Quality of life in Kho Samui

[Jeffr2]

14 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

 

That statement is very true but there are other reasons for booking through AirBnb.

 

Conflict between parties and security of the booking.

 

Some owners that I deal with do not want direct bookings. If there is a conflict - AirBnb will mediate. Even though AirBnb side with the renter at least 80 - 90% of the time, some owners prefer this way.

 

Regarding security of the booking, again, one guest made a direct booking (last minute) and before the owner could block it, due to time zone differences, another guest booked the villa via AirBnb.

 

Quite a few people these days are booking through AirBnb for a 'trial' period and then extending direct with the owner.

I was about ready to book with AirBnB, but thought I'd better check it out in person first.  Many places are shutting down, as you know.  Yup.  It had just shut down.  I'm sure I would have gotten my money back, but then I'd have been stuck trying to find another place, perhaps at the last minute.  We went with a hotel for 5 days first, then started looking around.

 

One place was listed for some 1,500B.  I went on site and the guy there said he give it to me for 900.  I contacted the agent and seems he was just putting up a bunch of properties hoping to get a hit?  He was somewhere in Europe.

 

I've used AirBnB a LOT!  Love it.  Much better than a hotel, IMHO.

[LivinLOS]

On 5/9/2021 at 3:55 AM, Tropicalevo said:

 

That statement is very true but there are other reasons for booking through AirBnb.

 

Conflict between parties and security of the booking.

 

Some owners that I deal with do not want direct bookings. If there is a conflict - AirBnb will mediate. Even though AirBnb side with the renter at least 80 - 90% of the time, some owners prefer this way.

 

Regarding security of the booking, again, one guest made a direct booking (last minute) and before the owner could block it, due to time zone differences, another guest booked the villa via AirBnb.

 

Quite a few people these days are booking through AirBnb for a 'trial' period and then extending direct with the owner.

 

I have had Thai landlords cancel pre made airBnB bookings (and booking.com) while I was already on route, with pets during a holiday weekend.. Leaving me totally up <deleted> creek. The landlord just wanted the higher rate offered due to accommodation shortage. 

Neither AirBnB or booking.com gave a damn about it.. Refund was processed of course but that didnt exactly help me when nothing else was available at 4x the price. 

 

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, LivinLOS said:

 

I have had Thai landlords cancel pre made airBnB bookings (and booking.com) while I was already on route, with pets during a holiday weekend.. Leaving me totally up <deleted> creek. The landlord just wanted the higher rate offered due to accommodation shortage. 

Neither AirBnB or booking.com gave a damn about it.. Refund was processed of course but that didnt exactly help me when nothing else was available at 4x the price. 

 

Sorry to hear that.

We look after more than 40 properties. All but one are foreign owned.

To my knowledge, not one owner has cancelled an AirBnb booking unless it was due to the property having severe issues. (Flooding, no water/electricity etc.)

This has been true even recently when a guest booked for two nights and the next day another guest wanted to book the villa for one month. The owner lost the one month booking.

The reason is that AirBnb does penalise the owner on cancellations. Usually by downgrading them as a host and sometimes - a financial penalty. At least this is what I have been told by owners.

[kwilco]

For ... Samui is an island that has a very high standard of facilities catering for the enormous population of Europeans who live and visit there.

 

Against .... Samui is an island that has a very high standard of facilities catering for the enormous population of Europeans who live and visit there.

 

Remember...its an ISLAND!

 

[kwilco]

Before Covid -

Samui is the second largest island in Thailand after Phuket. It is easy enough. To circumnavigate the island in half a day. (roadworks permitting)

 

I’ve lived and worked both on Samui and in Chonburi/Rayong area and although the shopping on Samui is OK, it is in not in any way as comprehensive as the facilities in Chonburi and Rayong region.

 

Shopping - Samui Has a Central/Robinsons shopping mall It has slightly less variety and stock than some of the Centrals I’ve visited around Thailand, e.g Chonburi, Pattaya Udon.

Tops supermarket is expensive but carries most of the Western foods carried in other Supermarkets with a high foreign customer base.

 

There are a couple of Big C Supermarkets. There are 2 large Tesco-Lotus - being taken over by CP who own the- 2 Macros and the 7/11 Franchises scattered all over the island.

