Koh Samui travel guides

Honest, up-to-date and useful. Planning notes for a Koh Samui trip, based on recent traveller reviews and current listings, for first-timers and regulars alike.

A limestone island in Mu Ko Ang Thong marine park, with steep cliffs rising from deep blue water

Featured · Attractions · 7 min

Ang Thong Marine Park 2026

What to expect at Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park — tour types, current prices, the Emerald Lake hike, kayaking, and when the park closes for monsoon.

Lamai Beach, Koh Samui, turquoise water and long-tail boats along a curve of sand

Beaches · 8 min

Best Beaches in Koh Samui 2026

The main Koh Samui beaches compared: sand, swim conditions, crowds, and which suit families, swimmers, or a sunset.

Interior of Samui Airport's distinctive round open-air terminal building, with its conical timber-and-thatch roof, tropical plants, and blue seating

eSIM · 8 min

Best eSIM for Koh Samui (2026)

Which Thailand eSIM to install before Koh Samui: Airalo for a week on True and AIS, Saily if you barely use data, Yesim for a 30-day bundle, plus a local SIM.

Conrad Koh Samui villa terrace with a private pool looking over the Gulf of Thailand toward the Five Islands

Hotels · 8 min

Best Hotels in Koh Samui (2026)

Best hotels in Koh Samui depend on the trip: Hansar if you want the sand, Conrad Koh Samui for a sunset pool villa, and the cheap-hotel list when the bill comes first.

The golden Big Buddha at Wat Phra Yai on Koh Samui, with the gulf behind the statue

Things to do · 8 min

Best Things to Do in Koh Samui 2026

Ang Thong, Big Buddha, Na Muang and Fisherman's Village: what is worth the time on Koh Samui, and what I would skip.

Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui on a clear day: wide stretch of white sand with bright turquoise water and green wooded hills in the background

Planning · 7 min

Best Time to Visit Koh Samui 2026

Koh Samui's seasons run opposite to Phuket's.

Fisherman's Village Walking Street entrance at Bophut Beach, Koh Samui — festive string lights stretching over Beach Road, red lanterns, and visitors browsing the Friday night market

Guide · 10 min

Bophut and Fisherman's Village

Bophut and Fisherman's Village on Koh Samui's north coast: the Friday walking street, best restaurants, where to stay, and who the area suits.

Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui, a curve of sand under palm trees with turquoise water and a green headland

Hotels · 9 min

Chaweng Budget Hotels (2026)

Budget hotels in Chaweng, Koh Samui: which 3-star stays are actually near the sand, what breakfast and the airport transfer add, and when the cheap dates are.

Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui — long stretch of white sand with turquoise water and green hills in the distance

Guide · 10 min

Chaweng vs Lamai

Chaweng vs Lamai on the beach, the night, and the bill.

Hotels · 10 min

Chaweng Beach Hotels

The best hotels on Chaweng Beach by tier and location — beachfront front row, back-row options, the quiet south end, and honest advice on what the price difference actually buys you.

Choeng Mon Beach, Koh Samui, a sheltered bay of turquoise water between a green headland and limestone rocks

Hotels · 9 min

Choeng Mon Beach Hotels (2026)

Choeng Mon beach hotels on Koh Samui: which listings are actually near the sand, and which Choengmon address is a hill hotel.

Transport · 7 min

Getting to Koh Samui 2026

How to reach Koh Samui in 2026 — direct flights, the budget bus-and-ferry route, and the overnight train from Bangkok.

Thong Nai Pan Bay aerial view showing turquoise water, long-tail boats, white sand beach, and jungle-covered hills on Koh Phangan

Day trips · 8 min

Koh Phangan Day Trip from Koh Samui 2026

Koh Phangan is 30 minutes north of Samui by speedboat — close enough for an easy day trip, and a genuinely good island to explore when the party isn't on.

View from a Koh Samui ring road viewpoint showing a small palm-covered island with a lighthouse and turquoise water, with more islands visible through haze in the background

Transport · 7 min

Getting Around Koh Samui in 2026

What each transport option on Koh Samui actually costs, where it works, and what to watch out for before you commit.

