Your essential guide to Koh Samui's beaches

With plentiful resorts, boutiques, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, Chaweng Beach is Koh Samui's most popular beach.  The southern and middle stretches of the five-kilometer beach have the deepest waters, best for swimming and water sports; however, in a more child-friendly setting, the northern portion is fairly shallow with an offshore reef.

Lamai Beach is calm and relatively shallow, except for the water sport-focused central portion with sufficient depth.  It is not as congested as Chaweng but a great deal of dining and shopping options lie just off the sand, which can bring in quite a bit of crowds.

Bophut is within a close proximity to the airport; a beach decorated with shops and restaurants, this area has kept its unspoiled charm, all the while offering a high caliber of shopping, dining and entertainment.  Much of this is attested to the area formerly acting as the main French outpost.

Maenam still possesses a great deal of the island's backpacker charm - quaint, natural and discreet.  Whilst sitting on the sand, a beach-goer has an excellent view of Koh Phangon, the home of the ever infamous Full Moon Party.

Choengmon Beach has mystical secluded bays, quiet back roads and breaking surf on huge granite rocks.  Home to many upmarket resorts, Chongmoen is an exclusive area in the north of Samui.

Taling Ngam is as far remote as you can get on the island.  The serene atmosphere and crisp white sand is undeniably breathtaking, as this beach is one of the few unspoiled and untouched beaches on Koh Samui.  This beach is ideal for an extremely relaxing day in the sun.

Lipa Noi is a flawless beach, void of rocks and coral.  The drive to Lipa Noi is one of serenity, as the tropical feel comes alive with the coconut plantations on either side of the road.  This beach provides one of the island's best sunsets.

Hua Thanon/ Bang Kao offers the island one last chunk of beach that appears to have been unaffected by tourism, despite the beach's resorts.  The Muslim village offers an organic beach experience.

Big Buddha is a quiet and peaceful stretch of sand.  Its location allows for easy access to Chaweng and Fisherman's Village in Bophut, making this the ideal stop for a visitor seeking tranquility with the option of amusement.

Source: Samui Lifestyle Magazine

Most visitors to Koh Samui happily discover the island's beaches, shopping centers, eateries and main attractions. However there is a lot more to Koh Samui once you get off the beaten track. As well as the main ring around the island, there is also a network of small roads, sometimes concreted sometimes not that snake around the beaches and pristine interior rain forests.

A great way of discovering hidden Koh Samui and its shady paths is by mountain bike. The beauty of cycling is that it is an activity that can be as challenging or as relaxing as you choose to make it and with the right guide it is a partime that will take you to some of the most intersting corners of the island.

Whether you choose to go fast and furious or gentle and ralaxing there is no doubt that any phusical activity will leave you feeling fit and invigorated.

By bike you can also reach some of Koh Samui's most remote and virtually untouched beaches, the one that most visitors and residents do not find. With the maps on Koh Samui being notoriously inadequate, finding a good guide is your only hope of discovering these little gems.

If you would like more information on cycling on Koh Samui, please visit www.rainbowsamui.com

Source:   Samui Express

In light of its spectacular Thailand Gulf with its clear water and coral reefs, rich animal and plant life, top-notch resorts and intense party scene, Samui has set itself apart as one of Thailand's most popular resort destinations. There is plenty to do in the towns as wkk as it and about on the water, underwater and in the forest. The monthly Full Moon party that take place on the neighbouring island are an absolute requirement for all fullthrottle parties. All of this together makes fir a first-class holiday in one of Thailand's most coveted locations.

The largest province of the South, Surat Thani was once a provincial capital of the 10th century Indonesian Srivijaya Empire, and now covers an area of approximately 13,000 square kilometers of both low basins and high plateaus with forested mountains, as well as some of Thailand’s most famous islands including Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, and the Mu Koh Ang Thong Marine National Park.

The name of Surat Thani may mean "City of the Good People" but Surat Thani is also known as “the province of a thousand islands” -- many of which lay off the coast in the Gulf of Thailand, including the archipelago that contains Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, and the Mu Koh Ang Thong Marine National Park.

Once the refuge of backpackers, the islands of Surat Thani are now some of the most visited places in Thailand; however, there are a number of historical, cultural, and natural attractions on the Thai mainland to make a stop in Surat Thani province worthwhile on the way to or from the islands.

The largest province of the South, located 685 kilometers from Bangkok, Surat Thani means "City of the Good People". A former capital of the Indonesian Srivijaya Empire, Surat Thani remains a vibrant city that is both a commercial and transportation hub and an area with many historical and cultural attractions.

Surat Thani Province covers an area of approximately 13,000 square kilometers of high plateaus and forested mountains in the west of the province that diminish to low basins towards the eastern coast. This mountainous topography has created 14 river basins all of which flow east of the province to the Gulf of Thailand; similarly, almost all visitors to Surat Thani invariably head to the Gulf, where the islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, and the Mu Koh Ang Thong Marine National Park are located.