Koh Samui: For sale and gathering dust - island that catered to foreigners is completely deserted

[tonray]

11 hours ago, geisha said:

All these islands and towns that have been ruined is a crying shame. Thanks to the idiocy of authorities, the lack of planning permission has turned these places into ugly dumps . They want high class tourism , what a laugh.

Yeah..a few years ago I ended up staying in Surat Thani for a week or so and asking locals about spending a couple of days on Koh Samui, they greatly discouraged it saying first I'll be dealing with the taxi Mafia upon arrival and then the sharks from all other businesses will swoop in. I enjoyed my time in Surat Thani...altough not exciting by any stretch ..better than being ripped off left and right. 

[Eindhoven]

6 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I first went in 92, so it only took 5 years to go from your experience to 5 * resorts and the big Reggae disco etc.

Still couldn't get Bkk Post without a special order though.

Great though- nothing higher than the palm trees and low key buildings set back.

I stayed in JR Mansion first time which had a wonderful and huge open air restaurant. Burnt ( I heard by arson ) some years later. Replaced by a horrid modern shopping mall now I believe. Plenty of nice cheap places to stay and over the years I stayed in many of them, normally Chaweng village which had individual huts; cold water shower, no tv or AC which was the norm.

It was a very nice beach stay spoiled only by the aircraft flying in to land right over the middle of the best area.

Had a wide range of places to stay from 5* to cheapie bagpacker places like Charlie's Hut. I even got to visit the Ark Bar while it was the original thatch roof version

Sand was wonderful to walk on, unlike Lamai, and I used to walk half the beach each morning before most were awake.

 

I thought when I posted my first on here that I'd be slagged off by loads of posters that love Samui, but there have been surprisingly few that defend the place.

It was a great few years visiting it, but that stopped when they went trendy, expensive and stopped showing VDOs in the restaurants.

Then it was time to move over to Phangan, even though none of the beaches there had a patch on Chaweng.

Great days before greed ruined it, but they live on in my memory.

 

We arrived the same year. 

We all have our opinions of when it started going downhill. I didn't particularly like sex tourism moving to Chaweng and the young lads running to me, excited about "being able to get a bird for a tenner". That for me was the beginning of the end. I guess I saw them as the wrong kind of tourist.

Lamai already had the Germanic sex scene, so if you were interested in that, you could go there.

[ChakaKhan]

Man those motorbikes look like the ones that the police lock up from the racers, surprised they havent been stolen as they look abandoned, as for the Karaoke where are all the girls gonna sit and play on their phones?

 

Id like to be there, riding my bike in peace and enjoying a clean quiet beach for once.....without the touts...

[parallaxtech]

If you are retired in Samui with money and a lovely place to live then it's still paradise, even more so now without the aggravating tourists or hoards of Covid bots.  I was enjoying the pristine Chaweng beach yesterday, when the jetski mafia arrived and told Thais and farangs to clear off their patch.  Most of us were hoping that this business would end, but they probably spotted a few farangs who needed fleecing.  Samui will return one day, bigger than ever, along with all the greed and corruption.  No lessons will be learned.  I still love it, relative to living in Florida, and have no plans of ever leaving.

[sencelebi]

13 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The island that sold its soul for greed got its comeuppance!

I for one have no sympathy.

I stopped going there last century when it went trendy and expensive. Kicked the cheap places out ( like Charlie's hut ), destroyed the old Ark bar and built horrid concrete places everywhere.

Couldn't believe it last time I sailed past on the ferry to Phangan- concrete villas destroying every hillside. Used to be a great place to holiday- Chaweng is one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, but ruined by greed and aircraft.

Only people to blame are the Thais that destroyed it to get rich.

You're  right. We need tourist into the island who have money to spend. Greedy and low life tourists don't do any good for the tourism revenue. I think government will look into this after the  pandemic, they too realized that backpackers and greedy tourists don't do any good but just crowd. Thailand needs money spending tourists, I mean money, not 20 dollars a day.

[zzzzz]

as others have stated, first hit samui on my se asia bike trip in 82/83. stayed at Mae nam beach. a frame bungalow,( no toilet or electric other than 6-10 via generator)  was 25 baht ($1), small bottle of Sang Som and 2 plates of pat Thai/day...
chaweng an lami had video bars, bungalows on the beach and restaurants plus the weekly buffalo fights and MONKEYS fetching coconuts!!!

Frequently drove over from phuket during the late 80's early 90's

last went in 2008 and had booked for 3 nights, left after 2... 

Even compared to phuket it was expensive and the the local thai's unfriendly..
never again....

