JOURNAL

Things to do in Koh Samui.

Guides to the bay, the beaches, and everything worth leaving the villa for.

Things to do in Koh Samui
JUL8

Things to Do in Koh Samui for Couples (By Two People Who Live Here)

The honest list of things to do in Koh Samui for couples, from two people who live here: sunrise on a quiet bay, Ang Thong by kayak, a forest spa, and where dinner actually earns the candle.

Two empty wooden sun loungers side by side on quiet pale sand at golden hour, seen framed through palm fronds, calm turquoise bay and a green headland beyond

Koh Samui

Thailand

Where to Eat in Koh Samui
JUL7

Where Do Locals Eat in Koh Samui? The Honest Answer

Where do locals eat in Koh Samui? Not on the beach road. Here's where the island actually cooks: the point-and-choose curry stalls, the 30-year noodle shops, and the family kitchens with no English menu.

A rustic wooden table with a tray of Thai curries and rice set on a quiet golden-hour Koh Samui beach, palms and a green headland behind

Koh Samui

Thailand

Koh Samui Beaches
JUL7

Best Beaches in Koh Samui: A Local, Honest Ranking

The best beaches in Koh Samui, ranked honestly by people who live here: which one for swimming, snorkelling, families, and which to skip.

A weathered piece of driftwood on a quiet Koh Samui beach at golden hour, calm turquoise shallows and leaning palms beyond

Koh Samui

Thailand

Chaweng Noi
JUN14

Things to Do in Chaweng Noi (When the Whole Point Is Doing Less)

The honest list of things to do in Chaweng Noi, from people who live here. What's on the beach, what's a short drive away, and why doing less is the point.

A wooden longtail boat moored in calm turquoise shallows off a quiet pale-sand beach at golden hour, palms and a green headland behind

Koh Samui

Thailand

Sabai Sabai Samui

Come stay above the bay.

See the villa →
Koh Samui Beaches
JUN13

Lipa Noi Beach, Koh Samui: The Sunset Side, From People Who Live on the Other One

Lipa Noi Beach, Koh Samui is the island's flat, shallow, sunset-facing west coast. Where it is, whether you can swim, and who it's actually for.

Wide flat low-tide beach on the west coast of Koh Samui at golden hour, tide pools reflecting a warm sky, leaning palms and a distant headland

Koh Samui

Thailand

Chaweng Noi
JUN11

Koh Samui Sunrise: Where to Watch It, and Why Your Sunset Plan Is Backwards

Where to watch the Koh Samui sunrise, why the east coast (Chaweng Noi included) owns it, what time the sun actually comes up, and where to cross the island for the sunset.

Low golden-hour sun just above the open sea horizon over a calm, glassy turquoise Koh Samui bay, coconut palms leaning from the left and a distant headland to the right.

Koh Samui

Thailand

Chaweng Noi
JUN10

Where to Eat in Chaweng Noi: The Honest Truth About Chaweng Noi Restaurants

Chaweng Noi restaurants, the honest version. Where to actually eat on the quiet bay, the one dinner-with-a-view worth the drive, and where the locals go for cheap, real Thai food.

A wooden table set for dinner on the sand at the edge of a calm Koh Samui bay at golden hour, palms behind and a distant headland

Koh Samui

Thailand

Chaweng Noi
JUN9

Is Chaweng Noi Worth It? An Honest Local Verdict

Is Chaweng Noi worth it? An honest yes-or-no from people who live on the bay: who it is perfect for, who should skip it, and the trade-offs nobody selling a room will admit.

A woven hammock strung between two coconut palms over soft sand above a calm turquoise bay at golden hour

Koh Samui

Thailand

Sabai Sabai Samui

Come stay above the bay.

See the villa →
Where to Stay in Koh Samui
JUN8

Koh Samui Areas: The Whole Island, Sorted Out by Someone Who Lives Here

All the Koh Samui areas, sorted out by people who live here. East coast, north coast, west coast, area by area, with honest calls on who each one is actually for.

A grove of leaning coconut palms over pale sand with a faint footpath leading to a calm turquoise bay at golden hour.

Koh Samui

Thailand

Where to Stay in Koh Samui
JUN7

The Best Area to Stay in Koh Samui for First-Timers (From People Who Actually Live Here)

The best area to stay in Koh Samui for first timers, from people who live here. Honest calls on Chaweng, Lamai, Choeng Mon, Bophut, and the quiet base most wish they'd booked.