Tesco’s opened the first supermarket-cum-mall on Samui about 20 years ago. They are now very much in second place to the impressive Central edifice at Chaeng.

 

There is a large French contingency on the island and consequently more French café-boulangeries than you could shake a stick at. There are various “ethnic” eateries and suppliers, Russian, Austrian German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese etc etc.

 

I’ve lived and worked both on Samui and in Chonburi/Rayong area and although the shopping on Samui is OK, it is in not in any way as comprehensive as the facilities in Chonburi and Rayong region.

 

There is only one “real” town on the island; the port of Nathon, the rest is just untrammelled string development along the island’s ring road, Chaweng being the biggest concentration...

Nathon has most of the local government offices etc etc. It also has a Tesco/lotus. A lot of “arty-crafty shops that cater for the visiting cruise ships. (Prices tend to go up on those days!).

 

In general the internet is VERY fast and reliable (within Thai parameters) depending on your supplier you should expect 100mbps and over. The coverage isn’t universal; the more rural areas are still awaiting their cables.

There are computer repair shops, phone shops and motor repairs as well as car dealerships. I’m sorry to say that there is a plethora of rip-off merchants who take advantage of the fact you are on an island.

 

Both power and water supplies can on occasion be interrupted, but thw situation is improving. 

Before moving into a place you need to establish the situation with utilities - mains water? /internet availability/ drainage etc.

 

Garbage is a serious pollution problem on Samui - the dump was overfilled with 300,000 tons of untreated garbage which is now slowly being shipped to the mainland. But it is not known what is has done to the water table - many places still use wells. Though now, the island is connected to a mains water supply from the mainland. Fly-tipping is still common.

Air quality is in general good - sometimes crop burning in Malaysia covers the island in dust.

Although sun is the main characteristic, Samui has a quite wet climate with and extra wet season around November December. Flash flooding has been common, I doubt if any of the new drains installed with have a significant effect on this. 

 

 

I use local Taxis occasionally and negotiate fares - it helps if you speak Thai. I’ve never needed a grab. 

Most people hire local cars or motorcycles - Samui has one of the highest m/c death rates in the country - largely down to foreigners on motorbikes. Although (long term) rentals are very cheap, you need to be very careful about insurance too.

 

There are 4 private hospitals on Samui and one large government one. Overcharging and misdiagnosis are rampant. It’s best if you are recommended to a hospital by a friend of the owners or member of staff. For minor aliment and injuries, you are much better off using local clinics. Govt or otherwise. Pharmacies abound too.

 

“. Is it viable to go to shopping in Surat Thani” - the boat ride to the mainland takes over an hour on the car ferry and costs about 450 baht e/w.

This for me is the killer of living on Samui, you need to add at least 3 hours on any trip planned off the island and back.

Suratthani probably has less in the way of shopping than the island.

 

Samui prices are higher than most on mainland Thailand and the overwhelming presence of foreigners means that you need to look hard to find decent “proper” Thai food. T’s there but don’t expect to finds it on the beaches.

 

Samui is smothered by massages- from the deadly Thai massage to the “wash and w**k”. It is also full of “alternative” medical therapies and healers (charlatans), but Koh Pha Ngan is the capital for that kind of nonsense.

 

You need a special kind of mindset to live on an island .... The thing about Samui is it has attracted a class of foreigner that basically gradually become stir crazy - they are not interested in Thailand or the world around them, they want to sit on a beach in “paradise”. I’d suggest that they are navel-gazing, but most don’t even have to savvy to do that. Going off the island is an anathema to them. The result is a rather incestuous society of sunset-gazers who have dropped out of real life. Conspiracy theories and crank medicines prevail amongst a group largely bereft of any real critical thinking, who mostly if not detesting Thai people are unduly suspicious of them.

 

Samui is desperate to open up to tourism again (10 million people  year!), but at present has various restrictions and checks on visitors. Even those from different regions in Thailand. They have not detected any case on the island for several days.

 

Like others on this thread, I’d suggest you need to visit Samui, either for a few months or at several times of the year. This would give you an idea of climate and whether or not you are prepared to put a ferry between you and the mainland.

