Koh Samui

[bb]

For those who've been there. Any idea is it better to stay near Chaweng Beach or Lamai Beach.

I had a look at the resorts price list, I noticed that resorts at Maenam Beach area are all very ex.

And I dont understand why since Maenam is actually facing the inland of Thailand.

Thanks.

 

[monica]

Koh Phi Phi is much much nicer. And if u do go there must must stay at Phi Phi Natural Resort. It's like PARADISE!!

 

[hilarion goh]

I was at Koh Samui twice this year and must admit that the Maenam Beach area is nice. The advantage of Chaweng is that you are near the shopping area.

 

[bb]

monica, will staying in phi phi more ex than samui?

hilarion, is chaweng beach bad? from maenam, are u able to see the horizon or is it blocked by another island? maenam is v. ex. u been to chaweng before?

 

[mint_ocean]

Hi Monica
I was wondering if there's any travel agency that offer a free & easy package to phi phi resort? How much did you pay for the trip? How many days? Is the food there nice & affordable? i.e. one meal for 2: S$50, is that enough?
Thank you.

 

[monica]

Mint Ocean,
It's very easy to travel to and around phi phi. I went 2 trips to phi phi this year. Both staying for 2 weeks. SO SHIOK. But that portion of the Island we stay is very secluded. No shopping. If you want to go shopping you will have to take a 15mins Long Tail boat ride to Phi Phi Town. (Tonsai Bay) that's where the hussle and bussle is. Food is sooooooooooooooo cheap.

We stayed there for 11 nites. Plus food plus meals plus shopping plus 4 scuba diving trips.... we spent a total of $3000 between the 2 of us. Including air ticket.

Air ticket - 670 for two. (From Aloha Travel)
Lodging - 140 per nite (Phi Phi Natural Resort)
For that you get The BEST room. Delux sea facing room. The individual chalet hangs off a cliff which is facing the Andaman ocean. YOu wake up to see the beautiful sunrise and you can go to the hill top sunset bar to watch the most beautiful sunset. Or just get a boat man to drive you out to the middle of the andaman ocean and drown yourself in the spectacular sunset.

Boat trips are SG.$35-40 for 6-8 hours out. We went fishing and island hopping on the long tail boat. And you get the whole boat to yourself.

Food - for $18-$20 for dinner you can have beer and 4 dishes between the 2 of you. And if you eat the the boat man shack. "VERY NICE FOOD" you get

2 thai fried Chik drumstick
2 curry noodles/padthai/fried rice......
2 thai pancakes
2 Pineapple shake "Yummilicious"

All for SG5.00 We always dine there for lunch. We even have extra to feed the dog there. Oh yah the muslim there feed the dog. The only dog on that portion of the island. They are soooooooooooooooo friendly.

For breakfast.....4.00 can get you a full set american breakfast at the restaurant. But don't bother eating at the Phi phi natural resort restaurant. Food yucky and damn expensive. There are 4 restaurants on the whole stretch of beach. For nite life. You can get the boat man to fetch you to Tonsai bay. Many restaurants there too. Very cheap and they have pubs and Muay Thai (thai boxing) bar there. U can spend a lazy afternoon there. Then you can also ask Yaya to bring you fishing at Mosquito island. I caught 8 garoupas there. So fun. We snorkelled and fish at the same time. We got lots of Pilot Fish and many garoupas. hmmmm maybe will post pictures of the trip to show you all.
And if you do go. You must go to the Boatman shack and look for Yaya. His the most friendliest and honest boatman there. He brings you out for sunset at the end of the boat trip. Eventhough there is language barrier. You can have alot of fun talking to him with a little Speak Thai travel hand book.
You can visit Maya Beach where The Beach was shot. There is also a Monkey beach. You can buy Bananas to feed monkeys there. Don't miss the Viking cave where they extract the birdnest. You might even be able to persuade a worker to give a piece. ; )

There is the beautiful Chicken Island. has a cliff that looks like the chicken. From that island you can walk/swim across to Perduk Island. Both have beautiful white sandy beach. Very unspoiled. Then Bamboo Island has sand like Flour. It's beautiful. For Thai Travelers. Phi Phi Natural Resort allows dogs. So you can bring your dog for tour there too.

