By Plane -- Up to 17 flights depart daily from Bangkok on Bangkok Airways, pretty much one every 40 minutes between 6:20am and 7:20pm. Two daily flights from Phuket (Bangkok Airways Phuket office, and another daily from the U-Tapao airport near Pattaya (Bangkok Airways Pattaya office connect these major beach destinations, with additional Bangkok airways flights connecting the northern cities through Bangkok. From Singapore, Silk Air  flies daily and Bangkok Airways  three or four times each week.

Koh Samui Airport is a little slice of heaven -- open-air pavilions with thatch roofs surrounded by gardens and palms. For airport information call tel. 07742-5012. If you're staying at a larger resort, airport minivan shuttles can be arranged when you book your room. There's also a convenient minivan service. Book your ticket at the transportation counter upon arrival and you'll get door-to-door service for 100B ($2.50). If you depart Koh Samui via the airport, there's an additional 150B ($3.40) airport tax that's usually added to your ticket charge.

If unable to book a flight directly to the island, Thai Airways operates two daily flights to the nearby mainland at Surat Thani. From the airport, it's a shuttle to the town of Surat Thani and then connecting ferry to the island (see Songserm Travel below).

By Ferry -- If you're traveling overland, Songserm  runs a convenient ferry loop from Surat Thani with stops in Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao finishing at Chumphon (and back again). The total trip is about 4 hours, while the Surat-Samui leg is 2 hours. Rates are as follows: Surat-Samui 150B ($3.65); Samui-Pha Ngan 100B ($2.45); Pha Ngan-Koh Tao 250B ($6.10); Koh Tao-Chumphon 400B ($9.75). The morning boat leaves at 8am. There are a number of smaller companies that make boat connection (also speedboats) but Songserm is the best.

Also from Surat Thani, you can arrange travel from Koh Samui Tour (346/36 Talat Mai;  can't miss their sign just south of the bus station in Surat). They connect via a 75B ($1.80), 1-hour bus to Donsak and 2-hour, 160B (US$3.90) boat service to the island on a large ferry (a car and truck transport). At least eight boats make the trip each day.

If you book ahead at a resort, most will arrange transport from the Samui ferry pier at Nathon to your hotel, otherwise songtao make the trip to most beaches on the east coast for as little as 30B (75¢) if they can get a packed truckload from the boat landing (and it can be very packed). If you have no accommodations booking, many will even make a few stops along the way so you can check a few places out before deciding

Orientation

Though Koh Samui is the country's third-largest island, with a total area of 233 sq. km (90 sq. miles), its entire coastline can be toured by car or motorcycle in about 2 1/2 hours. The island is hilly, densely forested, and rimmed with coconut palm plantations. The Koh Samui airport is in the northeast corner of the island. The hydrofoils, car ferry, and express boats arrive on the west coast, in or near (depending on the boat) Nathon. The island's main road (Hwy. 4169, also called the "ring road") circles the island.

Samui's best beaches are on the north and east coasts. The long east coast stretch between Chaweng and Lamai beaches is the most popular destination for visitors and, consequently, where you'll find the greatest concentration of hotels and bungalows. The south coast has a few little hideaways and the west coast has a few sandy strips, but few amenities for tourists.

Nathon, the aforementioned ferry arrival point on the west coast, is just a tiny town; here though, you'll find a few banks, the TAT office and main post office but few visitors spend much time here.

The Beaches

Clockwise from Nathon, Mae Nam Bay is 12km (7 1/2 miles) from the ferry pier, at the midpoint of Samui's north shore, facing nearby Koh Pha Ngan. The beach is narrow and long, with coarse sand and shaded by trees. The water is deep enough for good swimming (on some beaches the water is shallow unless you walk out very far). This bay is often spared the fierce winds that whip during the stormy months, making it popular during the winter. Mae Nam is relatively isolated, and there are a number of simple, charming beach bungalows on unpaved roads off Highway 4169, which offer some of the most secluded accommodations on the island. Ban Mae Nam, the commercial center, is just east of the Dusit Santiburi Resort, one of the best resorts on the island, and has several restaurants, laundries, shops, a medical clinic, and a gas station.

Bophut Beach, on the north coast just east of Mae Nam, is one of the island's fastest developing areas. Unfortunately, Highway 4169 (the ring road) runs very close to the shore all along the sandy stretch. The presence of many small Thai restaurants, businesses, shops, and taxis creates a busier pace than is evident at other, more removed beaches. Bophut's very long (usually crowded in the high season) sand beach narrows considerably in the monsoon season, but the water remains fairly calm year-round. The sand is coarse. Fisherman's Village is the sign that marks entrance to the busiest area of Bophut where you'll find cheap restaurants and guesthouses among a pier-side clutch of small houses and shops worth a wander.

Big Buddha Beach is just east of Bophut and has a fairly clean, coarse sand beach (narrow in the monsoon months) and a calm, shallow swimming bay. Some small hotels and many simple bungalows look out over Koh Faan (also written Koh Farn), the island home of Koh Samui's huge seated Buddha. Fishing boats and long-tail water taxis connect with Koh Pha Ngan from here, popular during Full-Moon Party time.

Koh Samui juts out at the northeastern tip in a rough, irregular coastline. Bold rock formations create private coves and protected swimming areas, though from mid-October to mid-December the monsoon whips up the wind and waves, creating a steep drop-off from the coarse sand beach and strong undertow. Tongsai Bay is a beautiful cove dominated by one resort (reviewed later in this chapter); its privacy is a plus and a minus. While exclusively tranquil, it's difficult to reach by cheap public transport.

