{"id":2815,"date":"2019-02-22T08:18:45","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T08:18:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lemonsandpalmtrees.com\/?p=2815"},"modified":"2019-03-13T06:35:47","modified_gmt":"2019-03-13T06:35:47","slug":"a-great-week-on-koh-samui","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lemonsandpalmtrees.com\/a-great-week-on-koh-samui\/","title":{"rendered":"A Week on Koh Samui With Trips into Nature and Quiet Beaches"},"content":{"rendered":"

Initially, Koh Samui was not on our list of places we wanted to visit in Thailand…<\/p>\n

\"Mae<\/p>\n

Koh Samui Island<\/h2>\n

As the second biggest island in Thailand, Koh Samui is one of the most developed and visited holiday destinations of the country. The island has its own airport and is quite busy. Initially, it was not on our list of places to visit in Thailand.\u00a0But after two relaxed and laid back weeks on Koh Tao<\/a>, we headed to Mae Nam\u00a0Beach<\/a> on Koh Samui, to meet up with our good friends to celebrate Sixten’s and my birthday.<\/p>\n

We were staying with our friends at their house, that had space enough for 10 persons. The house was located\u00a0in the quiet and relaxed back streets of Mae Nam, next to local\u00a0houses and other villas rented\u00a0out to foreigners.<\/p>\n

\"Pool<\/p>\n

Staying at a house with good friends, made the trip to Koh Samui really nice. So my first tip about Koh Samui will be to find a house in the quiet backstreets of Mae Nam.<\/p>\n

From our friends’\u00a0house, it was 10 minutes walk to the busy main road of Mae Nam and all kinds of good restaurants, street food possibilities and shopping. We loved the local street food places, with dumpling soup and the food stand just outside Tesco express<\/a>, where we tried different chicken sticks, fresh papaya salad,sticky rice, and Grilled Catfish.<\/p>\n

\"Green
Green papaya salad and grilled catfish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the best restaurants in Koh Samui\u00a0is located in Mae Nam, the place called Jano Restaurant<\/a>. It is very popular, so book ahead, or order take away as we did many times that week. We can recommend the grilled Saba.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Soi 4 in Mae Nam, just across from China town is a good curry lunch spot. The lady serves traditional local style curries on rice noodles, with a free buffet of greens on the table to add on. Find the place here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Best Quiet Spots in Koh Samui<\/h2>\n

From Mae Nam, we did small excursions around Koh Samui and found the island to be much nicer than many give it credit for. We were surprised to find many quiet beaches and small oases.<\/p>\n

Mae Nam\u00a0<\/span>beach<\/a>\u00a0was reached in 5 minutes on a scooter from our house and surprised us by being really pretty, clean and fairly quiet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mae
Mae Nam Beach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bang Por Beach<\/h3>\n

To the west of Mae Nam is another great beach, Bang Por Beach<\/a>, located in a small secluded bay. It has fine white sand and nice view to Koh Phangan.<\/p>\n

Nathon Town<\/h3>\n

On the west coast\u00a0Nathon town<\/a>\u00a0is located, once the main city of Koh Samui. (Today’s main city is Chaeweng Beach, a super busy town\u00a0with shopping, bars, and restaurants catering to every taste).<\/p>\n

Nathon town is really nice, and the opposite of Chaeweng, as it remains true Thai, with typical small woodhouses. It offers good local food places and a nice night market<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tong Yang Beach<\/h3>\n

From Nathon, we headed down to\u00a0Tong Yang beach\u00a0<\/a>and stopped on the way at a temple<\/a> with a playground, right next to a beach.<\/p>\n

\"Swing
A playground at Khrua Pudsorn Pagoda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Snorkeling at Coral Cove Beach<\/h3>\n

We didn’t have a chance to visit the east coast, but here you can find good snorkeling at the small Coral Cove Beach<\/a>, located on the southeast side of Koh Samui.<\/p>\n

The Green Backland of Koh Samui and Tan Rua Waterfall<\/h2>\n

We can also recommend doing a trip up to Tan Rua Waterfall. It\u2019s a nice ride through peaceful back roads of Mae Nam. You will find local restaurants and get a glimpse of everyday life, on the way up the mountain and into the green jungle.<\/p>\n

\"Waterfall
Tan Rua Waterfall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where to Stay on Koh Samui<\/h2>\n

If you can’t get a house in the lovely backstreets of Mae Nam, then I will recommend you to stay at Treehouse Silent beach<\/a>, 2 km east of Mae Nam.\u00a0Treehouse offers beach bungalows with sea view and has a great restaurant. They also have plenty of beach toys and snorkeling equipment to use free of charge.<\/p>\n

\"Treehouse
Treehouse restaurant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Silent
Playing on the beach at Treehouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Should you Visit Koh Samui?<\/h2>\n

Samui is easy to get to by train from Bangkok<\/a>\u00a0and catching the ferry in Surat Thani<\/a>. If you know where to go, you can find beautiful beaches, peaceful places and have a relaxed holiday like on many other Thai islands.<\/p>\n

Because of its size, you’ll also find many food options (fairly priced), big supermarkets etc. We like to go explore on\u00a0bikes<\/a>, but on Samui, you should definitely rent a scooter, as getting around otherwise is cumbersome.<\/p>\n

We had a great time there!<\/p>\n

\"Pooltime
My birthday was a one-day long pool party. Just perfect.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Initially, Koh Samui was not on our list of places we wanted to visit in Thailand…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n