About Koh Samui

Popular tourist destination

An island where the nearby coconut trees define the height of the building (no building higher is permitted!)more...

Privately owned airport

Samui Airport, a private airport built and owned by Bangkok Airways, commenced operations in April 1989. Although the airlinemore...

Exhibitions & conventions

Samui is the most popular MICE destination in the South after Phuket. Although the island currently doesn't have a purpose-builtmore...

Wedding in Koh Samui

"Eastern dream" and the heart of a large archipelago of over 80 coral-studded, sand and sun-drenchedmore...

Recent major events

Samui has hosted events for multi-national companies and conglomerates such as Genex Solutions, Coca Cola andmore...

Ongoing infrastructure development

The infrastructure in Samui has developed at a much more modest pace than the growth of property, hotel and other tourism-relatedmore...

Arriving by ferry

Samui is also accessible by high speed catamaran from Surat Thani town, bus/ferry combined service from Surat Thanimore...

Samui facts

• Location: Approximately 760 km south of Bangkok
• Weather: Two seasons in a yearmore...
  • Location: Approximately 760 km south of Bangkok
  • Weather: Two seasons in a year: the green/rainy season (May to November) and the dry season (January to March). The hottest months are April and May (26C to 33C) and the wettest are October and November. Best weather is December to March when temperatures are about 24C to 31C and mostly dry. Samui's weather patterns are a little different from the rest of southern Thailand.
  • Business Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am-5.00pm. Saturday 9.00am-12 noon.
  • Banking hours: Monday to Friday 9.30am-3.30pm. Saturday 9.30am-12 noon. Bank branches in major shopping centres open 7 days per week and close later in the evening.
  • Shopping hours: Major shopping centres open around 10-11.00am and close late at around 10.00pm.
  • Electricity: 220 Volts AC at 50 cycles. Several different plugs and sockets are in use, but two pin flat (US type) or round (European type) are fairly universal.
  • Ethnic composition: Thai, Chinese, Muslim (originally of Malay descent)
  • Beaches: Most of the beaches are on the east coast and Chaweng and Lamai Beaches are the most popular. The northern beaches are more quiet and secluded. There are a few beaches at the western and southern end of the island.
  • Getting around Samui: Independent travel is the easiest and most convenient way to get around Samui as the public transport system is not well established. Visitors are advised to hire a car either at the airport or at major international car rental services. 'Tuk-tuks', taxis, local buses and minibuses should be booked by your local DMC or by your hotel to be sure of reliable service.