What beach area would you recommend to stay in Koh Samui in late October? Deciding between the northern, or the different areas on Chaweng.

I def want to stay on the beach and be within walking distance to shopping/bars/restaurants and "hot spots". But am a little worried about being in a place that is too crowded. Recommendations for hotels/resorts would be great.

thanks

I would check out the Nora Beach Resort at the very north end of Chaweng beach. It is supposedly isolated enough to be quiet, but it is still on Chaweng. It might be a little far to walk to some stuff further down on Chaweng, but it is the best place I could think of that will give you close access to the "scene" as well as some quiet.

It is also a very lovely resort with a lot of good reviews on sawadee.com. Prices seem really reasonable too.

the bophut beach are is quite nice, with its little shopping/restaurant/bar area....it is about a 10 minute ride to chaewaeng bch...

Nora beach resort looks beautiful but I am thinking more in the $50 price range. Any suggestions?

Regarding Bophut-what is the main draw here? Are the beaches here comparable to Chaweng?

It sounds like you do want to be close to some action (and you said walking distance - not short cab ride), so I recommend finding a quieter place on Chaweng.

Be forewarned, though, that the price range you are looking at will put you into some lower-level resort type places/high-end backpacker places. What I could find that looked decent, got good reviews, relatively quiet, and fit in your budget were:

Samui Natien Resort
Samui Paradise Resort
The Island Resort & Spa

One of the things to thing about is whether you want to stay in a more expensive place and get the cheapest room or stay in a cheaper place and get a better room. It really depends how much time you plan to spend in your room/at the hotel.

Check out these three on Sawadee.com. I really trust the reviews there.

Thanks! Acutally, you are right . .I think if I want to stay in a 3 star hotel with a beachfront view that 100-150 is what is realistic. So you would recommend the northern end of Chaweng? What do you think of the Amari Palm Reef?

Well, the northern end of Chaweng is definitely quieter, but I have read a ton of reports about the beach being pretty bad. There are some quiet places in centeral Chaweng and I thing Chaweng Noi (southern Chaweng) has some quieter places still with a good beach.

The Amari Palm seems nice, but I think the beach is pretty bad there.

The beaches in Samui aren't that bad, the problem you get ( like everywhere ) is that a lot of photos and promotions can be years out of date, photos are touched up, or the general presentation of a place is not accurate. I think you have to balance beach quality with other interetss/attractions, to get a gleaming perfect white beach with 100% pure water clarity people might be advised to head for the Maldives, but then again on an island resort there you would not have shopping, restaurants and other activities.

Take a look at the Banana Fan Sea Resort. It is extremely nice, but not too expensive. It is in the middle of Chaweng, but people say it is nice and quiet.

Angelgina,I can pesonally recommend the southern part of Chaweng beach as the perfect place for your requirements.I have now been to Samui four times and have twice stayed at the Chaweng Resort which is 3 star bungalow style accomadation on the best part of the beach by far and never overcrowded,yet still very close to all the hotspots.
We stayed at the Chaba resort in central Chaweng last year and also found this to be a great location ,but we missed the gardens and stand alone bungalows of the Chaweng Resort.We also checked out a newer placr called the Chaweng Cabana which was a little bit more expensive than the Chaweng Resort but proberbly still within your range.This was right next door and looked so serene.Ate at the restaraunt a few times and loved it.
We loved going to Bophut or Big Budha beach for a change of scenery and a meal at a up market restaraunt but the beach there is no where near as nice as south Chaweng and it has much less to offer in both shopping and after dinner activities.
Chaweng is a great spot for a drink and a dance until the wee hours and if you stay in the south you will be walking distance away from these places without them being on top of you and you will hear the sounds of the ocean rather than the beat of dance music at night.