By Blaise Jaeger · Updated October 12, 2026

Koh Samui is the second largest island in Thailand, in the Gulf of Thailand: white sand beaches, coconut palms, beach clubs, a lively nightlife in Chaweng and, just offshore, small wild islands and one of the best dive sites in the gulf. Its neighbour Koh Phangan, half an hour away by boat, is wilder and quieter, at least away from the Full Moon Party.

I spent six days there in February 2024, flying in from Phuket: four days on Koh Samui, in a pool villa near Chaweng, then two days on Koh Phangan, at the Maehaad Bay Resort. This guide follows that trip, day by day, with the beaches, islands, dive site and bars I actually tried.

My Koh Samui Itinerary: 6 Days with Koh Phangan

• Day 1 (February 3): flight from Phuket, check-in at our villa near Chaweng, dinner at BaCaba.
• Day 2: lunch at Pi Samui Beach Club on Choeng Mon Beach, drone flight over the bay, massage on the beach at Fisherman’s Village in the evening, then the bars of Chaweng: ARKbar on the beach and the Green Mango Club.
• Day 3: boat trip to Ko Rap and Ko Mat Sum, the “Pig Island”.
• Day 4: diving at Sail Rock, sunset at the Maithy Pool Lounge.
• Day 5: lunch at Seen Beach Club in Chaweng, ferry to Koh Phangan at 4:30 pm, scooter rental, sunset on Mae Haad Beach.
• Day 6: longtail boat from Chaloklum to Bottle Beach and hike to the viewpoint.
• Day 7 (February 9): boat back to Koh Samui and straight to the airport, for a flight to Singapore and Chinese New Year.

Six days is a good length: enough for the beaches, one island trip, one dive day and Koh Phangan, without rushing.

Best Beaches in Koh Samui

Koh Samui is surrounded by beaches, and they are very different from one another. Here are the ones I know, from the quietest to the liveliest.

Choeng Mon Beach: the Quiet Bay

Choeng Mon is a curved bay on the north-east tip of the island, ten minutes from Chaweng but much calmer: soft white sand, shallow and calm water, a small island you can almost walk to at low tide, and upscale resorts behind the palms. It is the best beach for swimming and for families. On our second day, we had lunch at Pi Samui Beach Club, right on the sand: good Thai food, excellent cocktails and lounge chairs facing the bay. In the afternoon, I flew my drone over the beach, and the colours of the water from above are stunning.

Chaweng Beach: the Liveliest

Chaweng is the main beach of Koh Samui: several kilometres of white sand on the east coast, lined with hotels, restaurants and beach clubs. The water is beautiful, but the beach is busy, and the road behind it is noisy and full of bars. It is the place to stay if you want nightlife within walking distance. We stayed in a villa with a private pool in the hills above Chaweng, the Thalemaan Pool Villa: quiet at night, and five minutes by scooter from the beach.

For a lazy day on Chaweng, Seen Beach Club is one of the nicest spots: a big pool facing the sea, a stylish restaurant and DJs in the afternoon. We had lunch there on our last day on Samui, before taking the boat to Koh Phangan.

Bophut and Fisherman’s Village

On the north coast, Bophut is the most charming village of the island. Fisherman’s Village is its old main street, with Chinese wooden houses turned into boutiques, restaurants and bars facing the beach. On Friday evenings, it becomes the Bophut Walking Street night market, one of the best on the island. We came in the evening for a massage on the beach, at Cyan Spa, with the lights of the village behind us: the perfect start to a night out.

Lamai and Mae Nam

South of Chaweng, Lamai is the second big beach of the island, a little cheaper and more relaxed. On the north coast, Mae Nam is long, quiet and lined with palm trees, and it has the Lomprayah pier for the boats to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. I only passed through these two, so I cannot tell you more.

Ko Rap and Ko Mat Sum: Pig Island

Off the south-west coast of Koh Samui, two small islands are the best half-day trip from the island. Boats leave from Thong Krut, on the south coast, and from some resorts.

Ko Rap is a little desert island with a beach under the trees: after lunch, we took a nap in the hammocks hung between the palms. A few minutes further, Ko Mat Sum has a long white sandbar curving into shallow turquoise water, where you can walk and swim for hours. We swam there in the late afternoon, next to our longtail boat.

Ko Mat Sum is nicknamed “Pig Island” because of its unexpected inhabitants: a few black pigs that wander freely on the beach and come to see the visitors, and sometimes to swim. They are used to people, but they remain animals: do not chase them, and avoid feeding them junk food.

Diving at Sail Rock

Sail Rock is the best dive site of the Gulf of Thailand: an isolated granite pinnacle rising from 30 metres deep, halfway between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, with no reef around, which concentrates all the marine life. I dived there on February 6. The famous feature is the Chimney, a vertical swim-through inside the rock that you go up from about 18 metres to near the surface. Around the pinnacle, huge schools of barracudas, trevallies and batfish swirl around you, and whale sharks pass by in some seasons.

Dive boats leave from Koh Samui (about 1.5 hours) and from Koh Phangan (closer). Sail Rock suits all levels, but the current can be strong. For other dive sites in the country, see my guide to diving in Thailand.

