2 nights in Samui - what to do for the day?

[alt]

Hi all,

Last time we were in Samui was just for 1 night en-route to Tao. We stayed in Chaweng in a nice place and had fun.

This time we'll be there for 2 nights as a 'lay over' en-route to Phangan. We're just going to stay in Chaweng somewhere mid-range for about 2,000 baht per night.

Since we'll have a full day to explore a bit, can anyone advise 1) Where to rent a bike from someone honest in Chaweng (we've driven in many parts of Thailand, familar with the driving style) and where to go? We're happy to just drive an roam, but if there is a "you should go here" or "you must see this" then please do let me know. Right now the gf and I are only coming up with the Big Buddha.

We like nature and scenery, along with chilling out at a nice restaurant / resort for a nice lunch.

Many thanks

[samuijimmy]

IMO Big Buddha is over rated... if you go about a km further the Plai Lam Temple (I never get the spelling correct) temple is much nicer...!

If you are prepared to ride around on a bike, then just do a circle tour around the island.... but get off the ring road and try some of the side roads.... SW corner around Thaling Ngam has some nice quiet spots, and a few good restaurants to stop for lunch... If you are a well seasoned biker even some of the Samui back roads are interesting..... (A PCX honda bike would be better than say a Click)

The worst times for driving are usually between 7 am to 9 am and 4.30 to 6 pm, especially on the east side of the island...

Look through some of the many photos posted in the photo section

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/125263-images-of-samui-phangan-and-tao/page-25

Even consider a day trip to the National Marine Park..... it's a whole different beautiful world !

[philthebook]

Jungle Club between Lamai and Chaweng, great views over Chaweng, very steep road to get there

Samui Camp Reggae Bar in Lamai (opens at 4pm, closed Saturdays), great views over Lamai but another steep road to get there

Silver Beach/Crystal Bay between Lamai and Chaweng - Best beach on the Island

Take a ride around the very south of the Island, 4170 road, lots of great sea food restaurants on the beach, quite good roads, not many tourists (Ban Kao, Thong Krut area), there are also a few nice Temples and Chedi in this area

Edited December 4, 2015 by philthebook

[evadgib]

For a few extra bhat you'll be safer (and drier) with 4 wheels rather than taking your chances on 2.

(FB page 'Roads of Koh Samui' refers).

HTH

[khunPer]

In addition to Jimmy’s post (#2), the route from Chaweng to Lamai has great mountain/beach views and you can find a number of good small beach-side restaurants for lunch or just refreshment; however be aware of the traffic.

Must see for Thais is “Hin Ta Hin Yai”, The Grandfather and Grandmother cliffs. Further south is the small so-called “Muslim Village”, Hua Thanon, an old wooden house fisherman village, and if heading the Ring Road to the West is on left hand side the unique Mumified Muck in wat Loung Por Daeng, and later on right hand the waterfalls, Namuang #1 & #2; #1 is about 20 meters high and easy accessible by vehicle and also good for a cooling swim, whilst the 80 meters high #2 require a couple of kilometers jungle path walk.

On the South Western coast – and I don’t know if it has a name, but road #4170 where is follows the coast line – is a coral beach wish long tail boats and great view to some of the islands in the Marine Park. Normally low tide area, so a good walk at beach, and furthermore there are a number of small beach cafés and restaurants for refreshment – indeed a nice pit stop and furthermore getting you off the Ring Road for a while (re. Jimmy).

Wish you a great time at Samui...

[alt]

Hi all,

Many thanks for the tips, very much appreciated. We will definitely get some of the recommendations above done.

Regarding 4 wheels safer than 2 - I certainly agree... but do you mean Quad? Are there road legal Quads for rent on Samui? Last thing I want is a fine from the BIB (we always wear helmets)

Thanks again

[evadgib]

How would my 'drier too' have been any use on a quad? You'll need 4 wheels, a roof, seatbelts and insurance if you are to avoid the pitfalls that await the unwary.

