Photo By: Elin Chow

Koh Samui is the second largest island in Thailand and the perfect getaway for tourists looking for pristine beach to soak up some sun. This was also where we spent our last few days of 2019, sipping cocktails and dancing the year away with live music.

Getting To Koh Samui

To get from Kuala Lumpur to Koh Samui, you fly either into Surat Thani with Air Asia or directly into Koh Samui with other international airlines.

The most convenient and fastest way is to fly directly into the island with Malaysia Airlines, Bangkok Airways or Singapore Airlines from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Phuket or Pattaya. However, the price of a flight ticket is pretty expensive because Samui Airport is built and operated by Bangkok Airways and has a near monopoly on flights. You can expect flights costing up to more than double that of a similar distance around the region just to fly into Koh Samui.

The cheaper way to get to the island from Kuala Lumpur is to fly to Surat Thani with Air Asia. However, you will need both land and ferry transfers to get to Koh Samui if you are flying into Surat Thani, which will add at least 3-4 hours to the journey. It is a quite troublesome, time wasting and very exhausting. But this option is especially great for people who are travelling with a tight budget as it will save you quite a lot of money.


Since we were travelling on a small budget, we chose to fly into Surat Thani. But we will probably not choose this option again. It took us about an hour to clear immigration because there were several flights that arrived at the same time. Upon exiting the immigration checkpoint, you will find a number of transfer service counters at the arrival hall  where you can purchase your bus and ferry ticket from Surat Thani International Airport to Koh Samui.

We chose to buy our bus tickets from Phantip Travel as they are the sole operator of shuttle bus services in Surat Thani International Airport. You can buy your ferry ticket with them too. Other than getting a combined bus and ferry ticket, we also added a hotel pick up and drop off transfer service to our tickets. The hotel transfer service is only available for Chaweng, Bohput and Lamai areas in Koh Samui.


Simply tell the counter staff the hotel that you are staying and pay the price of the transfer. Alternatively, you can also book the combined transfer ticket online via Phantip Travel website. I really recommend getting this bus + ferry + hotel transfer combined ticket because it will surely add to the convenience even though they are not necessarily any cheaper. But at least you will have one thing less to worry about. Please make sure you keep the tickets safe as each transfer will require you to show your ticket again.


Once we had our tickets, we exited the airport and made our way to the bus stop. At the bus stop, you will find a number of buses from various companies and a few waiting staffs. Simply show any of the staffs your ticket and they will guide onto the correct bus.


Phantip Travel operates daily bus services from Surat Thani International Airport to  Donsak Pier. The bus journey will takes about 1.5 hours. Please note that there is no toilet on the bus, so make sure you go to the restroom while in the airport.

The Donsak Pier is the port of exit for many travellers to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. You can also buy the ferry ticket at the ticket counters here if you did not get it at the airport. Long waits are common but there is a convenience store and a food stall and cafe at Donsak Pier where you can get some snacks and drinks while waiting to board the ferry. But fortunately, we did not need to wait for long to board.


There are several ferry companies that connecting Donsak Pier and Koh Samui, but the three most common ones are Seatran Car Ferry, Raja Ferry and Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran. Among the three, Lomprayah is the fastest but can get pretty nauseous when the seas are rough.

We boarded the Seatran Car Ferry, which is a popular choice for those who get sea sick easily. Since this is a car ferry, you can drive your car onto the ferry if you are renting one. But you are required to carry your luggage onto the ferry yourself. It is a little troublesome if you are travelling solo with lots of luggage since you will keep them by your side all the time.

The ferry is quite old and worn out with indoor and outdoor seating. But it was still quite comfortable. You can choose to sit in the huge air-conditioned cabin or outdoor in the sun. There is no fixed seating, so you can sit anywhere you like.


There is a convenience store on the ferry where you can get some snacks and drinks and a massage room where you can enjoy a quick foot massage. Enjoy standing on the deck and enjoy the salt air and sea breeze.

The ferry ride from Donsak Pier to Nathon Pier Koh Samui will take another 1.5 hours. Ferry Traffic is quite intense at Nathon Pier since it is connected to Surat Thani, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. You will find tons of taxis and mini buses waiting outside the pier, eager to take you to your hotel.

We approached a staff and showed him our mini bus ticket. After confirming our destination, we were asked to wait while he sorted out all the bookings. It was a little chaotic as there were hundreds of visitors arriving at the same time.


