Your Guide to Koh Samui, Thailand

From Europe to Latin America, from Australia to the USA, very many people now recognise the name of Koh Samui. And for good reason. This beautiful tropical island has been charming its visitors ever since the first tourists arrived in 1971. Those who experience Samui are rewarded with an idyllic tropical retreat with little traffic, white-sand beaches, a sapphire-blue sea, an abundance of tantalizing Thai cuisine and an unusually warm and friendly people.

Koh Samui is just 21 kilometres at its widest point and 25 at its longest. Its hinterland consists of forests hills of limestone and granite, and the shoreline is made up of countless palm-fringed beaches and bays. The best (and most developed) beaches are at Chaweng and Lamai on the east coast, where you can now find a very wide range of hotels, and both restaurants, nightspots to suit every taste.