For those that love diving can continue their holiday by signing up for the Similan Live aboard diving trip at Tonsai Bay. We'll try that hopefully next year.

Oh and traveling there is easy. Just take a flight to PHuket. Get the hotel thru internet booking. They include transfer from Airport - Phi Phi return. A car will pick u up to go for lunch cos the boat usually sets off at 8am and 2pm. So afterlunch they will send you to the harbour for the ferry ride. You can sit anywhere u want. On the roof also can but will get sunbun. 3 hours ride and you'll arrive at the resort where you'll shift to a long tail boat then a tractor will be there to pick u and ur luggage up. it's quite cool!!

 

[mint_ocean]

Hi Monica
Really thanks for your info. Looking forward gtg there next year. Where's Aloha Travel? May I know which airline are you travelling by? When I check on the internet, the airfare by Thai Air is also very expensive.. Thanks again.

 

[monica]

Hi Mint Ocean,
Traveled by both Thai Air and Silk Air. Of cos Thai Air was more luxurious. Bigger mah. Silk Air is the smaller plane. But much cheaper.

Aloha Travel is at Orchard Building or Tower. The ulu ulu one. Their Monsoon starts in April and I think should end by September lah. I don't have Aloha's number but you may want to check the yellow Pages or dial 100. Will scan in photos to show u all!! : )

 

[mint_ocean]

Hi Monica,
Thanks fop the info. I will check out when i plan to go.

 

[orchid]

The replies for this thread seem to be more for Phi Phi island than anything. hehe...

I'm intending to go to Koh Samui for honeymoon in Sep. It will be a long weekend thing. Was wondering if any of you have any recommendations on where to stay. and we don't want stay at any over-developed resort.

 

[alhana]

Hi Orchid,

I stayed at this resort called Tongsai Bay. Erm..what do u mean by over-developed? Do u mean too modern? Or over-crowded? The resort I stayed is quite exclusive. Its an all-suite resort with its own private beach. V quiet and peaceful, compared to resorts along Chaweng Beach. If u take a cab, its abt a 5 min ride to Chaweng beach. The resort is one of the most expensive ones on Samui though. You can chk it out on the internet...think they have a website.

 

[jowie]

Hi Alhana

Is the resort nice? eg the beach, service, food etc..
May I know how much you paid and for how mani nites?
Thanks!

 

[alhana]

Eh..the waters are not as calm and clear as the waters at Chaweng beach. The sand is also not the soft powdery kind. It is however less crowded since its a private beach. The hotel is into environmental conservation so they do not allow motorised water sports on their premises. U can however rent canoes, windsurfing boards etc. Food wise, it is nothing fantastic, and quite expensive too. We actually took a cab out to Chaweng to makan. The rooms are the draw though. They all v nice since its an all-suite hotel. Each room has a bath tub on an outdoor terrace or in a private garden. The rooms are all very very spacious (compared to the Regent Chaweng, where the rooms are quite cramped) n comfy. Service is top-notch. I liked the fact that it was enclosed in its own area, whereas hotels in Chaweng are all cramped together and pple can just tramp through all day...like no privacy.

I paid abt $1.3k for 3D/2N stay incl of airfare from n to Bangkok.

For pics, chk out their website :
http://www.tongsaibay.co.th

 

[jowie]

quite pricey leh...i am looking for a nice beach resort for honeymoon but got onli 2k budget, any recommendation?

 

[alhana]

How long do u intend to stay Jowie? Samui has alot of resorts of varying prices...from 1 star to 5 star. I'm pretty sure u'll be able to find something with a $2k budget. I've only been to Samui once so I can't comment on the other hotels.

Have u considered Krabi? Heard its quite pretty there, and not as commercialised as Phuket or Samui..not yet anyway. I've always wanted to go but never found the opportunity to. They have quite a good range of resorts too. And some of the outlying islands supposedly have beautiful beaches.

 

[mo]

Hi Jowie & Orchid,

I was recently at Samui for honeymoon, and we totally enjoyed ourselves

We stayed at Bay View Village, which is quite near to TongSai Bay that Alhana stayed at. There's also a private beach, called Samrong Bay. The resort is very nice with mostly villas. We actually decided on a 3-star resort instead of 5-star, but we went for the highest-end room, the Seaview Grand Villa. Stayed for 6 days 5 nites, and the total bill was only abt S$1500 for both of us including airfares & some meals at the hotel. Regarding the beach and Chaweng Beach, my comments would be the same as Alhana's

Chaweng is the town area where all the resorts are cramped together, but the beach there is more happening in the sense that there are a lot of people, more water sports, etc. Whereas at the resort beach, the water is not as clear, the sand not as soft, but it's quiet and private. So it really depends on whether u like crowds or privacy.

