Advantages: Crystal blue waters, white sands, shops
Disadvantages: Not for the culture-seekers...

...malt vinegar) and pasta with a satisfied groan of happiness, after months of noodles! WHERE IS IT? Koh Samui is located on the southeastern ‘leg’ of Thailand, the first of three islands on your way back up to Bangkok, or last on your way down to southern Thailand. From Samui you can reach the mainland or visit the other islands, Koh Tao (good for diving) and Koh Pha Ngan (mostly known for the Full Moon Party). HOW TO GET THERE You can get a ferry to Samui from the mainland, which takes around 1 hour and will usually have busloads of other tourists. Expect lots of touts when getting to the otherside, unless you have pre-booked your hotel or huts. You can also reach Samui from Koh Tao and Koh Pha Ngan by ferry. National ferries are generally the cheapest way to get around on a budget but if you have more cash to spare you can... Read review

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Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...Its now possible to buy direct international flights to Ko Samui but mostly only from other asian countries flying with Bangkok Airways. For a trip from europe its easier to go direct to Phuket or Bangkok and then buy an onwards Bangkok Airways flight to Samui Airport. This the most comfortable option but also the most expensive. Overnight trains are OK, cheap and functional but you have to sleep. If you make too much noise the locals get very angry. There are various bus/ferry combo tickets which are by far the cheapest option but also are definately the most uncomfortable (especially the overcrowded minibuses) and are regularily involved in accidents. Remeber never to eat or drink anything offered to you by strangers on a bus or train. Unfortunately many people have been drugged and robbed this way.... Read review

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Advantages: Cheapish, convenient for backpackers, decent roads, great massages, solid nightlife
Disadvantages: Poor diving, littered with tourists

...with a number of English words such as: ‘hi,’ ‘welcome’ and ‘handsome.’ If you want you can go in where they will have a couple of drinks with you and as the night progresses other things. Without, I hope, breaching the realms of offensive I’ll say the majority are not after good luvin’. Numerous stories implying this seem to have crept in to maybe give the backpackers yarns a bit of credibility. And then of course there’s the traditional Thai massage. Koh Samui is littered with massage parlours, which, contrary to popular belief, offer quite normal massages at, in western terms seems a ridiculously cheap price. Conveniently there was one right opposite our hotel which was where I met the lovely Lita. As a local who spoke reasonable English she gave me a crash course on how things worked in Thailand and assured me what the bar girls wanted... Read review

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Advantages: Hotter than home, tropical setting, something for everyone
Disadvantages: Expensive (for Thailand), crowds in peak season

...photos) and "lady who likes to do backstroke topless" (not a good sight after breakfast) being especially memorable. The hotel also hires out mopeds and arranges car hire for reasonable rates for guests who want to explore the island. The food in the hotel is excellent, particularly the prawn cakes and curries (made from coconuts grown on-site), as well as reasonably priced. For our honeymoon, we stayed two nights at the Tongsai Bay (84 Moo 5, Boput, Koh Samui, (077)245 480, info@tongsaibay.co.th) which is at the top of the price scale for hotels on the island (we paid about £160 per night for the room, excluding breakfast). The hotel is located in a very pretty horse-shoe shaped bay. We had a fabulous hillside cottage (semi-detached but next door was empty) with a balcony overlooking nothing but a sapphire sea. There was even... Read review

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Advantages: Beautiful beaches, great food and friendly people
Disadvantages: Over-crowding

...My husband and I visited Samui as part of our honeymoon in February 2000. We booked with Kuoni and the whle trip was wonderfully smooth and unproblematic. We stayed at the Imperial Samui on Chaweng beach. Being our honeymoon, we were upgraded to a superior room with champagne and fruiit on arrival as well as heart shaped pillows on the bed. The room itself was beautiful and spacious with a fabulous bacony and a well appointed bathroom. The hotel was highly luxurious and we found the staff to be friendly and courteous. The facilities were excellent with 2 swimming pools (one saltwater one chlorinated) and also a private beach for residents. The beach was a little rocky and somewhat choppy so we made use of the saltwater pool most of the time. The hotel has a group of masseurs it emplys to give guests massages, manicures... Read review

