We are going to Koh Samui in May, and wanted to get feedback from places in that area. We are on a tight budget and something "out of the way" is not a problem for us. We prefer seclusion and privacy but any place will do thats clean and friendly. We are looking for beach, clear waters and a place to relax thats all. Thank you!

There are plenty of very low budget places so you might not have to have too much of a tough life! Just how low did you want to go? Fan cooled rooms start around $10, air-con rooms around $15. Aree Bungalows at Lamai are right on the beach, air con $25 or beachdront air con about $35, Ever Green also beachfront about $25 air con, just as some ideas.
L:et us know your budget and I am sure others can also throw in some tips and ideas, it all depands what you want to spend.

hi trvlmnky

i stayed at a little place right on the beach of maenam (north end, quite secluded, as far as koh samui gets anyway!). need a taxi to get to the pubs and clubs of chaweng if thats what youre after. cost about 1200 baht per night in the high season
(jan). its quiet, its clean, it has an awesome restaurant that is cheap and delicious and its owners are very friendly and helpful. its literally a little hut, with a bed in it and a shower and bathroom. simple accomodation about three steps to the ocean. this end of the island is nice as the people who choose it dont want to party all night in some nightclub playing dodgy music. even if you do, you can still come home to your quiet end of the beach. areas like chaweng are a nightmare at night in my opinion. id hate to be sleeping there surrounded by drunk people on motorbikes and noisy pubs. so if its a nice relaxing break you want with a touch of nora jones or jack johnson to lull you to sleep in your bungalow on the sand, try this one. its called "moon hut". sawadee.com is a good source of info and feedback on hotels for all budgets... there wasnt alot of feed back on moon hut but dont let that deter you. see, once youve made a reservation thru that website, theyre supposed to contact you for feedback, but we werent ever contacted to give feedback, so maybe others werent either.

we stayed at peace resort in may/june last year...it was not too busy...they have several different prices depending on location of bungalow...i would highly suggest this property...may be above your budget however...look at www.huahin.20m.com and scroll down to other thai location and then pick samui

Thank you all. We were thinking $25 US max per night. We aren't sure what the weather is like in May- is aircon. necessary, or is a fan enough? As we will spend so little time in the room, we don't need much.

we absloutely needed the a/c during our may/june stay....we left it on all the time...can't imagine not having it...not sure you will get it for $25/ nite however

You will probably need the a/c unless you are hardened to the tropics, May will be hot, look at those places and also this takes you to reviews thru sawadee:

http://www.res24.com/review/posts.ht...huahin.20m.com

This link sorts everything pricewise down to lowest 'start' prices ( from $8) but they are the start prices, for $25 you can get /ac, lots of pics and stuff, it's a long url but will save time clicking to sort rates into USD and everything, these are based on the local Thai baht prices:

http://r24.org/R24/R24hotels.php?r=s...USD&promo=

If you want the cheap Bangkok Airways fare of $50 you have to go on the 6 am flight or about 10 pm to get the cheapest fares ( www.bangkokair.com )

Coco Palms at Mae Nam (book through www.sawadee.com) is a great choice. Clean pool, air cond, 20-30 metres from beach, good places to eat nearby like John's Garden-delicious home cooked Thai food. Coco Palms is a little remote but glorious! Good luck.

Thank you all again!!! We have founr a wonderful quiet little place on the north coast and are looking forward to going!

Did anyone rent a car or motorbike there? Is the driving like it is on the mailand (sort of no rules apply)?

I'm not kidding that it is very often fellow tourists on bikes that you really have to be wary of. So many jump on a bike/moped with absolutely zero experience, think they can ride a bicycle and drive a car so a bike is easy! Just expect the unexpected and watch for those crazy tourists!!

Careful of sand on the roads-it is almost impossible to avoid and causes motor bikes to skid out of control. People also stop riding motor bikes when it rains & the roads get very slippery. Car hire is around 700 baht a day and probably safer than a bike, but we did love the bikes!

we rented a motor bike while there, it was really fun but soooo dangerous. i agree with JamesA and Lyndie re other tourists and sand. yes, pretty much no rules, or maybe its just that nobody tells you the rules when you rent... you dont even need a licence to rent. its crazy, there are heaps of people walking around samui with bandages around their heads, arms and legs! i would also say dont ride after dark.. there arent street lights on all the roads so it can get pretty hairy with all the traffic, windy roads and hills.
its really fun, just be sensible and wear your helmet, ride to the side of the road and actually wear clothes (as opposed to a bikini!) in case you crash.
have a great time.. aside from bike riding, drink plenty of water.. bottled of course... you get really dehydrated without realising it.. i dont know how used to staying well with dodgy water you are, but brush your teeth with bottled water too. a lot of people forget that.