The mini van will transfer you directly to your hotel. But they will usually have to wait until the van is full (10 persons) before leaving. It is cheap but it is not a good option if you are in a hurry. You might want to book a taxi instead.

It takes about 1.5 hours for us to reach our hotel in the Chaweng area. If we take a taxi, it will probably take 45 minutes only. This is because the minivan has to  make multiple stops along the way to drop off each passenger at their hotel. If you are lucky, you might be the first passenger that the van will drop off. But you will be the last if you are the unlucky one.

Overall, it will take about 7 hours to reach our hotel. To be honest, it was not a very enjoyable journey. We were exhausted and starving because we have not eaten since morning.

Accommodation

During our 4 days 3 nights in Koh Samui, we stayed at Khun Chaweng Resort. Offering 60 cosy rooms, the 2-star resort is located about 200 metres from Chaweng beach, the resort is a 15 minutes drive away from Samui International Airport.


Our superior room has a full glass entry door with a nice patio with outdoor seating. Large curtains are installed at the entrance to provide privacy. We have keep the curtains closed at all time to block out the lights and prevent people from seeing into our room.




Measuring 30 square metres, the room is extremely spacious and comes with a large king sized bed, individually controlled air conditioner and an attached bathroom. The bed is so comfortable which makes it hard for us to wake up in the morning.


The room comes with a 21 inch LCD TV with satellite channels. Complimentary WiFi is also available in the room but connection is a little slow and unstable sometimes. Other in room amenities include a mini fridge, two umbrellas and two complimentary bottled mineral water every day.

However, there are only 2 power plugs in the room - one for the TV and the other one for the fridge. This was really very frustrating because we have to unplug the TV and climb under a table in order to charge our electronic devices. Even with a 3 way plug adapter, we can only charge two devices at a time due to limited space.



The bathroom was very large as well, with the sink located outside the bathroom. There is not much privacy as it is all glass, which might bother some people. Limited toiletries are provided. There are just two bars of soap and a small bottle of shampoo, so you might want to bring your own toiletries if you are planning to stay here. Or you can buy them at the 7-Eleven store right in front of the resort.

Oh, remember to bring your hair dryer as well. I usually do not bring my own hair dryer when I travel. But I decided to bring it for this trip and luckily, I did because the resort did not provide one.

Generally, this is a great place to stay if you are a party goer who is travelling on a budget. For those who are not here to party, this might not be a good place to stay. As the resort sits at the back of a ladyboy cabaret with lots of clubs surrounding it, it can be pretty noisy at night. Although the ladyboy cabaret will end around midnight, most of the clubs around the resort will play loud music until early morning. As a result, light sleeper might have a problem falling asleep at night. The noise is actually not too bad if you manage to get a room at the back of the resort.

Central Festival Mall

After settling down, we walked to Central Festival Mall to grab dinner. Located just a 5 minute walk away from our resort, Central Festival Mall is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in Koh Samui with around 90,000 square meters of retail space.









Tops Market (Central Festival Mall)

Back to Central Festival Mall, we visited Tops Market. This is a good place to go if you want to stock up on all essential in one place. We will visit Tops Market every single day just to get snacks and drinks, especially alcohol. The market offers a good choice of alcohol of both local and foreign brands and prices are often cheaper than 7-eleven or most other convenience stores.

Chaweng Beach


Chaweng beach is the longest and the most popular beach in Koh Samui. It was approximately 7 km long, with powdery white sand and striking turquoise colored water.





There are plenty of things to do at the beach, but there is nothing more relaxing than strolling barefoot in the sand while listening to the sounds of the waves. As you walk down the beach, you will likely encounter a few street vendors who trudge around trying to sell you sarongs, rafts, ice cream, trinkets, snacks and drinks. But they were not too persistent or pushy and would usually leave you alone after you rejected them politely.









Chaweng is the nightlife central of Koh Samui. Every night, the beach is transformed into a huge party scene where people drink, dance and have fun till dawn. Some of the most popular party venues are located here. It is a little like the famous Patong beach in Phuket.


The main beach party area is centered around the famous Ark Bar Beach Resort, a beachfront resort, restaurant, bar and nightclub that is located right on the beach.




This is where all the biggest parties take place every night, with fire show, pool parties, DJs blasting loud music and lots of dancing. In fact, there are probably more people at the beach at midnight time than in the morning, which makes it a great place to mingle with visitors from all around the world and party until the sun rises.

However, the resort is not recommended for people who are looking for peace and relaxation since the bar blasts loud music till the wee hours of the morning. It is perfect for party animals who would love to party till dawn and get back their room easily after having too many drinks.