Also, I booked my resort stay through internet. So u can check out this website www.asiatravel.com as it's tried and tested that it works

but u'll have to book your air tickets separately.

It's a really nice relaxing place, with some downtown activities to add colour. Again, depending on what u prefer...if u just wanna laze all day at the beach, then the private beaches would be good. However, if u get restless easily and prefer to have some shopping and good food downtown, Samui would be better than Krabi or PhiPhi...heard that these 2 islands have nothing but beaches. So, make your choice and enjoy your honeymoon

Hey Alhana,
We saw pics of TongSai Bay the last time but couldn't find it on websites. Only after we were at Samui we saw the resort by chance. The pics we saw were really very nice...with bath facing the sea, really romantic. Well, too bad for us, we will try that resort next time if we go to Samui again. It looks really nice indeed

 

[jowie]

Hi Alhana

Number of days doesn't matter, as long as can fit into the 2k lor, but i guess can't be beri long since budget so little, but we would like to stay in better resorts if possible...enjoy the luxury
will check out krabi...no idea about tis place

Hi Mo

How much is the airfares and accomodation separately? me looking for nice beaches prefarably not too crowded, and if possible can see sunset sunrise...a bit lomantic kind

Is shopping the same throughout thailand? I went to phuket but nothing much, so if other places same kinda shopping then i better choose secluded beaches

 

[alhana]

Hi Mo,

If u go to Chaweng beach, they will have shops there selling clothes, beach wear, bags, accessories, tailors, restaurants, pubs, bars etc etc. Of coz no big shopping centres etc. Chaweng beach is quite crowded, but it adds to the atmosphere. Like Mo sez, it depends on what u prefer. They have a lot of touts on the beach hawking massages, hair braiding, henna tattoeing etc. Of coz u dun get such things on private beaches, but some pple will find the activities charming. If ure into dancing n partying, u can go when they have their full moon parties...supposed to be v happening!

If u prefer just quiet beaches, Krabi may be a nice choice since its not as well-known as the other 2 places. Silkair now has flights there fr SIN 3 times a week. Think the price is ard $260 for return? Yup, u can chk out the list of hotels at www.asiatravel.com. They also have a long list of hotels at Samui n Phuket.

Hi Mo,

Yup, Tongsai Bay was lovely! Abit too expensive for us to go on repeat visits though BUt it was a nice place for a honeymoon. Luxurious romantic rooms, quiet, peaceful etc. If u have the money, u shld get the grand villas..man those are huge! Wide balconys w a gazebo and outdoor tub. Can sleep outdoors to the sound of the waves!! and have mosquito netting in case ure afraid of bites

 

[mo]

hi Alhana,

Yup, it's really relaxing place. So nice to just laze around...haha. Actually, the room we got at Bay View Village was really nice too. I think it was one of their best rooms as we mentioned to them that we were on our honeymoon, and they even brought us a basket of fruits and bottle of champagne. Our room was the only one nearest to the beach and directly looking out to the sea, and they placed flowers in a heart shape on our bed when we arrived. It was simply lovely

Would say their service is really good and we really enjoyed our stay at the resort, tho there was nothing much to do there. So most of the days we took the transport out to Chaweng to shop and walk around, did facial massage, had seafood dinners, etc.

Sigh...longing for another holiday just thinking of the trip...hehe

Hi Jowie,
The airticket was abt S$400 incl airport taxes. The room itself is abt S$120/nite w breakfast. Do check out the rates at www.asiatravel.com as there are different charges for different seasons, there are peak and low peak seasons. The prices are different.

 

[jowie]

Tks Alhana and Mo
Issit much cheaper to buy air tix and then online book for hotels? Me a bit lazy...tot mayb go travel agency see whether they have any free & easy package...
i went asiatravel.com...look at it my head gong liao hehee
have u all tried priceline.com.sg?

