Koh Som

[koheesti]

(I hope this doesn't sound too much like an advertisement because it isn't supposed to be. If the mods want to delete parts with prices go ahead. If anyone wants the number of the guy I mention below, PM me.)

I live in Bangrak and almost everyday I look out across the water at this little island named Koh Som. The ferry between Bangrak and Haad Rin passes right by. I've always wanted to check it out and finally did after a friend gave me the number of the guy who rents bungalows there. I hadn't even known there was anything on the island let alone bungalows. The cost was 500 baht/night and they sent a boat to get me at Sunset Pier north of Big Buddha for 100 baht each way (on the way back for 100 baht more they took me almost right up to where I live). If you want a nice, quiet (except for the occasional planes) getaway this place is perfect. The tiny bamboo bungalows are clean but not big enough for anything more than sleeping. They do have a restaurant and the prices aren't high just because they are on a little island. Other than exploring there's nothing to do but relax (although between beers I did get to help out loading coconuts into a boat). The water is cleaner than over in Bangrak (how could it not be?) and the sand is nice but there are a lot of big rocks under the water so bring something to wear on you feet if you want to go swimming. While the south side has beaches, the north side is all rocky. There is a smaller extension on the west side and during low tide I'm sure you can walk over to it to be even more secluded. If I hadn't invited some people to come on over and join me, I would have been on the island alone except for a handful of staff. So if you want to enjoy the island life without roads, McDonalds, etc try this place out.

Samui & Big Buddha in the distance.

Edited July 14, 2008 by koheesti

[SamuiJens]

Yea, I had always wondered on the prices there, and the food. Anyone want to comment on the food and how many bungalows they got? -Thanx

[koheesti]

I think there were close to 20 bungalows. Not big at all as you can see from the photo. No A/C, just fans and mosquito netting over the bed. The toilet and shower are around the back of each one. That was nicer that you'd expect. As for the food, they had pizza, burgers etc in addition to Thai food. The average Thai dish was probably around 90 baht. I don't remember exactly.

[Boater]

i have gone by that island a few times, would be nice to check it out one day.

[PoorSucker]

6-7 years ago they used to have a big party there once a week. (if I remember right)

[Samuian]

6-7 years ago they used to have a big party there once a week. (if I remember right)

That was pre-mega-commercial-KPG-Fullmoon-Rave!

At the time there were regular quarter/half/full-Moon Parties at Tongran (??) Bay - Between Airport and Choengmon.... it's now Lakeview - Escape Entertainment...things change with the times.

[meatgrowler]

6-7 years ago they used to have a big party there once a week. (if I remember right)

That was pre-mega-commercial-KPG-Fullmoon-Rave!

At the time there were regular quarter/half/full-Moon Parties at Tongran (??) Bay - Between Airport and Choengmon.... it's now Lakeview - Escape Entertainment...things change with the times.

I went to the last of the ROCKY BAY partys i think it was new year 5 years ago....a good night ,but the rubbish that got left was saddening...lovely bay though,they are building there now.....i think its better for the beach that it moved to the lakeview....grim if you live near it though..boom boom.boom...then again youve got the newish saturday beach partys at SILVER SAND....on the chaweng beach road.....

[Gatorade]

Bye Bye Koh Som.

Went across there today 8th March. All of the delightful little bamboo beach bungalows gone. New development of Farang bungalows being being built through the middle of the island.

At the moment 42 X 1 and 2 bed developments. Starting at around 10 Million for a very small 1 bed bungalow.

The old existing orange tree grove will be cut down as will most of the Palms.

Wouldn't give much chance for the mangroves either once the development is properly underway.

Another brick in the wall!!

[HankChinasky]

Bye Bye Koh Som.

Went across there today 8th March. All of the delightful little bamboo beach bungalows gone. New development of Farang bungalows being being built through the middle of the island.

At the moment 42 X 1 and 2 bed developments. Starting at around 10 Million for a very small 1 bed bungalow.

The old existing orange tree grove will be cut down as will most of the Palms.

Wouldn't give much chance for the mangroves either once the development is properly underway.

Another brick in the wall!!

Well that's Samui's development philosophy isn't it?

Cut the trees, wipe out the nice small bungalows that are merging nicely with the natural environment and surroundings, and replace everything with a big pile of concrete...

[highdiver]

Bye Bye Koh Som.

Went across there today 8th March. All of the delightful little bamboo beach bungalows gone. New development of Farang bungalows being being built through the middle of the island.

At the moment 42 X 1 and 2 bed developments. Starting at around 10 Million for a very small 1 bed bungalow.

The old existing orange tree grove will be cut down as will most of the Palms.

