Vacation advice - Koh Samui
 

Can anyone recommend a 5-star resort in Koh Samui? Thanks in advance.

I was there a few years ago and stayed at Centara Villas Samui.. Great resort, great food and it has its own private beach. Not quite 5 star (think it's a 4 star) but I highly recommended it.

Sorry to hikack the thread, but...

Has anyone had any experience of criuse ship holidays in Asia? Perhaps out of SIN for 7 or 8 days? I have trawled through the web and it is very hard to see past the glossy pictures.

Thanks.

I was in Koh Samui 2 yrs ago,great place, Aloha resort, pretty well, just near the hotel a pub owned by 2 turkish brothers, buterrfly park and aquarium must be seen, cheap skijets, flight from Bkk with bangkok airways in a 319 or 320 if I remember, excellent food, dont miss tomyjam soup.......and thai massage...

Penske,

I am currently living on Ko Samui for a couple months, How long are you planing on staying for? I would figure out what you want to do then decide where you want to stay etc. Chaweng(busy, nightlife), Bophut (Family oriented quiet), or Choengmon areas which all have great beaches. If you are staying for 2 weeks or a month might be better renting a place. I know a great townhouse for rent as well. But if you want a hotel your best bet is booking on Agoda.com or Bookings.com. don't go by the Star ratings on both websites. They are not actual star ratings which you would expect. Good Luck

Was surprised to see deadly Box Jellfish in Thai waters recently. Any reports from Koh Samui?

You actually saw one? Over the past few years there have been a few sightings and a few people stung but IIRC every case was in the Andaman Sea.

Try the Q Signature resort.
b.

Highly recommended, not cheap, but very nice.
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I stayed in Koh Samui for a week in 1994. Overnight train from Bangkok to a little station in the middle of nowhere, bus ride to port then ferry full of Aussies (had to change my Wigan Rugby shirt to stop being thrown overboard !!). Loveley island (back then) - stayed near Chaweng.

We hired a jeep for a day - silly idea, drove along the coast road for a hour and half - only to find ourselves at back our hotel !!. Had lunch and did the journey the other way, dropped the car off, sod it, straight to the beach & chill !!

My favourite resorts these days are Hua Hin & nearby Cha-Am, though these get more & more developed as time passes. TIP - A couple of miles south of Hua Hin on the coast road is a small army training barracks, just go to the sentry box across the railway line and ask for a beach ticket, 70 Baht. Drive down to the beach & park. Miles of clean, empty beach lined with tall palm trees behind - all yours (very few visitors) - No Farangs !!! and no beach peddlers (well, just one or two locals selling food). No trouble either - the army sees to that. A small shop sells drinks & snacks. Wish we were there right now !!

Have a nice stay.

Lid

Yes. I was swimming with my young daughter and the a$$hole locals didn't say a thing. I saw two box jellyfish and was very surprised as they have not been mentioned in warnings to tourists. I grew up in northern Australia and know exactly what they look like.

I don't see why they would not be in the Gulf of Thailand as they have been in northern Borneo for some time.

Swim in panty hoses . Should catch on with some of the middle age weirdo tourists you see there. :)

If you traveling from Hong Kong the only direct flight is Bangkok Airlines, a god airline but no rebate.
Phuket offer direct flights on TG , KA and Thai Air Asia.
My favorites in Phuket is Sala, Six Senses in Pang Nga bay and Amanpouri.

Koh Samui have had huge development the last couple of years and is just as overdeveloped as Phuket.

Well thats Thailand protecting it's tourism. Gnadenburg, You and your daughter were very lucky.

The chances of getting stung by a box Jellyfish are low I believe. There have been some recent deaths in the last couple of years from Box Jellyfish and they are not really doing much to bring attention to the issue. But there have been deaths on both the east and west coast of Thailand. Although I wouldn't let this discourage anyone from traveling to the region and there is a much greater chance of getting killed in a motorbike accident while on vacation in Thailand.

My favorite 5-star Samui hotel with the best beach is definitely Sala Samui, super relaxing, away from all the nonsense in Chaweng and still close to everything. Koh Samui Resort Hotel - SALA Samui Resort & Spa - Samui Luxury Hotel

The brand new W is also very cool but not as cozy as Sala Samui.

For longer stays at affordable prices, try out The Park Samui close to Choeng Mon Beach Apartments The Park Samui - Koh Samui, Thailand - Apartments in Thailand.

Or you could hit the ground running in Samui and get the boat from big buddha peer across to Koh Phangan and blaze the living **** out of yourself for as long as you can take it .... :ok:

Watch out for jet-ski hire. Two separate friends rented, and on return given grief for damage that was already present. Got ugly on the beach for one, others chased by corrupt police for a few days before escaping the island. Great place but......

Better to work the bars for active recreation...:}

I liked Koh Samui until about 2000, it's just too overdeveloped. if you are lookign for the 5-Star experience I'm sure you would be pleased. Koh Phangan
probably still laid back. I don' know if I can take another Had Rin Full Mooner
:eek:.