 

[GwynBleidd]

Jeez can we get even more of you grandpas remembering how you went here 500 years ago when the sun was brighter and the grass was greener? 

 

I for one am happy that I can live in a stone house with double AC and water heating, shop in modern stores and drive on decent roads. If I want wilder nature and less people, I go to Taling Ngam, it's still fairly unbuilt, and I never liked Chaweng anyway (even though I didn't see it centuries ago). If I want it even wilder, I take a trip to Koh Tan and Koh Madsum.

Vietnam by the way can go screw themselves after their attitude to farangs showed in full during Covid.

 

[ChrisY1]

The result of relying on around 20% of GDP, which is now showing as being far too high in the event of a financial event, like now.

As the OP mentions, most tourist businesses will never open again.....Pattaya and Phuket will become deserted dumping grounds...rents have vanished, now property prices will crash.....billions will be down the gurgler. 

Not that it really matters to Thais, but this is global. Europe, UK, the Americas will likely come back to some degree, but Asia and especially Thailand, are pretty much done.

[soalbundy]

13 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The island that sold its soul for greed got its comeuppance!

I for one have no sympathy.

I stopped going there last century when it went trendy and expensive. Kicked the cheap places out ( like Charlie's hut ), destroyed the old Ark bar and built horrid concrete places everywhere.

Couldn't believe it last time I sailed past on the ferry to Phangan- concrete villas destroying every hillside. Used to be a great place to holiday- Chaweng is one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, but ruined by greed and aircraft.

Only people to blame are the Thais that destroyed it to get rich.

The Ark bar was a center of noise pollution and should have been closed years ago. It was a great island 20 years ago, now not so much.

[madmen]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If Cambodia and Vietnam ( and perhaps Burma ) play it right, Thailand will never recover to what it was. I'm sure the horde will be back but that's even more reason not to go there.

[AhFarangJa]

15 hours ago, rooster59 said:

A taxi driver told the media he would normally get 1,000 to 2,000 baht a day. He now gets nothing. 

I would not say he gets nothing. In fact I would say he, and many like him have got their just desserts.

[pennine]

1 hour ago, parallaxtech said:

If you are retired in Samui with money and a lovely place to live then it's still paradise, even more so now without the aggravating tourists or hoards of Covid bots.  I was enjoying the pristine Chaweng beach yesterday, when the jetski mafia arrived and told Thais and farangs to clear off their patch.  Most of us were hoping that this business would end, but they probably spotted a few farangs who needed fleecing.  Samui will return one day, bigger than ever, along with all the greed and corruption.  No lessons will be learned.  I still love it, relative to living in Florida, and have no plans of ever leaving.

I agree completely.

[Destiny1990]

Yeah very devastating but on the upside even these annoying stray dogs  seems to have vanished ! ????

[erinsf]

We considered a visit to Samui.  However, when we did our research and included other islands on our list of possible destinations we found, Samui is much more expensive.  I know there is talk of 'savings' for locals and expats but, its is still expensive. Some of the high end places can attract people like us if they lower they rates.  The rooms are empty.  Why not charge 2000 a night instead of 10,000?  The only true costs are housecleaning and time.  The owners /managers are on site anyway.  You can change your food service options. Include breakfast.  Which, is also cheap.  There are so many possible opportunities.  We would pay for a massage if the rooms were cheaper.  We are going to Koh Yao Yai first because, the 4-5 star properties there include some which are 3000 or less a night.  

[sammieuk1]

Unfortunately at the sharp end of continuing government lunacy as skint little China emerges ???? 

[Burma Bill]

15 hours ago, Ron jeremy said:

but ruined by greed and aircraft.

Are Bangkok Airways flying "almost empty" planes??? I have just checked the airline's website (from home in Cambodia) and discovered that for this coming week ECONOMY return flights BKK - Samui are priced FROM 216 US$ (6,765 Thai Baht)!!!!!!!

[Jane Dough]

Only places where Thai domestic tourism may flourish are going to have any chance over the next year. Places need to be accessible to Bangkok in particular for weekends/ day trips. Pattaya can survive and Hua Hin/Cha-Am. Koh Chang, just. Samui, no chance.

 

Rooster

[boonrawdcnx]

On 5/21/2020 at 5:36 PM, MadMac said:

Does not matter, apparently the Ministry of Finance sold their shares, how so, no idea. Now it is up to Buddha.

 

On 6/9/2020 at 9:42 AM, alien365 said:

My wife's license has expired and she now needs to redo all the test (so it's a one or two day process) Over a year now and she's been unable to get a booking in or around our province. And they wonder why people drive without a license.