Edited May 23, 2021 by kwilco

[Samui Bodoh]

18 hours ago, kwilco said:

Before Covid -

Samui is the second largest island in Thailand after Phuket. It is easy enough. To circumnavigate the island in half a day. (roadworks permitting)

 

I’ve lived and worked both on Samui and in Chonburi/Rayong area and although the shopping on Samui is OK, it is in not in any way as comprehensive as the facilities in Chonburi and Rayong region.

 

Shopping - Samui Has a Central/Robinsons shopping mall It has slightly less variety and stock than some of the Centrals I’ve visited around Thailand, e.g Chonburi, Pattaya Udon.

Tops supermarket is expensive but carries most of the Western foods carried in other Supermarkets with a high foreign customer base.

 

There are a couple of Big C Supermarkets. There are 2 large Tesco-Lotus - being taken over by CP who own the- 2 Macros and the 7/11 Franchises scattered all over the island.

Tesco’s opened the first supermarket-cum-mall on Samui about 20 years ago. They are now very much in second place to the impressive Central edifice at Chaeng.

 

There is a large French contingency on the island and consequently more French café-boulangeries than you could shake a stick at. There are various “ethnic” eateries and suppliers, Russian, Austrian German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese etc etc.

 

I’ve lived and worked both on Samui and in Chonburi/Rayong area and although the shopping on Samui is OK, it is in not in any way as comprehensive as the facilities in Chonburi and Rayong region.

 

There is only one “real” town on the island; the port of Nathon, the rest is just untrammelled string development along the island’s ring road, Chaweng being the biggest concentration...

Nathon has most of the local government offices etc etc. It also has a Tesco/lotus. A lot of “arty-crafty shops that cater for the visiting cruise ships. (Prices tend to go up on those days!).

 

In general the internet is VERY fast and reliable (within Thai parameters) depending on your supplier you should expect 100mbps and over. The coverage isn’t universal; the more rural areas are still awaiting their cables.

There are computer repair shops, phone shops and motor repairs as well as car dealerships. I’m sorry to say that there is a plethora of rip-off merchants who take advantage of the fact you are on an island.

 

Both power and water supplies can on occasion be interrupted, but thw situation is improving. 

Before moving into a place you need to establish the situation with utilities - mains water? /internet availability/ drainage etc.

 

Garbage is a serious pollution problem on Samui - the dump was overfilled with 300,000 tons of untreated garbage which is now slowly being shipped to the mainland. But it is not known what is has done to the water table - many places still use wells. Though now, the island is connected to a mains water supply from the mainland. Fly-tipping is still common.

Air quality is in general good - sometimes crop burning in Malaysia covers the island in dust.

Although sun is the main characteristic, Samui has a quite wet climate with and extra wet season around November December. Flash flooding has been common, I doubt if any of the new drains installed with have a significant effect on this. 

 

 

I use local Taxis occasionally and negotiate fares - it helps if you speak Thai. I’ve never needed a grab. 

Most people hire local cars or motorcycles - Samui has one of the highest m/c death rates in the country - largely down to foreigners on motorbikes. Although (long term) rentals are very cheap, you need to be very careful about insurance too.

 

There are 4 private hospitals on Samui and one large government one. Overcharging and misdiagnosis are rampant. It’s best if you are recommended to a hospital by a friend of the owners or member of staff. For minor aliment and injuries, you are much better off using local clinics. Govt or otherwise. Pharmacies abound too.

 

“. Is it viable to go to shopping in Surat Thani” - the boat ride to the mainland takes over an hour on the car ferry and costs about 450 baht e/w.

This for me is the killer of living on Samui, you need to add at least 3 hours on any trip planned off the island and back.

Suratthani probably has less in the way of shopping than the island.

 

Samui prices are higher than most on mainland Thailand and the overwhelming presence of foreigners means that you need to look hard to find decent “proper” Thai food. T’s there but don’t expect to finds it on the beaches.

 

Samui is smothered by massages- from the deadly Thai massage to the “wash and w**k”. It is also full of “alternative” medical therapies and healers (charlatans), but Koh Pha Ngan is the capital for that kind of nonsense.

