Koh Samed: Sights and Adventures

Describing a place is all well and good, and taking people along a photo or video journey of an adventure - while very popular these days - can also sometimes lack in breadth or understanding of all a place has to offer. In light of that, Tiger is uploading a series of pictures highlighting scenes observed and experienced at Koh Samed during many visits over the past seven years (2011 - 2018).

So, dear reader, this is not a regular blog post. Please consider this a photographer's snapshots of a tropical island during the tourist off-season; a taste, if you will, of what island life has to offer when the crowds are away.

NIGHTLIFE

For the local people - yes, many people do live and work on the island - the day tends to both start and end early, coinciding more or less with when the sun rises and sets. This is the unwritten rule across all of Thailand's islands, large and small. After say 10pm, finding food can become difficult outside of the larger resorts. With one exception. Virtually all late night restaurants, bars, and a pseudo-club are found on the main beach of Hat Sai Kaew, with a few additional late-night restaurants located along the road towards Ao Phai. Tourists who tend to enjoy a robust night life will be disappointed if they visit outside of large holidays like Songkran (when virtually every bed on Samed is booked and the party scene lasts into the early morning hours).

Sunset on Hat Sai Kaew

Sunsets are best enjoyed along a western facing beach (ie Ao Phrao or Laem Toei lookout point), but sunset strolls are just fine along the 800m-long (0.5 mile) Hat Sai Kaew beach. By dusk, the huge crowds of tourists stopping by the island have faded along with the heat, and the many beach-facing resorts have finished setting up their dining tables and recliners in the sand before the darkening ocean. Relatively affordable drinks are available - wine, beer, whisky - and a nondescript but a standard pour of passable house red wine will cost about ฿100 (about $3 US)

Many of the more affordable restaurants have relatively poor Western island fare (hamburgers, pork steak, french fries, and the like), and the seafood isn't that much better. Thai food is typically the best bet and can make for a decent meal. Note that, like mentioned last time, Tiger considers this rather universal across non-brand-name island resorts in the region. Local food is usually best since exposure to good Western food (outside McDonalds and KFC) is, understandably, more limited.

Fireshow on Hat Sai Kaew

So, sit back, enjoy some drinks, and wait for the night's highlight: the fireshows! One of the main restaurants centered on Hat Sai Kaew spreads out a large number of loungers and low tables into the sand, blasts popular music with the occasional singer from the main stage, and has a fantastic fireshow that begins at 8:30PM, as seen above. This is significant enough that it usually draws a crowd as three or more performers demonstrate their skills before onlookers (note that Tiger recommends NOT sitting at the table immediately in front of the presentation, however).

Koh Samed: Expectations and Recommendations

Ao Phrao Bay of Koh Samed island. Tiger'n'Bird have always enjoyed staying at Le Vimarn Cottages & Spa or the more affordable Lima Coco Resort.

The real charm of Koh Samet exists in the huge variety of available experiences. White sand beaches are located in a myriad of small bays situated around the island. Larger beaches are typically shared by multiple resorts, with smaller beaches occupied by single resorts. Visitors can rent motorcycles, ATVs, or simply take one of many green pickup taxis and visit one beach after the other, buy a drink or grab a quick snack and experience all that the island has to offer. The rocky beaches in the north give way to wide, hot white sand beaches located in the national park. Towards the south, the white sand beaches become even more pristine; with shimmering aqua waters running up into sunny beaches wonderfully shaded by mangroves (Ao Wai beach). In the south, the beaches become wild and rocky once again, with a variety of aquatic life providing fun snorkeling potential.