Samui

You have already chosen Samui, and now the trip needs planning. At this stage the same questions usually remain: which month to go, which coast to stay on, how to get from the airport to the hotel, and what to see on the island. The areas of Samui differ noticeably from one another. Pick the wrong one and you will lose time on the road every day.

The core of this section is made up of articles about accommodation. It all starts with an overview of the island's areas with hotels for different budgets: it helps you work out which coast suits your kind of vacation. Next come selections by category: three-star, four-star and five-star hotels, including options near Chaweng, Lamai and Maenam beaches. Beachfront bungalows with a sea view, hotels with their own beach and hotels for traveling with children are gathered separately. The selections are built around location: which beach a hotel stands on and what kind of stay it suits.

The second group of articles answers questions about the island itself. There is a large overview of the sights with an explanation of how to reach them, and an overview of the beaches in which we separate the shores for swimming from the shores that are only good for walking. The article on seasons explains when it rains on the island and which months are considered the best. There is also a piece on a long stay: a month on the island, a scooter and temples. It is useful for those who are going not for a vacation but for an extended period.

The third group covers getting there and choosing between resorts. The article on airport transfers compares a taxi, a minibus and a minivan to the beaches. The comparison of Phuket and Samui by seasons, beaches and prices will come in handy if you are still undecided. Alongside it are texts that go beyond a single island: on the weather in Thailand in September and on getting to Krabi from Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya.

Every article opens with a short conclusion: the main point is made in the first paragraphs and the details follow below. Practical information is placed in separate blocks so that you can find it without reading the whole text. For prices and timetables we state the source and the date it was checked. We write about drawbacks plainly: if an area, a beach or a season has downsides, they are named in the text.

The section is meant for people who travel independently and want to make their decisions before the flight. It suits couples, families with children and those who plan to stay on the island for a long time. If you are looking for a ready-made guided tour, we do not have one. We do not sell trips or put them together to order, we only explain how the island works.

We suggest starting with the article on seasons: the month determines both the weather and the choice of coast. Then read the overview of the areas and decide where to stay. After that, open the hotel selection in the category you need, and finish with the article on airport transfers. The sights and beaches are best read last, once you know where you will be setting out from. If you are short on time, two texts are enough: the one on seasons and the one on areas.

This section is part of "Thailand", which belongs to "Asia" within the "Destinations" section. It is worth going to "Thailand" if your route covers more than the island: it holds articles about the country's other resorts and about traveling between them. The "Asia" section will help if you are comparing Thailand with neighboring countries. "Samui" has no subsections: all the articles about the island sit in a single list.

We keep the articles up to date: we review the hotel selections, and we check transport and season information against the official websites of the carriers, the airport and the weather services. The date of the last check is given in the text. We do not summarize entry rules or insurance terms, you need to look those up with official sources before your trip. Before paying for accommodation or a transfer, check the current terms on the website of the hotel or the carrier itself. That way your travel plan will rest on fresh data.