 

5 hours ago, H1w4yR1da said:

Agree 100%. First went there in 87 and spent 2 months in a hut on Chaweng. The only nightlife place was a shack called Madonna disco. If you wanted western food or a day old Bangkok Post, a trip into Na Thon was needed.

The huts and bungalows were still owned by the locals.

In the 90s, sfter the airport was built (a death knell) the rich Thais and international investors moved in and completely changed the look and feel of the place. Professional expat types opened property agencies in cahoots with the Thai mafia who arrived from the southern provinces. The local police became an extension of the mafia.

Once a dream island was destroyed by greed as they coveted high end tourists.

 

Been back once since 2000 on a big bike southern tour and just stayed the night. Couldn't wait to leave.

 

Looking at those images in the OP, all I can think of is som nam na.

I so agree with you! When I arrived first on Koh Samui in 1986 they picked you up in a samlor taxi and drove from beach to beach and stopped at various bungalow resorts. The driver made sure everybody got their fair share of visitors. We opted to ride to the very last resort on Chaweng beach. I think the name was Matlang Resort - owned by a local family the bungalows where made from coconut tree wood and there was no electricity. At Dawn you could sit at the lovely beach side restaurant and they switched on the generator which was enough to brighten up the restaurant and run 1 fan and 2 light bulbs in your bungalow. The island was lovely back then but funnily we felt like it had already been spoiled hahaha - because we arrived from Tioman Island where we shared a stretch of 3 different beaches with maybe 15 other people for a month! No electricity at all there just open fires and oil lamps. What a wonderful vibe when we sat together in the evenings -travelers and the few locals - and exchanged travel and other stories. The food menu was usually a single choice (fish, seafood  alternated sometimes with chicken) prepared by the local family. Reading some of the comments here about Koh Samui I think I did the right thing and never returned and kept it like it was in my memories.

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, AhFarangJa said:

17 hours ago, rooster59 said:

A taxi driver told the media he would normally get 1,000 to 2,000 baht a day. He now gets nothing. 

I would not say he gets nothing. In fact I would say he, and many like him have got their just desserts.

A bit harsh wishing ill on people when they are starving.

If they get nothing then their families (kids?) get nothing.

People are really hurting and going hungry.

I still give regularly to the 'free food' containers in the local minimart and everytime that I visit, all of the boxes are empty.

[Mikeasq60]

So sad, but here's my prediction. Thailand will be open for full business by the middle of August! Airports all receiving tourists, residents, and those with families rather than jumping through all the hoops to meet those Thai requirements. Not easy for me to meet the requirements because Im flying from Afghanistan through Dubai. I cant seek the medical certs in Afghanistan because its still dangerous here. Its not open for business. I see Thailand says its banks are fully prepared to absorb any effects of CV, lol. Really, OK

[khunPer]

15 hours ago, steven100 said:

Koh Samui is a ghost town. Friday night everything was closed, there are no tourists at all.

RIP ...  KS.

Where did you go Friday night?

–Apparently not the same places I went; I was out in the Chaweng nightlife both Friday and Saturday night, and so were a lot of others that night included both "stranded" tourists and expats...????

[Tropicalevo]

12 minutes ago, Mikeasq60 said:

So sad, but here's my prediction. Thailand will be open for full business by the middle of August! Airports all receiving tourists, residents, and those with families rather than jumping through all the hoops to meet those Thai requirements. Not easy for me to meet the requirements because Im flying from Afghanistan through Dubai. I cant seek the medical certs in Afghanistan because its still dangerous here. Its not open for business. I see Thailand says its banks are fully prepared to absorb any effects of CV, lol. Really, OK

Wow. Good luck on your journey sir. Thailand must seem like a walk in the park after Afghanistan.

[Deli]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If Cambodia and Vietnam ( and perhaps Burma ) play it right, Thailand will never recover to what it was. I'm sure the horde will be back but that's even more reason not to go there.

 

Combodia is run already by the Chinese, not an option.

The commies are not doing a bad job, when it comes to tourism, however, also there the Chinese are very much present.

 

Myanmar - a big hope ! Beautiful country with fantastic people. Just hope it doesn't become a 2nd Thailand on the long run. But it will take his time for developing infrastructure, it is still a real 3rd world country.

 

Arrived as one of the 1st passengers on Sumui Airport and still visit the island usually 2 or 3 times a year. Never stay in Chaweng. Like the beaches, hills and it's convenience, means everything is easily available. Prices are not higher than in other tourist places and my bungalow for 800 THB / night is excellent.

