Questions About Life In Samui

[sarahewi]

Please can anyone advise me on living in Koh Samui with a young family ... We are moving in the next couple of months 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? 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

[Khun Jean]

Never lived there and you plan to move? Big mistake.

First have a look! Maybe for a month or so.

My personal!!! opinion:

What are the medical facilities like? Not so good.

Can you get everything you need there? No.

Is it more expensive than Bangkok? Depends. It is definitely more expensive then the mainland

Do you need a car to get around? With a family, absolutely.

Is it safe for young kids? No

Is there a good swim school? No

Which school would you recommend? None!

Is there a big expat community? No, only during high season it is infested with them. Rednoses i call them.

Lived there for a while (about 4 years ago), and went back recently for a short holiday.

Living there was because of the children increasingly difficult.

Holidays on Samui are great.

[Rooo]

Khun Jean your opinions are so out dated. Please just answer one question, When did you last live on Samui?

Honestly, having experienced a failed business venture here, you are qualified to comment? Maybe get yourself up to ate before you have a comment.

[Tropicalevo]

I have answered this post before somewhere - in case there s a glitch, here is what I wrote.

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). You will need medical insurance.

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 - there is a large ex-pat community, 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.

Edited December 17, 2010 by Tropicalevo

[Mr lamai]

Never lived there and you plan to move? Big mistake.

First have a look! Maybe for a month or so.

My personal!!! opinion:

What are the medical facilities like? Not so good.

Can you get everything you need there? No.

Is it more expensive than Bangkok? Depends. It is definitely more expensive then the mainland

Do you need a car to get around? With a family, absolutely.

Is it safe for young kids? No

Is there a good swim school? No

Which school would you recommend? None!

Is there a big expat community? No, only during high season it is infested with them. Rednoses i call them.

Lived there for a while (about 4 years ago), and went back recently for a short holiday.

Living there was because of the children increasingly difficult.

Holidays on Samui are great.

I can not agree more Samui is not a place to move to and bringing your family to the missery is even worse. Bkk and the old coconut island samui have 0% in comparence to what you expect and wants in reward. Samui is ONLY good for holiday and sorry to say, there are few who outlast just a few years on this island that has absolutely NOTHING to present to you as you usually takes for granted.

Samui is full of raceists,no matter if they are white or comes from northeastern Thailand.Bkk,Shanghai,Singapore or Hongkong is places for families to move to.Not Koh Samui!!

Read and scroll on the internet but jump a few 1000 pages to the accurate hits on google or try your luck here on Thaivisa.

Cheers from a almost singel and "no need to make cash i thailand long time resident"

Mr Lamai

[MSingh]

Khun Jean your opinions are so out dated. Please just answer one question, When did you last live on Samui?

Honestly, having experienced a failed business venture here, you are qualified to comment? Maybe get yourself up to ate before you have a comment.

Ok well maybbe i'm a bit more qualified than Jean, i left after 6 & a half Years there, 4 Months ago because of virtually everything that the lovely Khun Jean writes..

I've amended Jean's a bit below.

What are the medical facilities like? Not so bad but expect to be ripped in the Island'd " best Hospital's.

Can you get everything you need there? No.

Is it more expensive than Bangkok? Depends. It is definitely more expensive then the mainland

Do you need a car to get around? With a family, absolutely.

Is it safe for young kids? No

Is there a good swim school? No

Which school would you recommend? None!

Is there a big expat community? Yeah, far too clicky though.

Living there was because of the children increasingly difficult.

Holidays on Samui are great.

[MSingh]

Samui is full of raceists,

[ESB7]

Keep in mind visa issues and any other reasons for travel....you will be on an island and apart from the ferry, the only other means of escape is by BK Air....a family of 5 will have a large expense if you need to leave often...

