Is Koh Samui Worth Visiting?

Is Koh Samui worth visiting? If you are considering visiting Thailand, you might be considering spending some time in Koh Samui. In July, we spent one month living in Koh Samui as digital nomads. In this post, I explain what we loved about the island, what we didn’t like, if you should visit Koh Samui, and if Koh Samui is good for digital nomads. Hopefully, this will help you decide if Koh Samui is worth visiting. 

Where is Koh Samui?

Koh Samui, or Ko Samui as it is sometimes called (Koh meaning island), is an island in the Gulf of Thailand. Koh Samui is a beautiful island, with coastal hills covered in green jungle growth and gorgeous beaches. It is small enough to drive around it in about three hours. 

How do you get to Koh Samui?

The easiest way to get to Koh Samui is to fly into Samui International Airport. A non-stop flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui takes about an hour. Alternatively, you can take a ferry from Surat Thani or Don Sak, which takes about one and a half to three hours.  

When is the best time to visit Koh Samui? 

Koh Samui is blessed with generally nice weather year-round, although most months experience clouds and rain. The rainy season is from late October through mid-December. November is the rainiest month. I would avoid visiting during this time unless you are trying to escape the crowds because most of the things to do are outside and some businesses may be closed. April and May tend to be the hottest months, but only slightly. December through February is the busiest season for tourists. We visited in July and it was hot, humid, and it rained occasionally but was not busy. 

READ MORE: Digital Nomad Guide to Canggu, Bali

Why is it worth visiting Koh Samui?

Si Khao Night Market 

Our favorite thing about Koh Samui was the Si Khao Night Market, from which we conveniently lived within walking distance. Night markets are popular in much of Southeast Asia including Thailand and you can find them in most cities. Night markets usually focus on serving street foods, which in Thailand can include skewers, curries, noodles like pad thai, rice dishes like pad krapow (a dish made with Thai basil and usually pork), and even some Western foods depending on the market. They also might serve a range of desserts like Roti pancakes, my favorite, or ice cream rolls. 

We loved the Si Khao Night Market because it felt much less touristy than the other night markets on the island. Boput Fisherman’s Night Market is a popular market that happens on Fridays only, but there are many people, including tourists, and vendors will be hawking products left and right. It is a little overwhelming. There is also a night market in Lamai, which is very small and mostly offers Western food. These are fun to visit if you are in the area, but they weren’t our favorite. Si Khao night market offered a variety of things, fewer Western dishes, and the vendors didn’t constantly ask us if we wanted to buy something. I’m not sure why that is, but it is preferable. 

What can you get at the Si Khao Night Market?

At the Si Khao Night Market, we could eat dinner for less than $5 USD including dessert. We tried some excellent green curry with chicken over noodles. There was also a stand making a variety of stir-fried dishes and we tried pad thai, pad krapow, pad see ew, and yellow stir-fried noodles from there. They were all delicious! There are other foods on offer, like takoyaki, fried spring rolls, fresh spring rolls, gyoza, skewers, popcorn chicken with fries, sushi, insects, and more. At the Crepe Zone, which I visited so frequently that the girl knew my order, there was a variety of sweet and savory crepes. This night market was everything we wanted and more. There were also plenty of non-food-related stands selling clothing and other products. 

Thai Food 

Not exclusive to Koh Samui, but we were blown away by the Thai food in Thailand. The local food was so good and flavorful. Even in the touristy areas where I wouldn’t expect the food to be that great, it still was. The main difference when eating at a touristy place was the price of the food, but the quality was still great. 

The south of Thailand is known for curries, so most restaurants serve several different types of curry. The main kinds were green, yellow, red, panang, and massaman. You should try them all! If I had to pick a favorite, it would be green because it tends to have more vegetables. Panang curry has a peanut sauce. Sometimes they put chopped peanuts in the curry, but other times it is blended until smooth. Massaman is the only curry that has potatoes. Other Thai specialties include spring rolls, mango sticky rice, and noodle and rice dishes. 

Stunning Beaches 

I loved being near the beach in Koh Samui. The closest beach to us was Chaweng, which is the most touristy and busy. While that area wasn’t my favorite, the beach is nice. There are no big waves and it doesn’t get deep quickly, so it is great for swimming. The water is incredibly clear on sunny days. The mountainous coast envelopes the beach creating a beautiful haven. You can get street food on the beach, like grilled corn or meat skewers. There are also plenty of beach clubs and resorts where you can sit in a lounge chair as long as you buy something. They typically offer beachy cocktails, beers, juice, and fruit shakes. Thai massages are also available at Chaweng Beach. 

