Best Koh Samui Diving School

Diving Schol in Koh Samui. (Photo courtesy of tripadvisor.com) 

All around the world, divers want to experience the unique beauty of the sea and explore the underwater places that offer some of the greatest sights laid out for man’s eyes.  This is one of the reasons why scuba diving is becoming more popular these days.  

This underwater diving is considered as a recreational activity and finding the best place to scuba dive has become as significant as the activity itself.   For anyone who dreams of experiencing paradise under the sea, then Koh Samui Island is the top destination for you.

For over four decades, Koh Samui Island has opened its door to the world to allow everyone to feel and witness the magical beauty of Thailand.  Located in the East Coast part of the country this is the third largest island that you can find in the gulf area.  The dive sites in Koh Samui Island are open all year round and this is the place where you can find one of the most colourful corals and impressive marine life in the whole of Southeast Asia.

 

Hailed as one of the best spots to dive around the world, there is no wonder a lot of excellent diving schools can be found in the area.  There is the 100 Degrees east which is an award-winning dive centre that can offer you top rental scuba diving equipment on board their 35-feet custom-built diving speedboat.  You also have the Bho Put Diving School that has multilingual professional instructors who offer tailor-made courses to anyone who wants to try diving. 

Another diving school is the Planet Scuba, which offers beginner diving courses as well as classes for those who plan to be dive instructors.  Aside from being reputable when it comes to diving courses, these schools are also near the 5 star ShaSa Resort and Residences as well as other tourist accommodations found in Koh Samui Island.  This is ideal for tourists because they won’t have a hard time travelling from one place to another.

These diving schools can give you short-term courses that will enable you to explore the different diving sites found in Thailand. Once you learn the basics, there’s no stopping you from discovering the rich and stunning marine life of Thailand.  You might even get a glimpse of the famous majestic whale sharks that make frequent visits to the island.  When you want to experience diving at its best, Koh Samui Island will provide you the memory you’ll never forget.

Indulge and Unwind in Koh Samui

Sauna in ShaSa health club. (www.shasahotels.com)

ShaSa Resort has the ShaSa Health club for the guests to indulge and unwind. ShaSa Resort is a world-class spa resort and it offers only the best fitness machines and training for its guests. The health club has treadmills, sky walkers, elliptical climbers, weights and personal trainers to look after the guests who need assistance for their workout. The guests have the privilege to choose their own workout routine, whether they want a light workout or a full body workout.

The spa of ShaSa Resort is not only for working out. It also offers various spa treatments like body scrubs and massage for those who want to relax and pamper themselves. In Koh Samui, what better way to experience the island than to sit back, relax and enjoy a good spa treatment at the resort? Whether you spend the day at the beach or strolling around the island, you can come home to ShaSa Resort and pamper yourself at the spa. For more information, read below:

The Spa

·      Guests who want to check into spa treatment or workout should inform the Guest Service Agent regarding any conditions such as pregnancy, high blood pressure, injuries, allergies, disabilities, ailments and the like. Alcohol consumption is not advised before the treatment or immediately after the treatment.

·      For the convenience of the guests, personal belongings will be provided with storage space within the spa area. However, guests should take note that the resort will not be held liable for the personal items in the storage. It is advisable to leave all valuables in the safe provided in the hotel suites.

·      Treatments and appointments are dealt with on time in ShaSa Resort so guests are advised to come on time and if possible, at least ten minutes before their scheduled treatment. Guests who come in late will have limited time to enjoy their treatment. Schedules cannot be easily extended because there are other guests with appointments.

·      All cancellations should be done more than six hours before the scheduled treatment. If the guest cancelled six hours before the appointment, a 50% cancellation fee would be charged and if the cancellation were done two hours before, then the charge would be a 100%.

·      Payment can be done using any of the major credit cards; the guests of ShaSa Resort can opt to have their spa charges billed to their hotel bill.