[maccaroni man]

wow i am not one to defend much of anything but after reading the previous post, and having lived on the island more than a decade with 2 children of my own i think my opinion may count for something. education today samui offers several schools of international standard; one cost an arm and a leg and the others are less but not a little bit of money, having said this i believe a great teacher within a large class will become average while an average teacher in a small class will be good, the class sizes are typically uner 15 students, so do i feel good about my 12yr and 6yr olds education; yes.

medical, there is a full service emergancy care hospital in chewang, it has veryu good doctors and uptodate facilities, today all medical facilities as long as you have good health insurance you should find the cost very reasonable.

child saftey, i believe my children are safe everywhere but on the roads, if there is a major draw back for me it is the fact that i do not feel safe having my kids walk or ride bikes on the roads, other than that i never worry and i never allow them on motor bikes.

cost, yes things tend to be a few baht more on the island and over the course of a yr it is a surcharge.

available products, most things can be found but sometimes it is the small stuff that can not be found.

transportation; 4x4 truck or suv is the smart way to go on this island, a sadan is not made for the roads or high water conditions on the isalnd.

housing, the prices have come down on rentals a great deal and there is an abundance of western style homes with sea views, shop around and offer to pay upfront but beware of all rate charges such as electric and water, buyer beware is still alive and well here.

culture i.e. art gallery, concert halls, none

swimming schols none but plenty of pools and people willing to teach.

air qulaity, there is simply no comp to bkk or any city, you can brweath fresh clean air every day and see the star at night,

beaches many to choose from and beautiful,

it is a resort island hence the mode is that every day is friday, the streets light up at night.

10+ yrs on the island and i dont see any reason to move and i do not have a group that i hang out with, i am happy with a couple of friends.

[Rooo]

Khun Jean your opinions are so out dated. Please just answer one question, When did you last live on Samui?

Honestly, having experienced a failed business venture here, you are qualified to comment? Maybe get yourself up to ate before you have a comment.

Ok well maybbe i'm a bit more qualified than Jean, i left after 6 & a half Years there, 4 Months ago because of virtually everything that the lovely Khun Jean writes..

I've amended Jean's a bit below.

What are the medical facilities like? Not so bad but expect to be ripped in the Island'd " best Hospital's.

Can you get everything you need there? No.

Is it more expensive than Bangkok? Depends. It is definitely more expensive then the mainland

Do you need a car to get around? With a family, absolutely.

Is it safe for young kids? No

Is there a good swim school? No

Which school would you recommend? None!

Is there a big expat community? Yeah, far too clicky though.

Living there was because of the children increasingly difficult.

Holidays on Samui are great.

Now my original comment to Khun Jean is based on circumstances he experienced here years ago, it is not an off the cuff remark .We have had long debates about this in the past.

Someone's personal opinion is great, but sometimes it just sounds like plain sour grapes. It is all nice & rosy whilst the place suits someone. They live here, make money here, live their dream. It's fine to move etc....... but no need to put the boot in

This is an ISLAND.It is not a EUROPEAN CITY.

Is it safe for young kids? Does it have a swim school? I really don't grasp the broad meaning of not safe for kids.What are they going to do?

Get kidnapped? Get in trouble with other young kids? No different then any other country.

Swimming? What is wrong with giving kids the fundamentals? Since when is swimming school a pre requisite? I just wonder how many posters here went to swimming school.

Last time I looked , parenting, the key word had a lot to do with it.

Hospitals? Many,not happy with local? You have Suratthani. I wonder how many people lived in the thick of it in their country of origin.

I know where I come from, you still had to travel a fair distance to get medical care, here you have so many hospitals for immediate preliminary care.

Can't buy everything? More expensive? Sure, see my opening comments.

Before the critics & pundits come out saying I see nothing wrong with this ISLAND, it is just that , an island , in a foreign country to our origin & with a different culture.. You have to take the good with the bad,. If for whatever reason it does not suit, no need to rubbish it.

I'm sure wherever some of these posters have moved to, will eventually suffer the same fate & criticism. Be it Pattaya, Hua Hin , Phuket or Bangkok for that matter.

