Big Buddha Beach

[LastResort22]

Hi there,

It's going to be my fourth time in Samui, and I'm looking for a change of scenery fro Chaweng and Lamai...

Thought about going to Big Buddha beach\Bang Rak.

Where is the "center" of the beach - i.e. where should I stay if I want to be in proximity to restaurants, bars (and even beer bars)?

I know it's much much quieter than Chaweng\Lamai, but I guess there must be some main area.

How is the cleanliness of the beach and the water?

Thanks mates!

[phetphet]

Yes Big Buddha / Bangrak is much much quieter than Chaweng in the evenings. It is also quite a big bay, so walking the beach road from end to end would take ages. It gets even quieter more west towards Fisherman's Village.

IMHO the busiest little bit is next to Seatran pier, where there are several bars close to one another: Boat Bar, Yada, Bar, Gaelen Bar, and a few others. Plus a couple of restaurants. Premiership Bar for sports is a few minutes walk. There are other bars spread out along the road around the bay.Secret Garden has live music on Sundays.

The sea seems cleaner the more west you go. Not much of a beach near the Seatran Pier though, and water not too good there due to the ferries, and the fishermen's boats.

One thing to be aware of when booking accommodation is the noise from the planes coming in to land at the airport. from 6am-ish to midnight-ish I think.

Others may be able to recommend accommodation. Maybe anything west from Saboey Resort. I say that as a point of reference only, as I have not stayed there.

I will repeat. It is MUCH quieter than Chaweng or Lamai. Chaweng is just over ten mins on a motorbike though.

[khunsiam]

It is not that quiet anymore during the day, keep in mind that the ring road is closer to the beach, near the middle of the bay there is also the Petcherat marina with boat traffic.

[evadgib]

A better option might be Choeng Mon, not least because the sea there is deep & sandy enough for swimmers.

(Too shallow/rocky in bang rak)

HTH

Edited March 20, 2016 by evadgib

[samuijimmy]

A better option might be Choeng Mon, not least because the sea there is deep & sandy enough for swimmers.

(Too shallow/rocky in bang rak)

HTH

I agree Choeng Mon, is popular ... yet you rarely hear people talking about it... (I think people try to keep it a bit of a secret ).... I have never been there in the evening or night, so not sure what the nightlife is like, but there are certainly many bars and restaurants along the beach... it must have something to attract people... Many hotels to choose from too...

The beach along most of Ban Rak is not really popular or attractive, (very narrow in most places) except the FIsherman's Village end.. which is very "boutique" style with higher prices than most places, except possibly Chawang....

Phet Phet has better local knowledge, of places in the area... for sure!

Part of Choeng Mon beach....

Sea is usually much a calmer than beaches on the eastern side of the island!

[khunPer]

Bang Rak beach and sea is in my opinion not comparable with Chaweng and Lamai – you may get disappointed, lots of piers and boats, and a narrow beach – the bar-scene only, probably same level as Chaweng now-on-days, where many "beer-bars" have closed over the past years. Bang Rak has quite a lot of good and fair priced restaurants and many resorts, also at affordable prices. Middle of the bay is probably best for "life"; however be aware of the airport runway, the further north you get, with plane-noise from 6am till 10pm (or later, if delays) – they prefer to make both landings and starts over Big Buddha rather than Chaweng, which path is mainly used in peak hours.

The suggesten of further north at the peninsula makes good sense when comes to good beach and quiet area, but I think there is not much of bar-life up there.

Western end of Bo Phut Beach / eastern end of Maenam Beach may be alternatives for good beach and some beer-bar-life and restaurants, and also the western end of Maenam Bay at Lomprayah Pier is a possibility.

Edited March 20, 2016 by khunPer

[LastResort22]

Thanks everyone!

I'm now looking into bophut and maenam and the seem lovely.

Took a look using street view, and it seems very non-touristic (which is good).

One thing I didn't quite see are beer\girly bars...

Are there any around there (just to keep my options )

[PoorSucker]

Check out Chaweng Noi,

Plenty of restaurants and you will find the beer\girly bars on the strip between ring road and Chaweng beach road.

Also easy access to songthaews to Chaweng and Lamai.

[metisdead]

A post containing links that messed up the formatting of this page has been removed. Please try to refine your links so as not to mess up the formatting of the forum pages.

[Tywais]

If using Google Maps please use the following method to post links.

1. Top left corner click on the Menu

2. Scroll down on the left to find Share and click on it

3. Now select Short URL in the window and copy the shortened
link to paste in a topic.

[Birdman]

The good thing is, that there are no beer bars and prostituiertes on Menam and Bophut.

[khunPer]

If using Google Maps please use the following method to post links.

1. Top left corner click on the Menu

Google1.JPG

2. Scroll down on the left to find Share and click on it

Google2.JPG

3. Now select Short URL in the window and copy the shortened

link to paste in a topic.