There are many spa treatments to choose from such as:

·      Deep Tissue Facial Massage- deep cleansing and clarifying treatment recommended for aging and sensitive skin

·      Pre Sun and After Sun Facial- separate treatments that hydrate and then relieve the skin for sunbathing

·      Coffee Scrub Treatment- this treatment exfoliates and revitalizes the skin with ground coffee beans mixed with brown sugar. The skin is rubbed with this mixture to take out dead cells and reveal new, fresh looking skin. The massage is then given to relax and de-stress the muscles. It is a truly rewarding treatment for the guests of ShaSa Resort. 

Laem Sett

Stunning view of Laem Sett beach from the ShaSa hotel. 

If you’re planning for a vacation that is full of fun and adventure, consider a Koh Samui beach location. The third largest island in the country, Koh Samui beach is actually a part of an archipelago that forms the Ang Thong National Marine Park. It is the biggest of more than 80 islands, which are mostly uninhabited. And it’s strikingly beautiful. You can explore it by yourself by circumnavigating it by motorbike or car.  It will only take you a couple of hours.

Sometimes having too many people around reduces the fun of exploration for the traveller. You may choose to stay at the largest Koh Samui beach (Chaweng) or go to the smaller beaches in Samui South Coast. If you think that you can only find the best accommodations in the most populous Koh Samui beach areas, think again. As you will probably learn when you’re already traveling to exotic countries like Thailand, the hotels only get better the farther you are from the usual destinations.

In Laem Sett, you will find that Koh Samui Boutique Hotel or ShaSa Hotel – Samui Boutique Hotel will make you feel lucky for going south to find the right place to stay.  Immediately, when you arrive at the airport or wherever you come from, you will get the special treatment you fantasized about when you planned your vacation. Consider your ride from the airport (courtesy of trusted driver) to the hotel as your first taste of an amazing Koh Samui beach vacation. When you get there you will understand why it is a five-star beach resort. You will instantly enjoy the scenery: a scenic hillside resort that is complete with awesome cascading pools and flower-scented landscaped gardens.

Fly to a Koh Samui beach for a honeymoon, a company-sponsored pamper-me-kind-of-treat or just to have a home away from home as you take a big break from the hustle bustle of city life. Here, you can book for a stay at a luxurious private beachfront villa or one of the 32 suites with spacious sea view balconies.  Choose from among the many facilities and services available to complement your day: hydrotherapy pool, spa treatments, a large swimming pool and lots of outdoor activities (meaning, in the water or just under the sun).

ShaSa Hotel is where you want to take off from and go home to everyday. When you’re done taking advantage of the best that it can offer, you can explore the limitless possibilities in Koh Samui beach areas. Ask for travel and tour assistance from the hotel staff and they will happily tell you about where to book for snorkelling and diving, elephant trekking, golf, island tours, temples and historical sites in Laem Sett and the rest of the breath-taking island. You can also take advantage of the shuttle service to Chaweng and Lamai if you want to meet more travellers and local people. In the evening, you can enjoy the night market or the bars and discos in Koh Samui.

Bophut Beach Shopping

Bophut Beach is a great place to get some Koh Samui shopping done. 

Most of us travel to faraway island for the beach and to relax but in Koh Samui shopping is a delightful extra treat. Going tropical doesn’t always mean giving up your next big love – buying stuff for loved ones, friends and yourself. 

Located in Koh Samui’s northern coast, Bophut is a beach village that travellers and local residents love for its breath-taking sunsets, fine restaurants and plenty of pubs. Unlike some places in Thailand, Bophut doesn’t have girly bars or nightlife with all the fun and noise.  If you’re visiting as a young family or a couple, you will find the atmosphere just right. Visitors are more into playing and relaxing in the white sandy shoreline adorned with coconut palms. In the morning or lazy afternoons, when it’s not too hot, enjoy Koh Samui shopping along Bophut beach road or narrow streets lined with cafes and restaurants as well as mini shops. In the Fisherman’s Village, the centre of Bophut, you can drop by souvenir shops and boutiques with Thai and Chinese goods, which you cannot normally find in malls.

