Is samui for this time of year quiet

[samuijimmy]

Strange that I spent two days running around Samui with some looking for a place, just before Christmas and nothing available in many areas, north, west and south sides...with someone who wanted mid to high range accommodation ...

Chawang and Lamai were not on the list of places to look, so perhaps different and slower there? Not everyone wants to stay in the usual busier and sometimes noisy areas...

In my travels about recently, off chance, I have meet people from, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, as well as the usual places... none were complaining other than about the weather not being so great then and still variable!

Well at least the sun seems to be out again today! I'd better put my rose tinted glasses on!

Edited January 3, 2015 by samuijimmy

[carmine]

Strange that I spent two days running around Samui with some looking for a place, just before Christmas and nothing available in many areas, north, west and south sides...with someone who wanted mid to high range accommodation ...

Chawang and Lamai were not on the list of places to look, so perhaps different and slower there? Not everyone wants to stay in the usual busier and sometimes noisy areas...

In my travels about recently, off chance, I have meet people from, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, as well as the usual places... none were complaining other than about the weather not being so great then and still variable!

Well at least the sun seems to be out again today! I'd better put my rose tinted glasses on!

Thats it mate, lets just agree its been rammed full here all christmas, everyones businesses have been busy throughout, the weathers been fantastic, the roads are reasonably safe and when when Elvis and Sinatra doubled up for a free gig at Plai Laem last week it was the greatest concert ever.

[ukchatterbox]

Look at each local forum going back 10 years and there are always threads " isn't this year quite"

I don't know where you live but if you go out of a day or a night theres a huge loss of tourists THIS year in particular. Thats the point has has no relevance to whatever has been sai in the past. If you actually live here and have done for a few years you would understand the relevance of the OP's post this year. If you don't then you clearly don't live here so why would you care to post in the first place?

Because its a fact that each year the doomsdayers come out on Samui, Phuket and Pattaya forums with the usual isn't it quite comment. Normally happens in November or early December so a little slow this year. I didn't realise that you had to be resident on Samui in order to post in this forum.

[carmine]

Look at each local forum going back 10 years and there are always threads " isn't this year quite"

I don't know where you live but if you go out of a day or a night theres a huge loss of tourists THIS year in particular. Thats the point has has no relevance to whatever has been sai in the past. If you actually live here and have done for a few years you would understand the relevance of the OP's post this year. If you don't then you clearly don't live here so why would you care to post in the first place?

Because its a fact that each year the doomsdayers come out on Samui, Phuket and Pattaya forums with the usual isn't it quite comment. Normally happens in November or early December so a little slow this year. I didn't realise that you had to be resident on Samui in order to post in this forum.

Wow, incredible insight about a place you don't even live on. And your opinions are now "facts" are they!

You sound like another one of those occasional visitors who's opinions of the island are based on a tourist visit and infact have little or no understanding of what the place is really like, as summed up in those two posts.

[Crazy chef 1]

supply and demand...the key words for tourism..

[brain150]

Many people walking ... nobody spending !

Checked in: Bangrak, Chaweng, Bophut, Maenam, Nathon, Lamai

Everywhere the same !

Maybe the Hotels are full [most of them are not !!!] ... but if all businesses around the hotels go broke

[and most of them have a very hard time now with non-existing peak season after 7 month of low-season]

the whole Island gets a problem !!!

No pink glasses here. All first hand information !

2015 will be an awakening ... probably not a nice one for many businesses on the Island.

[PoorSucker]

No pink glasses here,

Revenue up since same time last year.

[carmine]

No pink glasses here,

Revenue up since same time last year.

Are you in any way involved in the winding up of businesses?

Take a stroll up and down Chaweng Beach Road and tell us how many businesses you speak to say that their revenues are up on last year!! You'll find you are a rare phenominum. Thats where you'll hear the reality but i think you already know that!!

Rose tinted glasses, not pink btw.

