Koh Samui is the third largest island in Thailand. It’s a popular island amongst backpackers and locals and it is just an hour or so away from Koh Pha-ngan, the Thai island where the infamous full moon parties take place. Samui has its fair share of parties, primarily located around Chaweng beach. Getting to Samui from Bangkok is easy and should be relatively inexpensive with a bit of forward planning.

Travelling Bangkok to Samui by bus is the cheapest option. If you walk around Khaosan Road and ask how much a ticket is you’ll likely be quoted around 750-850 baht. There’s no need to pay this much, as companies like Lomprayah will suggest you do. If you go to an agent like Big Blue on Thanon Rambutri (parallel to Khaosan) you can pick up a ticket to Samui for 360 baht. That includes a return ferry trip from Surat to Samui. It’s a long trip (16-17 hours in all) but it’s comfortable. Book a return trip if necessary. The reason the trip is so cheap is because it’s only for tourists, which means they try and sting you with expensive snacks during a 40-minute break, and they also try and get you to use their taxi service/book into their guesthouse on Samui. You’re not obliged to do either of these things, and the taxi service is pointless; a songtheaw will take you from the pier on Samui to Chaweng beach for 50 baht.

Flying to Samui is possible but expensive. Bangkok Airways is the only airline that flies directly to the island. An early morning or late night flight in either direction will set you back 2,000 baht, otherwise you’re looking at a little over 3,000 baht if you book online. Flying to and from Surat Thani is a cheaper option, although it takes a little longer. One2Go flies to and from Surat Thani for 1,750 baht, although you can get it for 1,700 if you book through an agent. You then need to make your way from Surat Thani airport to the pier and across to Samui.

If you’re flying back from Surat Thani to Bangkok then there’s a few things you need to watch out for. The first is that if you ask around at Nathorn Pier on Samui about getting to Surat Thani airport they will try and charge you 1,600 baht for a taxi from the pier in Surat. They may suggest an alternative costing 800 baht. This is a rip off. From Nathorn Pier, walk back to the road, turn right and walk down to the public bus terminal next to Siam Commercial Bank. Here you can buy a 130 baht ticket that will take you from Samui all the way to Surat Thai town by bus, boat and bus again. From Surat Thani town you can take a motorbike or taxi to the airport (about 40 kilometers) for 2-300 baht.

Bear in mind that it takes a long time to get from Samui to Surat Airport (about four hours in all) so you need to leave well before your flight time. I learnt all this because I made the mistake of missing my flight from Surat Thani. Surat Thani airport is not a place you want to be stuck in. It’s in the middle of nowhere and it closes at 7.30 p.m. I was saved by a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok, although it cost me an extra 2,860 baht. But still, the prospect of sleeping outside Surat Thani airport wasn’t very enticing.

Techno’ tags: Thailand, Samui, Surat Thani