Ko Samui Travel Forum

I'm coming to Ko Samui with my girlfriend in May and was wondering if anyone can give an opinion on what the best beach to stay at is. We're looking for something calm and romantic but not too quiet with a lovely clean beach. Also reading other posts there seems to be a big issue with mozzies here, I am very susceptable to being bitten at the best of times and was wondering what the best advice is not to get bitten?

Hi,

Chaweng Beach and Lamai beach are the best in Koh Samui. Lamai in my opinion, is nicer and more quiet.
Enjoy,

Rafa

In my opinion, Maenam Beach in the North part of the island is the best. This is a realitvely quiet beach with a small village, and quite a few restaurants and bars on the beach itself. Most resorts are located directly on the beach, my fav is Maenamburi Resort; see www.maenamburi.net OR www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293918-d604633-Reviews-Maenamburi_Resort-Koh_Samui.html. It is only a 15 min taxi ride into Chaweng if you feel for shopping and night life.
Best advice to get rid of mozzies is to cover yourself in repellent (lemon grass) in the evening. Always helps me.

I think the southern end of Chaweng Beach is what you might be looking for.It has in my opinion the best all round beach conditions on Samui,a number of resorts to suit most budgets,some nice restaurants & entertainment options in the general area & it`s also within walking distance or a 5 min songtaew ride in to the main part of Chaweng but is a bit quieter than main Chaweng.

Lamai also is a nice beach & area especially if you stay just out of the centre.

Another really nice area is Chaweng Noi.Chaweng Noi is between Chaweng & Lamai & in my opinion is an underutilised & under advertised part of Koh Samui.It has the same beautiful powdery white sand & clear water that Chaweng & Lamai offer.The beach at times can seem deserted giving you that lovely feeling of tranquillity.
There are not a lot of accommodation options here but what there is is nice & mainly in the mid to high range.Chaweng Noi also has some nice restaurants & bars along the beach.
I`d really consider Chaweng Noi if I was looking for an area for some real peace & quiet.What really appeals to me here is an absolute feeling of peace & quiet yet the more livelier areas of Chaweng & Lamai are only a very short taxi or songtaew ride away.

Hope this helps & anything please ask

Jamie

Mosquitoes, Malaria and Dengue Fever.

This is a question that appears quite a lot here on VT.
You will hear from people who never take any kind of medication.
You will hear from those who do.

May I suggest that you contact your own doctor, practice nurse or travel clinic and ask for their advice?
If they recommend that you use some form of medication, get them to recommend the treatment.
You may find that some treatments you make you ill, if so, ask the doctor for an alternative.

Different anti malaria medication effects different people in different ways, what is good for one person is not always good for another. You won't know this until you have tried a particular medicine.

At present, there is no cure for Dengue Fever.
Unlike the mosquitoes that cause malaria, dengue mosquitoes bite during the day.

Is prevention better than the cure?
Of course it is.
DEET based products are the most effective way of repelling mosquitoes.
Available in different forms and strengths, users should always read the instructions carefully

“I will only be there 3 or 4 days, do I really need to take the medicine”
It does not matter, if it is an infected area, 3 or 4 minutes is all it takes to get Malaria.

Either way, you can return from your holiday with some great photographs, a sun tan and good memories or in a body bag.
The choice is yours.

True fact: - Malaria has killed more than half the people who have EVER lived.

This reply may appear to be a little melodramatic and over the top.
IT IS MEANT TO BE.
Too much irresponsible and bad information is given out over forums regarding the mosquito and its potential to kill.

I forgot the mossie part in my previous post

A DEET based repellent is the way to go(available everywhere),the Lemon grass theory seeems to also work well.If you look at the Koh Samui forum on trip advisor there is a detailed discussion on this very topic.

I personally don`t suffer that badly(compared to others)from mossie bites so I just make sure that everytime i`m out & about i`ve got some sort of repellant on(day & night).

Malaria isn`t a factor on Koh Samui although the above advice is very informative.You could take anti Malaria medication but the negatives out weigh the positives & in my opinion a waste as you are not going in to the depths of a jungle & whatnot.Dengue fever is on the rise through Thailand & is a factor on Koh Samui although in my opinion a small factor but none the less there have been reported cases.


As stated stick to a DEET based repellent & you will minimise the chances of getting bitten.

Thank you all for your replies, I will do my reading on Chaweng & Lamai beaches to see what appeals most out of the two, they both sound good. I guess it's all in where you locate yourself also accomodation wise. Thanks for the advice on protection against mosquitos also, I think I'll need as much protection as I can get against them going by previous trips!

Lamai Beach isn't as crowded (almost no tourists). Chaweng has the most ppl in Low season.