SamuiDean's VirtualTourist Home Page

Welcome to my home page.

First a bit about myself. I have always enjoyed travel. My first holidays abroad were back in 1987 to the former Yugoslavia visiting the Croatian resorts of Porec and Krk. I travelled by coach rather than by air so had the opportunity to travel through several European countries which gave me a real appetite for travel.

My biggest adventure was in 1989 after I graduated from university. I flew to New York and from there spent 3 months travelling the USA, Canada and Mexico by greyhound bus with a friend from university. We visited 38 US states, 6 Canadian provinces and did two day trips across the border into Mexico. We racked up a total of 18,000 miles by road. An incredible trip. My favourite places were Denver, San Francisco and San Diego. The Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Niagara Falls were highlights of the trip.

More recently I've done a skiing holiday to Sauze D'Oux in Italy and since I met my wife we have had holidays in Kenya, The Gambia and twice to Thailand.

My home page contains photos and tips of my recent travels, in particular Thailand which is a favourite destination of mine. I hope to add more photos and other destinations I have visited over time.

The picture above is Le Royal Meridien hotel on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. I have not stayed there but I would consider it if I won the lottery ;-) It is the most expensive hotel on the island as far as I know, so I had to check it out for myself and take a few photos.

You can find further information on Thailand by visiting one of my travel pages below:
Koh Samui
Bangkok
Koh Tao
Chiang Mai

I also have travel pages on Kenya and The Gambia.

Feel free to email me with any queries.

I have visited Koh Samui twice. March 2002 when I stayed in Bophut for 2 weeks and July 2004 when I stayed in Maenam for a month's honeymoon.

It's a lovely island and well worth a visit. The people are so friendly and the Thai food is superb. The only downside is a risk that some parts of the island may become over-developed in the next 5 to 10 years. You only have to look at how the island has changed in the last 15 years to see how rapid the development has been. I hope the local authorities will keep an eye on this so it doesn't spoil things for future visitors.

The main hub of activity is centred around Chaweng. This is where most of the hotels are located and where most of the nightlife is. Personally I find it too touristy and commercialised, but a lot of people like this. If you prefer something less manic I would recommend you don't stay in a hotel located right in the centre of Chaweng. It would be too noisy.

If you prefer a more relaxing laid back holiday where you can chill out on a nice peaceful beach and experience a more traditional Thai way of life then visit the North or Western side of the island. Bophut and Maenam are my favourite parts of the island. South of Chaweng towards Lamai is also worth considering.

Check out my Koh Samui page for more details.

We visited Kenya in November/December 2000 for 2 weeks - our first trip to Africa. We stayed at the Southern Palms resort at Diani Beach south of Mombasa. It was a fantastic hotel and still gets great reviews today so definitely worth considering. We also did a 3 day safari around Salt Lick Lodge/Taiti Hills and further South at Ziwani near the border with Tanzania.

It was a fantastic holiday which I thoroughly recommend.

Check out my Kenya page for more details.

We visited The Gambia in February 2003 for 2 weeks. We stayed at the Palma Rima hotel. A great place for bird watching and being only a 6 hour flight from the UK and on the same time zone as the UK, an easy place to get to. An interesting place to visit and like everywhere in Africa the people are very friendly and helpful.

Check out my The Gambia page for more information.