What makes Bophut’s version of Koh Samui shopping different is the beach village’s famous fine restaurants that offer Thai dishes as well as a range of specialty cuisines (yes, you can find Italian, French, Italian, and Indian food here). You can do all the hiking, choosing and buying without worrying about getting hungry in the process.  Koh Samui shopping, Bophut-style, doesn’t leave you empty in the stomach.  It’s not that you will get tired of these activities because shops and dining places are within walking distance in the Fisherman's Village.

Another plus factor for Bophut is the presence of the very best dentists that Thailand can offer. In fact, it’s a medical vacationing destination because of reasonably price dental services including restorative or general dentistry. You can sort of splurge on Koh Samui shopping (Thai-made clothing, handicrafts and many more); indulge in the finest Thai and international cooking, and still have some money left for dental cleaning and other services.

All of these you can enjoy especially if you stay at the ShaSa Hotel – Samui Boutique Hotel in Laem Sett in the southern part of the island. Reason to go south? Well, the trip is worth your while. Besides, vacationing in a tropical island is all about exploration and ShaSa Hotel supports you all the way with shuttle services. At the end of the day, after Koh Samui shopping and fun at the beach, you can go back to a paradise away from home.

Taling Ngam

Taling Ngam Beach Photo from Asiarooms.com

If you have seen an ad about Thailand showing a romantic beach lined with gently swaying coconut trees and peaceful shores, you may have seen a Koh Samui beach. True, Phuket is the more popular destination especially during peak season but if you want the sandy beaches to yourself and just some people, then to this island 700km south of Bangkok you must go.

Now among Koh Samui beach destinations, Chaweng and Lamai are the most famous but why choose the same spot as the rest of the travellers if you can go to a more exclusive spot in the island? Taling Ngam offers quaint landscapes in a peaceful hideaway with fishing boats offshore. Take a picture right away and like travellers of old send it back home (though this time we modern folks do it on Facebook) to prove how good life is when on vacation. Have you been always fantasizing lazy afternoons on a hammock or on the beach staring at the sky like it’s the first time you’ve ever done it? In a Koh Samui beach, especially in Taling Ngam, you will surely have a space to do it.

If you’re coming for slow pace vacationing, this is the best place to be. And when you feel like flexing your muscles and take a break from water- and sky-gazing, you can also have all the fun with diving, snorkelling, and cruising. You will find that water sports don’t have to done like you’re going to Formula One race.  Of all the Koh Samui beach destinations, Taling Ngam is the most serious about exclusivity.  Except for the presence of a few travellers, the area gives you the space that you want for quality time.

Equally serious with giving the traveller a royal treatment at the ShaSa Resort, a hill-by-the-sea hotel near the Laem Sett on the Gulf of Thailand, the southern region. Why not stay the night at Taling Ngam instead?  Well, you are on vacation and have time on your hands to explore Koh Samui beach resorts with a ride by taxi, bus or motorbikes around the island. After a glorious day at the remote Taling Ngam, you can go back to your boutique hotel and spend the rest of your waking hour, reading in the book at the garden or getting a good massage at the balcony of your suite.

Thailand is a great place to claim a week or two of peace and quiet that you have always dreamed of. Be ready with your camera because the “oohs” and the “aahs” need to be documented in pictures. Come to Koh Samui beach, specifically Taling Ngam, and feel like a celebrity who wants to be anonymous.

Best Thai Cooking Schools on Koh Samui

Gaeng Kiew Wan Goong Hoi Shell

There are many things to do in Koh Samui, especially when it comes to food. Instead of going for a regular holiday in Thailand, why not learn cooking from the best Thai cooking schools on Koh Samui? You can learn about Thai techniques in cooking and you can explore the many wonders of Thai cuisine. This will turn your regular holiday into a more productive and interesting one. Take home with you not only the beautiful attractions and memories of the many things to do in Koh Samui, but bring home new knowledge on Thai cooking.  

If you are curious and interested in learning about how Thai food is made and prepared, then you must include Thai cooking lessons among your list of things to do in Koh Samui. You can improve your knowledge on Thai cuisine and enjoy authentic Thai food at the same time. The classes and lessons offered by the Thai cooking schools can accommodate students of various levels so beginners, intermediate or advanced students can all take up classes and learn Thai cooking.

