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

[Sparkling]

49 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Entitled the old or the new testament????? 

maybe late testament ... it will be a bestseller in LOS as thais usually are amazed by foreigners telling each other who knows best about their nation

[Nsp64]

I used to live in samui a few years ago.

The locals are an uneducated rabble who look at foreigners with disdain. They feel entitled to RIP you off in exchange for allowing you the privilege of visiting their island..............sod them and their dirty little island.

I hear coconut monkeys will be banned soon so there's a few jobs going on the farms 

[Grge Soul]

Quote

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

What did the Vietnamese do?

[LukKrueng]

23 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Fare for the songtheaw from the ferry port to Chaweng or Lamai used to be 20 baht. Increased significantly even though prices for fuel etc had not gone up much. Just greed. I used to say to myself that one day it was all going to lead to tears. Seems that day has come.

1. Supply and demand

2. What happens there now has nothing to do with greed or prices

[Nsp64]

1 minute ago, LukKrueng said:

1. Supply and demand

2. What happens there now has nothing to do with greed or prices

You're right.

But its satisfying to see the thieving sods suffer now.

 

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, Thingamabob said:

I was last there in 1983, together with the girl who is now my wife. As old timers will know it was a paradise in those days. The 'progress' which has since taken place there is sad beyond belief.

Yeah, yeah. I bet you used to get up before you went to bed and licked road clean with your tongue. Tell that to the kids today and they don't believe you. (Monty Python old fahrt's sketch.)

1983.

No internet - so you cannot post your memories on a thread like this.

No mobile phones on Koh Samui.

One hospital in Nathon, so do not crash your bike on the mud tracks.

Maybe, just maybe, one ATM. (There was only one when I came here in 2000.)

Shops selling out of date food.

No supermarkets.

Regular flooding every time that it rained. Everywhere!

Almost no land phones back then. I had to wait six months for mine and then it did not work most of the time.

Sounds like heaven. Not.

I have news for you. The world has changed a bit since 1983.

Wifey and I got married in the Seychelles in 1989. Simiar to Samui but with civilisation. We went back 10 years later. Guess what. Not same same.

Now.

No Chaweng night life (or much reduced).

Pristine beaches and seas.

Empty beaches

Turtles, dolphins, Stingray and clear water everywhere. Coral Cove teeming with fish.

Much less traffic.

Supermarkets full of quality fresh products.

Internet is very reliable. Some people here are working from home.

Very little flooding.

Electricity works (most of the time).

Life here is pretty good at the moment.

Still lots of people coming down from other areas of Thailand but they do not stay too long.

Most comment on how cheap the restaurants here are compared to Bangkok. (The restaurants that we recommend anyway.)

Many expats come for a few days and decide to stay longer.

You can dream about the past if you like, but reality is the present.

 

[LukKrueng]

12 minutes ago, Nsp64 said:

You're right.

But its satisfying to see the thieving sods suffer now.

 

why thieving? Every business in the world tries to sell as much as possible for the highest price it can. 30 years ago the market wanted cheap accommodation, cheap meals, cheap activities. Later on the market changed. More and more people wanted higher end accommodation and where willing to pay for it. Profit margins are higher for 3,4 and 5 stars hotels than for simple huts or guest houses, so the latter were gone in order to make room for new hotels and other venues that could charge more, and obviously there was enough demand

[kingdong]

3 minutes ago, LukKrueng said:

why thieving? Every business in the world tries to sell as much as possible for the highest price it can. 30 years ago the market wanted cheap accommodation, cheap meals, cheap activities. Later on the market changed. More and more people wanted higher end accommodation and where willing to pay for it. Profit margins are higher for 3,4 and 5 stars hotels than for simple huts or guest houses, so the latter were gone in order to make room for new hotels and other venues that could charge more, and obviously there was enough demand

agree with a lot of what you say,but how many previously untouched paradises have been ruined by commercial greed and the prasutes it attracts?-----jet ski scams,taxi mafias etc etc,its never the backpackers (which i have been )or budget independent travellers that ruin places just tourists,and it would appear due to covid and the resultant forthcoming recession things might go full circle.and was it as you previously stated more and more people willing to pay or speculators forcing the cheaper beach huts out the market?

[GwynBleidd]

40 minutes ago, Grge Soul said:

What did the Vietnamese do?

I can't find direct links to what I've read, it was on social media but fairly compelling and didn't look fake. Basically about multiple cases of highly xenophobic attitude towards all foreigners, blaming them for coronavirus, refusing any kind of services and alienating in general. If I'm not wrong, there was one case described of threatening with physical force. In a bit lighter fashion something like that is described here: https://vietcetera.com/en/opinion-racism-xenophobia-during-covid-19-in-my-shoes

[DrPhibes]

On 7/11/2020 at 7:48 AM, 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.

