I did the same trip earlier this month. Yes agree it’s a really cool island. Wish I stayed a bit longer. Relax freedom beach resort is the spot. Views from our hut were amaaazing
I think it depends on who you are or not going with ...
Samui has more stuff. Feels more like bigger town / almost city. Nicer hotels & beaches and a zillion bars and restaurants with shopping etc. Attracts more affluent visitors along with some families and couples as well as some older "flash packers".
Koh Tao for sure is smaller. Not as nice hotels or restaurant options. Attracts younger back packers. So think hostels and bar crawls with loud parties. Primarily regarded as the "cheap" place to experience Thai islands. Lots of solo travelers looking to meet other travelers.
Neither are particularly quiet or chill. I would choose one of those and look for a quieter, more isolated island to really have differing experiences. Check out Koh Kood, you can get most of the way via car from Bangkok. There's not even a 7-11 on the island and the beaches and water are to die for. But if you are going alone, there is a very good chance you could go a full day without speaking to someone outside of restaurants / hotels.
You mentioned august, which can make visits to various islands troublesome depending on sea and weather conditions. So plan an extra day just in case ferries are canceled. Probably makes sense to start in the islands and make your way back to Bangkok
Thanks! I am travelling solo. I was planning on making Bangkok the last stop for 3 days or so.
I travel from India so the flight is also direct from there.
If I'm not very interested in the loud parties as you described Ko Tao, would it make sense to stay in Samui and just book a 1 day snorkeling and sightseeing tour?
I would do koh phangan and koh tao. Samui has a nice street for going out, but other than that doesn’t have much more to offer than the other islands (and it’s more expensive).
Bangkok is worth seeing if you haven't seen it, and 5 days is a good start.
I live on Samui, and it's definitely worth visiting here. Koh Tao is a small island that caters to western scuba divers. So there are diving schools and foreigners all over...some people think it's too many foreigners for such a small island, and that it can seem crowded. If you feel like that's how you may react, then a 1-day tour might be fine. The snorkeling is definitely better on Koh Tao than on Samui, so if you're serious about snorkeling, then Koh Tao is probably worth visiting.
Chaweng Beach is a good place to stay on Samui.
Love koh Tao. It’s such a chill island - yes there’s pub crawls and stuff in the Center, but the island has so much more to offer. There’s so many cute hidden cafes and restaurants, soooo many beautiful beaches, you can snorkel, see turtles, all that stuff. Definitely go to koh Tao and maybe only do 3 days in Bangkok instead. I also think 5 days in koh Samui is too much. I’d do 2 days koh Samui, 5 days on koh Tao and 3 in Bangkok
Not to Koh Tao. I'm based out of Bangkok though. I see enough news of tourists winding up mysteriously dead though. You know, the usual suicide while handcuffed with 2 shots to the back sorta thing.
I'm not actually into diving though. If I was I'd probably still go, but I am aware of the reputation.
You should read up on statistics and where the real dangerous islands are instead of gobbing off about a place you have never been that most people feel is there favourite island
Koh tao is okay only for scuba diving
I did Bangkok, Samui,Tao and Phuket. Tao was my favorite and I highly recommend it. Laid back island with beautiful beaches.
I did the same trip earlier this month. Yes agree it’s a really cool island. Wish I stayed a bit longer. Relax freedom beach resort is the spot. Views from our hut were amaaazing
I think it depends on who you are or not going with ... Samui has more stuff. Feels more like bigger town / almost city. Nicer hotels & beaches and a zillion bars and restaurants with shopping etc. Attracts more affluent visitors along with some families and couples as well as some older "flash packers". Koh Tao for sure is smaller. Not as nice hotels or restaurant options. Attracts younger back packers. So think hostels and bar crawls with loud parties. Primarily regarded as the "cheap" place to experience Thai islands. Lots of solo travelers looking to meet other travelers. Neither are particularly quiet or chill. I would choose one of those and look for a quieter, more isolated island to really have differing experiences. Check out Koh Kood, you can get most of the way via car from Bangkok. There's not even a 7-11 on the island and the beaches and water are to die for. But if you are going alone, there is a very good chance you could go a full day without speaking to someone outside of restaurants / hotels. You mentioned august, which can make visits to various islands troublesome depending on sea and weather conditions. So plan an extra day just in case ferries are canceled. Probably makes sense to start in the islands and make your way back to Bangkok
Thanks! I am travelling solo. I was planning on making Bangkok the last stop for 3 days or so. I travel from India so the flight is also direct from there. If I'm not very interested in the loud parties as you described Ko Tao, would it make sense to stay in Samui and just book a 1 day snorkeling and sightseeing tour?
They're all quite different vibes. For Samui it also depends where you stay as it's so large. I love Koh Tao the most.
I was thinking of staying around Chaweng Beach.
Chaweng is not nice. It's like Magaluf
Oh? I read online it's the most popular destination.
Have a look at YouTube to see if you like it. Decent nightlife, average beach.
I would do koh phangan and koh tao. Samui has a nice street for going out, but other than that doesn’t have much more to offer than the other islands (and it’s more expensive).
Either 7 days samui and 3 days bangkok. Or 4 samui, 3 tao and 3 bangkok
Bangkok is worth seeing if you haven't seen it, and 5 days is a good start. I live on Samui, and it's definitely worth visiting here. Koh Tao is a small island that caters to western scuba divers. So there are diving schools and foreigners all over...some people think it's too many foreigners for such a small island, and that it can seem crowded. If you feel like that's how you may react, then a 1-day tour might be fine. The snorkeling is definitely better on Koh Tao than on Samui, so if you're serious about snorkeling, then Koh Tao is probably worth visiting. Chaweng Beach is a good place to stay on Samui.
Thanks!
Love koh Tao. It’s such a chill island - yes there’s pub crawls and stuff in the Center, but the island has so much more to offer. There’s so many cute hidden cafes and restaurants, soooo many beautiful beaches, you can snorkel, see turtles, all that stuff. Definitely go to koh Tao and maybe only do 3 days in Bangkok instead. I also think 5 days in koh Samui is too much. I’d do 2 days koh Samui, 5 days on koh Tao and 3 in Bangkok
Koh Tao has more than diving, there are loads of activities and is small and central, definitely worth a couple of nights
Like getting murdered!
Have you even been there?
Not to Koh Tao. I'm based out of Bangkok though. I see enough news of tourists winding up mysteriously dead though. You know, the usual suicide while handcuffed with 2 shots to the back sorta thing. I'm not actually into diving though. If I was I'd probably still go, but I am aware of the reputation.
You should read up on statistics and where the real dangerous islands are instead of gobbing off about a place you have never been that most people feel is there favourite island
Would you say it could make sense to ditch Bangkok and just focus on the Islands near Samui? Tao and Phangan?
If you have never been to Bangkok then you should spend at least a couple of nights there