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Advantages: big, choice of accomodation
Disadvantages: commercilaised,

...Being a Backpacker, I'd heard a lot about Samui, it being relatively famous on the Asia scene for the past 20 Years, so i thought i'd see what all the fuss was about. I got there via ferry from the mainland.I bought a combi ticket in Bangkok which took me down there by night bus and then the vehicle ferry across from Don Sak. There are numerous ticket versions available with options also to get there by train and ferry.With the coach down, it is better to listen to other travellers advice on which company to choose from, as some are much better than others.I found the best way was to travel by Government Bus, which is slightly more expensive, but you get a hell of a lot of legroom and a free meal. The whole trip down is overnight, and you arrive in Samui around 9 in the morning. Most people from here then head to Chaweng Beach... Read review

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Advantages: Relatively unspoiled, freindly, great value for money
Disadvantages: None, really

...Arriving in Koh Samui after what seemed like a whole day's travel from Bangkok I did wonder if I had made the right decision. Hot, sticky and tired is not the best state of mind to arrive anywhere but I have to say that the first people we met made it all worth while. I knew from experience that the Thais are natural and gregarious but nothing prepared me for the welcome at our hotel and in the resort (Chaweng) generally. Yes, Chaweng is a little more commercial than I expected but compared to Patong (Phuket) or Pattaya it was charming and quiet. There are bars aplenty and, of course, lots of "adult" type entertainments but it is never "in your face" or overtly annoying. Whilst we were there a ten pin bowlng centre was opened to tremendous fanfare. Eating out can be really cheap and cheerful or sort of mid range and fabulous... Read review

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Advantages: An Affordable Paradise For Everyone.
Disadvantages: The Sometimes Questionable Waste Disposal Techniques.

...Ko Pha-Ngan is one of the 3 islands that makes up the Ko Samui Archipelago and is home to over 10,000 people. This population is, however, enhanced almost year round by budget travellers. The fact that there is no airport means that mass tourism has not fully arrived and there is a distinct lack of top end hotels. With a youthful clientele this means that the islands main centres are throbbing with life 24 hours a day. Ko Pha-Ngan lies in the gulf of Thailand and means lots of different things to a lot of different people. The most common perception of Ko Pha-Ngan is that of the infamous party destination and to a large extent a visit there will doubtless include many a wild night. But Ko Pha-Ngan has a lot more to offer. Some of the beaches are amongst Thailand's finest and if you venture beyond Hat Rin in the south east... Read review

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Advantages: Great food, very relaxing, exciting culture
Disadvantages: Never know if you are being ripped off

...around the block. About 30 more drivers approached us during this walk and we just said no to their offers of a lift. If you look and sound assertive they will leave you alone…but they can smell indecision a mile away! ***Koh Samui*** We had decided before we arrived in Bangkok that we wanted to chill out on a beach somewhere. We returned to the airport and ran the gauntlet of agents until we found a desk for Bangkok Airlines. There we spotted a little island called Ko Samui and noticed it was only about an hour away to the south of Bangkok on the eastern side of Thailand. The hotel had earlier said that we needed to get to the airport 3 hours in advance of any flight. We were right to be sceptical! We asked when the next flight was and it turned out Ko Samui is serviced every 20 minutes and we were offered one almost immediately... Read review

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Advantages: cheap entrance, shaded areas, lots of species of butterfly to see
Disadvantages: Can be very hot at miday,lots of slopes to deal with

...Na Tian Butterfly Garden is located on the south east coast of Ko Samui. We took a taxi to this attraction which cost us £10 for a return journey which seemed fair as the Butterfly Garden was on the other side of the island from where we were staying. Entrance to the Butterfly Gardens was cheap; we paid about £2 each for the admission costs. Samui Butterfly Gardens are totally enclosed by netting and the grounds on the gardens are sloped upwards with several staircases leading you to the highest point of the Gardens. Inside, the gardens are thick with vegetation and there are literally hundreds of different species of butterflies to see, as well as various species of dragonflies. One thing I have to say is that you need to be fairly fit to visit this attraction as the grounds are sloped with pretty steep stairs leading you up... Read review

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