Wouldn't give much chance for the mangroves either once the development is properly underway.

Another brick in the wall!!

Well that's Samui's development philosophy isn't it?

Cut the trees, wipe out the nice small bungalows that are merging nicely with the natural environment and surroundings, and replace everything with a big pile of concrete...

on the other hand you can you buy it for a few millions and keep all the trees and nature just for yourself.

[Gatorade]

Bye Bye Koh Som.

Went across there today 8th March. All of the delightful little bamboo beach bungalows gone. New development of Farang bungalows being being built through the middle of the island.

At the moment 42 X 1 and 2 bed developments. Starting at around 10 Million for a very small 1 bed bungalow.

The old existing orange tree grove will be cut down as will most of the Palms.

Wouldn't give much chance for the mangroves either once the development is properly underway.

Another brick in the wall!!

Well that's Samui's development philosophy isn't it?

Cut the trees, wipe out the nice small bungalows that are merging nicely with the natural environment and surroundings, and replace everything with a big pile of concrete...

on the other hand you can you buy it for a few millions and keep all the trees and nature just for yourself.

Strange philosophy HD. I guess you have never been there or give a jot for the environment. Or perhaps you are one of the developers!

[ChangMaiSausage]

Shame just think in ten years time people will be wanting to revert back to the natural look (I believe) Samui and surrounding areas seem to have a fetish for cement.

[koheesti]

I'm glad I don't live along the beach in Bangrak anymore. You just know all the crap from there will get dumped in the sea and wash up there.

I wonder if it will actually get completed or end up half finished like so many other wonderful plans around here?

[highdiver]

Bye Bye Koh Som.

Went across there today 8th March. All of the delightful little bamboo beach bungalows gone. New development of Farang bungalows being being built through the middle of the island.

At the moment 42 X 1 and 2 bed developments. Starting at around 10 Million for a very small 1 bed bungalow.

The old existing orange tree grove will be cut down as will most of the Palms.

Wouldn't give much chance for the mangroves either once the development is properly underway.

Another brick in the wall!!

Well that's Samui's development philosophy isn't it?

Cut the trees, wipe out the nice small bungalows that are merging nicely with the natural environment and surroundings, and replace everything with a big pile of concrete...

on the other hand you can you buy it for a few millions and keep all the trees and nature just for yourself.

Strange philosophy HD. I guess you have never been there or give a jot for the environment. Or perhaps you are one of the developers!

Gator

i have been there and its very very beautiful. and i do give a jot for the environment.

my point if not understood was. that its really nice to care about the environment when its not your land. if you feel so strongly about it then buy the land and save it.

i think... its not fair having your own nice big house that was built by cutting down trees and and then sitting down and complaining that your neighbor is doing the same.. does have a sense of a bit of a patronizing philosophy.

[Boater]

so this development has finally started

[mattias33]

Wow nighdiver, you really found a great way to argue now didnt you? "if you dont like people cutting down threes, buy the land yourself". !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Works in evething. You dont like nuclear? Well, stop complaining, buy the powerplants and close them down. You dont like the 7/11 plasticbags all over the beach? Well, buy all the 7/11:s in samui and stop handing out bags, dont complain, easy to change.

Really highdiver, you must be joking at least this time, right?

[marcus]

When I read this topic I feel a bit sad. I can literally see Koh Som from my garden and the idea that this little spot will be completely ruined by another bunch of greedy falang makes my sick.

Curious to find out more about this project - who will find 40 people stupid enough to live on a 7 Rai island ? - Google told me that probably a regular poster on this forum is the brain behind this.

www.o11s.com/Past-Present-Projects.html

So if he can stop hiding himself and post here what will happen, it would be appreciated.

[smartiemarty]

Hope they have sorted the water issues out before selling the 10 mil villas.....

As far as i know there is no fresh water on koh som, and any shallow wells that are dug are brackish....

No doubt that little fact will be glossed over in the developers brochure.....

[Rooo]

I heard rumors a while ago that a hotel was buying the island.Are you sure it's a farang CO doing the development?

I know that a consortium of Thai politicians from the ex cabinet own islands on the south, would be interesting to see what will happen & if they start developing there too.

In the old days,Koh Som used to be the dumping ground for all the unwanted dogs from Samui & local legend says no business succeeds there.Only time will tell.

[longtom]

Gator

i have been there and its very very beautiful. and i do give a jot for the environment.

my point if not understood was. that its really nice to care about the environment when its not your land. if you feel so strongly about it then buy the land and save it.

i think... its not fair having your own nice big house that was built by cutting down trees and and then sitting down and complaining that your neighbor is doing the same.. does have a sense of a bit of a patronizing philosophy.

