Family Expat Life In Koh Samui

[sarahewi]

Please can anyone advise me on living in Koh Samui with a young family ... We are possibly moving next month and I have two kids and one on the way. I have lived in Bangkok before and loved it, but have never been to Koh Samui. What are the medical facilities like? Can you get everything you need there? Is it more expensive than Bangkok? Do you need a car to get around? Is it safe for young kids? Is there a good swim school? Which school would you recommend? Is there a big expat community there in the same position as us? i have a million and one questions I am excited and a little nervous too. Any help or advice you can give would be very much appreciated. We will be looking for a three bed apartment/villa - how much would we expect to pay for that? Thanks

[Lite Beer]

Moved to Samui.

[Tropicalevo]

Please can anyone advise me on living in Koh Samui with a young family ... We are possibly moving next month and I have two kids and one on the way. i have a million and one questions I am excited and a little nervous too. Any help or advice you can give would be very much appreciated. Thanks

I do not have a young family, but there are lots of young families here - and to try and answer some of your questions -

I have lived in Bangkok before and loved it, but have never been to Koh Samui. My wife and I lived in Bangkok and we loved it - and we love Samui (cleaner air for a start)

What are the medical facilities like? First class. 4 International hospitals and a very good government one (Nathon).

Can you get everything you need there? Pretty much.

Is it more expensive than Bangkok? We think so - but worth it.

Is it safe for young kids? Very - but obviously watch them near water.

Do you need a car to get around? Yes - It's by far the safest way.

Is there a good swim school? Which school would you recommend? International School of Samui - was Bluewater School.

Is there a big expat community there in the same position as us? Probably yes - mostly based on the tourism/services industry. (I do not really know your position )

We will be looking for a three bed apartment/villa - how much would we expect to pay for that? Depends on where you live. This will be your most important decision if you move here. Some areas are VERY expensive, some are reasonable and some are cheap. Other people will make recommendations on this one. Not many apartments though. Your budget will decide - the range here is very large.

Good luck and enjoy the island. We do.

[joe84330]

i've got two young kids and one more on the way, have lived here for nearly 5 years and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. it's far from perfect for sure but close enough in the ways that matter to me.

[Birdman]

Tropicalevo:What are the medical facilities like? First class. 4 International hospitals and a very good government one (Nathon).

you mean, apart from diarrhoea, broken legs, fever, sore ant bits...., difficult/serious treatments/operations can be done here prompt and properly in all these hospitals? covered by average insurance polices available in Thailand?

[NALAK]

very expnsive, education poor, infastucture a nightmare, hospital care expensive and poor, no doctor worth his salt would work in Samui. car is advisable as motorbikes are dangerous. never ever would i take kids there. the guys i know with money have there kids educated in bangkok. shopping well that resticted to tesco etc, no cental, mbk, empuraim etc. i lived ther 9 years and looking back it was 8 years to long

[tarahhastie]

i am interested to see how you are finging it on Koh Samui now? we are looking to move there next month and have a 7 month old. Did you have much trouble finding a place to rent and getting a car. We were looking to move there only for 8-9 months as my husband can work remotely from his computer anywhere in the world.

Is there anything you would have done differently or could recommend? Does there seem to be many people with young families living in Koh Samui and did you intergrate well?

Thanks

[samuiseagull]

Your thinking of moving here next month but have never been here!!!!!

I'd suggest you pay Bangkok Airways the 10k return airfare and come to take a look at it yourself before taking that jump!!!!!!!

Personally, 8 years in and out of this place..............i'm sure there are much much better places that welcome the good old 'falang' and our money!!!! Although to be fair.....this place will always welcome our money...just not us with it!!!!!!

Dont bother!!

[southbot]

Not sure which part of Samui "Nalak" lived in but sounds like he/she had a pretty bad run.

I do not have a "young family" but I do have acquired kids now and then and have many friends with young families who live happily and prosper on Samui.

The hospitals are not that bad, I spent many months in various Thai hospitals and the ones on Samui, both government and private are not much worse nor better than the ones elsewhere.

I was in a big, fancy hospital in Bangkok for quite some time (BNH) and later in private international hospitals on Samui (SIH and TIH) and found them to be similar to the hospitals in Bangkok and perhaps in some ways even better.

