A Week in Ko Samui and Ko Phangan, Thailand Pt. 1

The Thai Islands

Ko Samui 

Thailand has no shortage of beaches or islands on its lower peninsula that borders the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Thailand, and during my trip I visited some of these amazing spots located in the Gulf Coast. Ko Samui (ko means island in Thai) and its smaller sister island, Ko Phagnan are a quick one hour flight from Bangkok or a short ferry ride from Don Sak depending on where you are coming from. Though they may be small, these islands are packed with activities to do that can keep you busy for a whole week or more. 

I flew from Bangkok to Ko Samui, into their beautiful open concept airport. The whole thing was outside and gave me very Hawaiian type vibes. Once at the airport I tried to catch a Grab but was informed by several drivers that they are not allowed to pick up at the airport. I then tried to walk to the closest scooter rental place and ran into more ill fortune when they insisted they keep my passport for the duration of my rental. (Pretty obvious but NEVER let anyone keep your passport when traveling internationally.) I then conceded to using an airport taxi which I unfortunately over paid. I settled into my hostel near the Fisherman's Village and then set out to explore the island for the next few days. Here are some notable things I found!

Ko Samui 

The Jungle Club

Nestled in the hills of Ko Samui sits a resort and bar that is gaining popularity fast. Let me show you some reasons why...

The view from the bar? Amazing!

The view from the lower deck? Amazing!

The view of the restaurant? Amazing!

The view on walk to the bathroom? Amazing!

The view from the bathroom? Amazing!

The guest infinity pool views? Yup you guessed it... amazing!

The prices were higher than anything you would find in the villages down below but realistically you are paying for the views and 250 baht for a sandwich and fries is roughly 8 USD anyways. I HIGHLY recommend the trip up, you can take a taxi or dare to ride a moped up like I did but fair warning, the hills were pretty steep even to my standards.

Bo Put Beach

Hanging out

Just south of the airport is an area of the island called Bo Put. I had some friends staying here and it seemed to be the busiest area for tourists with a McDonald, Burger King and Hard Rock Cafe. They had plenty of shops and bars of all varieties to chose from as well. The beach just on the other side of the crowded tourist street was very beautiful and had lounge chairs like the one pictured above to chill at, food on the beach to eat and much more. 

Buckets of alcohol available for purchase

My 5 dollar Wal-Mart hat being put to good use

Island Hopping Boat Trip

I had wanted to snorkel on my trip to Thailand and I finally got to do so on a boat trip that I took to some of the surrounding uninhabited and smaller populated islands. For around 85 USD we took the boat out to the islands, snorkeled, hiked a lagoon, had lunch with locals, kayaked and hung out on the beach. The whole trip was about 8 hours long.

One of the islands we stopped at

Climbed to the top to see a beautiful lagoon at another

View from the top

The stairs we had to climb. I wouldn't recommend the hike if you 

are not able to climb steep inclines

Another stop was a national park

Where I got some quality hammock time

Another stop included kayaking

Also rope swings

Of course a few pics on the boat too

My only complaint of the trip was that the snorkeling was a short experience in which several other boats were snorkeling in the same area so there were too many people in the same spot. I was most looking forward to this part of the trip and ended up jumping off the boat and cutting myself on coral, so I was bummed. However, I am always a happy girl when I am in the water! 

After I jumped

Notice all the swimmers in the back and many more

Hin Lat Waterfall

One day I decided to take the road that went around the entire island to see what I could come across. One stop on the way was the Hin Lat Waterfall.

Smiling to hide the pain

I highly underestimated how long of a hike it would be for me to get to the top of the waterfall and left my backpack in my scooter with all my essentials, including my water. By the time I had realized how far of a trek the trip was, I was half way there and did not want to turn around. The 30/40 minute hike was on a "path" that included roots, branches, giant rocks and using your hands. Thankfully I met a nice kid on my way up that I proclaimed as my new friend and he shared his water with me.

You know how it goes, "Don't go chasing waterfalls..."

Look out for the next part of this blog in the coming weeks! Until then, check out my Instagram or Facebook pages for more pictures! Happy travels everyone!