Of course we understand that every land owner wants to sell land and join all the other Mercedes and Fortuner owners on our poor island. But the authorities granting building permits for each and every concrete monstrosity that greedy developers want to build, is extremely shortsighted. Zoning rules should urgently be defined and enforced.

The former samui comunity newspaper had a great article in one of its last editions, talking about the crossroad where samui finds itself. One direction it could take is development of a sustainable, environmental friendly tourism, seeing nature as a valuable asset. The other direction is what is happening now, development like in the tourist getthos of southern spain, turkey, mallorca etc., concrete jungles with no zoning rules and building codes (enforced). What inevitably follows the latter is rise of cheap package tourism, because tourists that can afford will go to other, more beautiful places. Simple as that.

[HankChinasky]

The former samui comunity newspaper had a great article in one of its last editions, talking about the crossroad where samui finds itself. One direction it could take is development of a sustainable, environmental friendly tourism, seeing nature as a valuable asset. The other direction is what is happening now, development like in the tourist getthos of southern spain, turkey, mallorca etc., concrete jungles with no zoning rules and building codes (enforced). What inevitably follows the latter is rise of cheap package tourism, because tourists that can afford will go to other, more beautiful places. Simple as that.

Hi longtom,

I think that the crossroad you're talking about has been passed a long time ago. It's too late now, Samui is headed in the same direction as Mallorca and the Canarie's. I just hope that it will serve as an example and a lesson for other islands in Thailand but I really doubt it.

[Gatorade]

Gator

i have been there and its very very beautiful. and i do give a jot for the environment.

my point if not understood was. that its really nice to care about the environment when its not your land. if you feel so strongly about it then buy the land and save it.

i think... its not fair having your own nice big house that was built by cutting down trees and and then sitting down and complaining that your neighbor is doing the same.. does have a sense of a bit of a patronizing philosophy.

Of course we understand that every land owner wants to sell land and join all the other Mercedes and Fortuner owners on our poor island. But the authorities granting building permits for each and every concrete monstrosity that greedy developers want to build, is extremely shortsighted. Zoning rules should urgently be defined and enforced.

The former samui comunity newspaper had a great article in one of its last editions, talking about the crossroad where samui finds itself. One direction it could take is development of a sustainable, environmental friendly tourism, seeing nature as a valuable asset. The other direction is what is happening now, development like in the tourist getthos of southern spain, turkey, mallorca etc., concrete jungles with no zoning rules and building codes (enforced). What inevitably follows the latter is rise of cheap package tourism, because tourists that can afford will go to other, more beautiful places. Simple as that.

Wholeheartedly agree.

I understand that the ownership of the island(s) are split between 3 Thai landowners who are all wealthy. The middle part has been sold and this is the area with the majority of the trees etc. I guess that it will only be a short time before the other two follow.

Roo makes a valid comment in that all other businesses have come and gone on this island (full moon parties etc) one can only hope that if the same thing happens here that the damage will not be irretrievable.

It is going to be interesting to see how they deal with;

electricity, generator? = fuel storage or unreliable power cable from Samui

water-very little,if any, and not enough to supply 42 houses and supporting infrastructure

waste disposal including sewage

Still I guess that the planning authorities will have studied all this in detail before allowing this development to take place!

[koheesti]

When I read this topic I feel a bit sad. I can literally see Koh Som from my garden and the idea that this little spot will be completely ruined by another bunch of greedy falang makes my sick.

Don't forget the greedy Thais (landowners, gov't officials) without who none of this could be done.

[highdiver]

Gator

i have been there and its very very beautiful. and i do give a jot for the environment.

my point if not understood was. that its really nice to care about the environment when its not your land. if you feel so strongly about it then buy the land and save it.

i think... its not fair having your own nice big house that was built by cutting down trees and and then sitting down and complaining that your neighbor is doing the same.. does have a sense of a bit of a patronizing philosophy.

Of course we understand that every land owner wants to sell land and join all the other Mercedes and Fortuner owners on our poor island. But the authorities granting building permits for each and every concrete monstrosity that greedy developers want to build, is extremely shortsighted. Zoning rules should urgently be defined and enforced.

The former samui comunity newspaper had a great article in one of its last editions, talking about the crossroad where samui finds itself. One direction it could take is development of a sustainable, environmental friendly tourism, seeing nature as a valuable asset. The other direction is what is happening now, development like in the tourist getthos of southern spain, turkey, mallorca etc., concrete jungles with no zoning rules and building codes (enforced). What inevitably follows the latter is rise of cheap package tourism, because tourists that can afford will go to other, more beautiful places. Simple as that.

Wholeheartedly agree.

