Koh Samui.

Travel Tips

Stay: KC Resort and Over Water Villas, Chaweng Beach. I would recommend this resort to anyone who is willing to ride a scooter to and from town/beach/other areas. It is set back from the main street on a hill. The service is great, rooms are very tidy and have a jacuzzi on the balcony with a great view. Buffet breakfast is provided and includes an egg station and fresh juices.

Activities:

• Scooters - ensure you wear a helmet! Please! The roads on Koh Samui are very unstable and are of poor quality. I saw numerous accidents and so many people with serious bandages. You'll pay anywhere between 150B - 300B per day depending on the scooter. The shop owners require about $100AU deposit and your passport. We rented from 2 different owners and left a licence (for ID purposes only - it is "illegal" to drive/ride without an international drivers licence) instead, but it took some encouragement! Petrol will be 40B/L from side stalls.
• Massages/Pedicures - all the little salons are 'much of a muchness'. Prices vary by about 100B and please avoid the one with leopard print chairs across from the Bondi Bar on Chaweng Beach (lovely ladies, crap paint job!). Try a massage on the beach at the Southern end of Chaweng - only 200B and very relaxing.
• Russian Cabaret - located in the bar area of Chaweng Beach. Very entertaining!
• Grandpa/Grandma Rocks - on Lamai Beach stands rocks that resemble a penis and vagina.

Eating/Drinking:

• Islander Bar - very cheap food from all parts of the world. Try the chicken massaman curry. Jugs of cocktails for 300B which are delicious and made using fresh fruit, not syrups like many other bars.
• Magnolia Cafe - a tiny little cake house style restaurant which does 99B cocktails without a service charge. They also had the best pad thai dish from the whole trip, which is not expected at all.
• Ark Bar - apparently the beach party goes off on Friday nights however we missed it unfortunately. We did go on a Saturday night, which was a beautiful time on the beach sipping cocktails and watching the world walk by.

• Green Mango - AWESOME! I highly recommend finishing your night out at this place. So many people and so much fun. We had such a good time with friends we made in Bangkok.

Other:

• Airport Transfers - make sure you book a transfer prior to arriving at the airport. There are no metered taxis on Koh Samui so whenever you use one, you must agree on the fare prior to getting in. Don't worry about booking a transfer when you leave, if you are confident enough and chat to a local they will take you to airport for an acceptable price.
• Full Moon Parties - it is easy to travel to/from Koh Samui for the night. Speed boats travel every hour and are quite cheap.