Accommodation

A short ferry from Koh Phangan took us to Koh Samui. Larger and more developed than it’s neighbor, everything stems from the main road that circles the island. We took a taxi from the pier to our apartment, a bungalow just off Bang Por beach. It boasted a kitchen, air conditioning and less wildlife than our beach hut. Our first night there, as we prepared dinner, a monsoon hit and took out the power for around an hour. Although Koh Samui was more developed it was still a tropical island after all.

Beach running

Bang Por beach was a long thin strip of sand about 2 miles long dotted with restaurants, accommodation and spas. After a little investigation on the first day we donned our trainers and went for a run. As we were staying slap bang in the middle of the beach we had a choice of 2 mile routes to take, left or right. On the last full day I braved the full 4 mile round route in 30 degree heat, it was brutal but made easier with a dip in the sea to finish.

Scootering

After a successful motorcycle escapade on Koh Phangan we decided to hire one to explore this new island. At the end of the road there was a mini mart come motorcycle rental outfit, after handing over 200 baht and my signature we were handed the keys to an orange scooter. The roads were more established here, with more traffic and lots of road construction. Roads are not closed for resurfacing work, you are expected to avoid the machinery and wet tarmac. Again, we found a scooter was a great way to explore an island, stopping when we wanted and checking out beaches and coffee shops as we went.

Fishermans village

No longer resembling a village, this street come night market was lined with hotels, restaurants, bars and yoga retreats. We only saw the night market being setup, but it seemed to contain the usual Thai street food and market merchandise for tourists. We did come back and have breakfast at the Greenlight cafe which was lovely.

Big Buddha

A little further down the road from the Fishermans village was a giant gilded Buddha statue. Now equipped with a complex of shops and cafes to tempt tourists after they’ve spent time with the massive statue and hit the bells that circle it. We were soon on our bike to make a short trip to the nearby Wat Plai Laem. A smaller and much less touristy collection of colourful temples and statues. We spent more time here taking pictures of the temples and watching people feed the fish in the lake that surrounds them.

Chaweng Beach

On the east of the island, near the airport is Bo Put. As we rode through this area it had an feeling of Spanish holiday resort about it. We stopped off and walked along Chaweng Beach which enforced this feeling more. With jet skis and deck chairs for hire, pinking bodies strewn across the beach and loud music from beach front bars it could be mistaken for Benidorm. We headed for some shade in the nearby mall and found a great food market with cheap street food.

Thai massage

Before heading to Thailand I had promised my aching back a proper Thai massage. A short walk along the beach from our bungalow was a massage place recommended by our AirBnb host. Nothing more than a wooden pergoda containing two massage beds open to the sea breeze. I took my spot on one of the beds and was contorted into all sorts of positions for an hour. With the sound of the sea in the background it was a very relaxing experience even if my muscles sometimes complained with the pressure being applied to them.

Sunset restaurant

Our final night was spent at the sunset restaurant. With a lovely view over the sea and the beautiful sunset happening around us it was the perfect end to our stay on the islands. The next day we boarded a ferry bound for the port of Dom Sak and a bus to Hat Yai.