Edited December 4, 2015 by evadgib

[TheKnave]

Hin Ta/Hin Yai, walk from Lamai

[crazykopite]

Please do not rent a bike you can get a car, jeep at a very good price the roads on Samui have some crazy drivers on them or go on an organised trip, enjoy your stay on Phangan it is a beautiful island and the roads are a lot safer !

[crazykopite]

Hi all,

Many thanks for the tips, very much appreciated. We will definitely get some of the recommendations above done.

Regarding 4 wheels safer than 2 - I certainly agree... but do you mean Quad? Are there road legal Quads for rent on Samui? Last thing I want is a fine from the BIB (we always wear helmets)

Thanks again

Quad's are illegal 4 wheel jeep is your best idea if you want to go off road otherwise a normal car is good enough for just going around the island you can pick one up for around 700/800 baht for 24 hours.

[ronaldo0]

At the moment its raining again .

Would recommend hiring car as the death rate on this island is one of the highest in the world !! All these private hospitals are in such a small area due to the number of RTA customers.

Would definitely drive around the south west coast, off the main ring road. There are many nice good but cheap restaurants with great views and the roads are very quiet and nice to drive about on.

About 500m after the turn off to big budda there is much nicer temple which has many buildings , looks so much better and you can feed the fish.

If you are here on a Friday then head to bophut after 4pm for the walking street market. Has everything but most go for all the types of food you can get for peanuts !

[morpho]

I haven't been to Samui in 4 or 5 years but used to go there quite often. One of my favorite places was at the southern end of the Island at Ao Bang Kao. There's a Thai guy that has a small restaurant there with fresh fish and seafood. He's a great guy who grew up on Samui. He goes out every morning to catch/spear fish for the day. He also provides boat trips out to Ko Mat Sum just offshore.

Another good spot IMO is a restaurant with great views at a high point near the center of the island. To get there you have to take a paved road that runs east from the main road just south of Nathon. Can't remember any marker for it....but maybe a Google Map search would give you an idea. There are lots of dirt roads up there to explore too.

Both spots are nice motorbike drives and the areas are (were) not as developed as other parts of Samui.

Sounds like you like staying in Chaweng. I always enjoyed staying at Samui Yacht Club (now Crystal Bay YC) halfway between Chaweng and Lamai.

Edited December 5, 2015 by morpho

[OLDMANHARRY]

Hi Alt

Go to Ko Phangan me and missus stayed with friend a few years ago , she had a nice place on the beach northern side of island fishing village very wealthy lady and new everyone we crashed there for a couple of days and I was keen to take a longtail boat ride around the island back to the main pier, it was lovely calm waters and lots to look at, and we droped in to just about every resort beach for a drink or two me and missus & A nar had a ball, do it again anytime, the only problem is A nar got ripped big time by some Big Black Ass Nigerian about year ago and now she has nothing. Gee there's some bastard's out there, ironically she hated men, he must have something going for him.

If all fails be like Possums all they do is , eat roots shoots and leave's.

Harry

[arjunadawn]

Car! Samui roads can be quite dangerous! Always a car/jeep/etc.

[alt]

Thanks for the tips guys. Now that we know some points of interest, we have a foundation.

Just for clarity; this will be or 3rd time in LOS. We're well familar with general driving style in general, but not on Samui. Infact we have no knowledge of Samui as our only trip there was 2 nights in Chaweng last year. We didn't explore at all as it was Christmas so we were in party mood.

From the advise here, I think it might be best if we just join a jeep tour or similar (Yes I know there have been accidents in the past). This way we can have a beer if we want.

So i'll get to Googling and seeing if there are any jeep tours that do both some driving 'off road' but also go to some of the nicer sights of Samui.

And to the poster about re. Phangan - We were there back in 2011. We actually spent 12 nights there! Stayed in Haad Rin but hired a bike for a week so got to see some of the island. Koh Phangan really is beautiful once you get away from Haad Rin. This time we're staying in Thong Sala at a nice little place and again we will get a bike and explore a bit.