For the OP,

Yes there is good schools here.

Medical, well you won't get in trouble.

Safe for kids? Yes.

Expat community? Large, you can pick & choose your friends.

Get everything? Just about, again it's an island.

Cost of accommodation, have a look at the classified section or here.

You would have faced some challenges, just moving & living in Bangkok. If you adapted to that, Samui should be a breeze.

Good luck & enjoy your stay.

[itishothere]

I've been here nearly 4 years. Samui seems to have a 'sell-by date' for many posters of about 10 years max.

I think that if you are working here and daily have to face some of the differences between the cultures then it can be hard work. Some things just don't work the way you are used to. Some things are very expensive. Personally I like living amongst tourists who are happy to be on holiday and having fun but not everyone does. The fact that you cannot get everything you want at the shops can be frustrating, but like most things, it takes time for that to really p##s you off and make you want to move. In the meantime you adapt.

As far as overall lifestyle is concerned. A bit of money to pay for travel, a decent car and medical insurance is a must. But it won't cost you an arm and a leg to get a nice home for your family to enjoy living in. And the beaches and scenery and sunshine are free. Rules here are not rigidly applied - I for one for like that, but if I had to run a business here I might not be so relaxed. I worked for many years in London and am now very happy to be out of the city way of life. Is it perfect? No. Is it pretty dam#ed good? Yes.

I reckon I might have another 6 years before my 'sell-by date' expires. I will let you know how I go on!

[Birdman]

All clearly depends on one's priorities of living. Samui is definitely the best place in Thailand where you still can have that nice tropical palm island/beach feeling at many locations and simultaneously many things of a modern life are available now. I live here 20+ years and will not move somewhere else at least in the near future.

Phuket of course is much more developed, but I had never that special feeling about living in the tropics like on Samui. I lived there before I moved to Samui.

One thing is for sure moving here without never been here is a silly idea indeed.

[joe84330]

Khun Jean your opinions are so out dated. Please just answer one question, When did you last live on Samui?

Honestly, having experienced a failed business venture here, you are qualified to comment? Maybe get yourself up to ate before you have a comment.

Ok well maybbe i'm a bit more qualified than Jean, i left after 6 & a half Years there, 4 Months ago because of virtually everything that the lovely Khun Jean writes..

I've amended Jean's a bit below.

What are the medical facilities like? Not so bad but expect to be ripped in the Island'd " best Hospital's.

Can you get everything you need there? No.

Is it more expensive than Bangkok? Depends. It is definitely more expensive then the mainland

Do you need a car to get around? With a family, absolutely.

Is it safe for young kids? No

Is there a good swim school? No

Which school would you recommend? None!

Is there a big expat community? Yeah, far too clicky though.

Living there was because of the children increasingly difficult.

Holidays on Samui are great.

Now my original comment to Khun Jean is based on circumstances he experienced here years ago, it is not an off the cuff remark .We have had long debates about this in the past.

Someone's personal opinion is great, but sometimes it just sounds like plain sour grapes. It is all nice & rosy whilst the place suits someone. They live here, make money here, live their dream. It's fine to move etc....... but no need to put the boot in

This is an ISLAND.It is not a EUROPEAN CITY.

Is it safe for young kids? Does it have a swim school? I really don't grasp the broad meaning of not safe for kids.What are they going to do?

Get kidnapped? Get in trouble with other young kids? No different then any other country.

Swimming? What is wrong with giving kids the fundamentals? Since when is swimming school a pre requisite? I just wonder how many posters here went to swimming school.

Last time I looked , parenting, the key word had a lot to do with it.

Hospitals? Many,not happy with local? You have Suratthani. I wonder how many people lived in the thick of it in their country of origin.

I know where I come from, you still had to travel a fair distance to get medical care, here you have so many hospitals for immediate preliminary care.

Can't buy everything? More expensive? Sure, see my opening comments.

