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As the second most popular Thai island, Koh Samui is easy to get to via land, boat, or air. There are numerous boats from Surat Thani province on the Thai mainland as well as from neighboring islands Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. The Koh Samui international airport is served primarily by Bangkok airways, which flies to and from Koh Samui and seven domestic and international destinations.
Once on the island there are many ways of getting around Koh Samui. Rental bicycles, motorbikes, and cars, both with and without drivers, are easily available, as are songtaews and taxis for getting around and between beaches.
Ko Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand, approximately 84 kilometers east of Surat Thani Province, or approximately 700 kilometers south of Bangkok. Known as the Coconut Island, Ko Samui is one of the most famous and popular attractions of Thailand. With an area of 247 square kilometers, Ko Samui is the third largest island of Thailand after Phuket and Ko Chang (of Trat Province).
Ko Samui is all in all a fairly big island. The most popular and commercialised beaches are Chaweng and Lamai, while the northern beaches and their adjacent villages of Mae Nam, Bophut, Bang Rak (Big Buddha) and Choeng Mon are more peaceful choices, and the west coast beaches are still (comparatively) quiet.
Clockwise from Nathon on the west coast, the main beaches are:
- Nathon — Samui's port and administrative center, but with little to attract the tourist
- Laem Yai — Set on the North West tip of the island, a secluded beach overlooking the islands of Angthong
- Mae Nam — a quiet and beautiful beach on the northern coast
- Bophut — known for its Fisherman's Village, laid-back but growing fast
- Bang Rak — at the northeastern tip, home of the Big Buddha
- Choeng Mon — quiet North shore beach
- Chaweng — the largest and most-developed beach, with a curious mix of luxury hotels and backpacker guesthouses and a hopping nightlife
- Lamai — Samui's "second" beach south of Chaweng, more backpackery than Chaweng
- Samui South Coast — the small beaches of Ban Hua Thanon, Na Khai, Laem Set, Bang Kao and Thong Krut
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