Ko Samui City Overview

Once the idyllic island retreat, Ko Samui is today a tourist playground and its beaches are filled with visitors in varying shades of pink. Where visitors found uncomplicated and easy-going accommodation in simple bungalows that have all but disappeared, now find souped-up lodgings in five star hotels that may be very comfortable but don’t have the primitive charm of the original Thai houses. There is still natural scenic beauty on the island, as well as great beaches, and there are magnificent mountainous and heavy forested areas to be explored. All in all, Ko Samui is still a tropical paradise, just a little more crowded than before.

Daily Budget
Backpackers arriving in Ko Samui, must think they have died and gone you know where, because this really is a paradise for the hard-up and hungry, with US$16 – 20 a day covering meals and accommodation, and US$31 a day giving a touch of luxury to the accommodation, great food, and enough small change to cover a few entrance fees.