If anyone can recommend a reputable tour group that would be suitable for a couple in their 20's - we like adventure / meeting others etc... we don't want to be stuck in a jeep with a group of grumpy Chinese for the day. We did come across a package that has 2 seat 800cc buggies but at over 8,000 baht per day it seems steep.

[alt]

Car! Samui roads can be quite dangerous! Always a car/jeep/etc.

Didn't realise that Samui was more dangerous than other parts of Thailand. But thank you, advise taken. As mentioned above, we'll see if we can find a package tour. If not, we'll hire a jeep. But given that I do like a beer with my lunch, think i'd prefer to join a group where I don't have to drive.

[ronaldo0]

Thanks for the tips guys. Now that we know some points of interest, we have a foundation.

Just for clarity; this will be or 3rd time in LOS. We're well familar with general driving style in general, but not on Samui. Infact we have no knowledge of Samui as our only trip there was 2 nights in Chaweng last year. We didn't explore at all as it was Christmas so we were in party mood.

From the advise here, I think it might be best if we just join a jeep tour or similar (Yes I know there have been accidents in the past). This way we can have a beer if we want.

So i'll get to Googling and seeing if there are any jeep tours that do both some driving 'off road' but also go to some of the nicer sights of Samui.

And to the poster about re. Phangan - We were there back in 2011. We actually spent 12 nights there! Stayed in Haad Rin but hired a bike for a week so got to see some of the island. Koh Phangan really is beautiful once you get away from Haad Rin. This time we're staying in Thong Sala at a nice little place and again we will get a bike and explore a bit.

If anyone can recommend a reputable tour group that would be suitable for a couple in their 20's - we like adventure / meeting others etc... we don't want to be stuck in a jeep with a group of grumpy Chinese for the day. We did come across a package that has 2 seat 800cc buggies but at over 8,000 baht per day it seems steep.

I would give the jeep safari tours a body swerve if I was you . If you look up the roads of koh samui page on facebook you will see these happen to have a lot of accidents and deaths !!

You can get people to take you round the whole island in a private car for 2-4000bht a day to all the sites and anywhere you want them to go also. Plus it is just you in the car , no huge groups of ignorant sweating people !

[samuijimmy]

Car! Samui roads can be quite dangerous! Always a car/jeep/etc.

Didn't realise that Samui was more dangerous than other parts of Thailand. But thank you, advise taken. As mentioned above, we'll see if we can find a package tour. If not, we'll hire a jeep. But given that I do like a beer with my lunch, think i'd prefer to join a group where I don't have to drive.

In my opinion it's not! People get overly wound up on this subject of being the worst place in Thailand to drive ... It's a case of driving with due care and attention, using common sense and being sober .....

I have lived here seven years or so, I have not seen all these accidents that are constantly talked about .... I have over 50,000 clicks on my bike, (I don't sit at home,) mostly driven on Samui, and still can count the number of accidents I have seen on my hands... perhaps two of those were serious....

That's going to cause a bit of a stir,..... but ..... I don't buy into the overstated accident rates .... oh dear!!! I had better run for the hills!

As for Koh Phangan, Full Moon party time is not the best time..... especially between Thong Sala and Haad Rin....

If you want some where nice to stay I would suggest Mae Haad / Koh Ma area of KP Several resorts up in that area in several price ranges.... Island View Cabana has always been my first choice!

[ParadiseLost]

Without wanting to sound facetious - why would you stay on Samui?

There is no reason once you have been to KP and you like it. KS is for the 'bling' crowd who look down their noses at KP (which is great - they stay away).

One thing to think about - it has been raining quite a lot the past week, chances are you will not be touring around at all on either island so choose where you stay carefully and walk. On KS Lamai is a better choice (to me) than Chaweng.

You mention staying in Thongsala but that is the most boring place on KP. Way better to look north, (or NW) Had Salad or Had Yai. Again, watch the roads as there are some very nasty hills.

