We are thinking about taking a flight from Bangkok to Suart Thani and then go by ferry to Koh Samui. Has anybody every done this? We would save 350 dollars by taking this route. It takes an hour and a half longer than flying from Bangkok to Koh Samui. We have researched this on the internet. Please advise . Thank you

We took the ferry from Surat Thani to Koh Samui a few years back but rather than fly from Bangkok we got the train which obviously takes a lot longer than flying (if I recall correctly took around 7-8 hours). Quite a pleasant trip if you have the time. I am very surprised at the cost saving of $350 unless there are a number of you flying.

Crellston - thank you very much for your reply. Must be the cost of the air fare has gone up since your trip. We only have 2 of us flying. The air fare from Bangkok is only 100 some each. There is a special going on right now. The ferry is extremely inexpensive - under $10.00 a person. We were in Thailand 2 years ago and spent 6 weeks there so we do have the time to spend taking the ferry to Koh Samui which was our favorite place except for Railway beach. We are spending 2 weeks in Thailand then flying back to Hawaii to stay for a month. Hopefully the temperature in Thailand is less than when we went 2 years ago. (went in February and March and the temp was 90 some and very humid) Of course if you ask anyone what the weather is they will say hot, hotter and hottest so I am probably wishing for the impossible!

A lot of people use the Air Asia to Surat Thani and then ferry or the Nokair to Nakhon Si Thammaret and then ferry. I have not done those myself as we drive.

It takes longer but why rush anyway

If it save a lot why not.

Time factor?

A lot depends on flight and ferry times.
If you can't make th ferry the same day and get to Samui, you will have to spend the night on the mainland - which is OK but may not be your intention.
Check the times.

It's quite a long drive from the airport to main pier in Don Sak (just outside Suratthani) - about 1 hour.
You can catch a minibus from the airport to Don Sak.
Then the Raja ferry departs regularly throughout the day, with a ~90 minute crossing to Samui. There are departures hourly.
Or another option would be to use the Lomprayah catamaran. This company has a much faster ferry, and have their own coaches so can coordinate your transfer from the airport to pier. You can book the combined ticket through their website.
(But Lomprayah have fewer daily crossings from Surat to Samui - three per day I think, so you need to check the timetable on their website to see if your flight arrival is compatible).

sunburst,

As I recall you can fly directly into Ko Samui from BKK

Errr yes sunburst knows that but want to save money by flying to Surat and taking a ferry. What is more important is that this was a question from 2011!

I do agree with JamesA, you can take a domestic flight to Surat Thani by Air Asia or to Nakhon Si Thammarat by Nok Air then you have to take a ferry to Samui. Another option is take Lomphraya Hi Speed Ferry from Bangkok to Samui, you can go to Banglumpoo that near Khao Sarn Road for take a ferry. It departs from Bangkok at 6.00 am and arrives to Samui at 4.45 pm. the cost around 1400 baht. or you can check the information on their website http://www.lomprayah.com/E/index.htm

THe Bangkok to Samui ferry is probably not an option anymore!

http://www.richardbarrow.com/2013/07...royed-by-fire/