"Ko Samui" a Ko Samui Travel Page by SamuiDean

Me and my wife have visited Ko Samui twice. We first visited in March 2002 when we stayed in Bophut for 2 weeks. We loved it so much we decided to go back for our honeymoon in 2004 staying in Maenam for a month.

It is a fantastic place to visit. The people are very friendly and the food is excellent. You can find lovely restaurants right next to the beach with spectacular views and eat out for as little as 300baht up to around 600baht. This is a meal for two with a starter, main course, rice and drinks. It's unbelievable value for money.

We prefer the Northern part of the island between Maenam and Bophut. It is a lot quieter and relaxed here. Chaweng (on the Eastern side of the island) is where all the action is regarding night life. Personally I find the centre of Chaweng too manic and commercialised with things like StarBucks and fast food chains. The further south you go in Chaweng towards Lamai the quieter it gets.

There are other lovely places to visit so I recommend you tour around the island. It is also a great base if you want to visit Koh Pha-Ngan, Koh Tao or the Angthong National Marine Park.

The island is starting to get busier. We noticed a difference between 2002 and 2004. There is more construction work going on with new hotels being built. I really hope this work does not go unchecked otherwise over time the island could lose it's appeal.

Lots of people ask what the weather is like on the VT forums. Koh Samui is a tropical island so it is diffcult to predict the weather exactly but generally the best time to visit is from February to August. The rainy season starts around the end of September, beginning of October, and lasts until the end of December, beginning of January.

How much rain you get in the rainy season is down to luck. You may get a brief downpour lasting 30 minutes, or it could rain for several hours. You may even get several days of dry, sunny weather.

Don't take too much interest in web sites showing the weather forecasts for Koh Samui. They often report the weather for the general Gulf of Thailand region, rather than specifically Koh Samui. They also often report thunderstorms every day which is not true. If it does rain during the dry season it is most likely a brief refreshing shower lasting 30 mins or so.

The hottest time of year is around April but it is hot all year round with temperatures around 28 - 32C (82 - 90F). It is also very warm overnight . When I have visited it has never dropped below 24C (75F).