Going To Samui Again, Last There 15yrs Ago In 1990

[YolkyPalky]

I was in Samui for about 4 weeks total almost 15 years ago in 1990. I stayed in Lamai at a small bungalow complex called Mira Mare, it was walking distance to the main town (Bauhaus etc). Back then it was all dirt roads and very modest development.

Am I going to be shocked at how much it has changed? I'm sure the dirt roads are gone and concrete is there now. What can I expect to see today? In my heart I wish it was going to be like it was 15 years ago, when it was truly somewhat even undiscovered, but I'm hoping development and progress won't have changed the great Samui charm.

[Totster]

I'll let those that are actually there give the answer, but even though I've never been, I reckon you'll be in for a shock...

totster

[snoophound]

Not a lot of charm left.

Samui is a boomtown now,driven by foreign retiree investors and wealthy expats from HK and Singapore.

Lamai is the grungy end of town with lots of bars and the flotsam that goes with it.

Chaweng is the capital with glossy boutiques ,italian restaurants by the dozen and lots of junky souvenir shops.

I was in Samui for about 4 weeks total almost 15 years ago in 1990. I stayed in Lamai at a small bungalow complex called Mira Mare, it was walking distance to the main town (Bauhaus etc). Back then it was all dirt roads and very modest development.

Am I going to be shocked at how much it has changed? I'm sure the dirt roads are gone and concrete is there now. What can I expect to see today? In my heart I wish it was going to be like it was 15 years ago, when it was truly somewhat even undiscovered, but I'm hoping development and progress won't have changed the great Samui charm.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[LaoPo]

I was in Samui for about 4 weeks total almost 15 years ago in 1990.

Am I going to be shocked at how much it has changed?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

YES! was there too in '90 (and after many times) but still love the island.

LaoPo

[taxexile]

Not a lot of charm left.

Samui is a boomtown now,driven by foreign retiree investors and wealthy expats from HK and Singapore.

Lamai is the grungy end of town with lots of bars and the flotsam that goes with it.

Chaweng is the capital with glossy boutiques ,italian restaurants by the dozen and lots of junky souvenir shops.

that just about sums it up.

chaweng and lamai , although blessed with beautiful beaches , have also been cursed with a lack of planning development policy with the result that the main streets that run behind the beach have become disgusting shanty town strips of concrete , electrical junction boxes and wiring and plastic dross. eyesore and pustule are words that dont even come close to describing the mess there.

aggressive songthaew drivers and motorcycle drivers and bored and impolite shop assistants all struggling to sell designer copy stuff for three times the bangkok price and exhorbitantly priced falang food in pseudo upscale restaurants all complement perfectly the type of tourist that finds themselves washed up in this sorry excuse for a paradise.

girlie bars and beer bars employ phuket and pattaya rejects to tempt the drunk and the desperate. (with some success it seems )

low rent euro and eastern euro types. blackpool on a saurday night in november has more class.

the area around chaweng lake has been developed in a more responsible fashion and should eventually turn out to be a valuable counterpoint to the main street.

lots of high end hotels on the beaches of bophut and maenam , and housing extending back from the ring road into the hills.

the southern end of the island is still relatively unspoiled , but the bulldozers and cement trucks are moving in quickly.

brit "estate agents" are there in their hundreds , buying up land and building homes of varying types. both future slums and some designer palaces.

the area around maenam is still very low key and pleasant , quiet bungalow operations and easy going restaurants everywhere.

fishermans village in bophut is trying to turn itself into st. tropez , and although it looks good and is a pleasant change from chaweng or lamai , the contrived upmarketness of it all does seem a bit out of place. some good food and relaxed drinking here.

there are still plenty of places that will take you back to a quieter and more natural time on the island , but the future of this place is apparent and its development has passed the critical point and is now unstoppable.

your biggest shock will be the lack of human warmth compared to most places in thailand and the expense , almost euro or american prices.

stick to the northern shores for a relaxed holiday , the southern shores if you want to disappear and chaweng or lamai if you have no taste or class. !!

[YolkyPalky]

chaweng and lamai.....have become  disgusting shanty town strips of concrete , electrical junction boxes and wiring and plastic dross. eyesore and pustule are words that dont even come close to describing the mess there...  blackpool on a saurday night in november has more class....and chaweng or lamai if you have no taste or class. !!

WOW...Thanks for your thoughts and some tips on other parts of the Island...I must say that is probably the harshest rebuke of Lamai/Chaweng I have read anywhere....I suppose I will have to just go there and judge for myself, and if I really want to find what I experienced there 15 years ago maybe I'll have to move on to Koh Phangan or Koh Tao....in any event, I'm not adverse to a little nightlife and action, although I probably don't know what I'm in store for...thanks again for your input though.

[snoophound]

Perhaps Koh Chang may be a bit closer to old samui but its changing rapidly.

chaweng and lamai.....have become  disgusting shanty town strips of concrete , electrical junction boxes and wiring and plastic dross. eyesore and pustule are words that dont even come close to describing the mess there...  blackpool on a saurday night in november has more class....and chaweng or lamai if you have no taste or class. !!

WOW...Thanks for your thoughts and some tips on other parts of the Island...I must say that is probably the harshest rebuke of Lamai/Chaweng I have read anywhere....I suppose I will have to just go there and judge for myself, and if I really want to find what I experienced there 15 years ago maybe I'll have to move on to Koh Phangan or Koh Tao....in any event, I'm not adverse to a little nightlife and action, although I probably don't know what I'm in store for...thanks again for your input though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[taxexile]

in any event, I'm not adverse to a little nightlife and action, although I probably don't know what I'm in store for...thanks again for your input

your best bet then might be to book into a north or south beach resort for the daytime peace and quiet and then venture into chaweng or lamai for the nightlife.

please post again after your trip and let us know what you thought of it all.

[pyros]

Yep it changed very dramatic like everybody states up here . A couple of weeks ago i was looking at pics from 4/5 years ago . Main street during daytime and nighttime is way different . A lot of things are still the same but so much more has changed , and the most is the traffic . I think in 5 years time , the traffic in Lamai has at least 20 times more . Actually quite a shock to see such pictures again , i don't really notice it that much because i see it grow , but looking at the pics and then thinking about it , wooooww that is a difference indeed , and not for the good.

[Boo]

Mire Mare is still there, bungalows are slighty nicer now (afetr an upgrade last year) but the staff are rude as ###### & the owners really don't give a crap as they have so much money they just run the place with minimal effort put in Still a ###### fine beach they occupy though