 

[alhana]

Hi Jowie,

Sometimes it may be cheaper to get the air tix and book the hotels ureself. This is because our local agents have limited no of hotels for you to choose from.... so if u wanna pick a lower budget hotel, u may find that they dun offer it in their package. It pays to shop ard and chk it out. U may find some real gems doing the search on ure own. Rememeber to double chk to see whether prices are quoted per room per night or per person per night. ALso, with the US$ dropping, the prices on asiatravel.com may appear more attractive too. Asiatravel may have promos too..like stay 3 nites get 1 nite free..that sort of thing. U can chk air tix prices easily on the net, or just call agents for a quote.

 

[alhana]

Hi Mo,

Wow, ure room at Bay View sounds divine too! And $1.5k sounds q reasonable, considering u were there for 6D/5N. Jowie, think u can consider this resort too! The svc at Tongsai Bay was excellent. When I was having dinner at their restaurant (which is not air-conditioned since there's always the sea breeze to cool the place), i was really feeding the mosquitoes there The waiters saw me scratching like mad and were scrambling to get me some mosquito repellent to apply..w/o me asking! Now that's really taking initiative.

And they were really friendly and warm..makes ure stay even more pleasant.

 

[bear]

Alhana, don't know if you still remember me but I remember you went Krabi earlier this year rite? I will be going there tomorrow so do you mind telling me the interesting places I should go to? What is nice there? thanks.

 

[jowie]

Hi Alhana

U r rite, Mo's Bay View sounds attractive, and the price seems even better! will check out more hotels
by the way when u go to such beach resorts, do u go and lie on the sands? the last time i went phuket, as the beach is onli 10 steps away from the hotel pool, everyone stay at the pool and not a single soul at the beach...probably it's cleaner and less messy tis way?

Hi Bear

Can you update us when u back from krabi? me looking out for honeymoon places, tks

 

[alhana]

Hi Bear,

Yes I still remember u! Unfortunately I didn't get to go to Krabi. We went to Europe instead Talk abt worlds apart right? But I am considering going to Krabi next yr, so I guess I'll be looking to u for advice instead! One of my colleagues did go however, but she brought her baby son along so they didn't get to explore much of Krabi. They did take boat rides to one of the islands (heard the waters out there r v nice) n went to the town for some shopping. Hope u have lotsa fun there!

Hi Jowie,

I wldn't mind sunbathing on the sand..in fact alot of pple do that on Chaweng beach. Either they bring beach towels or they have deck chairs on the beach.

 

[mo]

Hi Jowie & Alhana,

Yup, the Bay View Village stay was superb

The food at the restaurant is really good too...even better than some of the restaurants along Chaweng.

Jowie, if u are booking with Bay View, careful u don't book the wrong one. There's another resort called Bay View Resort, that's one of the lower end resorts and located south of Samui, I think along Lamai beach or even further down south. The one I stayed at is Bay View Village, it's right at the northern tip of Samui island at Samrong Bay. Abt 15 min car ride to Chaweng town area. Airport is nearby so no need to travel on the road so much too. Service there is excellent

When we were at the airport coming back to Singapore, we weren't sure if we left our videocam charger by the bed in the hotel, and we had already checked in our luggage so couldn't confirm if it's in the luggage also. So I called them up to check. After checking, he said he didn't find anything left behind, but if he sees it next time, he will send it to Singapore for us

I didn't expect him to say that...was really impressed with their service level

The only thing I felt regretful was that we didn't give these really nice people some tips, coz we totally ran out of cash. Even our Sing dollars were all converted to baht and all spent on shopping and food...haha

Jowie, it's really nice at Samui, we bought quite a lot of things, yet all in all, we spent a total of abt S$2200 - hotel, food, airfare, one snorkelling day trip, shopping...for 6D/5N. Worth considering for honeymooners...there are many more things to see, but we didn't bother.

Hope u find your honeymoon destination soon...and enjoy while u can...before coming back to the daily grind of work work work...arrggghhh...so sian***

 

[bear]

Hi Jowie, no problem. I will let you know how's the place like after I am back this weekend.
I think there should be deck chairs along the beach so won't be so messy.

Hi Alhana,wow... from a beach resort turned into a big holiday ah?

Wow...you mean there are places to shop there? Yes!!!
Wow...seems like I am there on mission hor? Most of my friends also ask me to go do my research there so that I can let them know how's its like there. No problem, will let you all know.