Koh Samui is now becoming known for its Thai cooking schools. People who are interested in pursuing a career in the food industry, especially in Thai cooking, are beginning to take notice of opportunities of learning in Koh Samui. There are many things to do in Koh Samui such as diving, sightseeing, shopping, etc. but learning Thai cooking is among the most popular. Amateurs that have a keen interest in Thai cuisine will find Koh Samui to be an island with a unique and authentic Thai culture still intact after a long history of contact with people from other cultures. It is in Koh Samui that some of the rare Thai cooking techniques are still being practiced. You can learn from the masters themselves if you take lessons in Thai cooking.

Here are some of the best schools on Koh Samui:


        1.   Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts

This school is located at the heart of the famous Chaweng Beach. The instructors are all experts of Thai cuisine and they teach with a professional approach. The students are equipped with hand-outs and DVDs to help them keep up with the class. You can get professional training and experience Thai cooking. Since it is located at the beach, students can enjoy the view of the beach, among other things to do in Koh Samui, after the lessons.

        2.   ShaSa resort Thai cooking school

This is definitely the most convenient cooking school. You can simply wake up, roll out of bed and learn how to cook some authentic Thai cuisine from the comforts of your room. ShaSa provides guests with a free Thai cooking class to all of its guests. Thousands of guests are taught every year.

  3.    Siam Kitchen

This cooking school is located on Lamai Beach and the classes are usually small in size and the approach is personalized. The school is run by a Thai family and they offer personalized instruction to their students. The instructors are known for their passion and deep knowledge of Thai cuisine and cooking. Students have the option to choose which dish they want to prepare or they can also ask the suggestion of their instructors.

  4.   The Blue Banana

 

This school is located on Big Buddha Beach and the lessons are known to be hands on. The classes are focused on students getting the full experience of cooking.

MAKE A SPLASH IN KOH SAMUI

There are so many gorgeous beaches in Koh Samui for you to enjoy. 

If you’re going to Thailand, it’s not at all possible to stay dry for long anywhere you go. Even if you skip Phuket and head to other islands like Koh Samui, your stay in the country will be just as satisfying. At the heart of Koh Samui attractions are the white sandy beaches fringed with coconut trees and everything you can possibly do on water.

Initially, the warm weather will make you feel gloriously lazy especially if you’re staying at ShaSa Hotel – Samui Boutique Hotel where you can have the best of two worlds – a view of the sea from the hillside while staying at a luxurious hotel. So actually, you get a taste of Koh Samui attractions right away, without going places yet. Check with the travel and tour assistance staff if they can make arrangements for watersports activities.

Of course, you couldn’t just stay indoors though it would be tempting. You just have to explore the island beyond the ShaSa property because it is what you came here for. There are two main Koh Samui attractions that would come highly recommended by locals and other tourists.

Chaweng Beach is the largest beach in the island. Here you can arrange for sea kayaking or canoeing, snorkeling and diving in one of the many resorts or diving shops because the island is near to Ko Tao and the Angthong National Marine Park where hydrophilics or water lovers go. Though the best time for diving is between June and August, it is definitely possible to enjoy this activity all year round. These activities are highly recommended Koh Samui attractions even for first-timers. In Lamai, you can expect the same thrills though you are likely to have less company here because it’s next in size to Chaweng. There are other beaches for those who need a place to reflect on the beauty of Mother Nature. For instance, there is the Laemset beach is one of the most relaxing beaches on Koh Samui and it's located only a few steps from the ShaSa hotel. This private beach is quiet and beautiful. 


Of course, you can’t just stay in the salty waters admiring the corals all the time. Relax and go sailing on one of the charter boats. Or you will have to walk on the island again. You will admire breathtaking waterfalls (one of Koh Samui attractions you must not miss) especially Namuang near Banturian. And there are other must-see places like the infamous Grandmother and Grandfather rocks and the sacred temples.


At the end of the day, back at the ShaSa Hotel you can rewind memories of Koh Samui attractions in the past hours and resolve to get more of them the next day.