Transportation 

Getting around on Koh Samui is very easy. After driving the scooter in Bali, it was a piece of cake in Koh Samui. Traffic laws are obeyed significantly more and there are fewer people. I spent some time learning to drive the scooter here since I wasn’t comfortable doing it in Bali. If you don’t feel comfortable driving the scooter, it is also possible to get around in a car on Koh Samui. It might be more difficult to find parking in a car, but in most places, it isn’t impossible. There are a good amount of other cars on the road. 

As I mentioned above, the island is small enough that you can drive around it in a couple of hours and I highly recommend it. It’s a good way to see all the island has to offer. The ocean is visible from many of the roads on the edge of Samui. 

If you don’t want to rent a scooter or car, songthaews are pickup trucks with covered benches in the back and they provide public transportation around the touristy areas of Koh Samui for a low price. They will pick you up if you flag them down. They go between Boput, Chaweng, and Lamai on the main ring road and some large secondary roads. Songthaews do not have an exact set route, so once you have flagged one down, state your destination. They will let you know if they don’t go there and then provide the price. Hop in the back of the truck and ring the bell when you reach your destination. Then, you will pay in cash. 

Samui Elephant Sanctuary 

The main objective for our trip to Koh Samui was to visit the Samui Elephant Sanctuary, where they rescue elephants that worked in the logging or tourism industries. Elephants no longer work in the logging industry in Thailand, but elephant tourism is still prevalent. We loved visiting the elephant sanctuary, where we prepared healthy snacks for the elephants, fed them, and safely interacted with them. It was an amazing experience and I urge you to visit the Samui Elephant Sanctuary instead of partaking in the elephant-riding available to tourists in Thailand. 

Thai Massages

Thailand is a great place to get affordable massages. Koh Samui is no exception. You can even get massages right on Chaweng Beach. We tried out Baan Sawan Massage near Chaweng Beach which was enjoyable. You can get a foot massage while looking out over the busy street or get a reasonably priced full-body Thai massage. 

READ MORE: 2 Day Itinerary for Kuala Lumpur

Access to Necessities 

We found that Koh Samui had everything we needed and more. The stores were similar to those we are used to in the US. There are two large grocery stores near the Airbnb we stayed in, Big C and Lotus, which made it easy to get everything we needed. Toilet paper, groceries, alcohol, toiletries, and even clothing were available at these stores. It almost reminded me of a Walmart or Target! I didn’t expect something like that on an island smaller than Bali. We certainly didn’t have anything that familiar in Canggu. That was a pleasant surprise. It worked out well because we had a great kitchen in Koh Samui too, which allowed us to cook more. We made breakfast at home almost every day. 

Crowds 

We didn’t find Koh Samui overly crowded during our stay in July. This is not the high season so it is likely busier if you visit from December to February. The only place we felt was very busy was the Boput Fisherman’s Market, which occurs every Friday. 

Good Accommodations 

The Airbnb we stayed at in Koh Samui was excellent and the price was right. It was only $700 a month for the condo. The complex has two pools, a small gym, and a pool table. The condo is a corner unit on the third floor, the top of the building, so there are fewer neighbors than the other units. There is a small balcony that overlooks the mountains and the pool. The condo was furnished well with everything we could need including wine glasses, cooking utensils, a TV (which we didn’t have for our two months in Bali), a yoga mat and blocks, rain ponchos, rackets, and a ball for the beach.

The location was just outside of the main touristy areas of Chaweng and Boput, so it was only about 10 minutes driving to get there. It had everything we needed. If you are considering trying out the digital nomad lifestyle in Koh Samui, this is a great place to stay. 

Things We Didn’t Like About Koh Samui

Chaweng 

There were a few things that we didn’t like in Koh Samui. The main touristy area of Chaweng was one of these things. The main street, which runs parallel to the beach and houses many of the resorts, hotels, restaurants, and shops in front of the beach, is pretty grim. It felt touristy and commercial with little unique charm. There are a few nice places, but I would probably not want to stay in a hotel in that area if I were visiting again unless it was right on the beach. I would opt for Lamai or Boput instead. 