 

[alhana]

Haha..Jowie I agree w u. Worst thing abt going on holiday...having it end n facing the reality of having to go back to work

Bear, guess u've already left for ure trip by now. If u haven't, just a short msg to remind u to tell us all abt it when u get back!!!

 

[jowie]

Alhana...tink u mistaken me wif Mo hehee
i check silkair, really 260 round trip, but muz travel before oct...too bad, my wedding is in nov

hope by then they got new promos

 

[alhana]

Hey, yeah I did Jowie! Yup, was agreeing w Mo actually. Dunno why but I keep getting ure names mixed up!

They may have new promos later in the yr Jowie. Can wait and see. However Nov is the school holiday period so they may have some peak period surcharge then.

 

[mo]

Sigh...longing for another holiday...hehehehe

Do u gals sometimes feel like not working at all??? Sigh...why do I sometimes feel this way???

 

[alhana]

Hi Mo,

What ure feeling is normal lah. Unless u really really love ure job, who won't feel what ure feeling? Imagine if ure working at the Bay View Village...not bad ah. Nice environment for sure.

 

[jowie]

Hi Mo and Alhana

Is Nov monsoon season for samui and krabi??
saw in another thread dat it is, if yes then cham liao, have to find other alternatives...i am hoping to tan myself dark dark hehe

 

[alhana]

Hi Jowie,

I've read on websites that even in the Monsoon season, it doesn't rain incessantly. U will still have some hot sunny days interspersed with refreshing showers

Of coz if there's thunderstorms, then it wldn't be so fun to go outdoors, but mmm..it wld be nice and cozy to snuggle up in a luxurious hotel room w ure hubby during a storm

Quite romantic!

According to website http://www.kohsamui.org/,
the monsoon season is between June-October. Nov-Feb is supposedly hot, dry and windy. I went in March and it was really hot! It did rain sometimes, but those were really short showers. After tt the sun wld reappear and dry everything up.

 

[jowie]

tks Alhana! i will start checking on the hotels and hope won't make a blunder hehee

 

[mo]

Hi Alhana,
Yah man...just imagine working in these resort places, quite nice too huh? haha

Sigh...just feeling sian with work nowadays. Wish I could find something else I really enjoy doing...so difficult.
Is your wedding over already? When was that? Mine was just over in July.

Hi Jowie,
Can just see your excitement

Well enjoy while u can

Go for a longer holiday if u can afford it...else u won't be satisfied when u come back to Singapore and having to go back to work.

 

[jowie]

MO...how i wish i can go longer! no budget, no annual leave, everything also no no

but i will have at least 2 weeks off from work for wedding coz got anther dinner at msia 3days after SG dinner...and the msia dinner is at a beri nice resort hotel...so consider it "starter" of our honeymoon lor

 

[alhana]

Hi Mo,

I held my customary wedding in March 2001

Ooo..so ure a newly wed! Congratulations!

Hi Jowie,

Wow, its good that u have 2 weeks off fr work for ure wedding! I took 1 week off for mine, including the honeymoon.

 

[mo]

Hi Jowie,
Aww...it's ok, u're not alone. Most people only also just take at most 2 weeks. I took one week before the wedding, and one week after for the honeymoon. Initially didn't wanna take the whole week before the wedding, but hubby was stressed at work, so I had to do most of the wedding stuff instead.

Hi Alhana,
Thanks

Whoa, only one week??? That must've been quite a rush for u. U're a newly wed yourself too...CONGRATS!!!

So how are u enjoying married life? For me, I'm really enjoying every moment of it now

 

[alhana]

Hi Mo,

Not as new a bride as u lah. Me already married for 2 yrs + (if u count ROM)! But yes, I'm enjoying married life

Nice to be able to be w my hubby everyday.