 

You need a special kind of mindset to live on an island .... The thing about Samui is it has attracted a class of foreigner that basically gradually become stir crazy - they are not interested in Thailand or the world around them, they want to sit on a beach in “paradise”. I’d suggest that they are navel-gazing, but most don’t even have to savvy to do that. Going off the island is an anathema to them. The result is a rather incestuous society of sunset-gazers who have dropped out of real life. Conspiracy theories and crank medicines prevail amongst a group largely bereft of any real critical thinking, who mostly if not detesting Thai people are unduly suspicious of them.

 

Samui is desperate to open up to tourism again (10 million people  year!), but at present has various restrictions and checks on visitors. Even those from different regions in Thailand. They have not detected any case on the island for several days.

 

Like others on this thread, I’d suggest you need to visit Samui, either for a few months or at several times of the year. This would give you an idea of climate and whether or not you are prepared to put a ferry between you and the mainland.

What a remarkable post!

 

I read it through quite carefully and, while I think you have generally reported factual information, your interpretations of that data paint a picture that clashes wildly with my experiences.

 

Shopping. It is quite telling that you seem to need five (plus!) paragraphs to discuss shopping on the island and in comparison to other places. Yes, the selection of goods isn't quite at the level of the larger areas that you mention, but that can be attributed to the limited numbers of shoppers; generally speaking, the free market decides supply and demand and gets things correct. And yes, it is true that the selection of items, especially foreign/imported items, isn't quite at the level of Chonburi, but again it is likely limited by the number of customers; Koh Samui's population is unclear, but 75,000-100,000 residents (Thai and Foreign) are generally accepted numbers and it can't compare to the much larger places on the mainland. 

 

However, all this talk of shopping misses the point. Yes, it is nice for an expat to occasionally get certain foods, items or brands from their native country (my 30-year gripe in Asia is inadequate cotton buds/Q-Tips/ear-cleaners), but living outside of one's native land means accepting changes to lifestyles, and if you are unable to adapt to the loss of your favorite tea or style of cookies or toilet paper or cotton buds or brand of shoes or other, then perhaps staying at home is a better life choice. Simply put, five paragraphs (plus!) on island shopping testifies to not adapting to local availability and/or norms, and perhaps that is why you don't seem happy here.

 

Finally, yes, prices are slightly higher here than in other locations, but the difference is miniscule. Respectfully, if this is affecting your decision as to whether to live here or not, then you should probably go away for a while, put more cash in the bank, and come back later in life.

 

"There is only one “real” town on the island; the port of Nathon"

 

Er... Wow. The statement above makes me wonder if you have actually lived on Koh Samui. I am constantly amazed and delighted at the level of diversity available on such a small island. I mainly hang on the north coast, but even here things change on short notice. Bang Por is such a laid-back location that as a habit, I often physically poke or prod local residents to either wake them and/or ensure that they are still... ahem... with us. Mae Nam demonstrates a weird ninja-quality balance; it has posh and poor, it has quality and sleaze, it has wear-your-heart-on-on-your-sleeve types and poseurs extraordinaire, it has grossly over-priced hotels and restaurants alongside cheap and wonderful things, it is an ever-present reminder of the word 'eclectic'. Bophut, on the other hand, always reminds me of a teen-age girl whose parents have slightly more money than her friend's parents do. Yes, she is akin to a teenage girl whose blouse is a bit nicer, the shoes a wee bit less worn, the make-up of a slightly higher quality, the 'airs' exemplified by a nose slightly stuck a bit further up in the air, but all still not quite spilling into the unlikeable. I'll let other members describe other areas, as they please.

 

Garbage is a problem, but I have to say that for the first time in decades, the authorities are trying to do something about it. Is it being cleaned as fast and as well as I would like? Nope. Is it being cleaned? Yup. 

 

Taxis, traffic, motorcycles, bicycles. Yes, taxis are awful and all taxi drivers will be re-born as cockroaches. Nuff' said. Yes, motorcycles are dangerous, if you don't know what you are doing. Yes, the tourists come and rent bikes that they don't know how to drive and end up in the hospital; I have no sympathy. However, if you learn how to drive a bike, drive soberly, carefully and defensively, it is fine; I am 25 years on a motorcycle without an accident. More and more bicycles are on the roads and it'll be interesting to see what occurs after Covid-19 is done; I suspect that bicycles are here to stay and will only grow in numbers. Good. Very good.

