| While small enough to drive around island in about | | | | means that the majority of housing can be found |
| an hour, Koh Samui is still big enough that you can | | | | in the surrounding hills. |
| always find beautiful hidden spots no matter how | | | | Maenam on the North coast still offers a wide |
| long you stay. Despite its continuing development, | | | | selection of budget accommodation however |
| large parts of the island remain covered with | | | | there are now a number of top end luxury |
| coconut groves, rice paddies and forest. | | | | resorts located there, with a number of |
| Chaweng boasts the longest and most popular | | | | restaurants and shops springing up on the main |
| beach on Samui. Accommodation can be found | | | | road to cater to visitors. Maenam is also home to |
| along its entire length, and while there is now a | | | | many of the new villa developments on the island, |
| distinct leaning towards more upmarket hotels and | | | | and was one of the first areas to feature such |
| resorts you can still find a few budget bungalows | | | | development. |
| left over from the islands days as a backpacker | | | | Big Buddha is located on the North coast close to |
| haven. Chaweng is also home to a lot of the | | | | the airport, and Samui's most famous landmark - |
| islands nightlife as well as featuring the highest | | | | the Big Buddha itself. Like Maenam it still offers a |
| concentration of shops and restaurants. The | | | | number of more relaxed and relatively low priced |
| popularity of Chaweng means that residential | | | | resorts. There are also a surprising number of |
| developments tend to be found off the main strip | | | | excellent dining options in the area, and it is also |
| on the outskirts of the town or in the hills | | | | home to the weekly Secret garden music festival. |
| overlooking the beach where land costs are lower. | | | | Bophut is one of Samui's recently developed |
| Lamai is Samui's second-largest and some say | | | | villages and as such has managed to retain some |
| most beautiful beach. The water is excellent for | | | | of its traditional Thai charm and values yet still has |
| swimming and the southern end is studded with | | | | a slight Mediterranean feel. The limited traffic along |
| elegant boulders. Although slightly less developed | | | | this stretch of road gives the feeling of a more |
| than Chaweng, Lamai still has its share of nightlife, | | | | relaxed 'walking street', something which is |
| restaurants and shops as well as more mid range | | | | increasingly difficult to find on Samui. Many of the |
| accommodation options. Similar to Chaweng, the | | | | converted shop-houses offer romantic beachside |
| restricted area available on and around the beach | | | | dining. |