Before the critics & pundits come out saying I see nothing wrong with this ISLAND, it is just that , an island , in a foreign country to our origin & with a different culture.. You have to take the good with the bad,. If for whatever reason it does not suit, no need to rubbish it.

I'm sure wherever some of these posters have moved to, will eventually suffer the same fate & criticism. Be it Pattaya, Hua Hin , Phuket or Bangkok for that matter.

For the OP,

Yes there is good schools here.

Medical, well you won't get in trouble.

Safe for kids? Yes.

Expat community? Large, you can pick & choose your friends.

Get everything? Just about, again it's an island.

Cost of accommodation, have a look at the classified section or here.

You would have faced some challenges, just moving & living in Bangkok. If you adapted to that, Samui should be a breeze.

Good luck & enjoy your stay.

QFT

not the first time a thread like this has been done and certainly not the last and they always end up the same way. people who typically have a failed bar or restaurant and/or cheated on a real estate deal vs. those who have either retired here and those of us enjoying our jobs on a tropical island.

interesting that everyone that hates this place so much always find the time to come back and complain about it. for the record i've got a preteen, a 2 year old and expecting our newest addition in 5 more months, all born here and very happily raised here until old enough to broaden their horizons and go to school back in the states around college age, as long as that nearly failed entitlement state still exists, that is.

[carmine]

Never lived there and you plan to move? Big mistake.

First have a look! Maybe for a month or so.

My personal!!! opinion:

What are the medical facilities like? Not so good.

Can you get everything you need there? No.

Is it more expensive than Bangkok? Depends. It is definitely more expensive then the mainland

Do you need a car to get around? With a family, absolutely.

Is it safe for young kids? No

Is there a good swim school? No

Which school would you recommend? None!

Is there a big expat community? No, only during high season it is infested with them. Rednoses i call them.

Lived there for a while (about 4 years ago), and went back recently for a short holiday.

Living there was because of the children increasingly difficult.

Holidays on Samui are great.

This is a nonsense post. Totally outdated.

Why do people like this come on here and post such misleading rubbish?

[olsen]

Why not mention the never-ending problems regarding the flooding, power cuts, internet cuts and cut-offs from the outside world every rainy season, when the ferries stop sailing and the airport gets closed due to flooding ???

This happens every year, and I know of many many people who moved away from Samui because of this....any comment??

[carmine]

Why not mention the never-ending problems regarding the flooding, power cuts, internet cuts and cut-offs from the outside world every rainy season, when the ferries stop sailing and the airport gets closed due to flooding ???

This happens every year, and I know of many many people who moved away from Samui because of this....any comment??

Its a tropical island mate.

Please don't say "never ending flooding" because we both know thats a total exageration don't we. As is "cut off from the outside world." Drama queen or what!

[smokie36]

Why not mention the never-ending problems regarding the flooding, power cuts, internet cuts and cut-offs from the outside world every rainy season, when the ferries stop sailing and the airport gets closed due to flooding ???

This happens every year, and I know of many many people who moved away from Samui because of this....any comment??

The answr to most of these irritations is to go to the beach and relax.....if its raining put your feet up for a week and catch up on a bit of reading.....its not as if its unexpected anyway....

Nowhere is paradise 365 days of the year but Samui certainly does well weatherwise.

[joe84330]

Why not mention the never-ending problems regarding the flooding, power cuts, internet cuts and cut-offs from the outside world every rainy season, when the ferries stop sailing and the airport gets closed due to flooding ???

This happens every year, and I know of many many people who moved away from Samui because of this....any comment??

happened every year that i lived in the caribbean islands as well, in addition to the random riots and protests, some of them armed, there were also the annual northern winds which would practically shut down the islands for weeks at a time. probably happens on nearly every single small tropical island in the world.

if you move to a small tropical island in the middle of nowhere and expect modern conveniences and uninterrupted lifestyles you'll be disappointed no matter which small tropical island in the middle of nowhere that you choose.

some people just can't be happy no matter where they live.

