Pete & Rach's Big Trip: Koh Samui: 18-19 Dec 2013 and 30 Dec

Where we lounged about drinking milkshakes and reading books

Pete says:

We had a great time at the Samui Beach Resort. The surroundings are nowhere near as exotic and tropical as Phangan, but we had finally found a place sheltered from most of the wind, away from the clouds and with a nice sandy beach and warm (if lively) sea to swim in. The food from the beachside restaurant was very good, they had a small pool, nice covered seating things to rest on, beach towels, beds and parasols free to guests and
the room was very pleasant, with a decent bed, cable tv, aircon, wifi and so on.

Celebrating New Year's Eve in Chaweng

For NYE we traveled over to Chaweng which I thought was a horrible place. Much like a sort of Magaluf resort and although we had fun at the pool/beach party we went to (not cheap at £14 for a cocktail bucket!!!) it is not somewhere I would choose to stay.

The two weeks or so we spent at Samui Beach Resort were a very nice relaxing time. Rachael worked on her tan, we read books, lazed around, ate great food. Occasionally we went into Lamai town for a bit of barbecue shark and for Rachael to do some shopping and we worked on our plans for getting to and staying in India.

Rach says:

Koh Samui is not paradise like Koh Phangan...it is overdeveloped, ultra-commercial and not so pretty - and the resorts are reminiscent of the bad side of the Mediterranean. But we were so excited to have found the sun at the Samui Beach Resort that we couldn't stop extending our stay: first 7 days, then 9, then 11, then 12... This is the life, we thought, lazing around and sunning ourselves on the beach from morning 'til night! We didn't want to leave.

The sea was incredibly powerful, with huge crashing waves. Pete said: "come in, it's fun", but after being knocked down and dragged up the beach several times, nearly drowning myself and losing my bikini, I decided to stick to sunbathing. Our recent viewings of such Syfy classics as "Sharknado" and "Ghost Shark" also did not help with my fear.

I was super excited for New Year's Eve. Chaweng was the chosen destination - the busiest resort on the island. We had a few drinks in Lamai, before catching a taxi to the Ark Bar on Chaweng Beach. It wasn't really our kind of place - Rasta Baby, we missed you! - the music and atmosphere were not so good (think Magaluf), there was a bit of violence thrown in and we spent unthinkable funds (700 Baht / £14 for a cocktail bucket!!). We did have a great time together though - and the fireworks on the beach at midnight were impressive, if somewhat hazardous..!

Interesting facts:

The party-loving Thais celebrate three New Years: Western 1st January, Chinese in late January/February, Thai in April (marked by the Songkran Water Festival when everyone takes to the streets for a huge water fight).
On the Thai islands, all the shops have the same sign up on the door: "Please take off your shoes".
A visit to Family Mart / 7-11 is the best way to cool down on a hot walk!