I understand that the ownership of the island(s) are split between 3 Thai landowners who are all wealthy. The middle part has been sold and this is the area with the majority of the trees etc. I guess that it will only be a short time before the other two follow.

Roo makes a valid comment in that all other businesses have come and gone on this island (full moon parties etc) one can only hope that if the same thing happens here that the damage will not be irretrievable.

It is going to be interesting to see how they deal with;

electricity, generator? = fuel storage or unreliable power cable from Samui

water-very little,if any, and not enough to supply 42 houses and supporting infrastructure

waste disposal including sewage

Still I guess that the planning authorities will have studied all this in detail before allowing this development to take place!

Gator.

i know the guy who is developing it. he a has a thai partner from the family who owns the plot.

they are environmental conscience ans they are aiming to make this project a green project.

I totally agree with the above as well .. unfortunately Samui is over developed something i have been saying for over 3 years now..

however i believe the blame is on the buyers as well as the sellers. if you don't buy a house where nature was the developer will not build.

there a many older members on this forum who if remember correctly have invested money in the coc project. .. has anyone of those buyers stoped to think for one minute about environment before making that investment.??

[Boater]

be fair to HD, and keep the post on topic please.....

anyway

Don't forget the greedy Thais (landowners, gov't officials) without who none of this could be done.

very true

Edited March 10, 2009 by Boater

[sbk]

I am going to re-open this thread as I think its important to discuss but I am setting some ground rules here and anyone who steps over the line will find their account suspended immediately. I really hope this is clear.

No baiting, no flaming, no aggressive posting. Such behavior will result in suspension.

No posting of personal details, of anyone. Period. Post personal details of a member of Thai Visa and your account will be banned immediately.

Keep it civil, keep it on topic and this thread can stay open. One transgression and the thread will be closed.

[Samui Coconut]

When I read this topic I feel a bit sad. I can literally see Koh Som from my garden and the idea that this little spot will be completely ruined by another bunch of greedy falang makes my sick.

Curious to find out more about this project - who will find 40 people stupid enough to live on a 7 Rai island ? - Google told me that probably a regular poster on this forum is the brain behind this.

www.o11s.com/Past-Present-Projects.html

So if he can stop hiding himself and post here what will happen, it would be appreciated.

The guy you mention here is not the brain behind it, he is just consulting from time to time.

It is a Thai/farrang partnership and the developer lives on the island as well. If you wanna find out more, just PM him.

[Gatorade]

I am going to re-open this thread as I think its important to discuss but I am setting some ground rules here and anyone who steps over the line will find their account suspended immediately. I really hope this is clear.

No baiting, no flaming, no aggressive posting. Such behavior will result in suspension.

No posting of personal details, of anyone. Period. Post personal details of a member of Thai Visa and your account will be banned immediately.

Keep it civil, keep it on topic and this thread can stay open. One transgression and the thread will be closed.

SBK, thank you for allowing "fair play" .

I think that the fate of this lovely little island should not rest with the developer alone. I have seen the proposed plans and I cannot see how so many very small and mostly 1 bed bungalows,(many of them semi-detached) will fit into the landscape without causing serious destruction to the environment. There are a lot of very small houses in a very small space.

Perhaps there is a Forum member out there who may be able to offer an insight as to how this development and its infrastructure will fit in.

Does this island fall under any of the local authorities such as Bhoput/Ban Rak?

[highdiver]

I am going to re-open this thread as I think its important to discuss but I am setting some ground rules here and anyone who steps over the line will find their account suspended immediately. I really hope this is clear.

No baiting, no flaming, no aggressive posting. Such behavior will result in suspension.

No posting of personal details, of anyone. Period. Post personal details of a member of Thai Visa and your account will be banned immediately.

Keep it civil, keep it on topic and this thread can stay open. One transgression and the thread will be closed.

SBK, thank you for allowing "fair play" .

I think that the fate of this lovely little island should not rest with the developer alone. I have seen the proposed plans and I cannot see how so many very small and mostly 1 bed bungalows,(many of them semi-detached) will fit into the landscape without causing serious destruction to the environment. There are a lot of very small houses in a very small space.

Perhaps there is a Forum member out there who may be able to offer an insight as to how this development and its infrastructure will fit in.

Does this island fall under any of the local authorities such as Bhoput/Ban Rak?

thanks SBK for for allowing the debate.

why you assume that this is left only to the developer??

the plans have to be submitted to the planning authorities just like any other project.

why you assume that this is a "destruction" of the environment" as with any building there is bound to be some nature taken over..

from what i know, the developer is very environmental conscience and he wants to make this a "green project".

[Marksamui]

What are they building a resort or houses for sale?

I think they would be difficult to sell low budget houses on a island with nothing else.