Untouched Koh Samui

Is it unrealistic to think I%26#39;ll find anywhere in Koh Samui that does not resemble a completely modernized vacation mecca?

From everything Ive seen Chaweng is incredibly over developed, main;y because it has the best beach. Bophut and Maenam seem to offer a bot more seclusion, but you trade of the sand and swimming.

Any thoughts on the west coast? I%26#39;m happy with a clean little bungalow on a beach that wont cut my feet up. Renting a jeep or scooter to get over to the action in other areas is fine by me as well.

Anyone care to share their secret locales or untoched favorites on Samui?

Thanks in advance,

Ben

Untouched Koh Samui

Ben

You make a fair point regarding Chaweng,Bophut %26amp; Maenam.It`s very hard to get everything you want to match up.I don`t think the southern end of Chaweng is overdeveloped yet but no doubt the way Samui is heading it will be at some stage.I think the areas out of the centre of both Lamai or Chaweng are ok.A little quieter %26amp; you still get the sand %26amp; water quality but not the untouched or deserted island feel you appear to be after.

Maybe you could have a look at Choengmon aside from that maybe Lipa noi.There is very little at Lipa noi but as you say a jeep or scooter is no problem for you so maybe it`s worth a look.

Jamie

Untouched Koh Samui

Hi Ben

I came across this resort (Koh Samui Resort) last year when looking for accom in Samui, but couldn%26#39;t find out very much about it. Now it%26#39;s on a few more booking web sites. Some state it%26#39;s at Meanam Beach, but it%26#39;s at Baan Tai Beach a little further around. I checked some of the reviews on r24 (same as Sawadee web site), but there wasn%26#39;t much mention of the beach on the first page. We ended up staying at Bophut and the sand doesn%26#39;t cut you feet, it%26#39;s just a bit rough making anice beach stroll in the evening more difficult. We drove over to Lipa Noi and had a walk along the beach, it was overcast, but I don%26#39;t remember being knocked out by it.

Here%26#39;s a link to the web site for the above resort, plus a link to some of our Ko Samui photos with Lipa Noi etc. We didn%26#39;t get to see the beach at Baan Tai as we missed the turn off. Hope this helps, Lee

http://www.kohsamuiresort.com/index.htm

r24.org/hotels.thaivisa.com/…

…google.com/leebee88/KohSamuiPhotosApril1st6…

AATBenjamin

15/20 years ago you could find many untouched places in koh samui but not now. it%26#39;s overcrowded especially during peak/high season and there is nothing particularly Thai about this island any more.

before samui became a target for development and tourism it was mainly a fishing island with some rubber plantations/trees. this supported the majority of the population whom, 20 plus years ago, were mainly muslim thais and sea gypsies. historically they had lived and fished here for centuries. no records were ever kept of the land they lived on and the places where they needed access to their boats. then when people decided it would be a good idea to build hotels/resorts, the locals couldn%26#39;t produce any paperwork proving ownership and access. many development companies went thru the courts to acquire the land (with help from corrupt officials), some did buy the land and access rights legally, and as a result many left for the mainland with their livelihoods in ruins. but of course we have our nice hotels/resorts etc to make up for that. there are still some court cases the local inhabitants have taken out 15 years ago against developers taking their land. these are still in progress, supposedly.

phuket is a similar story as well as islands such as phi phi, koh lanta etc. but as long as we get our cheap holiday, beer, fake this and fake that. who cares about the original indigineous population.

bkk3

I think a little more optimism is required after the last post, the big hotels are great for the thais. My neighbours for example work in the sala samui and they get excellant salaries for hotle workers of between 15,000 baht - 20,000 baht a month, depending if it%26#39;s the high or low season. salaries

The bigger the hotels the better for the locals and hotel staff who have come from all over thailand to look for a better job and higher standard of living and a more interesting life, because the more expensive they are the more service charge the hotel staff get and the more money the tourists have for shopping and putting into the local economy.

i think tourisn is a great income distributor between the first and third worlds. Samui wouldn%26#39;t be much without it.

lets all be happy and poor and work on farms forever, yeh right

A little nearer the op though i reckon the development on samui has been done in a good way as you can still get a nice quiet bungalow within a stones throw from the beach even in chaweng, compared to alot of the med where your in an apartment block and have to walk across the main road to get to a beach with a million other people on it.

it could have been done alot lot worse here

Rubber Plantations???Should that be coconut?And did%26#39;nt the Chinese figure in there somewhere?

footballgolf

i think you miss my point and arguement. it was how land was originally obtained from the indigeneous population back in the early 90s when hotel/resort development started. you obviously haven%26#39;t read my thread thoroughly.

your arguement that locals benefit from the hotels is flawed because most of the newish locals are not from samui originally. many have come from the cities and mainland. nearly 80% of the indigeneous inhabitants have left. however some do partake in tourist businesses.

susquosh

you are quite right to point out that there was a chinese contingent that lived on the island but the majority (80% plus) were ethnic malay muslims who were mainly fisherfolk and fruit/orchard/plantation growers. these people originally settled in samui hundreds of years ago.

and here is another interesting fact. samui can only treat 40% of it%26#39;s sewage waste (this was in a report produce by the thai environmental department), the rest gets dumped in the sea surrounding samui. it can%26#39;t cope with all the new hotels and those nice quiet bungalows.

similarly in phuket. it is expected by the end of the year that phuket will not be able to process all the sewage waste and rubbish on the island.

happy swimming.

bkk3

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your feedback.

I think over development is an unfortuante consequence of any location that become a tourist destination.

That said..I%26#39;m still just looking for a nice spot with a bit of beach to relax and swim on.

If anyone else has any suggestion they are all appreciated.

Thanks All,

Ben

AATBenjamin

take a look at Khao Lak. it%26#39;s about 90 km north of phuket. some great JBRs and reviews on this forum.

bkk3

Wow, BKK....the drama.

To whomever wrote this (sorry, forgot the name offhand):

';i think tourisn is a great income distributor between the first and third worlds. Samui wouldn%26#39;t be much without it.';.....you%26#39;re exactly right.

Think about what the most visited country in the world would look like without the huge influx of new money every day/week/year....France. The country is turning itself into a big outdoor museum with all those funds. It takes time. Without it, France would resemble Portugal in terms of economic power. Sure, I%26#39;m pulling comparisons out of a hat so spare me the commentary but, BKK, the world changes (...and in France, they call this ';culture ;-).....lived there a few years....know the place.

People adapt or lose out. That%26#39;s life. It is unfortunate some cultures are diminished in the process but new ones are created at the same time. It%26#39;s called ';change';. It happens. The Inca and the Maya had a good thing going at one point also. Are Guatemala and Peru really worse for the wear today? That%26#39;s a rhetorical question.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand...the west side of the island is much more quiet than the east or north (and the beach is fine...a bit more wave action too). Some nice spots to be found south of Lamai as well. Otherwise, rent a little house in the mountains. Living in the forest with an ocean view can provide you with the peace and quiet you%26#39;re looking for.

Agree with a lot there from you guys. i personally think the development on Samui has been largely irresponsible, but to understand that one needs to understand that ';the authorities'; as such don%26#39;t have any real authority on the island in terms of protecting any laws. The side-by-side resorts on Chaweng are an eyesore, but I guess only if you had seen the way it was. I recently went back to Minorca in the balearics and was overjoyed to see how the spanish have maintained the environment and atmosphere there (unlike its neighbours). Still a great place to spend a holiday though. Samui that is.