Wandering Publicist

The beaches in Thailand are in a league of their own. Phuket, Krabi and the Phi Phi islands are the famous ones. While stunning, there is something to be said for going to a smaller, less populated one. During my time in Thailand, I spent three glorious nights on Koh Samet, a tiny island located about 4 hours drive (and a quick ferry ride) from Bangkok. The nice thing about visiting this slice of heaven is you avoid the long travel time needed to get to the more popular destinations (which often include a flight from Bangkok).

We stayed at the Samed Club hotel. It is a nice, quiet resort with spacious suites located within lush greenery. There are rooms located on ground level, and the others require going up a few flights of stairs, so if that is an issue, make sure to request a low level room. I was in one of the top rooms, and although it was a bit of a hike, being surrounded by nature, with a balcony view, was blissful.

The property is located directly on the beach, however, it isn’t as nice as I had hoped. There were a lot of rocks and the water wasn’t clear. However, there is a nice, refreshing pool onsite. The nicer beaches near the area require a (very cheap) taxi ride. Oh, did I mention the taxis here are pickup trucks where you sit out on the back?! Fun times 🙂

It takes about 10 minutes on the truck taxi to get to the main part of the island, where there are many restaurants and shops. The taxis drop you off in middle of the square on a road that leads straight down to the beach.  Here, you can find a lot of bars right on the sand. One night, we went to Naga Bar, which offers glow in the dark neon body paint. The entire bar is covered in it! As you can see, we went a little cray cray with it!

The vibe at Naga is so fun! They had a great DJ spinning tunes that kept us dancing under the moonlight untill 4am.  The punch bowl drinks are good and super cheap, as are most things on the island! However, I do NOT recommend ending the night with a long island iced tea (cue vomiting off the snorkel boat the next morning).

As we were exploring one day, we stumbled upon a secluded beach on the opposite end of the island. It is part of the Le Vimarn Cottages & Spa hotel, but for some reason it was really empty. We felt like we had our own private beach.

We went kayaking and enjoyed a delicious dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. The day was so heavenly, we came back the next day to swim, have smoothies and watch the sun set!

 

We spent our last day on a snorkel excursion, visiting 9 different spots. It cost about $30 per person for a full day in our own speed boat with lunch and a tour guide included! You can’t beat that price! We snorkeled with many different, beautiful fish and sea turtles that day, including some sea urchins and jelly fish :p Our guide picked up a sea urchin and brought it up to the boat. It was crazy to see one of these creatures up-close!

 

This water was so blue, it truly looked fake. I could have sat here for days taking in the sweet smell of the ocean, the peaceful sound of the waves moving, and the heat of the sun warming my skin.

This day, spent island hopping, is one I will never forget. Being fully immersed in nature for 8 hours affects your soul. I felt more at peace with the world and the happiness I experienced comes back to me when I think of these moments.

If you are heading to Thailand and have any questions, please ask! Stay tuned for my blog on Chiang Mai and Bangkok coming soon! Don’t forget to hit the follow button on the right hand corner ❤

XO,

Sarah