 

"You need a special kind of mindset to live on an island .... The thing about Samui is it has attracted a class of foreigner that basically gradually become stir crazy - they are not interested in Thailand or the world around them, they want to sit on a beach in “paradise”. I’d suggest that they are navel-gazing, but most don’t even have to savvy to do that. Going off the island is an anathema to them. The result is a rather incestuous society of sunset-gazers who have dropped out of real life. Conspiracy theories and crank medicines prevail amongst a group largely bereft of any real critical thinking, who mostly if not detesting Thai people are unduly suspicious of them."

 

I find this to be a truly remarkable paragraph, but not really in a good way; it is harsh, judgmental and it makes me wonder if your bad experiences on the island are essentially a reflection of your own personality. My experience(s) with Samui expats is extraordinarily different to yours; I find them, generally speaking, quite well-educated and erudite, coming from diverse backgrounds and bringing truly amazing life-experiences, possessive of inquisitive minds and holding a distain for other people's concepts of 'normal' or 'proper', demonstrating both willingness and desire to 'push the boundaries', and people who have the courage to challenge norms just for the hell of it. Simply put, I spent many of my younger years seeking a place where people 'dared to be different' and I found it here. I could write out another 50,000 words explaining Samui expats to you, but if you haven't gotten yet, you never will. Samui expats live life sideways, and if you can grasp that, you'll fit right in. If you can't grasp that, then perhaps your native country beckons.

 

Okay, off to the beach.

 

Toodles

[tlandtday]

What I find interesting is that the setting for the Garland's  book "The Beach" was actually around Koh Samui so I find the stir crazy comments perhaps appropriate lol.

[huberthammer]

2 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

What a remarkable post!

 

I not often read a post on TV twice (okay, I never do). But I had to read yours 3 times to fully appreciate the beauty of it. Wonderful worded description to the exact point. If the bars were open I would print it out and nail it to the wall of my local in Ninja town. Thank you squire.

[Tropicalevo]

4 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

My experience(s) with Samui expats is extraordinarily different to yours; I find them, generally speaking, quite well-educated and erudite, coming from diverse backgrounds and bringing truly amazing life-experiences, possessive of inquisitive minds and holding a distain for other people's concepts of 'normal' or 'proper', demonstrating both willingness and desire to 'push the boundaries', and people who have the courage to challenge norms just for the hell of it. Simply put, I spent many of my younger years seeking a place where people 'dared to be different' and I found it here. I could write out another 50,000 words explaining Samui expats to you, but if you haven't gotten yet, you never will. Samui expats live life sideways, and if you can grasp that, you'll fit right in.

Me Too! ???? And all very well said.

[kwilco]

On 5/24/2021 at 7:13 AM, Samui Bodoh said:

find them, generally speaking, quite well-educated and erudite,

QED!!

[Logosone]

This thread just keeps getting better and better. Two fantastic posts. Thanks.

 

I can't wait to see the place now. 

[kwilco]

On 5/24/2021 at 7:13 AM, Samui Bodoh said:

Samui expats live life sideways, and if you can grasp that, you'll fit right in. If you can't grasp that, then perhaps your native country beckons.

I think this makes my point...... Samui is part of Thailand FGS, when I'm living and working there, why should I be expected to "fit in" with a bunch of "sideways" expats.?

They seem to have no connection with the people or country they are living in, just a weird isolation accentuated by the fact it's an island.

[kwilco]

Just now, kwilco said:

I think this makes my point...... Oh, the irony! An immigrant telling me to go home!?!?!

Samui is part of Thailand FGS, when I'm living and working there, why should I be expected to "fit in" with a bunch of "sideways" expats.?

They seem to have no connection with the people or country they are living in, just a weird isolation accentuated by the fact it's an island.

 

[Logosone]

I like both, I like certain parts of the local people's life and I like certain parts of expat life.

 

I wouldn't really want to be without either. Polite, cultured, graceful local people, with fantastic cuisine, buddhism and interesting culture, yes of course. Fantastic expat products from around the world, why not.

 

Why choose between both? Why not take the best of both worlds?