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.
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