Found this on the site that cant be mentioned, just sums up whats wrong with Thai over development.........paradise lost

It may look more tranquil in the first photo, but where are visitors supposed to stay ?

I spent a month there when it was like in the first picture. Last time I was on Samui was 2005 and I vowed to never return there either. They pretty much ruin everything here.

I spent a month there when it was like in the first picture. Last time I was on Samui was 2005 and I vowed to never return there either. They pretty much ruin everything here.

Did you sleep in a tree?

Pre Tsunami and Post Tsunami ................. can\t stop 'progress' .....or corruption.

i was there a decade ago, and it was not so populated.

Nowdays you will have dozens of boats and thousands of tourist wandering on this super tiny beach.

Why not consider yourselves lucky if you managed to visit places like Phi-Phi or Samui before they have become what they are today? I certainly do.

Having first hit Samui early 80's, magical. I'll tell you how magical, even in the late 80's stayed at a place called Samui Cabana, up market huts on the beach.The girl running the bar would finally declare herself sleepy,push over her pad and tell you just to write down any further drinks you helped yourself to, and we did.No roads there, no lighting. It was never going to stay like that. Watched it over the next 20 years, gave up @2001.

Not tried a Thai island since then.

However, there are still great beaches to hit in Thailand with a nice relaxed buzz to them, just not on islands, the tourists nirvana.

Great islands still out there in SE Asia, you just got to work a bit harder. Sometimes the bee's have to leave the honeypot.