PILLAR
An honest, area-by-area guide to where to stay in Koh Samui, from the party beaches to the quiet ones, written by people who actually live here.
Choosing where to stay in Koh Samui is the one decision that decides what kind of holiday you get, and most people make it blind off a map.
The island isn't one place. It's a string of very different beaches, and booking the wrong one is how you end up with a nightclub under your balcony when you wanted a hammock, or the other way round. Chaweng is the big night out. Lamai is its cheaper cousin. Bophut is the grown-up dinner. Chaweng Noi is the quiet one (that's us).
We live here, so below is the area-by-area version with no resort trying to sell you anything: who each neighbourhood is actually for, and which one matches the holiday you're picturing. Start with whether you want the noise or the quiet, and work from there.
IN THIS PILLAR
The Villa
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 →