Oh and forget the idea that quadbikes are 'safer' - it is just the opposite. They are nasty things that try to kill you whenever they get a chance... More likely to land on top of you in an accident.

[khunPer]

For touring you can try Island Safari Tour (it's a bit slow loading website):
http://www.islandsafaritour.com/

I don't think you can book tours free of certain nationalities and the risk of a fully loaded 4WD with Chinese and Russians exists - well a private VIP jeep may do...

Thailand is No. 2 on the WHO list of fatal traffic accident countries, Samui is considered one of the worst places - if not the worst - in Thailand. However, thousand of tourists drives daily motorbike and survive - the do have a t-shirt available "I drove on Samui and survived", but I'm not sure what it takes to earn it - so if you are familiar with left hand driving, scooters, drive carefully and not too fast, you should be Okay. (Read Jimmy's post above, he's used to get around on motorbike).

And remember helmet, you can get fined by police without it - and it's not the amount that sucks, but the long queue and waiting time...

Alternative is to rent a car. A small Suzuki Caribbean 4WD Jeep is about 800-1,000 baht a day - and a normal small car about the same or up to 1,200. If you don't intend off-road trekking in the hills, a normal car will do fine; but the jeep is more fun to drive (in my opinion).

With a map and the suggestion post earlier in this tread, you can make a fine tour - and you may meet young folks on the spots (especially if swimming the waterfall) or at your choice of resort.

As for KP and Haad Rin, FMP is 25th (full Moon) and 31st in December - normally they don't accept bookings for less than 5 nights during party period - however, if you have not tried it, I highly recommend to give it a chance (my only regret in Thailand is, that I should have started attending Full Moon Party ten years before)...

PS (Edit): Forgot to mention the Quad-bikes. Don't see many of them around anymore - think there is a rental place around Maenam soi 1 - and if nothing has changed, they are not allowed to drive on public roads...

PPS: Remember travel insurance, especially if driving yourself (mandatory Thai motorbike-insurance covers next-to-nothing)...

Edited December 6, 2015 by khunPer

[PoorSucker]

PPS: Remember travel insurance, especially if driving yourself (mandatory Thai motorbike-insurance covers next-to-nothing)...

Normal travel insurance only cover riding a MC below 50cc, get MC add-on on your insurance if you intend to drive.

[samuijimmy]

Usually all these companies have hotel pick up services.... so whether Quad bikes, Safari tours, day boat tours etc etc.... look at the brochure display racks which are usually at most hotels...

Ask the hotel front desk to call, they make commission usually, and you probably won't get a "deal" by going direct anyway...

Most of the quad rides are up on the back roads ... depending on weather and road conditions... right now probably too wet.

There is a quad bike place way up the top of Soi 5 Maenam, but it's a bit a "white knuckle" drive up and down the hill though!

The safari truck companies use these roots up in the hills too and stop at various points of interest....

[alt]

khunPer - Thanks for the advice. Yes I remember you also helping me last year, thank you! Re. Koh Phangan... we are all booked so no worries there.

We decided and booked a place about 15 min walk south of Central Festival, just 100m off the beach.. suits us fine with good reviews.

Now, of course I have another query... If we book a Lomprayah ferry when we arrive (Dec 21st) for the 23rd to Koh Phangan, i'm guessing we'll be safe? I notice that on their website, for 600 baht they offer ferry to Phangan + pick-up at your hotel. Is booking on the Lomprayah site safe? Booking direct will defo be safer than booking at an agent, I reckon (Although I don't mind paying an extra 100 baht per person booking in person)

I e-mailed Lomprayah asking what time we should request pick-up at, as they don't advise... let's see how it goes.

OK so for now, it's looking like we may just hire a small jeep to drive around the island for the day. Unless we see something fun like a jeep that will bring us around to the local spots for the day... I guess just walk around Chaweng and see what is available?