Ko Samui (เกาะสมุย), often called just Samui (สมุย) is an island in the Gulf of Thailand, some 700km south of Bangkok and about 80km from the eastern coastline of southern Thailand.
An island of great natural beauty and variety, Samui is home to about 40,000 full-time inhabitants, 90% of whom are Buddhist. The palm fringed shoreline and coconut and fruit cultivation of the coastal lowlands rise to a central granite massive, the slopes of which are cloaked in virgin rainforest.
At 247km² Samui is the third largest island in Thailand and the largest island in an archipelago of over 80 (mostly uninhabited) islands which form the Ang Thong National Marine Park, a kayaking and snorkeling paradise. At 25km long and 21km wide, Samui is big enough for serious exploration by the adventurous and fit, but can be circumnavigated in just a couple of hours by motorbike or car.
Tourism has long since overtaken coconut farming and fishing as the main sources of income. The latter are still practiced though to a lesser extent and the pleasant aroma of charring coconuts can still be smelt on many parts of the island. Many of the fish on local restaurant and hotel dining room tables come from the surrounding Gulf of Thailand's warm waters, although increasing amounts are imported from elsewhere as demand outstrips supply.
Districts
Administratively, Ko Samui is an Amphoe (district) of Surat Thani Province. The district is subdivided into 7 subdistricts (tambon). Also the complete island is one municipality (thesaban tambon). The district covers the island, as well as the Ang Thong archipelago and some other small islands nearby.
Ang Thong
Lipa Noi
Taling Ngam
Na Mueang
Maret
Bo Phut
Mae Nam
Ko Samui is all in all a fairly big place. The most popular and commercialised beaches are Chaweng and Lamai, while the northern beaches and their adjacent villages of Mae Nam, Bophut, Bang Rak (Big Buddha) and Choeng Mon are more peaceful choices, and the west coast beaches are still (comparatively) quiet.
Clockwise from Nathon on the west coast, the main beaches are:
Nathon - Samui's port and administrative center, but with little to attract the tourist
Mae Nam - a quiet and beautiful beach on the northern coast
Bophut - known for its Fisherman's Village, laid-back but growing fast
Bang Rak - at the northeastern tip, home of the Big Buddha
Choeng Mon - quiet North shore beach
Chaweng - the largest and most-developed beach, with a curious mix of luxury hotels and backpacker guesthouses and a hopping nightlife
Lamai - Samui's "second" beach south of Chaweng, more backpackery than Chaweng
South Coast - the small beaches of Ban Hua Thanon, Na Khai, Laem Set, Bang Kao and Thong Krut