Koh Samui Nightlife and Sunset Bars

Chaweng is the centre of the nightlife. We started at ARKbar, a beach club right on the sand of Chaweng with music and parties every evening, then ended the night at the Green Mango Club, the island’s classic nightclub, in the Soi Green Mango street.

For the sunset, find a bar facing west. On February 6, after the dive, we watched it from the Maithy Pool Lounge, a rooftop bar with a pool on the north-east tip of the island, above the bay of Bang Rak: a spritz, golden light and the sea all around.

Koh Phangan from Koh Samui

Koh Phangan is the island north of Koh Samui, famous for the Full Moon Party of Haad Rin. But most of the island is green, hilly and calm, with beaches that are wilder than on Samui. It is worth more than a day trip: we spent two nights there.

Getting to Koh Phangan

On February 7, we took the Lomprayah high-speed ferry at 4:30 pm from the pier of Mae Nam, on the north coast of Koh Samui, to Thong Sala, the main port of Koh Phangan. The crossing takes about 30 minutes. Seatran also runs from Bang Rak, and the Haad Rin Queen from Big Buddha pier to Haad Rin. You can check timetables and book on 12Go.

On Koh Phangan, rent a scooter: there is little public transport, the roads are steep, and the beaches are far apart. We rented one at 5 pm, right after arriving, and rode to the north-west coast in time for the sunset.

Mae Haad Beach

We stayed at the Maehaad Bay Resort, on Mae Haad Beach, in the north-west of the island. It is one of the most beautiful beaches of Koh Phangan: in front of it, a sandbar connects the beach to the small island of Koh Ma at low tide, and the sunset over the sea is magnificent. Breakfast at the resort is served on a terrace facing the bay.

Bottle Beach and its Viewpoint

Bottle Beach is the most secluded beach of Koh Phangan, on the north coast, surrounded by jungle-covered hills and reachable mainly by boat. On the morning of February 8, we took a longtail boat from the pier of Chaloklum, the fishing village of the north coast, for a short ride along the cliffs.

From the beach, a steep trail climbs to the Bottle Beach viewpoint: 30 minutes up, partly on big granite rocks, and less than 20 minutes down. The view over the bay, the jungle and the coast is clearly worth the effort. Bring water and good shoes, and go in the morning before the heat.

On February 9, we took the boat back to Koh Samui and went straight to the airport.

How to Get to Koh Samui

• By plane from Phuket: what I did. Bangkok Airways flies from Phuket to Koh Samui in about an hour, on small propeller planes. Compare flights and prices on 12Go.
• By plane from Bangkok: several flights a day, about 1 hour 10 minutes. The airport belongs to Bangkok Airways, so flights are more expensive than elsewhere in Thailand. See my guide to Bangkok.
• By bus and ferry: cheaper but long. From Bangkok, a night bus or train to Surat Thani, then a ferry from Donsak (about 1.5 hours to Koh Samui). From Phuket or Krabi, combined minivan and ferry tickets take a full day.
• From Koh Phangan or Koh Tao: high-speed ferries several times a day, on 12Go.

Getting Around Koh Samui

The easiest way is the scooter, if you are used to riding one: the ring road goes around the whole island in about an hour and a half. Taxis are expensive and do not always use the meter, but Grab and Bolt work on the island. Songthaews, the shared pick-ups, run along the main road during the day. For the rest of the country, see getting around Thailand.

Where to Stay in Koh Samui

• Chaweng: for nightlife, restaurants and beach clubs within walking distance. Or, like us, a villa in the hills above, quieter.
• Choeng Mon: for a calm and beautiful bay, with upscale resorts. The best choice for families and couples.
• Bophut: for the charm of Fisherman’s Village and good restaurants.
• Mae Nam or Lamai: for quieter and cheaper stays.
• On Koh Phangan: Mae Haad or the north coast for calm and sunsets, Haad Rin for the parties.

I compare hotels and villas on Booking.com.

Best Time to Visit Koh Samui

Koh Samui does not follow the same seasons as Phuket. The best period is from January to April, with sunshine and calm sea: in February, we had perfect weather every day. From May to September, it is still mostly dry, while it is the rainy season on the Andaman coast. The real rainy season on Koh Samui is from October to December, with heavy showers and rough seas in November.

Koh Samui FAQ

Is Koh Samui worth visiting?

Yes. It combines beautiful beaches, easy island trips, one of the best dive sites in Thailand and a real nightlife, with good hotels for every budget. It is more developed than Koh Phangan or Koh Tao, but you can easily find calm beaches.

How many days do you need in Koh Samui?

Four days are enough for the beaches, the trip to Ko Rap and Pig Island and a dive at Sail Rock. Add two or three days to visit Koh Phangan, as I did.

Koh Samui or Koh Phangan?

Koh Samui is more comfortable, with more hotels, restaurants and an airport. Koh Phangan is wilder, cheaper and more relaxed, apart from Haad Rin during the Full Moon Party. The best is to combine them: they are only 30 minutes apart by boat.

Can you visit Pig Island from Koh Samui?

Yes, Ko Mat Sum is a short boat ride from the south coast of Koh Samui. Most trips combine it with Ko Rap and a lunch on the beach.

Koh Samui is a perfect stop between the Andaman coast and Bangkok. Before Samui, I was in Phuket and Phang Nga Bay. For the rest of the country, start with my Thailand travel guide.