A wooden jetty reaching over a calm turquoise bay toward a green headland at golden hour, Koh Samui

Koh Samui

Thailand

Things to do in Koh Samui
JUN6

Rainy Day Things to Do in Koh Samui (From People Who Live Through It)

Rainy day things to do in Koh Samui from two people who live here. The real rainy season, the spa-cook-cinema plan that actually works, and when to just stay in.

Golden-hour view from a covered villa terrace over an infinity pool toward a calm Koh Samui bay and palms

Koh Samui

Thailand

Koh Samui Beaches
JUN6

Coral Cove Beach Koh Samui: A Local's Honest Snorkelling Guide

Coral Cove Beach Koh Samui, sorted by a local who lives one bay north. The snorkelling, the rocks, the easy-to-miss turning, the parking, and the best time to go.

A small rocky cove at golden hour with granite boulders, pale sand, clear turquoise shallows and leaning coconut palms

Koh Samui

Thailand

Sabai Sabai Samui

Come stay above the bay.

See the villa →
Where to Stay in Koh Samui
JUN5

The Best Area to Stay in Koh Samui for Families (From People Who Actually Live Here)

The best area to stay in Koh Samui for families, picked by people who live here. Honest calls on Bophut, Choeng Mon, Maenam, Lamai, and the case for a villa.

A calm shallow Koh Samui bay at golden hour with two empty wooden sun loungers and a folded umbrella on soft pale sand, gentle turquoise shallows, palms and a distant green headland

Koh Samui

Thailand

Where to Stay in Koh Samui
JUN4

The Best Area to Stay in Koh Samui for Couples (From People Who Actually Live Here)

The best area to stay in Koh Samui for couples, by people who live here. Honest picks for honeymooners, dinner-and-a-stroll types, and anyone who wants quiet.

A quiet golden-hour bay in Koh Samui with two empty wooden sun loungers side by side on pale sand, palms leaning in and a calm sea

Koh Samui

Thailand

Where to Stay in Koh Samui
JUN3

The Best Area to Stay in Koh Samui for Luxury (and Real Quiet)

The best area to stay in Koh Samui for luxury, picked by a local who lives here. Where to find quiet, upscale and still close to everything, and which posh corners are actually exile.

A quiet upscale Koh Samui bay at golden hour, empty wooden sun loungers on pale sand, a luxury villa half-hidden in greenery on the headland

Koh Samui

Thailand

Koh Samui Beaches
JUN2

Silver Beach Koh Samui (Crystal Bay): A Local's Honest Guide

Silver Beach Koh Samui, also called Crystal Bay, sorted by a local. The snorkelling, the boulders, the parking, the best time to go, and how to find the turning.

A small Koh Samui cove at golden hour, smooth granite boulders meeting calm clear turquoise shallows with coconut palms and forested hills behind

Koh Samui

Thailand

Sabai Sabai Samui

Come stay above the bay.

See the villa →
Where to Stay in Koh Samui
JUN1

Chaweng vs Lamai vs Bophut: Where to Stay in Koh Samui

Chaweng vs Lamai vs Bophut, sorted by a local. The honest difference between Koh Samui's three big beach towns, and which one is actually right for you.

A calm Koh Samui beach-town bay at golden hour, pale sand, palms, empty wooden loungers and a distant green headland

Koh Samui

Thailand

Chaweng Noi
MAY31

Quiet Beaches in Koh Samui: A Local's Honest List

Skip the crowds. Six quiet beaches in Koh Samui that actually deliver on the promise, picked by locals who live on the island's calm side.

Secluded tropical bay at golden hour with calm turquoise water, pale sand, and coconut palms

Koh Samui

Thailand

Chaweng Noi
MAY30

Chaweng Noi Beach: The Honest Local Guide

The quiet, soft-sand beach just south of Chaweng. Where Chaweng Noi Beach is, what it's really like, how to find it, and who it's for, from people who live here.

Golden-hour view of Chaweng Noi beach, calm turquoise water and a palm-covered headland

Koh Samui

Thailand

Chaweng Noi
MAY30

Chaweng vs Chaweng Noi: Which One Is Actually You?

Two beaches, one headland, seven minutes apart, and completely different holidays. An honest local guide to which side of Chaweng is actually you.

Quiet golden-hour tropical bay near Chaweng Noi, Koh Samui

Koh Samui

Thailand

Sabai Sabai Samui villa overlooking the infinity pool and the Gulf of Thailand

The Villa

Come stay above the bay.

Sabai Sabai is a three-bedroom villa on the cliffs above Chaweng Noi, with an infinity pool and the whole Gulf of Thailand below.

See the villa →