Google3.JPG

Thanks for information.

Unfortunately I tried to use Google-street-view – and the URL from the address-line, which is very long – as OP in his update post used Street View to search the areas of interest. Street View is actually quite good when showing details; some other Social Medias accept Street View-links.

However, I excuse breaking the rules and will find another method for explaining...

[Tywais]

Thanks for information.

Unfortunately I tried to use Google-street-view – and the URL from the address-line, which is very long – as OP in his update post used Street View to search the areas of interest. Street View is actually quite good when showing details; some other Social Medias accept Street View-links.

However, I excuse breaking the rules and will find another method for explaining...

No rules broken, just a technical error.

I post Google Street view quite often. It's quick to do safely as I will show below.

1. Just go to your street view and select and copy the URL in the address bar.

2. Type in the post a meaningful word or phrase that tells what the view is of. Example: Street View BigC Chiang Mai

3. Now select that word/phrase with the mouse and click on the Link icon at the top and paste the URL you copied in 1. Below is the result.

Street View BigC Chiang Mai

Note: The above technique is good for either standard Google Earth view or street view. I find it quicker to use then my previous howto and makes it clearer what you are linking to.

[Rooo]

The good thing is, that there are no beer bars and prostituiertes on Menam and Bophut.

Bophut yes, Maenam on the ring road a section of them.

[khunPer]

Thanks everyone!

I'm now looking into bophut and maenam and the seem lovely.

Took a look using street view, and it seems very non-touristic (which is good).

One thing I didn't quite see are beer\girly bars...

Are there any around there (just to keep my options )

I'll try again replying to this post, with question about Girly Beer Bars.

At Maenam Ring Road at Soi 1 is a little entertainment-area with 5-6 bar – Street View link here heading East on Ring Road – but the walking distance to the beach can be a bit long in that area; some 500+ meters.

At the entrance to so-called Lomprayah pier in Maenam (West end of the bay) are a few bars on the Ring Road and a small number inside the temple-portal, turn left on Street View – link here heading East on Ring Road – I presume 5-6 bars, there has come some more over the last few years. That area inside the portal also has lots of cozy restaurants and still a number of older bungalows at presumably fair price, and it's closer to beach than the above suggestion; there is a nice and wide public beach area next to Lomprayah.

Last option is the Santibury-area – link here heading West on Ring Road, Santibury and beach R/H-side – a little after the resort entrance is a few bars on right hand side, a little further a side road through a portal with the sign "Beach" on top, down here are some restaurants and maybe still a bar or two, but the ladies may have get cold and long gone, and furthermore a few affordable beach-front bungalow resorts.

I'm not a bar guest (at all), so I'm only familiar with what I see when passing by, or the rare times coming with foreign friends, so please someone correct me, if I'm outdated.

[evadgib]

The good thing is, that there are no beer bars and prostituiertes on Menam and Bophut.

Bophut yes, Maenam on the ring road a section of them.

More brass than the London Philharmonic Edited March 22, 2016 by evadgib

[LastResort22]

Thanks everyone!

You've certainly helped a lot!

I think I'll split my time between mae nam (hopping to bophut to check the fisherman's village) and lamai.

How much does the taxi mafia take for such a trip (mae nam-->lamai) now days?

Can I take a songtheaw going counter clockwise?

How much is a taxi\tuk-tuk from mae nam to bophut?

Once again, thank you very much!

All of the scrolling through street view made me want to be there tommarow

[Rooo]

Thanks everyone!

You've certainly helped a lot!

I think I'll split my time between mae nam (hopping to bophut to check the fisherman's village) and lamai.

How much does the taxi mafia take for such a trip (mae nam-->lamai) now days?

Can I take a songtheaw going counter clockwise?

How much is a taxi\tuk-tuk from mae nam to bophut?

Once again, thank you very much!

All of the scrolling through street view made me want to be there tommarow

Try he new NaviGo Samui application for taxi.

[samuijimmy]

Maenam to Bophut, in tuk tuk, is probably going to cost 60 baht... (should be less ... but... you farang!)

Not sure of when they stop running, I don't think they run through the evening / night...

Try what Rooo suggested! looks like you need one of those smart phone thingies!

Read more on that here: http://www.samuitimes.com/navigo-samui-the-new-taxi-app-in-koh-samui/

[justinnsamui]

Choengmon....

[khunPer]

Maenam to Bophut, in tuk tuk, is probably going to cost 60 baht... (should be less ... but... you farang!)

Not sure of when they stop running, I don't think they run through the evening / night...

Try what Rooo suggested! looks like you need one of those smart phone thingies!

Read more on that here: http://www.samuitimes.com/navigo-samui-the-new-taxi-app-in-koh-samui/

I think Jimmy mean "Song Taew" (also called "Bath-Bus" some places) – never seen a tuk-tuk taxi here, and a motorbike taxi will not do the trip for 60 baht. Count somewhere between 60 and 100 baht by song taew and agree price before, so don't get get surprised by a farang-overprice. Song taews stop running at bus-price 6pm, at night same price as a metered taxi without using the meter; i.e. you are overpriced...

