Choeng Mon is made up of a series of bays on the north-western tip of the island, which are dominated by five star resorts. Most of the hotels have their own private beach.


These resorts attract a wealthier, package tour crowd, predominantly from Europe. This is reflected in the food and

entertainment on offer in many of the resorts' restaurants. So don't expect the Thai cuisine served to be too spicy and do expect traditional Thai dancing and numerous bands expertly playing covers of Western pop standards. You will also find a high number of high end developments in Choeng Mon.



Lamai Beach is Samui's Second largest resort area after Chaweng. It is quieter and less bustling than its big sister, but still with plenty of accommodation, dining and shopping options to be found, and some great spas and tourist sites to explore. In terms of popularity, the tourist facilities and the quality of the beach itself, Lamai comes a close second to Chaweng, but with a less frenetic ambience.

The general atmosphere is laid back and Lamai has slightly older, and generally cheaper tourist facilities than Chaweng, although there is some indication that the area is slowly being rejuvenated. Along with the rest of Samui, there is a steady trend away from the 'cheap and cheerful' toward smarter, high-end accommodation and dining facilities and some of the new resorts in Lamai bear testament to this upgrade.

While the central part of Lamai can seem a little 'single-male-orientated', especially at night, there is often a fairly mixed crowd of Westerners hanging out in the town. The older European ex-pat scene centres around the beach-road beer-bars, with backpackers and health-seekers staying on the fringes, catered for by spas and cheap bungalows. Due to its relaxed atmosphere, Lamai is also great for families and some resorts cater well for kids, with good swimming pools and shallow, safe beach front areas.

Lamai is a much more manageable size than Chaweng, so a daytime stroll along the beach or an evening walk on the main strip can take in most of the sights. Lamai is also bordered by lush jungle, with secluded bays, small quaint villages, temples, Spas, mummified monks and phallic rock formations all close by. Lamai is also a living, working Thai village with a tight-nit local community centred around the cultural hubs of the temple and daily market. There are still quite a few old-style wooden houses raised on stilts and local people sell fruit from their garden, take in laundry and do clothes repairs or run small grocery stores from the front room of their house.

Perhaps it's the excellent views of Ko Phan Ngan that have kept Maenam as Samui's last predominantly backpacker beach. Or maybe it's the fact that many of its resorts are located at the end of long rambling pathways, affording a degree of privacy unavailable elsewhere. Either way, Maenam is still the place to be while away for a few weeks (or months) on a low budget, staying in one of the many cheap fan bungalow operations that are dotted along the beach.

Samui's administrative and business centre doesn't offer a great deal to the short stay tourist. ATMs and postal facilities are now available in most other places on the island, but Nathon is the place to go for full banking services and the main Post Office, which also has a telecoms centre for overseas calls.

For anyone arriving by boat as a passenger, Nathon is also the island's main port (car ferries dock at Lipa Noi, a few kilometres south) and jumping off point for the islands of Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and mainland Surat Thani. To service the backpacker trade, a small cottage industry of sarong shops, bakeries, second hand bookshops, travel agents and internet cafes have sprung up along the waterfront.

The town's main tourist attraction for day trippers is its old wooden Chinese shophouses that line the middle road, selling an esoteric range of goods, including a lot of gold. Souvenirs bought here will also be considerably cheaper than elsewhere on the island. Food wise, any of the waterfront seafood restaurants are recommended for a taste of truly authentic and very spicy, local cuisine. Hotel accommodation is cheap and plentiful, but as few tourists have any need to stay the night, it's primarily aimed at the local market.

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