[PoorSucker]

No pink glasses here,

Revenue up since same time last year.

Are you in any way involved in the winding up of businesses?

Take a stroll up and down Chaweng Beach Road and tell us how many businesses you speak to say that their revenues are up on last year!! You'll find you are a rare phenominum. Thats where you'll hear the reality but i think you already know that!!

Rose tinted glasses, not pink btw.

I am located in south Chaweng.

My revenue is up as there are no Russians now as it was last year.

[Tropicalevo]

Reality is different things to different folks.

Reality to me is having no rest and all of my staff are working their little socks off. They are desperate for a break (but they are earning lots of overtime). I have even had to hire a temp.

Yes we had guests checking out on the 5th, 6th and 7th as Carmine forecast, but then we had check-ins for the 6th, 7th and 8th.

All of the villas that I manage (and that are available for renting) are occupied until the end of Feb with more than half already booked out until mid April.

Maybe the depression is a Chaweng/Lamai thing.

All of the good restaurants (well the ones that I visit) are very busy, That's in Bangrak and Choengmon. Of course, there are those who never have enough money and grumble about how 'quiet' it is.

I was in Antica Locanda (Bangrak) the other night and they complained saying 'busy but now quiet'! By the time we finished our meal the place was full with people queueing. They could not take any more customers.

Another factor that I use for gauging how busy we are - car hire. Both companies that I use have no cars available for customers. They are having to borrow cars from their friends.

For those of you working out there - I hope that your businesses have a successful 2015 and if you are suffering in the deprssion - may things improve for you at Chinese New year. Or Easter. Or Songkhran.

[samuijimmy]

Tropicalevo is spot on, it has to be Chawang and perhaps Lamai, that have fallen out of favour ? ...

Many people seem to want the quieter areas... even the Russians, I keep running into them around Maenam, all the time... but these are the quiet types, usually with small kids... well behaved lot too!

Several restaurants are finding business good too...

I cannot resist doing this... but this is a rose or is that pink colored view of one part of Maenam beach yesterday...

Keep it up you negative people, you'll shot yourself in the foot, especially if you have a business here... I know at least one does, but I ain't saying!

[spidermike007]

Torism this christmas is down massively. Putting aside the reasons why, and there are many, its easy to get a room, a flight, a train or bus, in or out. Why? Because the islands comparatively empty as compared to any other christmas.

Empty bars and restaurants and easy travel access to and from the island at christmas tell an obvious story but i'm sure we'll be reading soon how tourists were piling in in droves and all that baloney! The usual head in the sand, delusional denial claptrap. With brutal murders, assaults on foreigners, lethal roads, an extremely strong baht and rip off gala nights added on to your hotel bill its not surprising. Hardly paints an appealing picture!

We are obviously in different areas on the island Carmine.

Hotels and private villas where I am are full. (My head is not in the sand - I service villas so I know. Indisputable fact).

Empty bars have been like that for over a year. This is not a Christmas phenomenum. It is a change in the nationality of Samui tourists. Used to be Europeans (bar visitors) now more Koreans, Chinese, Russians. These tend to eat/drink at home.

Out of interest - where are you based?

Several hotel operators have said business is way, way down not only from last year, but from any year in recent memory. Many were not sold out during the peak week or two. Hearing the same things from the taxi drivers, restaurant and spa owners, etc. So, tourism is down on Samui this year. Normally, it is hard to find a spot for your motorcycle, to park in Lamai during Christmas week. Not this year. And this year on New Years Eve, the celebrations were not only far less intense, but the crowds on the beach were lighter than usual. Guess the coup, the Tao murders, the bad PR the army is getting, the embassy warnings. etc, are having an impact. Not to mention the crash of the Russian economy, the difficulties in the Eurozone, and the crisis of confidence the average American consumer is facing.

