| Product: |
Ko Samet |
| Date: |
24/10/01 (1061 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: A Paradise Within Easy Reach Of Bangkok.
Disadvantages: May Be Too Quite For Some., Waste Disposal Concerns.
Ko Samet is in the gulf of Thailand in the province of Rayong. It measures just 6 Kilometres long and 3 wide. It is closest thing you'll get to paradise and the best thing is that it is within a couple of hours from Bangkok. So far it seems that word on the island has not spread too rapidly because many more Thai's than farangs (westerners) seem to visit it.
There are a couple of ways of getting to Ko Samet. Predictably you'll find a multitude of travel agencies on the Khao San road that will look after all the travel arrangements for you. If you want to be a little more adventurous and save money at the same time you should go it alone. Buses to Ban Phe where the boats leave to Samet leave on the hour from the Eastern Bus Terminal in Bangkok. If you are getting a taxi to the terminal just say Ekamai and the driver will understand.
The ticket desk for buses to Ko Samet is situated just inside the station entrance. Journey time to Samet is about 3 and a half hours. It can get quite hot on the bus despite the fans and the conductors attempts to cool you down. Several times he passed by with small cups of coke with lots of ice (and mushy Swiss roll too!) for the passengers. There is also a video on board, but unfortunately when we travelled it was dubbed in Thai. One way to Ban Phe costs 120 baht (3 Euro).
You can buy tickets for the boat to Samet on the bus. There is a choice of 3 arrival points on the island. We chose Nadan Pier because it was closest to the main cluster of accommodation and the biggest beach. The boats are regular but wait until the boat has been filled before it departs. The trip to the island takes just under half an hour.
On arrival at Nadan Pier it is easier to walk the couple of hundred yards to the main guesthouses. An alternative is to ride in the back of the islands transport system, open air trucks. You can also rent motor bikes and s
cooters from about 100B an hour but when the road gets wet it quickly turns muddy so they can be a little dangerous.
As you follow the road towards the main resort Hat Sai Kaew you'll pass through Samet village and umpteen stalls selling everything you'd ever need. Because Ko Samet is a national marine park you have to pay 100B entrance fee which is used for the upkeep of the island. The island even boasts a small police station. We never felt in the slightest bit threatened on Samet, it's people are friendly and helpful and never try to hassle you into a purchase.
There is a wide choice of accommodation on Samet to suit all budgets. We stayed at the Saikaew Villa which is situated just off Diamond beach, the largest and best beach on the island. The Saikaew Villa is enormous and has accommodation ranging from standard fan rooms to V.I.P. doubles with sea views, TV, air-con etc.
This hotel is probably the most expensive on the island but as we arrived in early October (low season) we were given an attractive discount. We chose a double room with fan that normally costs 700 Baht (18 Euro) per night. Because we were staying for 4 nights we got the room for 350B. The room itself was quite large with an adjoining bathroom. There was a shower (cold), western style toilet and a plentiful supply of loo roll (a luxury in Thailand!). The room got incredibly hot in the evening so air conditioning would have been nice. It was cleaned every day and fresh towels were supplied.
The hotel was very well managed and it had an army of staff. The reception was open from 8am to 10pm each day and the restaurant for a little longer. Diamond beach which stretches for 800 metres was only a stroll away and the hotel offered free beach towels to all its guests. Full use to the hotels safety deposit box was also given free of charge.
The Saikaew Villa has a larg
e restaurant on the beach front that serves up a large menu of mostly Thai dishes. While the food was quite cheap it was a little bland. Alcohol seemed a little over priced too. There is a large TV in the restaurant that shows 2 films a night. The films are right up to date but the choices at times are a little off the mark.
The hotel also has an internet service that should be avoided except by the very wealthy. Charging 250B per quarter of an hour was the most expensive we've ever seen. Unfortunately this price was consistent across the island. Just have to do without until you get back to Banglamphu.
The electricity on Ko Samet is supplied by generators only and boy are they noisy. Most hotels do not offer a full 24 hour service. The Saikaew Villa is the exception with a round the clock service. From time to time the supply does drop but only for a second or two.
All in all the Saikaew Villa is an excellent choice to stay at during the rainy season. At peak times it would probably not suit travellers on a budget when deals are thinner on the ground. If you could afford it, it is hard to fault but you would probably be better off eating elsewhere.
From what we saw the other places that seemed to be well run, clean and the probably the best guide, busy were the Naga, White Sand and Tok's little hut. These guesthouses were further down the coast but were only a few minutes walk from Hat Sai Kaew.
Diamond beach is not very wide but offers the whitest of sand and clearest of water. There is some water activities available like banana boats and scuba diving but this is kept to a minimum. The water is nearly always warm and contains a multitude of tiny fish and non stinging jellyfish.
The island has many other fine beaches on its eastern side. Our favourite was at Ao Nuan which is only accessible by climbing over a rocky
headland. The beach is small but incredibly secluded and quite. The bungalows just off the beach have no running water or electricity and thus add to Ao Nuan's natural feel.
There is a huge choice of places to eat on Ko Samet. The best we came across was at the Naga bungalows. The sweet and sour chicken was divine. Naga have their own bakery so you are guaranteed fresh crispy bread every morning. Other worthwhile places to check out are Tuks Little Hut, Jep's Inn and the Silver Sands.
Late night entertainment is kept to a minimum on the island. There are quite a few bars but they all shut around midnight. In October most of these bars were empty save for a few locals so by 10 o'clock you feel like you have the island to yourself. The best bars seem to be the Naga bar with its exotic Caribbean feel and the Silver Sands which has a disco most nights that stays open until 2.
A couple of years ago there were warnings of malaria outbreaks on Ko Samet. The thinking now seems to be that the risk is minimal. Malaria tablets would of course remove the risk completely. We stayed during rainy season when you would expect the mossy's to be at their worst but with a bit of skin repellent they weren't an annoyance at all.
We stayed on Ko Samet for 7 nights altogether. It rained on 3 of the nights but by mid morning it had stopped. Overall Samet comes across as a little more expensive than Bangkok (the Bangkok Post costs 55B, Bangkok 20B) but being such a small island you can see why. It is the perfect escape from big city life and provides an ideal location to lose that jet lag and recharge the batteries for the adventures ahead.
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