Chaweng is a fun area to visit for a wild night out because there are several bars along the road and even a few places where you can purchase marijuana since that is legal in Thailand. The beach in that area is also nice and has plenty of amenities. It is fun to visit, but, again, I wouldn’t want to stay there. 

Sex Tourism

In Thailand, prostitution is not legal but laws are not enforced, so it is a huge destination for sex tourism. I didn’t know this when we booked our trip, although that fact wouldn’t have stopped me from visiting. We met an Australian family while doing a cooking class in Bali who had visited several places around Thailand. The mother clued us in on this information and mentioned that in her travels Koh Samui seemed particularly bad compared to other places in Thailand. As much as I try to decide for myself when people give me opinions about places (because often they are wrong!), this stuck with me. There are quite a few massage parlors in Koh Samui that look like they might be involved in such things and obviously, I don’t know for sure, but it leaves me feeling a little uncomfortable, personally. 

Meeting People

There are also, supposedly, a good amount of expats living in Koh Samui, but I imagine they have well-established communities that are hard to be a part of when you are visiting for a month. We didn’t meet anyone in Koh Samui. The Thai people were nice but not overly friendly to us. Having a longer conversation than just saying hello or ordering food was very uncommon because of the language barrier. We are both introverted, so it is possible we didn’t make a good effort, but in comparison to Bali where we met many friendly people, it was different. 

Water

Just before we arrived in Koh Samui there was a drought causing taps to run dry. This is largely due to the huge influx of tourists to the island, which has created new hotel and building developments, and the amount of water readily available for the island was strained. We didn’t have any issues with the water shortage, even though this was going on before and during our time there. This makes me think that tourist and expat areas were being allocated water and leaving the local people without running water.

Personal Experience Staying on Koh Samui

While we were in Koh Samui, we planned to explore some of the nearby islands at Ang Thong Marine Park and experience some water activities, but it didn’t work out. First, Luke came down with a bad cold that ate up one of our weekends and then it was pretty rainy. I also think we needed to recover from a few busy weeks in Bali including a visit from my mom and her boyfriend, a weekend of scuba diving, a weekend trip to Lovina, and finishing it off with packing up Bali to stop in Bangkok on our way to Koh Samui. 

Traveling so much is taxing. Even though we were moving slower than a usual vacation, it was a longer trip, and finding time to rest was difficult. It felt like we had to squeeze in as much as possible in the hours when Luke wasn’t working. This leaves mostly the weekends and the evenings. But packing those hours full is hard on both of us. 

I was disappointed that we didn’t get to experience the underwater world of the Gulf of Thailand because this is one of my favorite things to do in a tropical destination. In retrospect, I should have done more exploring on my own but I was still getting used to doing things solo while Luke was working. I was feeling a little lost, homesick, and unsure of myself in Koh Samui. With these caveats, it is hard to say if I am completely unbiased in my opinion of Koh Samui. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Would I go back to Koh Samui?

I don’t think so, at least not for a while, and not before visiting other places in Thailand first. I am still excited to explore more of Thailand, even though we didn’t love Koh Samui.

Should you visit Koh Samui?

Yes, Koh Samui is good to visit for a couple of days in combination with other locations in the Gulf of Thailand, like Koh Tao or Koh Pha Ngan. These islands are not far from Koh Samui and we heard great things about them. The Samui Elephant Sanctuary is a great experience that, in itself, makes Koh Samui worth visiting. We also loved the Si Khao Night Market and there is no denying that Koh Samui has some beautiful beaches. However, if after reading this, you have doubts, maybe skip Koh Samui because many places in Thailand will offer equally great beaches, Thai food, and night markets.

Is Koh Samui good for digital nomads?

Yes, Koh Samui is good for digital nomads as it is affordable, easy to get around, the WiFi is good, and there is access to a well-stocked grocery store. There are a few co-working spaces. Koh Samui is a fairly slow-paced island. There are some activities to do but if you like to constantly be doing things, the pace might be too slow for you. Personally, I would consider staying somewhere else in Thailand as a digital nomad because I think you can find many of these perks elsewhere too.

Is Koh Samui Worth Visiting?

Depending on your interests and priorities, Koh Samui may be worth visiting. There are many aspects of this tropical island that we enjoyed! However, if you are unsure, there are other interesting places in Thailand to visit. Have you been to Koh Samui? Do you think Koh Samui is worth visiting? 

Did you enjoy this post? Pin it for later!