Koh Samui

Chaweng is Koh Samui's longest and most energetic beach, an almost seven-kilometre ribbon of soft white sand along the island's east coast. The water is shallow, warm and usually calm outside the late-year monsoon, which makes it a reassuring choice for families with young swimmers, while a coral reef off the northern end near quieter Chaweng Noi rewards snorkellers. Behind the sand runs the island's main tourist strip: a dense line of beach resorts, spas, seafood grills, cafes and shops, with the air-conditioned Central Festival mall a short stroll inland when the midday sun turns fierce. Loungers and umbrellas can be rented along most of the bay, and gentle water sports such as kayaking and paddleboarding are easy to arrange. Mornings are peaceful and best for swimming; the strip only wakes up in the evening. It is the most convenient base on the island for first-time visitors who want everything on their doorstep.

The island's most recognisable landmark, Wat Phra Yai, is a twelve-metre golden seated Buddha that gazes out over the sea from the tiny islet of Koh Faan, linked to Samui's north-east corner by a short causeway near the airport. The figure sits in the classic calling-the-earth-to-witness posture and is approached up a staircase flanked by colourful naga serpents, the guardian mythological figures that wind along the balustrades. From the terrace at its feet you get wide views across the water toward neighbouring Koh Phangan, and the gilded surface glows especially warmly in the late-afternoon light. Around the base sit smaller shrines, rows of bells that visitors ring for good fortune, and a handful of stalls and cafes. As an active place of worship it asks for modest dress, with shoulders and knees covered and shoes removed before entering the inner areas. A quiet, respectful visit takes under an hour.

This protected archipelago of around forty-two limestone islands lies roughly thirty kilometres north-west of Samui and makes the island's finest day trip. Boats leave in the morning for the forty-five-minute to ninety-minute crossing, depending on whether you choose a fast speedboat or a slower, gentler cruise. The scenery is the draw: jagged jungle-topped islets rising sheer from jade-green water, hidden coves, and the park's showpiece, a spectacular inland saltwater lagoon on Koh Mae Ko known as the Emerald Lake, reached by a short climb. On Koh Wua Talap a steep viewpoint trail opens onto the classic panorama of the whole scattered island chain, a view said to have inspired the novel 'The Beach'. Days typically mix kayaking through the karsts, snorkelling over reefs, swimming and a beach lunch. The park closes each year from around the first of November to mid-December for the monsoon, so plan your visit for the calmer months.

Bophut, on the quieter north coast, is Samui's most characterful old quarter, a single lane of restored century-old teak-and-timber Chinese shophouses that once belonged to the island's trading and fishing families. Today those weathered buildings hold boutique hotels, art and craft shops, breezy waterfront bars and some of Samui's best seafood restaurants, all with a slower, more romantic feel than the Chaweng strip. It is a lovely place for an evening stroll, an early dinner by the water, and a sundowner as fishing boats bob offshore. The highlight is the Friday-night walking street market, when the lane closes to traffic and fills with food stalls, local snacks, handmade crafts, clothing and live music, drawing both visitors and residents. Because it faces north, Bophut also catches gentle sunsets over the sea. It is compact and easily walked in an hour or two, making it an easy add-on to any day on the island.

Tucked into Samui's lush, hilly interior, the two Na Muang waterfalls are the island's most accessible dip into jungle scenery. Their name means purple, a nod to the violet-tinged rock the water tumbles over. Na Muang 1 is the easy one, an eighteen-metre cascade dropping into a broad natural pool just a short, flat walk from the road, safe and shallow enough for a cooling family swim. Na Muang 2 is taller and more dramatic at roughly eighty metres, but reaching it involves a steeper jungle trail of around thirty minutes on foot, or a ride on one of the local safari trucks. The surrounding forest is genuinely green and shady, a welcome contrast to the beaches, and the falls run fullest and most photogenic after rain. Footing on the wet rocks can be slippery, so proper shoes help. It is an easy half-day escape inland and pairs well with a viewpoint or interior drive.

Lamai, on the south-east coast, is Samui's second-longest beach and a more relaxed, better-value alternative to Chaweng, with the same soft pale sand and clear water but a calmer, less frenetic strip behind it. The swimming is good for much of the year and the southern end in particular stays peaceful. Just around the headland at the beach's southern tip sit the island's quirkiest natural sight, the Hin Ta and Hin Yai rocks, whose names translate as Grandfather and Grandmother. These weathered formations, shaped by the sea into unmistakably suggestive silhouettes, are tied to a local folk tale of an elderly couple lost in a storm, and have become a light-hearted, much-photographed landmark with a boardwalk, viewpoints and snack stalls. Together, beach and rocks make an easy half-day on this side of the island. Lamai also has a laid-back dining and market scene inland, giving it plenty of life without Chaweng's intensity.