more or less daytrips due to the destination and travel time.

One of the undoubtedly most famous dive sites in the Koh Samui Archipelago is

SAIL ROCK located 45 km north of Samui midway between Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. This rock pinnacle is, shaped like an ice-berg emerges from 40m to 15 m above the oceans surface. Sail Rock provides large schools of pelagic's steep walls, rock formation covered with corals and an awesome "chimney", a swimthrough located on its northwest side. The chimney starts at 18m down and exits at 6m where the natural light penetrating the top makes it fantastically picturesque. At its exit on the top you will find yourself surrounded by magnificent carpets of colourful anemones full of vibrant anemone fish. At 12m you will spot a hole that opens up. -"The window" is another opportunity to exit the chimney into the open water.

Apart from the big schools of fishes you see here all year round you have a good chance to spot whale sharks or manta rays passing by on their feed in season. By Abbey Vallance

The Buddy Boutique Hotel on the Lamai beach

If you love sea beaches then Thailand is a must visit country for you. When in Thailand you should not miss the enchanting beach of Koh Samui. When looking for accommodations, you will have a number of choices. However one of the best choices is the Buddy Boutique Hotel on the Lamai beach.

Apart from the rooms, one can dine and wine in the Chom Lay Restaurant. You will have an extensive platter and the selection range from authentic Thai cuisine to international selection to fresh seafood platter. This restaurant is perfect for enjoying a nice cosy meal. You can join your friends or family members for a drink in the Shark Bar. There is a specious wooden deck and a large swimming pool. You can enjoy a dip in the cool waters or simply enjoy a drink in the bar. This Koh Samui hotel will give you no reason to complain. If you are looking for some nice souvenirs for your loved ones back home, you can simply visit the Shopping Plaza.

This Koh Samui Hotel is well-known for its excellent accommodation facilities, good services and perfect hotel amenities. To have a view of the beach while sitting in your room is a luxury that you can afford if you are staying at Buddy Boutique Hotel.

This Koh Samui Hotel is operated by the Buddy Group Hotels. The location of the hotel is perfect and many tourists prefer this solitude. This spectacular hotel faces the beach and the windows open to the vast stretch of azure. If you want some peace, then this hotel will be a perfect choice for vacation. There are 133 well-designed, well-furnished rooms in this facility. 6 of them have been designed in true colonial style. You will notice the perfect blend of traditionality and modern amenities inside the room. Moreover the rooms are designed in true boutique style which makes them perfect. All the rooms have spacious balconies which are probably the most attractive features of the rooms.

While staying in this hotel, you should not miss some of the popular tourist attractions near the hotel. One of them is Big Buddha. The Buddha is 15 meters tall while sitting. This is one of the famous landmarks in Northern Shore. You can also visit Hin Ta-Hin Yai. A little away is the famous Na Muang waterfall. It is a rare view and you will simply love the cascading waters of the waterfall. The color of the rocks in the falls is purple. If you want to know more about the Koh Samui hotel, you can simply browse through