Hmm..I took 1.5 days leave b4 the wedding, and the rest of the following week off. No choice lah. My hubby is a teacher and we got married during the MArch school holidays. So cannot extend the honeymoon even if we wanted to

BUt its ok, we really enjoyed it. Spent 3D/2N in Bkk and the rest of the week in Samui. That was the best lah..get to shop, eat and relax

 

[jowie]

Hi Mo and Alhana

it's so sweet to be enjoying marriage life! me and FH stay together for almost 4yrs liao, even after wedding will still be staying at my house before moving to our own house in another 2yrs...already lao fu lao qi...so i supposed after wedding same as before

 

[mo]

Hi Alhana,

Yah, being able to see your loved one first thing in the morning is very warm feeling

and also seeing him just before u go to sleep

Wah, must be quite a rush for your hubby since there's only a week holiday in March. So did u guys go for 2nd honeymoon in June since the hols are longer? Well there's also the Dec hols

Hi Jowie,
So when is your wedding? How's the preparation? Let me know if you need any contacts, I can recommend a very good and flexible florist to u

we were really pleased with her for our wedding church deco. And she's really easy to work with

 

[jowie]

Hi Mo

Tks for offering, but my hotel onli allowed their associated florist to do the decor, beri frustrating coz they are beri expensive! so most likely me not doing any decor, leave it as it is

Now not doing anything liao, feel like everything can onli be done when nearer to the date, just finish selecting photos...now rest and relax

 

[alhana]

Hi Mo,

Well, we treat all our overseas trips as honeymoons Honestly, I think a beach resort is a good choice for a honeymoon coz its usually such a laid-back and relaxed atmosphere tt time actually seems to slow down. When we were in Samui, we just lazed by the pool, lazed by the beach, lazed in the hotel, strolled ard in town..so languid and relaxed. If we had gone for some trip where we had to rush ard all the time (esp packaged tours), think it wld feel even more rushed! Of coz our trip to Europe this yr was really like a second honeymoon since we took 2 weeks off to go visit Britain n France.

Hey Jowie,

Wow, u sound like a v relaxed bride. Very good! If u kan chiong n get stressed..all the pimples will pop out Hehe. Ure wedding is in Nov I presume?

 

[jowie]

Hi Alhana

Yup! my wedding is on 3 Nov...deepavali...*pengz*

 

[mo]

Hi Alhana,
yah...i really strongly advocate beach resorts for honeymooners. Esp after all the wedding stress, we didn't want any trip that would tire ourselves out. We just wanted to go somewhere relaxing and enjoy each other's company

Before we got married, hubby was working in UK for 6 months, so I visited him sometime last year. We were over-ambitious and adventurous. We went to Paris for a week...tried to see EVERYTHING that we can, then back to London for a week. I was sooooooo tired from all the walking and rushing around from one place to another, that by the time we were back in London, I didn't even want to see much of London anymore...haha...was totally exhausted from our trip to Paris. That's why we were so sure we didn't wanna go somewhere for honeymoon where there are lots to see, else we cannot resist not visiting those places of interest

So where did u go in Britain and France??? How was the trip??? Good rite?

Hi Jowie,
Yup, this is the time to relax, the stress starts only about 1 to 2 months before the wedding day itself. Good that u are taking it easy now. I know of many brides who get very stress throughout the preps till the actual day. Well then, enjoy the prep while it lasts

 

[alhana]

Hi Jowie,

Wow, on Deepavali! So zun man. Since ure wedding is in early Nov, hope u can beat the school holiday crowd. But Samui is nice lah...not a place w lotsa noisy kids.

Hi Mo,

Yes! We were doing what u guys did. Running ard London n PAris trying to see as much attractions as we cld! We went the other way ard though..went to London first. And I felt like u! Didn't feel so enthusiastic by the time I got to Paris And yeah, my feet was really killing me. really. Had to get my hubby to massage them every nite We went to London, Edinburgh, Oxford, Glastonbury, Stratford-upon-Avon in Britain, and for France, we only stayed w/in the Paris region. The furthest we went out there was to Versailles. I really love Britain though

Can't wait to visit the country again. Very ex though We went F&E so cld go ard by ourselves..very fun!

 

[jowie]

Hi Alhana

yalor...tell people its on deepavali everyone luff

but am glad dat period of time is low season in samui hehee rates are beri much cheaper than high season.

 

[ding dong]

Hi Mo,
Sorry to intrude hor..but can you introduce your florist to me? Cos I am looking for someone to help with church deco too. Thanks in advance.
My email add is [email protected]

 

[jowie]

Hi Mo

Is the room of Bay View Village nice? me and FH prefer beri nice room(especially nice toilets

) rather than basic room so that we can indulge ourselves, even indoor.