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Introducing Lower Southern Gulf
If you’re shopping for penny-pinching paradises, Ko Samui, Ko Pha-Ngan and Ko Tao proffer fabulous bang for your baht. Bobbing like plump, green apples in the Gulf of Thailand, the Samui archipelago epitomises an exotic Eden fantasy for a fraction of the price. Calm, gin-clear seas, warm as a bath and sparkling a million shades of green, stretch on forever. Swaying palms and long stretches of porcelain sand give you the choice of basking until bronze, reading trashy romances or sipping juice from a coconut. When it comes to turning beach dreams into reality, these islands are master magicians.
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Ko Samui is best for pampering, attracting a crowd of jetsetters, honeymooners, families and, unfortunately, men searching for love with Thai prostitutes. The villas here can come with private pools, restaurants are Michelin-star worthy and water sports are plentiful.
Citizens of the world wanting to twirl firesticks and dance till dawn will find their answer in Ko Pha-Ngan. Not only is the backpacker Mecca legendary for throwing the planet’s best Full Moon parties, its ramshackle bungalows can go for less than three Singha’s at the bar.
Divers enjoy mellow Ko Tao where open-water certification is cheap and the snorkelling is the best in the gulf.
For an entirely different angle, head south along the mainland’s coast. Off the madly trodden ‘banana pancake trail’, the Deep South is the crucible of Buddhist and Muslim cultures. Unfortunately, at the time of research, continued violence made travel to this region dicey.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