I spend a few months at the huge Prince of Songkla hosptial down near Songkla, it is a public hospital and a very big modern one. I prefer Samui governement hospital personally.

All that said, I think that if you get very sick with something complex just get out of Thailand generally, get to a western country and do hospital there if possible.

General day to day life on Samui is quite blissful if you ask me, I think that those who find it otherwise are just folks who don't get along with other folks so well.

Shopping: If you want western stuff you have Big C with a good enough selection of shops and you have Tesco Lotus a large modern supermarket and department store. I enjoy shopping on Samui and for most items the price is much the same as in Bangkok. Used to cost a lot more but not anymore. Perhaps a few percent more here and there but heck, it IS an island, eh?

Schools, Samui International School ex Blue Water, as previously noted, is excellent no worries about that.

I am not aware of "swimming schools" but there are great sailing schools for kids, they use Optimist Dinghy boats, teach kids to sail and it is either free or donation/cheap. They like to have parental involvement in the whole thing and offer great weekend entertainment and training for the kids to sail. Sure they gonna learn to swim there too. I'd teach 'em to swim but I only have one leg now and tend to flop around in water a bit too much ;-)

Roads are not that good compared to the mainland but I've been driving around on Samui for over 15 years and you get used to it, par for course really. But do get a car, motorcycles are really fun on Samui but very dangerous. If you do use a bike try to wear a helmet and a good jacket all times, I have plenty dead and/or brain dead mates from not wearing helmets, believe me.

Restaurants; there are just so many restaurants offering a huge range of cuisines and budgets.. the food on Samui is fantastic.

Markets: there are plenty of local markets for meat, fish, fresh veg and fruit, odds and ends. You can save some money there compared to the big supermarkets.

Beachs: say what?

I myself think Samui is a great place for kids. There is NOT a wide selection of schools but there are a few and friends of mine who have young kids are not complaining and the kids sure are growing up to be smart, polite and very active. I see NO issues regarding brining up kids on Samui. I wish my mum had brought ME here when I was a kid!

Rent: There is a huge range of rental properties around. Bottom level you can get little 2 bedroom bungalows in neat little local setups for 5,000 to 8,000 per month, small but do-able.

A 3 bedroom house with a large living room and western kitchen may set you back 10,000 to 15,000 to 20,000+ depending on where it is, how fancy it is, what stuff it has already, etc.

I think rent is reasonable on Samui. I bought a house there and just pay the bank back, works out to about same as rent.

Just go around and look out for "house for rent" signs, there is not really a good, effective "real estate agent" service dealing in rents on Samui. There are some but better you go hit the road and find yourself.

Bigger, fancier villas on the hill or near the beach might set you back 30,000 Baht per month and upwards, it all depends on how fancy you want to go and how close to the beach you want to get and in which area. Chaweng - expensive. Lamai - less so. Maenam - less again. West Coast/Nathon/ Lipa Noi - top value.

Oh yeah, somebody said "no private doctor worth his salt would work on Samui". Well that is just rubbish. There are a number of doctor's surgeries, little private practices, in Nathon and they are all very good. I have had some of the best advice and treatment from them. Some of them work in mainland hospitals part time then run their Nathon clinic part time.

Some people are just negative about Samui, I think they are those who did not get along with everybody and that in my experience is usually due to their own shortcomings rather than those of others.

Come to Samui, bring the kids, just chill out, relax, accept life and the little problems the island has now and then and enjoy the real-deal tropical island life. The dream IS real, you just have to fit YOURSELF into it because the dream life does NOT fit itself to you. Be happy. And whatever you do, don't piss off the locals, be happy and be good with them and they really will look after you very well once they get to know you. I feel more at home on Samui and more like family with locals than I do in my country of origin.

Chok dee!

[Rooo]

Great post Southbot.

[joe84330]

i'm very happy to raise my 2 kids (10 and under) here and will be adding my 3rd next month. have lived and traveled around the world and am very happy with my choice to stay here for 5 years now. certainly not perfect but very nice for what it is.

my own opinion is that each of the people who constantly show up in the samui forum to talk about how bad the place is have either 1) "purchased" property based on a scheme that is not allowed by Thai law. 2) bought a bar with cash once and are now paying the real price 3) kissed a frog thinking it would turn into their princess.

the more negative their response leads me to believe they've done more than 1 of the above.