Used to stay at White Sands Bungalows with buddies in the late 80's early 90's right on Lamai Beach.  Have not been back since 2007 when I saw all the places with character being destroyed to put up "Boutique" hotels.  When my buddies and I get together we still retell those stories of dancing 'till dawn at Green Mango, the crazy fun people we met, the great and cheap food and drinks, the great books we happen to pick up in the lobby library, and of course the ladies.  One night in '92 a buddy and I got really high and went to one of the places where you lay around in bean bag chairs and watch a movie and eat delicious snacks.  We went on the wrong night and instead of watching Wayne's World they showed In the Name of the Father.  We were seriously freaked out.  Good times, good times...

[KC 71]

3 hours ago, steven100 said:

i thought the term ' punter ' was gamblers who generally bet on race horses ?

 

Its what a brass calls a customer

[tallfelllow]

9 hours 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 just booked a flight on Air Asia from Surat Thani to Bangkok for the end of July and it was 1200. Baht 

[evadgib]

The 'I hate Samui' threads drove regulars from this board years ago but as a 20 year resident & founder member of the 'happy as a pig in shlt' club (& NO I do not have a business here!) I have long realized that the Island is blamed for any failed business; failed relationship; financial bear-trap or property scam that befalls the unwary who in most cases are too dense to realize that they alone were responsible for their gullibility and instead chose to blame the Island for their woes...  

 

Edited July 12, 2020 by evadgib

[IslandLover]

4 hours ago, steven100 said:

i see .... is that an American term  ?  in Australia it's just a gambler .. 

No, "punter" is British English slang.

[Hank Gunn]

54 minutes ago, KC 71 said:

Its what a brass calls a customer

What's a "brass"? ????

[geriatrickid]

1 hour ago, Grge Soul said:

What did the Vietnamese do?

Vietnam behaved in a responsible manner and made decisions to protect the population as a whole, and not  just one segment of the society. They shut their borders very quickly, an action that is now recognized by other countries as something they should have done too. As a result, the Vietnamese economy is emerging to a  recovery and its tourism sector will be up and running as soon as  world travel starts again.

[geriatrickid]

4 hours ago, Mikeasq60 said:

How would you support Thailand's economy then other than through tourism. Its not all tourism but yes mainly dependant on tourism support. Its like tourist season on Cape Cod, MA during the summer time their mainly dependant on tourist money there's no denying that, the local townes admit it. In Thailand they wont admit the country is dependant on tourism!

Thailand is not dependent on tourism. Industry is the most important  contributor  to the Thai economy and Thailand is short of  labour. It has had a serious labour shortage for a decade. This is why the country  has so many foreign workers in the hospitality and construction sectors. Thailand's skilled services sector  was booming.

 

Yes, tourism  was a contributor to the economy, and yes it provides jobs, but many of those jobs went to Burmese and Cambodian workers. The Thai people who end up in the lower end hospitality  jobs are there because they don't want to work in retail or in the industrial sector or on a farm. There are  job vacancies  in those sectors.  Yes, Thailand will take a hit this year, but it is a temporary event. The infrastructure is still there, with hotels  still standing, equipment in working order, and tourist attractions awaiting the tourists. As soon as the world air routes reopen, the tourism sector will recover.

 

Not recognized is that Thailand  has been making bumper windfall profits in its other sectors. Thailand's factories quickly returned to production and have been putting out the needed electronic consumer items that are in short supply because of China problems. Thailand's agricultural exports have been snapped up at ever increasing  prices due to food shortages and supply chain disruptions  in other countries. There are multiple droughts ongoing and Thailand  has lots of rice  to sell. Thailand is well positioned to have a strong recovery. it just needs to hang on a few months more.

[torturedsole]

5 hours ago, steven100 said:

i see .... is that an American term  ?  in Australia it's just a gambler .. 

In common parlance a punter is a customer whether shady or legitimate.

 

59 minutes ago, Hank Gunn said:

What's a "brass"? ????

A lady / gentleman of the night.  

 

Edited July 12, 2020 by torturedsole

[terryofcrete]

On 7/11/2020 at 5:26 PM, steven100 said:

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

RIP ...  KS.

Hope bangkok air get savaged too for their exorbitant prices and exclusivity upon the route to the island . 

[Nsp64]

1 hour ago, Hank Gunn said:

What's a "brass"? ????

Ask yer missus

[kingdong]

2 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

Thailand is not dependent on tourism. Industry is the most important  contributor  to the Thai economy and Thailand is short of  labour. It has had a serious labour shortage for a decade. This is why the country  has so many foreign workers in the hospitality and construction sectors. Thailand's skilled services sector  was booming.

 

Yes, tourism  was a contributor to the economy, and yes it provides jobs, but many of those jobs went to Burmese and Cambodian workers. The Thai people who end up in the lower end hospitality  jobs are there because they don't want to work in retail or in the industrial sector or on a farm. There are  job vacancies  in those sectors.  Yes, Thailand will take a hit this year, but it is a temporary event. The infrastructure is still there, with hotels  still standing, equipment in working order, and tourist attractions awaiting the tourists. As soon as the world air routes reopen, the tourism sector will recover.

