Koh Samui: Jewel of the Gulf of Thailand

Relax in the jewel of the Gulf of Thailand at the ShaSa resort

The lovely Island of Koh Samui in Eastern Thailand offers excellent diving opportunities and legendary hospitality for tourists to enjoy, according to Capt. Charlie Dwyer of 36m Yanneke of the Asia Pacific Superyachts Samui. 

Considered as the Thailand Gulf Jewel, Koh Samui is such a natural beauty and features several options that are perfect for anchoring along its coast.  Samui and its surrounding Islands offer a wide selection of travel destinations and activities that are sure to keep tourists busy.  Tourists will enjoy the island’s Monkey Shows, Snake Shows, Elephant Trekking, Temples, Mountain Safari Trip, and the Waterfalls Thai Cultural Dancing.  The island also offers several of Thailand’s finest spas and restaurants. 

Koh Samui is home to magnificent and famous beaches such as Chaweng Beach and Lamai Beach.  Chaweng is the most-developed and largest beach in the island and features a mix of luxurious villas and hotels, backpacker guesthouses, and exciting nightlife.  Lamai is located just south of Chaweng and appeals more to backpackers.  The island is also famous for its events and festivals such as the Buffalo Fighting Festival, Samui Regatta, Triathlon Event, to name some. 

Situated 20NM from the Island of Koh Samui is the interesting Angthong National Marine Park featuring a magnificent group of forty-two exciting and uniquely different islands.  Just 7NM from Koh Samui is Koh Phangan, a tropical island that is famous for its natural beauty as well as its “Full Moon Party”.  Located to the north of Samui is the Koh Tao Island, which is considered as the Gulf’s Diving Mecca.  The island also has the biggest diving school in the world.  Tourists who are interested in learning how to dive can simply visit Koh Tao. 

The Island of Koh Samui can be used as the base for visiting and discovering the various magnificent islands found in the gulf’s vast turquoise seas such as the Islands of Koh Samet and Koh Chang.  From the island, it is easy to sail on to Pattaya and even to Thailand’s cultural capital, Bangkok.  For tourists, the best months to explore Koh Samui are from May to September.  

Soul Rejuvenation at ShaSa Resort

A woman getting a rejuvenating massage at the 5 star ShaSa Resort

Booking a trip with a Koh Samui travel agent for a holiday at the mystical island is a decision that the traveler won’t regret. The warm weather, cool sea breeze, and white sand beaches are only a few of the many island’s features that make this tourist destination a favourite amongst seasoned vacationers who’ve had the privilege of seeing the best of what the world has to offer.

State-of-the-art facilities designed to help customers relax and release all that negative energy crammed up inside are one of the main Koh Samui attractions that international guests have learned to love.

ShaSa Resort & Residences is a quick 45-minute drive away from the island’s airport. This luxurious resort boasts one of the island’s best spas today, which features the ShaSa Health Club, Life Fitness exercise machines – including a treadmill, skywalker, elliptical climber, personal trainers and more – free weights, plus other equipment necessary to give customers a one-of-a-kind rejuvenating experience.

Inside this renowned facility are modernized massage tables, reclining chairs, equipment sterilizer, as well as other accessories intended to ensure every client is kept comfortable as possible within a hygienic environment.

Depending on the service or package requested by the customer, personal towel robes, bottoms, shirts and other disposal apparel will be given to customers. Shower rooms are readily available for customers who’d like to freshen up before and after being massaged.

Koh Samui travel guides (who’ve availed treatment at this spa before) say massages last anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours and beyond. Folks interested in getting their bodies rubbed down may avail special oil massages, Swedish and Thai massages, and plenty of others.

One of this spa’s most popular services – of which can be considered one of the many Koh Samui attractions on its own – is known as the Coffee Scrub treatment. This service incorporates the use of freshly grounded coffee beans and brown sugar, which is then rubbed onto the skin to remove dead skin cells to reveal glowing exfoliated skin.

Another bath treatment that travel guides recommend for tourists is the mineral salt body scrub. This method utilizes a combination of mineral salt scrub and essential oils to help customers relax, moisturize the skin, kill bacteria, and exfoliate dead skin cells.

The list of available services at ShaSa Resort’s spa is quite lengthy, and only includes premium services designed to render clients a truly relaxing experience during their stay within the tropical paradise.

Hin Lad Waterfall Temple

One of the most fabulous waterfalls is located in Koh Samui (photo courtesy Kohsamui.com_

Running out of things to do in Koh Samui is practically impossible – although the island is quite small in size, the tourist hotspot has an endless list of activities for tourists to keep busy during their holidays.

With that said, tourists stumped as to what they should be doing first upon arriving should consider paying a visit to HinLad Waterfall Temple. This place is frequently recommended by Koh Samui travel guides for a number of reasons, of which includes beautiful images of Buddha, a garden, religious scriptures, and a meditation area.

This forest monastery is situated within an evergreen tropical jungle, which in turn helps enhance the serenity of the development. Moreover, this establishment is usually busy during the weekend only – the time of week wherein locals come to make merit or picnic at the waterfall nearby – thereby giving tourists plenty of privacy during their visits.

Hin Lad also provides an excellent opportunity for guests to meditate in tranquillity. This place is visited by locals who need a break from their busy lifestyles, so tourists should be considerate to those trying to reflect in silence.