[Tropicalevo]

Several hotel operators have said business is way, way down not only from last year, but from any year in recent memory. Many were not sold out during the peak week or two. Hearing the same things from the taxi drivers, restaurant and spa owners, etc. So, tourism is down on Samui this year. Normally, it is hard to find a spot for your motorcycle, to park in Lamai during Christmas week. Not this year. And this year on New Years Eve, the celebrations were not only far less intense, but the crowds on the beach were lighter than usual. Guess the coup, the Tao murders, the bad PR the army is getting, the embassy warnings. etc, are having an impact. Not to mention the crash of the Russian economy, the difficulties in the Eurozone, and the crisis of confidence the average American consumer is facing.

Again - I think that this view is based on location.

I know three couples who were bounced out of the hotel that they had booked because of over-booking. (Pointy end of the island.)

One couple came for one week and had to book into three different hotels. None in the area had one week available. Even then, one hoel after confirming the booking, contacted them to say sorry - no room. Overbooked! 7 days - four hotels!

Spas - of course customer numbers are down. Have you seen how many new spas have opened up this year? And still the same number of flights until the last week of December.

Tourism is NOT down on Samui this year. It seems to be down in SOME areas of Samui. Maybe the 'golden' age of Chaweng/Lamai is over? As some have said previously. Samui is more than just Chaweng.

(Sorry for the italics - I stuffed up editing the quote. The whole quote was too long.)

[brain150]

Bangrak Chongmon Bophut and Meanam at 21.00 look like in November in a "normal" year.

[khunPer]

Bangrak Chongmon Bophut and Meanam at 21.00 look like in November in a "normal" year.

Maenam always looks like November after 9pm...

[carmine]

Several hotel operators have said business is way, way down not only from last year, but from any year in recent memory. Many were not sold out during the peak week or two. Hearing the same things from the taxi drivers, restaurant and spa owners, etc. So, tourism is down on Samui this year. Normally, it is hard to find a spot for your motorcycle, to park in Lamai during Christmas week. Not this year. And this year on New Years Eve, the celebrations were not only far less intense, but the crowds on the beach were lighter than usual. Guess the coup, the Tao murders, the bad PR the army is getting, the embassy warnings. etc, are having an impact. Not to mention the crash of the Russian economy, the difficulties in the Eurozone, and the crisis of confidence the average American consumer is facing.

Again - I think that this view is based on location.

I know three couples who were bounced out of the hotel that they had booked because of over-booking. (Pointy end of the island.)

One couple came for one week and had to book into three different hotels. None in the area had one week available. Even then, one hoel after confirming the booking, contacted them to say sorry - no room. Overbooked! 7 days - four hotels!

Spas - of course customer numbers are down. Have you seen how many new spas have opened up this year? And still the same number of flights until the last week of December.

Tourism is NOT down on Samui this year. It seems to be down in SOME areas of Samui. Maybe the 'golden' age of Chaweng/Lamai is over? As some have said previously. Samui is more than just Chaweng.

(Sorry for the italics - I stuffed up editing the quote. The whole quote was too long.)

To say tourism is NOT down on Samui this year is really something that should only be said in jest on an internet forum. Thats just an insane observation

If i hadn't read your posts over a number of years i'd think you were a troll!!

Seriously, you and Poorsucker are the only people yet that i've heard that say its not down. On the contrary the word is its the worst year in living memory.

Anyway i'm done with this subject. I just wish all those tourists would stop hiding and come out and spend some money!

Nonetheles, a very happy and prosperous new year to all and lets hope its a good one!

[Samui Coconut]

Reality is different things to different folks.

Reality to me is having no rest and all of my staff are working their little socks off. They are desperate for a break (but they are earning lots of overtime). I have even had to hire a temp.

Yes we had guests checking out on the 5th, 6th and 7th as Carmine forecast, but then we had check-ins for the 6th, 7th and 8th.

All of the villas that I manage (and that are available for renting) are occupied until the end of Feb with more than half already booked out until mid April.

Maybe the depression is a Chaweng/Lamai thing.