 

Not recognized is that Thailand  has been making bumper windfall profits in its other sectors. Thailand's factories quickly returned to production and have been putting out the needed electronic consumer items that are in short supply because of China problems. Thailand's agricultural exports have been snapped up at ever increasing  prices due to food shortages and supply chain disruptions  in other countries. There are multiple droughts ongoing and Thailand  has lots of rice  to sell. Thailand is well positioned to have a strong recovery. it just needs to hang on a few months more.

think so? thailand is a low wage country despite the high baht,give it a couple of months and theres going to be a depression unlike anything since the depression of the 1930s,so don,t know who,ll be buying all there exports,how much is the average wage in a factory these days?

[Ron jeremy]

3 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

Vietnam behaved in a responsible manner and made decisions to protect the population as a whole, and not  just one segment of the society. They shut their borders very quickly, an action that is now recognized by other countries as something they should have done too. As a result, the Vietnamese economy is emerging to a  recovery and its tourism sector will be up and running as soon as  world travel starts again.

I was there during covid, I can tell u the government did a fabulous job controlling the virus,,most likely the best in the world. A friend took me to her family condo for a few days before I flew home, fed me, and treated me like I was part of their family. I currently have friends n the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Vietnam has been back to normal for quite some time unlike the other countries. My friends in Vietnam are the envy of the others. Normal life in Vietnam, friends in PI and Thailand are not enjoying themselves contrary to what these forum members are conveying. 

[ayahuasca]

On 7/12/2020 at 3:10 AM, kingdong said:

modest prices?you having a giraffe?

I was thinking "globally". In terms of SEA it's generally overpriced. But so many tourist areas of Thailand have become quite expensive, meaning, for what you actually get, you are paying way too much. btw. I am here now in part because it was a safer place to bring my elderly father (than Pattaya)--because the flights are indeed over-priced, and the pricing is higher, it provides a barrier for the massive influx of low-budget tourists which were not being stopped by the powers that be from entering Thailand (in February 2020)--Pattaya was just nuts with busses, mostly of chinese.... So as for Samui it is not a bad place to isolate during Covid-19 but Thailand does not have access to the latest drugs, and a lot of the farangs on the island are in *complete denial* of Covid-19 being anywhere in LOS, or of the still unknown complications of getting the virus. (I could go on about the lack of testing, and extreme costs for individual testing and, what really happens if you test positive for covid-19 in LOS but I won't here -- I hired a researcher to find out, given the lack of real reporting, and it's not pretty). 

Edited July 12, 2020 by ayahuasca

[ExpatOilWorker]

8 hours ago, DrPhibes said:

Used to stay at White Sands Bungalows with buddies in the late 80's early 90's right on Lamai Beach.  Have not been back since 2007 when I saw all the places with character being destroyed to put up "Boutique" hotels.  When my buddies and I get together we still retell those stories of dancing 'till dawn at Green Mango, the crazy fun people we met, the great and cheap food and drinks, the great books we happen to pick up in the lobby library, and of course the ladies.  One night in '92 a buddy and I got really high and went to one of the places where you lay around in bean bag chairs and watch a movie and eat delicious snacks.  We went on the wrong night and instead of watching Wayne's World they showed In the Name of the Father.  We were seriously freaked out.  Good times, good times...

I guess Samui was always ahead of their time, even back in '92.

The movie you saw, Name of the Father was not released untill 1993.

[a977]

On 7/11/2020 at 11:28 PM, 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.

They could have had all the high class tourists they wanted if they hadn't put all their eggs in the chinese basket, what is the saying a "fool and his money are soon parted".  I leave you people to work out who the fool is

[Hank Gunn]

6 hours ago, Nsp64 said:

Ask yer missus

How would my Thai wife know the definition for a term of British slang?

[NanLaew]

On 7/11/2020 at 9:18 PM, Ron jeremy said:

Funny how the business owners on this forum tell us of great things on the island!

Citation?

[Mulambana]

On 7/11/2020 at 9:48 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

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

And many got rich and moved to pursue other stuff. That is life nothing to bitch  about. 

Edited July 13, 2020 by Mulambana

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

 

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.

Sex scene arrived in Chaweng long before us and you had to go looking for bargirls , as they were all over the lagoon on the small road by the big Reggae Disco.

Bar girls are a part of the tourist scene in every tourist place in LOS, and always have been since there was a tourist scene in LOS. Even Hua Hin has some.

I seem to remember some bar beers near the strip, but that was years later than 1993.

No such thing as the "wrong sort" of tourist. A tourist arrives on a tourist visa, end of story.

 

Can't imagine why you got exercised about BGs at Chaweng as they were not hanging around on the strip touting, and no gogos that I remember anywhere. Had I not gone over the lagoon on that rickety wood walkway I'd not even have known there were barbeers at all.

 

Don't know about Lamai being "Germanic", but that was definitely more a barbeer sort of town. Pity the beach was so rubbish, or I'd have stayed there more.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, Mulambana said:

And many got rich and moved to pursue other stuff. That is life nothing to bitch  about. 

You're OK with nice beaches being destroyed so some can get rich then?