Koh Samui - still the same??

Hi All

we were in koh samiu 2 years ago and had the time of our life. Beuatiful beach, food, people, atmosphere and shopping. Just wondering and hoping that nothing has changed to much. We are looking at heading back in April, anyone have any feedback on the weather at this time of year in Samui.

Cheers

Hi

I went to Samui in 1998 and I'm going back this year. We also had a wonderful trip there the last time and I'm looking forward to checking it out to see if it still is a great place :-)

We stayed at Chaweng Resort 2 years ago as well, anone been there recently?

THanks for your posts but wouldnt you think it would be more appropriate to post something relevant.

when i remember right after 4 years was it very hot even for a beachcomber like me, a bungalow with fan only was quite hardship. the sea was very quiet ( swimming possible every single day), despite in january and february 2006 - high waves for weeks . terrible development , the fastest growing place in thailand!

Hi

When it comes to weather you should check weatherbase. This will give you lots of weather stats :-)

The temperatures should be up to 35 degrees C, the rain should be very minimal in April. When you liked Samui 2 years ago you will like it again but - it depends to which beach you are going to. Chaweng is "developping" more and more. Several new very high price (and also high rise) hotels came up but several more bland guesthouses too. Hut resorts are almost gone. Between the beach and the beach road there are several construction sites. The plot of Charlies Hut has been taken over by Amari.
Lamai is still the quieter sister, Maenam beach still very quiet - but you need your own transport from many places which are farer from the main road. Within 2 years Bophut did not change much as hotels like Anantara, Bandara and Bophut Resort were already there.
Anyhow you will find construction all over Samui. The traffic changed to the worse as truck drivers seem to think that they are the strongests on the road and the motorbike accidents did not become less. Book a jungle tour and the island is still showing a very green inside.

As far as I heard a few month ago parts of Chaweng main road changed into a one way road because of the heavy traffic. Have been there many times over the past 13 years. Yes Samui changed much. construction work nearly anywhere in the northern part of Samui. The further you go south the more you find the kind of Samui known from former days.
Nowadays te crowd goes to Samui to party so they choose Chaweng.
Expect Chaweng to change daily, to the negative side...

GM

On the other side Samui is trying to change into a big wellness center. More and more expensive resorts open, offering accom for about 10.000 baht, looking for different kind of tourists. Also for the locals daily life is getting more and more expensive.

GM

I think depends where you are here...I have only been once, in Aug of 2002, and we were on the north end, and enjoyed a bungalow with AC, great pool and lovely beach, with a Rasta Buddha beach bar, the Black Rose, it has a english billiards table for snooker, in the sand, under a thatch roof, with candles and pillows on the sand.

There are still good articles about the various places to stay here, and i think its what you make of it, its nice to know a party atmosphere is a taxi drive away, and though I was 41 when I arrived stoned and drinking Jack, scored some X, and we had a blast, but the Techno music is too loud!

I went here with a surf buddy from Costa Rica, and we hit the ground running in Thailand, and this place had its high points, Thai cooking classes, diving, good cafes and cuisine, and pretty beaches, with a cool airport, and fun for all...honeymooners to solo backpackers can hangout here..

I hope it is still like that...I have fond memories of the time there, though I prefer more undeveloped beaches, more like villages, its still charming and rustic, thats the part that I enjoyed...

Sorry to be negative, but Samui is much changed. Wild horses wouldn't get me there nowadays, unlike a few years ago. Our son has just returned from a business trip to Thai islands(he is in diving insurance). Samui was his least enjoyed destination. Very seedy these days lots of concrete and not unlike Benidorm!! Mind you.....thats what some people like. NOT for me.

A lot of nonsense about Samui as usual.
Maybe you could compare Pattaya with Benidorm.
You could compare Samui with Ibiza in a way.
Same, same but different.
Samui has 1 million visitors a year.
It is not the same as 20 years ago, but most places change.
I'm glad not all the 15 million that visit Thailand go to Samui.

I doubt Samui has as much concrete as here in Phuket. I have only been to Samui one time and stayed at Bophut beach, which was very quiet. Chaweng was not as bad as I had imagined (it can't beat Patong for overblown tourism) and I am sure that if you ride round the island there are loads of quite places just like Phuket - all the tourists stay on a few beaches and leave the rest alone.

#16, well said.

GM

But if you are looking for Koh Samui Anno 1985, you are more than 20 years too late :o)

Just got back last night from 7 days in Lamai Beach, two years since my last visit. Yes, it has changed; more development and clearly marketing for a more "upscale" crowd but once you get on the beach it all disappears and it becomes the same place you loved. Take a motorbike ride at sunset and there are still nooks and crannies where you can be alone with the beauty of the place.