All of the good restaurants (well the ones that I visit) are very busy, That's in Bangrak and Choengmon. Of course, there are those who never have enough money and grumble about how 'quiet' it is.

I was in Antica Locanda (Bangrak) the other night and they complained saying 'busy but now quiet'! By the time we finished our meal the place was full with people queueing. They could not take any more customers.

Another factor that I use for gauging how busy we are - car hire. Both companies that I use have no cars available for customers. They are having to borrow cars from their friends.

For those of you working out there - I hope that your businesses have a successful 2015 and if you are suffering in the deprssion - may things improve for you at Chinese New year. Or Easter. Or Songkhran.

Agree, I need a break too. Since just before Christmas non-stop action.....and the first week of this year started excellent too.

[khunPer]

Several hotel operators have said business is way, way down not only from last year, but from any year in recent memory. Many were not sold out during the peak week or two. Hearing the same things from the taxi drivers, restaurant and spa owners, etc. So, tourism is down on Samui this year. Normally, it is hard to find a spot for your motorcycle, to park in Lamai during Christmas week. Not this year. And this year on New Years Eve, the celebrations were not only far less intense, but the crowds on the beach were lighter than usual. Guess the coup, the Tao murders, the bad PR the army is getting, the embassy warnings. etc, are having an impact. Not to mention the crash of the Russian economy, the difficulties in the Eurozone, and the crisis of confidence the average American consumer is facing.

Again - I think that this view is based on location.

I know three couples who were bounced out of the hotel that they had booked because of over-booking. (Pointy end of the island.)

One couple came for one week and had to book into three different hotels. None in the area had one week available. Even then, one hoel after confirming the booking, contacted them to say sorry - no room. Overbooked! 7 days - four hotels!

Spas - of course customer numbers are down. Have you seen how many new spas have opened up this year? And still the same number of flights until the last week of December.

Tourism is NOT down on Samui this year. It seems to be down in SOME areas of Samui. Maybe the 'golden' age of Chaweng/Lamai is over? As some have said previously. Samui is more than just Chaweng.

(Sorry for the italics - I stuffed up editing the quote. The whole quote was too long.)

To say tourism is NOT down on Samui this year is really something that should only be said in jest on an internet forum. Thats just an insane observation

If i hadn't read your posts over a number of years i'd think you were a troll!!

Seriously, you and Poorsucker are the only people yet that i've heard that say its not down. On the contrary the word is its the worst year in living memory.

Anyway i'm done with this subject. I just wish all those tourists would stop hiding and come out and spend some money!

Nonetheles, a very happy and prosperous new year to all and lets hope its a good one!

»...the word is its the worst year in living memory«

I’ve heard that many times in the past years – little weird, as there seems to be a lot more tourists this hi-season than some years back; however two years ago the number was extremely high.

For real, we don’t know before some statistics are available, and even they may be discussable. Some years the number of tourist in the stats has both been nearly one million (900 thousand something), and up to more than 1½ million; so the stats must be consumed with a bit of salt. Even the years when everybody complained about tourism being some 25 to 30 percent down in Thailand, also here at Samui, all stats showed a small increase for this island of a few percent...

Another reason can be, that there are a lot more rooms available, more shopping malls, and more restaurants than before – making the competition harder – and also the tourists may have changed to more family oriented and “all inclusive” groups that are not so visible outside their resorts...

Looking around locally the neighboring hotels seems to be fairly well booked, however not full, and the beach is busy the moment the weather is for that sport. My impression is that it’s a bit down from a couple of extremely good seasons a few years ago, but much better than some years back.

[BigC]

Maybe level of tourist dropped an expats has gone up

Only worry now is with Russian currency dropped maybe this year can be hard for some

Thank you American government for that

[Tropicalevo]

Bangrak Chongmon Bophut and Meanam at 21.00 look like in November in a "normal" year.