[Tropicalevo]

46 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

Are Bangkok Airways flying "almost empty" planes??? I have just checked the airline's website (from home in Cambodia) and discovered that for this coming week ECONOMY return flights BKK - Samui are priced FROM 216 US$ (6,765 Thai Baht)!!!!!!!

I am told that most flights are full. They have put on an extra flight every day and sometimes two extra flights at peak times.

They are also using the bigger Airbuses (160 seats) now and again instead of the smaller ATR72 (70 seats).

I would expect extra flights on the 'Songkhran' weekend (27th).

[jimmjam]

Great time to purchase a business if the prices are lower or reasonable.

Ahhhh, wait a minute, this is thailand, sale prices will go up.????????

[khunPer]

15 hours ago, Davo369 said:

Samui has gone down hill well before covid. I'll say since 2016

When I came first time to Samui in 2001, some of the older long stayers told me Samui was going "downhill", not at all like it was before – for me it was like I finally found "paradise"...????

 

Later I experienced that folk coming to the island later than I said that it was going "downhill" – like in 2016 – but I think everyone that try to live the past will say that, no matter how late they came, a few year after it's not at all like it once was...????

 

True, the whole World is not like it once was – especially at the moment during a lockdown pandemi – the World has always changed.

 

I've been living permanently on the island since 2005, 15 years with numerous changes, and 15 years with some changes to the better, and 15 years like living in Paradise. Some seem to remember the sunny days only from the past – that is actually scientific proved that we remember sunny days better – and forget Samui as it once was; before paved road with mud everywhere during the rainy season; the ghost island with resorts and nightlife closed during the monsoon season when no one came from November 1st til just before Christmas; when electricity was generator created and switched on from 11 am til 1 pm, and again from 6 pm till 10 pm; when trying to buy a car – or just a freezer, when the island got power cable from the mainland – equaled a day long trip to Surat Thani on the mainland; when power-cuts or black-outs were if not a daily experience, then a weekly experience after the supply stability improved; etc. etc...

 

Yes, based on all the great stories we hear it was paradise then in the good old hippie era with beach parties and mushroom drinks – before the airport were build, and before the turist holiday town Chaweng was created – but so were many other places around the World. I was among the hippies, but unfortunately never experienced Samui or Thailand – I might have stayed put – and I lived my wild part of the flower power-era, and those places fra back then are not all as they once was comped to today; presumably I feel the same as those that experienced Samui as it once was and compare to today...????

 

And those, who came to Samui for the first time last year, surely feel it's going "downhill" now...????????

 

Just so you don't forget the good old days before Samui went "downhill", Chaweng Beach Road in front of the nightlife sois...

 

 

Some "downhill" impressions from 1982 (photos borrowed from a Samui Old Time-group)... 

 

 

 

 

 

[LomSak27]

14 hours ago, CLS said:

15 hours ago, Davo369 said:

Samui has gone down hill well before covid. I'll say since 2016

It started long before 2016, right then when the first McSh*t and *sucks turned up.

Started its long downhill slide when they built the airport. It was inevitable.

[Artisi]

great opportunity to clean-up the rubbish littering the place and tear-down the junk (probably illegal anyway) <deleted> concrete buildings stuck everywhere.

 

  

[mc4asia]

16 hours ago, SoilSpoil said:

Prachuap Khiri Khan's boulevard was teeming with locals and foreigners yestetday. Beautiful beach promenade, local night markets and plenty of budget hotels. No need for extortionate taxi prices. Just value for money.

Absolutely agreed.  I've lived in PKK for nearly 8 months and it's proven to be an excellent place to ride out the pandemic.  I chose it before the world went upside down because it wasn't popular with the Chinese tourists (no malls) and you could actually drive up to the beach (unlike Hua Hin).  Ao Noi, Ao Prachuap and Ao Manao beaches await and none of them are overflowing with vendors encroaching on the sand.   Great night markets, very reasonable rent, and a Makro that I've yet to see overcrowded.  

I talked to one expat visiting and he lamented the fact that he hadn't checked out PKK before settling up the road in a larger beach city up north.  

[Dap]

17 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

true enough, i was there in the early 90s, stayed in a great bungalow on the beach, cool little beach side restaurants, quiet, clean beach and sea, was like paradise. i returned about five years ago, the place was unrecongisable; awful, over developed, ugly, polluted, i left sharpish. very sad but i guess some people like that sort of place.

Unfortunately, some folks would never know the difference.