Other islanders come here to attend regular meditation workshops hosted by monks, nuns and trainers. These programs are specially designed to help participants address certain problems, such as issues they may be having at work or in a relationship with another individual.

While paying a visit to this panoramic temple can be done any time of the year, Hin Lad is best appreciated when it starts raining gently, as the green life appears to come to life and glisten as the rain falls onto each leaf or petal within the garden and jungle.

Bringing along swimwear along for the trip is also recommended, as rainy days make swimming in the large and small freshwater pools an even more pleasant and fun-filled experience.

Those who’ve included hiking or getting a good workout in their lists of things to do in Koh Samui are in luck, as it’ll take 30 minutes to hike up the waterfall.

That being said, Koh Samui travel guides also recommend wearing a good pair of hiking/walking shoes, and packing a bottle of water. Should anyone get hungry during their trip, they can always feel free make a quick stopover at the local restaurants located along the road going to the temple.

The Snake Farm

Get up close and personal with some snakes at the Koh Samui snake farm  (photo courtesy gonomad.com)

Needless to say, it’d certainly be in the best interest of any tourist to make sure he or she sees as many Koh Samui attractions during his or her visit in this island. Now, while enjoying the warm and relaxing Koh Samui weather is alright, a vacationer would be so much happier if he could set time aside for a visit to the Snake Farm.

This island attraction has gained international fame back in 2008 – the year when Thailand’s “Scorpion Queen” Kanchana Kaetkaew utilized the farm as the venue for setting a Guinness world record for holding a seven-inch-long scorpion in her mouth for two minutes.

Inside the farm is a reptile zoo, wherein guests are given the opportunity to touch or even handle docile snakes – that is of course, if they can stomach the riveting experience.

For those who’d prefer to watch other people doing the snake-handling, they’re in luck, as shows featuring snake wranglers coaxing the venomous beasts into showing deadly poses are held daily. While a wide range of snakes are utilized for these presentations, king cobras and massive pythons are considered by many spectators to be the biggest crowd-drawers.

Shows last two hours, starting from 11am and ending at 2pm. During the first segment of the show, snake charmers kick-off the production with a variety of poisonous snakes. Here, brave entertainers dance around the snake, while exhibiting moves that seem to aggravate the slithering beasts, and provoke them into taking defensive and offensive positions.

As daredevils continue to aggravate the deadly reptiles, the animals exhibit even more violent behavior, which includes lurching, exposure of their fangs, and even venom-spitting.

This segment is then followed by a display of cock-fighting. Unlike other shows, these birds won’t be wearing blades, so there isn’t any need to worry about the poor animals getting bloodied or killed.

Following the demonstration is the scorpion show, wherein a female entertainer is made to stand still as scorpions climb around her body. And finally, the king cobra is placed on stage, wherein an even braver snake charmer coaxes the killer to show-off its deadly attack moves.

Of course, the Snake Farm is just one of the many Koh Samui attractions for vacationers to enjoy. Paying a visit here is strongly recommended for vacationers who want to do more than relish the pleasant Koh Samui weather, go swimming, or engage typical activities most beach-goers are into.

Vacationing in Koh Samui

Gorgeous view from Beyond the Sea in Koh Samui

Even a brief stopover at the vacation island of Koh Samui can readily captivate a passing visitor who in most probability would vow to come back for a longer stay. This alluring tourist destination is located off the eastern coast of Thailand, now easily accessible within an hour by plane from the country’s capital, Bangkok. The island dazzles with the pristine sands of its beaches and its blue crystal clear waters. Samui also boasts of a wide selection of fine bars and restaurants serving both local and international cuisine.

The third biggest in the Gulf ofThailand, Koh Samui is actually the crown jewel of an archipelago made up of eighty islands. Thus, a Samui visit enables choices from a wide array of beaches to chill out. Despite the growing influx of tourists drawn by these kaleidoscopic delights, it is endearing to note that this tourist attraction has retained much of its rustic splendor. Islands near Samui worth a visit include Ko Pha Ngan which has superb beaches and eye-pleasing waterfalls. A stop at the Ko Tao is likewise an enticing option as this virgin island flaunts magnificent corals in its waters.

An inland tour of Samui will reveal sprawling plantations of coconut palms which is a major driver of the economy in the island. The produce from the coconuts are sold at the mainland, and the plantations’ palms likewise locally supply  fiber for mats or ropes, thatch for roofing, and vegetable oil which isn’t only a base for food items but also serves as raw material for consumer products like soap and candle. Besides coconut farming, rice cultivation and fishing are also sources of livelihood for the locals.

With the growing importance of tourism in the island in recent years, the travel business has also started to have a positive impact on the local economy and the island’s residents. It was not too long ago that tourists found the path to Koh Samui which was erstwhile popular only among backpackers.

Travel to the island when the transport facilities weren’t as developed as today was a challenge. Samui was then fairly isolated, as it is 560 kilometers north of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok. Geographically, Samui is in fact closer to Malaysia than it is from Bangkok. The island is also about 80 kilometers from Surat Thani, the local capital. With the construction of the island’s airport, however, the travel time between the Thai mainland and Samui was significantly reduced, enabling the island’s tourist industry to blossom.