Itineraries · 9 min

5 Days in Koh Samui

A day-by-day plan for five days on Koh Samui — covering Ang Thong Marine Park, a Koh Tao island day, the full island loop, and time to slow down.

Maenam Beach on Koh Samui's north coast — wide sandy bay with calm clear water, leaning palm trees, and a beachside bar in the background

Hotels · 10 min

Adults-Only Resorts in Koh Samui (2026)

The best adults-only resorts in Koh Samui — confirmed child-free stays plus the couple-focused luxury resorts that deliver the same quiet.

Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui, with white sand, turquoise water and beachfront hotels below green hills

Hotels · 10 min

Koh Samui Hotels on the Beach

Koh Samui hotels on the beach, grouped by sand you can actually walk onto.

Outdoor pool on an upper deck at Hacienda Fisherman's Village, with sun loungers and the gulf beyond the palms

Hotels · 9 min

Best Boutique Hotels in Koh Samui

Boutique hotels in Koh Samui: a 19-room stay in Fisherman's Village, Hansar on Bo Phut Beach, The Library in Chaweng, and Rocky's in Lamai.

Interior of Samui Airport's open-air terminal building, with its lattice glass roof, tropical plants, and blue seating

Transport · 8 min

Koh Samui Airport Transfers

How to get from Koh Samui Airport (USM) to your hotel — official taxis, pre-booked transfers, Grab, and hotel shuttles with real 2026 prices.

Maenam Beach on the north coast of Koh Samui, a long sandy shore with palms, beach umbrellas and boats offshore

Hotels · 8 min

Cheap Hotels in Koh Samui

Cheap hotels in Koh Samui that still score 8.

Hotels · 11 min

Koh Samui Family Hotels with Kids Clubs

Koh Samui family hotels that actually run a kids club, plus the beaches where small children can swim.

Dried fish and packaged seafood at a stall inside Laem Din local market, Koh Samui

Food · 8 min

Koh Samui Food Guide

Fisherman's Village on Friday, and khanom jeen at Laem Din: Koh Samui food worth leaving the tourist strip for.

Haad Rin beach on Koh Phangan in daylight — white sand, turquoise Gulf water and jungle hills, the site of the Full Moon Party

Nightlife · 8 min

Koh Samui to the Full Moon Party

Everything you need to get from Koh Samui to the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin on Koh Phangan — boats, prices, timing, and what to expect when you get there.

Vana Belle Koh Samui resort — manicured tropical gardens leading to a white sand beach with calm Gulf of Thailand water and forested hills beyond

Hotels · 10 min

Honeymoon Resorts in Koh Samui (2026)

The best honeymoon resorts in Koh Samui — private pool villas, romantic settings and adult-calm retreats compared by what matters: privacy, beach, spa and real value.

Banyan Tree Samui — hillside pool villa with a private infinity pool set above Lamai Bay, Koh Samui

Hotels · 9 min

Koh Samui Pool Villas (2026)

Pool villas and private-pool hotel rooms in Koh Samui by price band — from plunge-pool suites around 7,000 THB to standalone luxury villas, with what to look for before booking.

Itineraries · 7 min

Koh Samui 4-Day Itinerary 2026

A practical day-by-day plan for four days on Koh Samui — hitting the main sights without burning half your time on logistics.

Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui — cliffside pool villa with private infinity pool overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, tropical palms and rocky coastline in the foreground

Hotels · 9 min

Luxury Resorts in Koh Samui (2026)

The best 5-star resorts and private pool villas in Koh Samui — Four Seasons, Banyan Tree, Ritz-Carlton, W and more compared by location, what you actually get and price.

Fisherman's Village in Bophut by day, a row of wooden shophouses on the street that becomes the Friday walking street

Food · 8 min

Koh Samui Night Markets

Every Koh Samui night market on one page, sorted by the night it runs: Fisherman's Village on Friday, Maenam on Thursday, Lamai on Sunday, plus the nightly food markets, with hours from published 2026 sources and where the sources disagree.