Quietest parts of Koh Samui - Help needed
 

Where are the quietest beaches on Koh Samui? We are looking for a peaceful retreat but where things are going on in the near vicinity. Is Koh Samui built up? I am getting a bit concerned when I read about the beaches being packed and a lot of loud music, noisy bars etc. This is not my idea of a little peace of heaven. Anyone able to help?

Carole, <BR> <BR>My wife and I just returned from 2 weeks in Thailand, including four nights in Koh Samui. We, like you, wanted a quiet beach. We stayed at the Fair House in Chaweng Noi beach, just south of the main beach of Chaweng but completely separated from it by a rocky point. This beach is immaculate and was completely quiet. We had beachfront bungalows at the Fair House for about 2,500 baht including tax and breakfast each day, booked on the Internet with no problem. The Fair House is near the north end of Chaweng Noi, close to some rocks that were of mild interest for snorkeling, otherwise it was just a perfect expanse of clean, powdery sand and blue water, very quiet. I would strongly suggest the beachfront, water view bungalows as opposed to the inland rooms due to the steep slope beyond the beach, and the convenience of being on the beach is great. Their restaurant was very good with a wide variety of international and Thai foods - you can eat dinner there for a week and not get tired of the food. Neither of us had ever been on a motorbike, but we rented one with no problem (200 -250 b per day) and toured the entire island and made many trips to the grocery store. We stopped in at Poppies, a popular resort, which seemed almost identical to Fair House but was on Chaweng and was probably more expensive. <BR> <BR>We found the island, at least compared to beaches in the United States, to be completely undeveloped. No high-rises, no congestion, no tacky shops. We did not go into central Chaweng for the night life action, but the island is uncrowded and pretty calm. We, too, read in the guidebooks about the crazy Samui crowds, but we had a hard time believing it existed. The weather was very nice, although quite hot, but unlike most of Thailand, there was usually a nice breeze, and no problem with the bugs! <BR> <BR> The only road in central Chaweng is under construction now and is a complete mess, though it is easy to motorbike in or take a songthaew. We thought Lamai beach was nice but it is quite far from Central Chaweng, while from the Fair House one can walk (although it is about a mile or more) to Central Chaweng with no problem, especially if you take a songthaew back! We did tour the west side of the island, which has a great view of the Angthong Marine Park islands and nice beaches, but overall we thought Chaweng Noi was the best. If you rent a motorbike, you can see it all in a day with no problem, including the sunset. <BR> <BR>We have much more detail if you are interested, just drop us an e-mail. <BR>

I was on Bophut Beach about two months ago, and it was very quiet and picturesque. The only down side, however, was the quality of the accomodations. The World and Sandy resorts were not quite as described in the guide books. From what I saw of the other beaches on the island, it appears that there are few offerings that rival the nicer hotels in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

I stayed in Samui last August,don´t go to Chaweng or Lamai (very noisy and dusty).I prefer Bophut beach,nice beach and quite bars.

Micheal, thanks for the details on Koh Samui...Could you tell us if you went to Phuket? We have a 7yr old and were told Laguna Beach resort is the best if you have kids....we have about 10 days to see the beaches and were thinking of dividing it between Phuket and Koh Samui. I here undertow is a problem..

Another recommendation for Chewang Noi. <BR> <BR>Fair House is good. Another nearby, where my partner and I stayed last week, is the New Star. Excellent!! self contained bungalows for 1200 - 1800 B (cheaper than Faair House)and an great standard unless you are really discriminating. <BR> <BR>Best of taking the cheaper version is that you can still access the restaurants and happy hours for the more well heeled resorts. You may not even wish to do this however as the restaurants along the southern section of Chaweng Noi (and the whole area is only 1.5 k long)set up on the beach at night for a wonderful tropical dining experience which is remarkably inexpensive in any case.