[chiang mai]

Thought Southbot's post was excellent, especially the advice re hospitals, couldn't agree more, that should be pinned and become mandatory reading for everyone.

[BigC]

Come here for a holiday and see for yrself.samui is great for me but it is not for everyone

[BangrakBob]

I think you just transcended the real vibe and feel of Samui in that post southbot, top work fella

[Tracer Round]

NALAK basically hits the nail on the head. There is nothing in what he posted that is false. Southbot puts the happy spin on things in the same way that in-flight magazines always paint such a rosy pic of everywhere.

Samui is not a terrible place like Baghdad, but unless you are just looking for very cheap places in the world to live, there are many better places. I don't know what your work is, if any, but that makes a big difference. You might want to move out into the sticks and live the good life of the Thai peasant, or you might want to live in Samui, which is basically a Thai Disneyland "beach" destination.

I think neither represent what you would find most satisfying for you. And raising kids in this education and culture? I think it was mentioned before that most people hope their kids can go to school anywhere but here, and most farangs with any money send their children to the US or Australia to get a proper schooling.

The bottom line for me, and others are too polite to point this out -- go back and do some homework. Really study and find out if Samui is what you really want, and come here for a week without the kids. Really get a feel for the place as much as you can in that short time. I bet it is 180 degrees from what you have impressed in your mind.

[BangrakBob]

NALAK basically hits the nail on the head. There is nothing in what he posted that is false. Southbot puts the happy spin on things in the same way that in-flight magazines always paint such a rosy pic of everywhere.

Samui is not a terrible place like Baghdad, but unless you are just looking for very cheap places in the world to live, there are many better places. I don't know what your work is, if any, but that makes a big difference. You might want to move out into the sticks and live the good life of the Thai peasant, or you might want to live in Samui, which is basically a Thai Disneyland "beach" destination.

I think neither represent what you would find most satisfying for you. And raising kids in this education and culture? I think it was mentioned before that most people hope their kids can go to school anywhere but here, and most farangs with any money send their children to the US or Australia to get a proper schooling.

The bottom line for me, and others are too polite to point this out -- go back and do some homework. Really study and find out if Samui is what you really want, and come here for a week without the kids. Really get a feel for the place as much as you can in that short time. I bet it is 180 degrees from what you have impressed in your mind.

I'd say the difference is Southbot has a positive outlook on life and an ability to take the good with the bad, man-up and roll with it

[maccaroni man]

Samui is great, it has more days of good weather than bad, typical temp is 28, with great beaches. It has schools that provide an education on par and better than many schools in the USA or UK. Many of the Dr's have worked in the EU and USA. Water sport, art, music, and golf are all available to children and adults. Southern Thai food is wonderful, samui is user friendly, no real need to speak thai. Every day is Friday on Koh Samui. Trust me when I say I am not a person who has a love affair with Thais or Thai culture, I find many things on a daily basis that make me scratch my head and wonder why. Having said this I have been on samui for more than a decade, my boys ages 12 and 6 have both been raised here and are polite, have a very good respect for family, elders and themselves. They have or are currently sailing, taking art lessons, swim, play golf, learning to play piano, play soccer,learning to play guitar, and score high on their SAT test. Will my boys leave samui for education and a different take on life? Yes and when that time comes they will leave Thailand, just like many of the children who live, leave and return to Thailand. I have live in Bali, and traveled throughout thailand, for me samui with all it's faults is still the place I like to call home.

[joe84330]

Samui is great, it has more days of good weather than bad, typical temp is 28, with great beaches. It has schools that provide an education on par and better than many schools in the USA or UK. Many of the Dr's have worked in the EU and USA. Water sport, art, music, and golf are all available to children and adults. Southern Thai food is wonderful, samui is user friendly, no real need to speak thai. Every day is Friday on Koh Samui. Trust me when I say I am not a person who has a love affair with Thais or Thai culture, I find many things on a daily basis that make me scratch my head and wonder why. Having said this I have been on samui for more than a decade, my boys ages 12 and 6 have both been raised here and are polite, have a very good respect for family, elders and themselves. They have or are currently sailing, taking art lessons, swim, play golf, learning to play piano, play soccer,learning to play guitar, and score high on their SAT test. Will my boys leave samui for education and a different take on life? Yes and when that time comes they will leave Thailand, just like many of the children who live, leave and return to Thailand. I have live in Bali, and traveled throughout thailand, for me samui with all it's faults is still the place I like to call home.

hey that almost makes this place seem livable. which bar are you currently trying to sell? i might be interested now as long as the key money isn't too ridiculous

[Tracer Round]

. which bar are you currently trying to sell? i might be interested now as long as the key money isn't too ridiculous

Well, that sort of blew your cover.