Not sure which bit of Bangrak you 'flew' through at 21.00 but the new night market has been busy every night. (It wasn't there in November of any year.)

[carmine]

Bangrak Chongmon Bophut and Meanam at 21.00 look like in November in a "normal" year.

Not sure which bit of Bangrak you 'flew' through at 21.00 but the new night market has been busy every night. (It wasn't there in November of any year.)

Busy with local Thais. Its their thing. Nearly all the faring bars in Bangrak were empty long before 21.00hrs.

[Birdman]

wonder, from where should the clientele for Bangrak bars come from? Bangraks main customers are backpackers waiting for ferries, a few tourist couples somehow booked in one of the resorts there, some older Farangs overwinter and expats from the surrounding...

Anyhow, I pass by many times during daytime and a bar near Bangrak Pier are well-frequented, in the late afternoons.

[carmine]

wonder, from where should the clientele for Bangrak bars come from? Bangraks main customers are backpackers waiting for ferries, a few tourist couples somehow booked in one of the resorts there, some older Farangs overwinter and expats from the surrounding...

Anyhow, I pass by many times during daytime and a bar near Bangrak Pier are well-frequented, in the late afternoons.

Fair point to a degree although 95% of those in the late afternoon are expats.

[Tropicalevo]

Tesco Lotus on Friday (or was it Thursday?) -

Car park full to overflowing.

Quite a few empty shelves as goods flew into trolleys.

A cashier on every till (never seen that before).

Presumably people stocking up so that they can eat and drink in their private villas/hotel rooms.

Stop and go traffic queues on the ring road and the queue for traffic at Bophut traffic lights coming from Bangrak almost backed up to Ad Hoc. Nearly had a 'road rage moment.

I was talking to one family in a villa near me. They were here for one week and they did not go to one single pub or eat in a restaurant. 5 adults and 4 kids. (Mum and Dad with Grandparents.)

"If we go to a Thai restaurant - the food takes too long to come. ie one plate at a time. The only restaurants that can cater for us are more expensive or in hotels so we eat in the villa." was their comment.

My staff cooked for them for 5 nights and a couple of takeaway meals covered the others.

But to be fair - a lot less people sitting on 7/11 steps drinking Chang beer. Also as other posters have noticed - no one in bars or lots of the restaurants. So - some businesses are suffering but the villa owners that I service are very happy.

[BigC]

Looks like the types of tourists are changing.

With the Russian currency going down i worry about this year

i just hope UK currency climbs

50 baht is still low compared to when first was here. At one point i was getting 75 to the pound

now i actually have to do that work thing. this is not right!

Tesco Lotus on Friday (or was it Thursday?) -

Car park full to overflowing.

Quite a few empty shelves as goods flew into trolleys.

A cashier on every till (never seen that before).

Presumably people stocking up so that they can eat and drink in their private villas/hotel rooms.

Stop and go traffic queues on the ring road and the queue for traffic at Bophut traffic lights coming from Bangrak almost backed up to Ad Hoc. Nearly had a 'road rage moment.

I was talking to one family in a villa near me. They were here for one week and they did not go to one single pub or eat in a restaurant. 5 adults and 4 kids. (Mum and Dad with Grandparents.)

"If we go to a Thai restaurant - the food takes too long to come. ie one plate at a time. The only restaurants that can cater for us are more expensive or in hotels so we eat in the villa." was their comment.

My staff cooked for them for 5 nights and a couple of takeaway meals covered the others.

But to be fair - a lot less people sitting on 7/11 steps drinking Chang beer. Also as other posters have noticed - no one in bars or lots of the restaurants. So - some businesses are suffering but the villa owners that I service are very happy.

[Rooo]

First I read this:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/791404-tourism-council-of-thailand-warns-operators-to-be-prepared-for-unpredictable-year/

Then

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/791466-thailand-number-of-tourists-in-this-years-q1-projected-at-755-million/

Wish they could make there minds up.