Normal taxi – or song taew at night – will be 600 baht for the distance Lamai-Maenam, if you are extremely lucky you may get it for 500...

Metered taxis are supposed to drive on meter with a start fee of 50 baht and allowed a Samui-sur-charge of another 50 baht...

Edit: Saw in the NaviGo article at Samui Times that a trip from Chaweng (Raggae Pub) to Maenam (Santibury Resort) was suggested at 400 baht, for that money you may also find a metered taxi in the street or a song taew.

Edited March 23, 2016 by khunPer

[samuijimmy]

Maenam to Bophut, in tuk tuk, is probably going to cost 60 baht... (should be less ... but... you farang!)

Not sure of when they stop running, I don't think they run through the evening / night...

Try what Rooo suggested! looks like you need one of those smart phone thingies!

Read more on that here: http://www.samuitimes.com/navigo-samui-the-new-taxi-app-in-koh-samui/

I think Jimmy mean "Song Taew" (also called "Bath-Bus" some places) – never seen a tuk-tuk taxi here, and a motorbike taxi will not do the trip for 60 baht. Count somewhere between 60 and 100 baht by song taew and agree price before, so don't get get surprised by a farang-overprice. Song taews stop running at bus-price 6pm, at night same price as a metered taxi without using the meter; i.e. you are overpriced...

Normal taxi – or song taew at night – will be 600 baht for the distance Lamai-Maenam, if you are extremely lucky you may get it for 500...

Metered taxis are supposed to drive on meter with a start fee of 50 baht and allowed a Samui-sur-charge of another 50 baht...

oh of course.... "Song Taews" .... silly me!

But it's Baht ... we don't have a bath when paying for things... Touche!

[evadgib]

Maenam (Santiburi) to Bophut FV is no more than 5kms therefore THB 40 to the driver is being generous. The secret is having the right money, looking like you know what you're doing & carry on walking as soon as you have paid.

The price list is posted in the back of each Songtaew. Take a snapshot on day one for your own reference. I cannot remember the minimum fare, I think it's THB 20 for the first 10 kms but might have gone up. Perhaps someone on the 'driving licence' thread can take a photo as the rates are posted @ the DLT office too (both languages).

HTH

Edited March 23, 2016 by evadgib

[khunPer]

Maenam to Bophut, in tuk tuk, is probably going to cost 60 baht... (should be less ... but... you farang!)

Not sure of when they stop running, I don't think they run through the evening / night...

Try what Rooo suggested! looks like you need one of those smart phone thingies!

Read more on that here: http://www.samuitimes.com/navigo-samui-the-new-taxi-app-in-koh-samui/

I think Jimmy mean "Song Taew" (also called "Bath-Bus" some places) – never seen a tuk-tuk taxi here, and a motorbike taxi will not do the trip for 60 baht. Count somewhere between 60 and 100 baht by song taew and agree price before, so don't get get surprised by a farang-overprice. Song taews stop running at bus-price 6pm, at night same price as a metered taxi without using the meter; i.e. you are overpriced...

Normal taxi – or song taew at night – will be 600 baht for the distance Lamai-Maenam, if you are extremely lucky you may get it for 500...

Metered taxis are supposed to drive on meter with a start fee of 50 baht and allowed a Samui-sur-charge of another 50 baht...

oh of course.... "Song Taews" .... silly me!

But it's Baht ... we don't have a bath when paying for things... Touche!

Song kran comes soon, so does the "bath" in the baht-bus.

[khunPer]

Maenam (Santiburi) to Bophut FV is no more than 5kms therefore THB 40 to the driver is being generous. The secret is having the right money, looking like you know what you're doing & carry on walking as soon as you have paid.

The price list is posted in the back of each Songtaew. Take a snapshot on day one for your own reference. I cannot remember the minimum fare, I think it's THB 20 for the first 10 kms but might have gone up. Perhaps someone on the 'driving licence' thread can take a photo as the rates are posted @ the DLT office too (both languages).

HTH

Sorry, I only focused at Maenam-Lamai when saying 60-100 baht, song taew Maenam to Bo Phut is more likely 20 baht – a taxi fare without meter would be in the area of 200 to 300 baht.

[khunPer]

By the way, I saw this site advertised on Facebook – a pre-order minibus transfer – don't know anything about them, but it looks like an 8-person minibus costs 650 baht almost anywhere on the island; i.e. close to same rate as you may be charged by a Meter Taxi from Lipa Noi Raja Ferry to Maenam. Just share the link, if anyone is interested:

https://samuibus.com/

[LastResort22]

Thanks everyone!

I'm quite sure I'll start off in Lamai, and then go to MaeNam.

Can't wait!