just my subjectiv impression:

living in royal living at bang po beach (close to the ring road and closer to building construction of natural wing spa )

traffic: up about 100%

noise level: up

constructions: up (everywhere)

prices: little up

number of idiots on the ringroad: up,up,up

number of alive coconut trees: down

quality and taste of seafood at big john: down

number of big trucks with nearly no ex. pipes: up,up,up

live music at secret garden: down

chance to go again to samui: down....

all in all nice vacations....but total impression becoming worse...time to check out other destinations.

back in office,working motivation:down,down,down :-)

wow! doesn't sound like Samui's beautiful sceneries will survived much longer. Shame Shame Shame, another paradise wasted . Hope all the people will get their act together and fix it for the future generation.

When you find a better destination please let us know!

Hey....Want to share any latest pics from your trip?

Would love to see them, I'm still comtemplating to go or not to go there myself. It doesn't sound too good base on your assessment!.....too bad!

Talk about stating the bleeding obvious.

A totally pointless post in my opinion.

What did the OP expect? To find a popular tourist destination had somehow reverted to its former pristine glory?

Talk about stating the bleeding obvious.

A totally pointless post in my opinion.

What did the OP expect? To find a popular tourist destination had somehow reverted to its former pristine glory?

i just hoped to find it in nearly same situation as i loved it in 2004. cant imagine things could change within 2 years so much.

but,as i wrote...its still nice. many people will love it also in this conditions. with a little distance from my posting im a allready willing to come again. :-)

but the first impression was things changed to the bad side very quick.

its not such bad at all....but more bad than 2004.

thats all i want to say. not less,not more

Tourism is an extremely vigourous force when it is in its ascendency especially in the developing world.

There is big money to be made from tourism.

Developers, officials, and business owners don't care how they get their hands on tourist dollars or who provides it as long as it keeps coming. They have little regard for the environment and the effect of rapid (and often unplanned) development. The only way they will ever learn is if people stop going. If people continue to flood in to Samui then the rapid development will continue. If people stay away then it will slow down.