[crusty]

Why not mention the never-ending problems regarding the flooding, power cuts, internet cuts and cut-offs from the outside world every rainy season, when the ferries stop sailing and the airport gets closed due to flooding ???

This happens every year, and I know of many many people who moved away from Samui because of this....any comment??

What a loser ! One advantage of having your own boat is one becomes to be self sufficient while the main purpose is to visit foreign shores and experience different cultures. Now my favourite island is beginning to overflow with tourists and whining foreigners like you, it is obviously time to move on. Good fun while it lasted ( 30 years ).

[olsen]

Exagerating? What about the flooding a few weeks ago, leaving residents stuck on the island with no electricity, internet, ferries and closed airport?

All the main shopping malls closed?

That's why I live on the mainland opposite Samui, here we don't have any flooding whatsoever....and I love it! :-) Also we have no power or internet cut-offs....Samui get their power from us here in Khanom :-)

Many of the Khanom residents relocated to Khanom already....and more will come :-) But fortunatly we're not overrun by tourists and this leaves the beaches clean and unpolluted. Wonderful! :-)

[olsen]

Why not mention the never-ending problems regarding the flooding, power cuts, internet cuts and cut-offs from the outside world every rainy season, when the ferries stop sailing and the airport gets closed due to flooding ???

This happens every year, and I know of many many people who moved away from Samui because of this....any comment??

What a loser ! One advantage of having your own boat is one becomes to be self sufficient while the main purpose is to visit foreign shores and experience different cultures. Now my favourite island is beginning to overflow with tourists and whining foreigners like you, it is obviously time to move on. Good fun while it lasted ( 30 years ).

So I am a loser because I state some facts that anyone know already? Or am I a loser because I don't need a boat not to be cut off from the rest of the world? Tell me, how can you sail your boat when even the ferries can't manage???

[olsen]

Why not mention the never-ending problems regarding the flooding, power cuts, internet cuts and cut-offs from the outside world every rainy season, when the ferries stop sailing and the airport gets closed due to flooding ???

This happens every year, and I know of many many people who moved away from Samui because of this....any comment??

Its a tropical island mate.

Please don't say "never ending flooding" because we both know thats a total exageration don't we. As is "cut off from the outside world." Drama queen or what!

Well...it IS a never-ending problem, isn't it? The flooding continues year after year, and nobody do anytning about it, right? How hard can it be to design some proper drainage so this won't happen every time it is raining???

And Samui WAS cut off from the rest of the world a few weeks ago in 2 or 3 days, no???

Edited December 18, 2010 by olsen

[carmine]

Exagerating? What about the flooding a few weeks ago, leaving residents stuck on the island with no electricity, internet, ferries and closed airport?

All the main shopping malls closed?

That's why I live on the mainland opposite Samui, here we don't have any flooding whatsoever....and I love it! :-) Also we have no power or internet cut-offs....Samui get their power from us here in Khanom :-)

Many of the Khanom residents relocated to Khanom already....and more will come :-) But fortunatly we're not overrun by tourists and this leaves the beaches clean and unpolluted. Wonderful! :-)

DRAMA QUEEN. Its nice to hear you are enjoying life in Khanom. i know it well, its a very nice place. However, in the real world/your post i will correct you. Prior to this rainy season my bungalow only had a power cut twice in the last two years. Secondly, there was a tropical depression with massive rainfall and its really no suprise to have some flooding, but for the most part the water cleared reasonably quickly and i know of no one that felt the need to revue whether of not to remain a resident. If you were not prepared for this weather then you simply did'nt do your homework before moving here.

My experience is that a lot of ex residents knock Samui at every oppotunity because things, lets say, did'nt work out for them here.

[BangrakBob]

Negativos need to put down the lipstick, have a teaspoon of concrete and harden up!!!

[screamingeagle]

Why not mention the never-ending problems regarding the flooding, power cuts, internet cuts and cut-offs from the outside world every rainy season, when the ferries stop sailing and the airport gets closed due to flooding ???