Southeast of Tongsai Beach, at the foot of high, craggy cliffs, is the fine sand beach of Choeng Mon, a gracefully shaped crescent about 1km (2/3 miles) long. Palm trees shading sunbathers reach right to the water's edge; swimming is excellent, with few rocks near the central shore. Across the way is Koh Fan Fa, a deserted island with an excellent beach. You can swim or, if the tides are right, walk there, but be careful of the rocks at low tide. Choeng Mon is isolated, but there are many small hotels and bungalows hidden in the hills and public minitruck service.

The two Chaweng beaches (the main Chaweng and south Chaweng Noi) are undoubtedly the most popular destinations on Koh Samui. The benefits of Chaweng are the many tourist conveniences here: money changing, Internet, laundry, travel and rental agencies, medical facilities, shopping, restaurants, and nightlife, not to mention more choices for accommodations. Chaweng can be a blast if you don't mind a little hustle and bustle. If you've come to get away from the familiar, from McDonald's and Starbucks, Chaweng is to be avoided, but even if you don't stay here, most visitors at least take a wander of an evening. The beaches of Chaweng and Chawng Noi are by far the longest on the island. The more recently developed north end of the strip abutts rocky coast, but to the south the swimming is good (though a bit shallow near shore).

The long sand beach on Lamai Bay is comparable to Chaweng's, but caters more to the young backpacker set. There are a few comfy new resorts in and among the budget bungalows though and the wide range of services, cafes and nightlife make Lamai the best budget choice and a popular spot.

Laem Set Bay is a small rocky cape on Samui's southeast coast, with dramatic scenery that has prompted the construction of a few well-known hotels.

On the west coast, from Laem Phang Ka, one of Samui's better beaches on the island's southwest tip, the Highway cuts inland, heading north past Ban Taling Ngam and the cutoff running west to the car-ferry jetty. These beaches are the most isolated on the island, with few facilities to support resorts and waters filled with rocks, making the beaches barely swimmable. Many Thai families stop for picnics at Hin Lat Falls, a rather uninteresting, littered site 2km (1 1/4 miles) south of Nathon, which supplies the town with its drinking water.

Visitor Information

The TAT Information Center is on Thawiratchaphakdi Road just north of the main fairy terminal in Nathon (tel. 07742-0504). A good place to stop before you head out to the beach, they distribute, in addition to TAT pamphlets, the thin Accommodations Samui guidebook, a free booklet packed with information on hotel, dining, and activity options. You'll find a host of free small-press magazines in Samui: Bangkok Airways produces the free Samui Guide, a color magazine with advertisements and information about the island; and What's On Samui is similar (but different). Samui Dining Guide (www.samuidiningguide.com) lists the best restaurants on the island. You can also pickup any of a number of free maps with lots of adverts and info.

Getting Around

By Songtao -- Songtao are the easiest and most efficient way to get around the island. They advertise their destinations -- to such beaches as Lamai, Chaweng, and Mai Nam -- with colorfully painted signs and all follow Rte. 4169, the ring road, around the island. For many trips, you have to change trucks between north and south routes. You can hail one anywhere along the highway and along beach roads. To visit a site off the beaten track (or one other than that painted on a truck's sign), ask the driver to make a detour. Most stop running regular routes after sundown, after which some will hang around outside the discos in Chaweng to take night owls home to other beaches. The cost is 30B to 40B (75¢-$1) one-way, with steep fares (up to 300B/$7) after hours.

By Rental Car -- Koh Samui's roads are narrow, winding and poorly maintained with few lights at night to guide you. Road accidents are many and renting a car is a far-better idea than going on a motorcycle. Your defensive driving skills will be required to navigate around slow-moving trucks and motorcycles at the side of the road, not to mention the occasional wandering dog.

Budget Car Rental has an office at the Samui Airport. They rent a host of vehicles starting with Suzuki Caribians at just 1,500B ($37) a day. Contact them at tel. 07742-7188. Avis has an office at the Santiburi Dusit Resort (tel. 07742-5031) and offers similar services and does pickup and delivery.

Local rental companies and travel agents have great deals for car rentals, and while vehicles are sometimes a little beat up, they're generally sound. Look for bargains as low as 700B ($17) per day, but don't expect solid insurance coverage. Read all the fine print, and make sure, if you don't have an international driver license, that your local license is acceptable under the agreement.

By Motorcycle -- Road accidents injure or kill an inordinate number of tourists and locals each year on Samui, mostly motorcycle riders; but still, two-wheels and a motor is still the most popular way to get around the island. The roads on Samui are busy so stay left and close to the shoulder of the road to make way for passing cars and trucks and go easy. Hot-shotting around the island, and there's plenty going on, lands so many in the hospital or worse. It's a 500B ($12.20) fine for not wearing a helmet (but enforced irregularly). Travel agencies and small operators rent motorcycles in popular beach areas. A 100cc Honda scooter goes for as little as 150B ($3.65) per day, while a 250cc chopper is as expensive as 700B to 900B ($17-$22) a day.

Fast Facts

All the major banks are in Nathon along waterfront Thawiratchaphakdi Road. In Chaweng you'll find numerous money-changers and ATMs: Try Krung Thai Bank's (opposite Starbucks). Hotels and guesthouses also accept traveler's checks. The main post office (tel. 07742-1013) is on Chonwithee Road in Nathon, but you'll probably not hike all the way back to the main pier for posting. Any hotel or guesthouse will handle it for you, and stamps can be purchased in small provision shops in beach areas. For Internet service, there are a number of options in Chaweng. Try the kind folks at Multi Travel and Tour (164/3 Moo 2 Chaweng; tel. 07741-3969) among the many. Bandon International Hospital (tel. 07742-5382) is a fine facility with English-speaking physicians who make housecalls. Located in the north of Chaweng. For tourist police emergencies dial tel. 07742-1281.