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Published: January 19th 2008
Sunset From The Pier
On a pier near Big Buddha BeachWhen we first started brainstorming about our trip to Southeast Asia it became clear early on that we wanted to spend some time relaxing on a beach somewhere in Thailand. We figured with all the sight-seeing throughout our vacation, a sizeable break in the middle of our trip to simply relax would be very well earned and appreciated. We considered the west peninsula beaches around Phucket, but ultimately felt that the descriptions of Koh Samui Island off the eastern peninsula were more aligned with our interests.
We booked six nights at Evergreen Resort. The resort was on the east side of the island, only a few strides from the incredibly soft, white sand of Chaweng Beach. Chaweng Beach seemed the most beautiful beach we visited while on Koh Samui. Aside from the comforting sand, the water was crystal clear and always the perfect temperature. Due to the beach’s beauty, it was unfortunately the most populated as well. I wouldn’t say it was overcrowded, just the busiest beach on the little island. Aside from the daytime beach, most of the island’s nighttime social activities also took place around Chaweng Beach. Whether
Cliffside Dinner
Dinner at The Cliff restaurant. day or night, we found you could always count of Chaweng Beach for some quality people watching.
During our stay, we also visited Lamai Beach and Big Buddha Beach. Lamai’s sand was a bit rocky as compared to Chaweng which also thankfully meant fewer tourists. Big Buddha Beach on the north side was a much smaller stretch of rocky sand that we found basically deserted while we visited.
Aside from beach hopping during the day, we also enjoyed several nights of fine dining. Whether it was dinner on the beach, on the strip, or somewhere with a cliff side view of a beach, it seemed every meal succeeded in creating an enjoyable evening.
Unlike my other blogs, there isn’t much more to share about our time on Koh Samui. This leg of our trip was really an opportunity to focus on relaxing, which we did in large quantities. I wouldn’t say that I was overly impressed with Koh Samui, but I blame that feeling on having unreasonably high expectations for Thailand beaches from watching too many Travel Channel shows. While it may not have impressed me, our visit to Koh Samui was highly successful in accomplishing our
Natural Pool
Rock formation near Lamai Beach goals of a relaxing break from our busy vacation schedule of sight-seeing.
Next stop, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Random Observations/Nuisances -The roaming beach vendors tend to drop by a bit too often. Sure, maybe one out of every twenty visits you actually buy something, but for the most part we found their constant inquiries an interruption of our comfort.
-A popular, interesting nighttime product was mini hot-air balloons. While walking the beach at night, hawkers would sell human sized paper balloons. By igniting a fire on the bottom opened end, people could cast the balloons off into the night sky. While likely not environmentally friendly, it was still kind of neat to see these little balls of fire lighting up the night.
-While every taxi is labeled as “meter” on the top, we’ve yet to ride in one that actually uses a meter. We continue to haggle our way through Southeast Asia.
-At night, every once and awhile a truck will drive by blasting an advertisement for an upcoming Thai boxing fight. I got a kick out of the ones that kicked off their ads with the Rocky theme. “Getting stronger….. Not much longer!” Made you want to
Chaweng Beach
Near our resort. run down the street with your hands pumping above your head.
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