This happens every year, and I know of many many people who moved away from Samui because of this....any comment??

Its a tropical island mate.

Please don't say "never ending flooding" because we both know thats a total exageration don't we. As is "cut off from the outside world." Drama queen or what!

Well...it IS a never-ending problem, isn't it? The flooding continues year after year, and nobody do anytning about it, right? How hard can it be to design some proper drainage so this won't happen every time it is raining???

And Samui WAS cut off from the rest of the world a few weeks ago in 2 or 3 days, no???

We don't have flooding every year. The last time was five years ago. So you are exaggerating. Khanom is for losers who don't make in on Samui. Seen a lot of failed business farangs creep away to Khanom with their tail between their legs and start criticizing Samui. Seems you are no different.

[Birdman]

That Olson guy trying to give Samui a bad reputation just to promote his interests in Khanom.

Removed Link. Not worth giving him free publicity.

Rooo.

[Jeanelle]

Mr Olsen I will give you a reply.

Some of the readers on this forum are not aware that Mr Olsen has ulterior motives in making such a statement.Real estate interests on the main land being a major factor. Looking for some customers here are we?

I can't wait for the next post praising the area you are connected with. Well it came sooner then expected the praise part that is.

Now I really don't know when you last visited Samui or even read this forum . You would have noticed the amount of work carried out, in particular in regards to drainage. For the amount of rain in 2 days 440mm plus, this is not a normal occurrence. So you might want to give your argument a bit more substance. Any civilised country in the world, would have had problems coping & floods. We managed fairly well on Samui, if this would have occurred a year or 2 prior, we might have have more problems.

But again wasn't Thailand in general suffering flood problems? It must have been my imagination that the road between the ferry & Khanom was under several feet of water. So what a useless comment you have made there.

I will also like to point out to your good self, that flooding occurs no matter where you live, Thailand, Australia etc.....

Again this is an island, the original poster inquired about life here, it looks like it might be a job relocation, only guessing.

Life on the island is what you make it, you can go flat out or just take it easy. For a young family, again you will make your own circle of friends through other parents.

Any international hospitals in the tourist areas, Samui, Phuket, Pattaya are fairly good but expensive. Again if it's a major drama, they will refer you to a more specialised hospital in BKK. This is not only applicable to Samui , but most of the areas I mentioned.

Food products? The choice is great & so are the eateries.

Transport? The island consists of one major ring road, but also several secondary roads.Personal car would be the transport of choice.

Schools? We have just got our own International school.

As I said with children, you tend to meet other parents, you make friends & a good support group. Good luck.

[crusty]

Why not mention the never-ending problems regarding the flooding, power cuts, internet cuts and cut-offs from the outside world every rainy season, when the ferries stop sailing and the airport gets closed due to flooding ???

This happens every year, and I know of many many people who moved away from Samui because of this....any comment??

What a loser ! One advantage of having your own boat is one becomes to be self sufficient while the main purpose is to visit foreign shores and experience different cultures. Now my favourite island is beginning to overflow with tourists and whining foreigners like you, it is obviously time to move on. Good fun while it lasted ( 30 years ).

So I am a loser because I state some facts that anyone know already? Or am I a loser because I don't need a boat not to be cut off from the rest of the world? Tell me, how can you sail your boat when even the ferries can't manage???

Hellooooo any one home ? Jeez this is like talking to a .......... nevermind. This guy hasn't been anywhere, otherwise he would know ferries run set routes and schedules, carrying paying passengers. Listen pal, if the weather is bad, I just park my yacht in a protected bay for one week, one month, one year. With a name like yours you obviously missed out when Viking brains were being handed out ! Dooohhhhhh.....

[Khun Jean]

Khun Jean your opinions are so out dated. Please just answer one question, When did you last live on Samui?

Honestly, having experienced a failed business venture here, you are qualified to comment? Maybe get yourself up to ate before you have a comment.

