South-East Asia Destination

By: Louise Taylor
Koh Samui is a popular tourist destination and sprawling island paradise. It is known to locals simply as "Samui", as the word "koh" means "island". It measures around 25 kilometres at its longest point, and 21 km at its widest. It is surrounded by more or less sixty other islands, which comprise the Ang Thong National Marine Park. It has a population of around 5,000.

Koh Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand, and was probably discovered by fishermen and traders seeking shelter from storms and rough waters. The island first appeared in Chinese maps in the 1500s and was known as "Pulo Cornam".

Koh Samui was first inhabited by Malay and Chinese settlers and the name Samui is believed to be either an extension of "Mui", one of the local native trees, or a corruption of the Chinese word "saboey" meaning safe haven.

The island's warm tropical climate makes it an ideal home for delicious fruits like the local Lang San, small, round and similar to lychee. The infamous durian, with its intoxicating pungent taste and smell, also flourishes here. The island is also home to more varieties of coconut palm than anywhere else in the world, even with recent infestations of beetles.

Sixty years ago, you wouldn't have thought that Koh Samui would be the bustling vacation spot it is today. There were no cars or roads in the island until the 1940s, and even after a 6-hour night boat ride from Surat Thani in the mainland, you would have to rely on walking as your main means of transport within the island. It was quite a headache to simply transport machinery and equipment as there were no piers, on top of that rough mountainous terrain was especially difficult to manage, preventing the development of infrastructure.

You could imagine how, upon finally arriving on the island after hours of travel, you would be greeted by the most pristine waters and virgin, white sand beaches.

However with the persistence of the local and national government roads were finally completed in 1970s, at around the same time the first European tourists arrived on the island by boat. Many of these tourists would make Koh Samui their new home, and many of today's establishments and restaurants reflect this.

Koh Samui became somewhat of a hippie haven in 70s and 80s, its laidback atmosphere providing Westerners especially with an escape from their hectic modern lives and the chance to start anew.

The real turning point in the island's history began in the 1990s with the construction of the Koh Samui airport, which was originally serviced exclusively by Bangkok Airways but today is also served by Thai Airways International. For more flights information to Koh Samui, you can visit this website. Also, several ferries including car ferries became more common, a popular route being one from Don Sak to a pier in the Western part of Koh Samui. Regular and private boats can also be easily hired from Surat Thani and Koh Phang-ngan.

A public taxi service operates within the island along with songthaews or public passenger pick-up vehicles, the latter being most favoured on the island. Motorbikes and bicycles can also rented out on Koh Samui.

The last twenty years has seen a massive influx of both tourists and migrants to Koh Samui. Resorts, villas, bungalows, and all sorts of accommodations (a list of accommodations in Koh Samui) along with restaurants, pubs, and discos have sprung up all over the island. The island now even has access to a stable, high-speed internet connection. Perhaps Koh Samui is not the pristine and virgin tropical paradise it once was, but it is still a very welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Before travelling to Koh Samui, have a look at this site for Thailand travel advice.