Come to a place you don't know anything about and buy a bar. What a novel idea.

"Man-up and roll with it"? Sounds like what my defense said on that armed robbery charge....

I don't think a person wants to come to a place with his family where he has to "man-up." Then again, I hear Sierra Leone has nice beaches too.

[devdrinker]

Wait for school holidays and spend two months here and rent - keep your option/lease on wherever you are now incase you dont like it, get a hotel for first day or two see agoda etc.. and then rent a jeep and go exploring for a house to rent. Not sure how you can entertaining moving somewhere you havent been before. When you are here seek some more advice from locals.

As hinted, yes buying a bar is the way forward, especially in somewhere like bangrak, Ive never know a bar to fail here (off-topic)

Edited April 20, 2011 by devdrinker

[joe84330]

. which bar are you currently trying to sell? i might be interested now as long as the key money isn't too ridiculous

Well, that sort of blew your cover.

Come to a place you don't know anything about and buy a bar. What a novel idea.

"Man-up and roll with it"? Sounds like what my defense said on that armed robbery charge....

I don't think a person wants to come to a place with his family where he has to "man-up." Then again, I hear Sierra Leone has nice beaches too.

i will move to samui one of these days and i'll be damned if i'm going to do anything besides sit on either side of the bar.

[mustafa]

Well I lived in Samui for 6 years and LOVED it. Loved the yoga classes surrounded by rich green jungle; loved riding my scooter around with the air in my face (and always wearing my open face helmet), and every time you catch someone's eye they give you a big smile- in Sydney when I smile at someone on my scooter they think I'm about to rape them!; loved walking up in the mountains with my dogs, with the gorgeous views of the sea and all the smaller islands surrounding Samui; loved going to the little Art Cafe with its $3 salads and delicious stirfries, or the Italian restaurant in Chaweng with its scrumptious lasagne; loved playing badminton with friends in the daytime for $3 an hour, and pool at night for free.

I really don't understand the broke-ass posters who say it's expensive to live in Samui. My wife and I ate lunch and dinner at our local cafes and restaurants nearly every day for 6 years, and rarely spent over 50k baht a month for all our combined costs. That's about USD $2,000 a month eating out everyday,- how is that expensive??? A regular service on a scooter is about $4- back here in Sydney for a 1000km first service I just got charged $230 !!! In Samui the first service was free. If you can't enjoy Samui you have serious mental health issues!!!

[PoorSucker]

my own opinion is that each of the people who constantly show up in the samui forum to talk about how bad the place is have either 1) "purchased" property based on a scheme that is not allowed by Thai law. 2) bought a bar with cash once and are now paying the real price 3) kissed a frog thinking it would turn into their princess.

the more negative their response leads me to believe they've done more than 1 of the above.

:clap2:

[ESB7]

i am interested to see how you are finging it on Koh Samui now? we are looking to move there next month and have a 7 month old. Did you have much trouble finding a place to rent and getting a car. We were looking to move there only for 8-9 months as my husband can work remotely from his computer anywhere in the world.

Is there anything you would have done differently or could recommend? Does there seem to be many people with young families living in Koh Samui and did you intergrate well?

Thanks

Quack Quack OOPPS.......does your husband have a work permit to work in Thailand???............

[joe84330]

i am interested to see how you are finging it on Koh Samui now? we are looking to move there next month and have a 7 month old. Did you have much trouble finding a place to rent and getting a car. We were looking to move there only for 8-9 months as my husband can work remotely from his computer anywhere in the world.

Is there anything you would have done differently or could recommend? Does there seem to be many people with young families living in Koh Samui and did you intergrate well?

Thanks

Quack Quack OOPPS.......does your husband have a work permit to work in Thailand???............

ironic, coming from a time share hustler.