The bar offers a good selection of alcohol but prices of drinks are a little more expensive as expected. I would recommend you to buy your own alcohol at the nearby convenience stores or supermarkets and bring them here if you would like to save some money.



The next morning, we headed to the nearest 7 eleven to grab some breakfast. For those who are travelling on a budget, 7 eleven is a good place where you can get inexpensive but delicious food and drinks.

Grilled Ham Cheese Sandwiches




Along the street, you will also find plenty of restaurants, pharmacies, convenience stores, tailors, hotels, massage, spa, souvenirs and fast food shops. It will probably going to take you days to visit and see every shops on this street.

Samui Outlet Village

Other than Central Festival Mall and Chaweng Beach Road, the Samui Outlet Village is probably another good place to shop in Chaweng. The Samui Outlet Village in Chaweng is an open air shopping mall that is part of Iyara Beach Hotel & Plaza. Opens daily from 10 am to 9 pm, the mall features a number of factory outlets like Converse, Nike, Adidas, Lactose, Crocodile, Birkenstock and Levi's selling clothing, sport wear, shoes, accessories, leather and luggage, housewares, gifts and toys at a bargain price with discounts up to 70%.

However, the shopping experience is little disappointing. Most of the stores offer out-of-date products with not much selection. I believe this is also why the place was almost deserted. In fact, in most stores, you will see retail assistants outnumber customers.

Since we have plenty of time to spare, we visited most of the stores here. Most of the staffs were very polite but not overly friendly. But prices were not as cheap as we expected. This is just one of the places to shop in Chaweng, though I would not say this is a must visit.


For lunch, we decided to eat at a Thai street food stalls because we believe this is one of the most authentic way to experience Thai food. Furthermore, the food is usually cheap and taste delicious too.

In Koh Samui, you can find Thai street food stalls almost anywhere and anytime, so it might be hard for you to decide which one to eat. I would recommend you to look for a stall with a queue because that will be the one that is popular among the locals.



We ate at a mobile food stand that was located outside of a 7-eleven, right across the road from Central Festival Mall. There was no table and chair provided, so we have to sit on the steps outside of the 7-eleven to eat our lunch. The dining experience was pretty cool and made me feel like local.

Spicy Pork Basil Rice

Spicy Prawns Basil Rice
We ordered their signature Pork Basil Rice and Prawns Basil Rice to try. Both were very delicious. They were spicy, full of flavor and very filling. This was so much better than the one we had at Central Festival Food Market last night.

I am sure whether the food stand will be there everyday. You would have to try your luck if you would like to try it out.




Accompanying us was a lonely stray dog that slept quietly beside us while we ate our lunch. After lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping around Chaweng Beach Road before we went for dinner.

Chaweng Night Market Food Center

We decided to have our dinner at Chaweng Night Market Food Center. A little commercialized, Chaweng Night Market Food Center is like a large open air food court with a handful of restaurants offering both local food and live seafood.




Fresh Oysters

Papaya Salad



Their menu was pretty limited but prices were fairly affordable. We ordered a few dishes to share as we did not know what to eat. Food was not exceptionally delicious but not awful. Thus, I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone here.



The next morning, we had our breakfast at a restaurant called Eating Time Restaurant in Chaweng. They serve all day breakfast, cafe style meals and local dishes.


Papaya Salad



After breakfast, we shopped around a little bit before we went back to the mobile food stall where we had lunch yesterday. But this time, we did not have lunch because we were still from breakfast. Instead, we had papaya salad. I did not try the papaya salad because I am not a fan of it. But according to my friend, this was really nice.

Of course, we also brought along a few different beers that we bought at Tops Market to try.







After dinner, we went back to our room to take a bath before heading out to the beach for the New Year Eve countdown party. This is a great way to celebrate the beginning of a New Year, especially for those who are fond of beach parties.



I am not exactly a party person because I hate the noise. But it was an unforgettable experience counting down to year 2020 with visitors from all around the world. There was loud music, much celebrations, dancing, drinking, fireworks, screaming and eating. It was a little crazy but it was nice to have so many strangers saying new year wishes to you.


Fireworks light up the sky when the clock strikes midnight as people bursts into cheers and screams, wishing that year 2020 will be a great one. But unfortunately, it was not. With the global Coronavirus outbreak, year 2020 is a year of sadness and pain. I hope that the world will be well and fine soon.