Please stop dragging that excuse out to invalidate a post. Do you really think that having a small internetshop that i closed down because competition and having most equipment stolen is a major live changing moment! I make my money in Europe so i am not depending on a small income from a shop like that, it is what you do when you get BORED! And that is what happens on Samui when you are not one of those that sit at a bar at 11 o'clock in the morning until midnight talking with your "friends" (fellow alcoholists) about a football club that plays a game 20.000 kilometer away, waking up the next morning and forgot about it so you repeat it the next day until the end of days. Sorry to shallow for both me and my wife.

I tell you what the live changing moment was, it was having kids that have nothing to do except play with sand and swim.

It works until they get a little older and need some education and other interesting things to do.

Please tell me what has changed in the last few years that made that situation better.

Better schools? Like Bluewater? Did you ever go there? Did you see their prices? I have no expat package but with those prices i would not have much left for other important things like housing, insurances and savings.

Did you talk to some parents and children that went there? Did you go to St. Josephs, or spoke to parents that took their children out and put them in a Wat school because that was better!? Did you see their teachers? Their qualifications?

To make it clear schools are not only a problem on Samui, but Samui has just a few so you are forced to choose a school you can afford that gives mediocre education only because you want to sit on a beach? I am not selfish, and for me children comes first!

To continue?

Are there better roads now? Chaweng not smelling like a sewer anymore while you have dinner in a "fancy" restaurant? Taxis have a meter now? Still have to go to Lotus to buy the stuff you really need? How about the floods? How about the garbage on the beaches? How about the rip currents that kill a few people every year and nothing is done about it, like warnings?

Rolling blackouts during high season!! HaHaHaHa

Again not exclusive to Samui, but living there, can you escape it?

I visited 2 weeks ago, even met with our old very sweet landlady. But to say things improved, i not agree.

I repeat my conclusion. Perfect for a short holiday. Good hideout for drunks and some retirees. Not suitable for living with children.

Roo, what is your vested interest in Samui? A bar? Guesthouse?

edit: Just to add. I am now in Bangkok and considering Krabi for one single reason! An international Montessori school. See where my priorities are?

Edited December 18, 2010 by Khun Jean

[Rooo]

Roo, what is your vested interest in Samui? A bar? Guesthouse?

Wouldn't you like to know. We have had that discussion on several occasions & my answer is still the same, NOTHING. Just don't like people rubbishing my home town. Is that OK with you?

I will also try & dig up some of the original posts that show that your main reason had nothing to do with kids.I believe business, the untidy beach front in Hua Thanon , competition etc....... do I remember correctly?

I have also read your same repeated comments about Samui over the years.

edit: Just to add. I am now in Bangkok and considering Krabi for one single reason! An international Montessori school. See where my priorities are?

Sure these are your current priorities as any responsible parent, What do you think the kids here are? A bunch of uneducated no hopers? I think nothing comes up to standard for you in Thailand in general. I can't believe that in the whole of Bangkok there is not an up to scratch school.

I 'm just intrigued, the same as other members as to why some EX residents spend the time & effort after so long & persistently come back & rubbish a place.

I honestly believe they didn't want to leave in the first place & try justifying their decisions with constant negative posts , convincing themselves they have made the right decision.

Sure Samui has it's minuses but are far outweighed by positives for a lot of people.

As to generalise & call the population a bunch of drunkards, is perhaps an indication of the circle you were involved with.

Again , yes we do have inferior infrastructure, roads that need more upgrading ,we do have floods, it's only a tropical island. As another poster has mentioned , nearly the total monthly average in 2 days, dare you to show me any city let alone a small island that would not suffer flooding. we do have choices as to where we can shop, from markets to large national brand name shops, when are you going to understand this is an island, not some Swiss or whatever city.

Maybe you should get out & smell the roses & stop winging about Samui.Let people make their own minds up.There are enough documented posts with all the things that are wrong , nothing is hidden .Just sick & tired of reading these same old vindictive and unsubstantiated posts.