[ESB7]

i am interested to see how you are finging it on Koh Samui now? we are looking to move there next month and have a 7 month old. Did you have much trouble finding a place to rent and getting a car. We were looking to move there only for 8-9 months as my husband can work remotely from his computer anywhere in the world.

Is there anything you would have done differently or could recommend? Does there seem to be many people with young families living in Koh Samui and did you intergrate well?

Thanks

Quack Quack OOPPS.......does your husband have a work permit to work in Thailand???............

ironic, coming from a time share hustler.

Thought I would get in quick with a tongue in cheek comment befor some one says it seriously....hows the expensive cigar business going, much call for it on Samui?

[Rooo]

Thank you guys, enough bickering. Back on topic please.

[robsamui]

Just a quick word of observation and advice to the original poster: take a look at the responses to your post, check how long these people have been members and how many posts they have made.

There are several regular contributors to this forum who seem have absolutely nothing else at all to do each day than write messages to Thai Visa. I can visualise them carrying their Blackberries around with them (no doubt from bar to bar) just simply so they can immediately be notified of a new topic and be able bleat and bellyache at every possible opportunity. (Anyone who writes a couple of thousands of posts in just a few years in my book is sad.)

Having said that, you've now got a wide spectrum of attitudes to analyse as well as some comprehensive info about what it's like to live on Samui!

One thing that's not been mentioned at all (?) is the social side of things. The vast majority of people (farangs) who are in residence here are elderly and/or have retired early. There are very very few people in their teens and 20s living here and not that many in their 30s. That's one point to bear in mind: it may be significant to you or it may not be.

Secondly, there are just not that many white faces living here, full stop. Obviously you'll initially make friends via work-contacts and Samui International School. But it might be worth bearing in mind that, unlike living in a cosmopolitan city, it's a lot harder here to find yourself being drawn towards numerous like-minded people.

If you're already a family-unit then this isn't all that important, and the kids will make friends instantly, everywhere. But it might be worth pointing out that although it's probable you'll meet dozens of pleasant acquaintances, making a couple of really, good, solid friends that are on your wavelength might take a bit longer!

Rob

Edited April 22, 2011 by robsamui

[robsamui]

. which bar are you currently trying to sell? i might be interested now as long as the key money isn't too ridiculous

Well, that sort of blew your cover.

Come to a place you don't know anything about and buy a bar. What a novel idea.

"Man-up and roll with it"? Sounds like what my defense said on that armed robbery charge....

I don't think a person wants to come to a place with his family where he has to "man-up." Then again, I hear Sierra Leone has nice beaches too.

Interesting how you can form a mental picture of someone simply by what they write, isn't it?

R

[samuijimmy]

Just a quick word of observation and advice to the original poster: take a look at the responses to your post, check how long these people have been members and how many posts they have made.

There are several regular contributors to this forum who seem have absolutely nothing else at all to do each day than write messages to Thai Visa. I can visualise them carrying their Blackberries around with them (no doubt from bar to bar) just simply so they can immediately be notified of a new topic and be able bleat and bellyache at every possible opportunity. (Anyone who writes a couple of thousands of posts in just a few years in my book is sad.)

Having said that, you've now got a wide spectrum of attitudes to analyse as well as some comprehensive info about what it's like to live on Samui!

One thing that's not been mentioned at all (?) is the social side of things. The vast majority of people (farangs) who are in residence here are elderly and/or have retired early. There are very very few people in their teens and 20s living here and not that many in their 30s. That's one point to bear in mind: it may be significant to you or it may not be.

Secondly, there are just not that many white faces living here, full stop. Obviously you'll initially make friends via work-contacts and Samui International School. But it might be worth bearing in mind that, unlike living in a cosmopolitan city, it's a lot harder here to find yourself being drawn towards numerous like-minded people.

If you're already a family-unit then this isn't all that important, and the kids will make friends instantly, everywhere. But it might be worth pointing out that although it's probable you'll meet dozens of pleasant acquaintances, making a couple of really, good, solid friends that are on your wavelength might take a bit longer!

Rob

Well said, Robsamui, I would agree with how you wrote this...

My only comment is that you will meet new people, some will "stick", others a just disappear into the woodwork or fall of the bar stool! .... but that is the same anywhere one chooses to live, especially in the first year or two.. by then you find the type of people who become true friends...whether they be "Farang" or Thais...