Well… Koh Samui is quite dreamy.
Hello everyone! It’s been a little while since I’ve posted and I have plenty of exciting things to share with you all.
We arrived on the beautiful island of Koh Samui just over a week ago and have been enjoying a blissful 2 week stay in the wonderful Ban Sua apartments.
Let me tell you just how amazing our choice of accommodation is – not necessarily in terms of a luxurious room, however the views… I mean wow! Take a look at what we are seeing from our balcony space. All being said, we could not complain with how big and spacious our room was and what fantastic value for money we got it for.
The unique Ban Sua apartments completely blew us away with the location, situated way up on the amazing green hillside of the island, boasting panoramic views of the stunning gulf of Thailand that surrounds us.
I must say the drive up the hill to our apartment was quite daunting to think we would have to endure this mountain on our own. Thankfully, Gary was much more confident than me at tackling the steep hill. We made sure we rented a bike straight away to waste no time at all in heading out ourselves.
A quaint hillside village joined the apartments which made the area extremely unique from the start and staying here definitely allows us access to the best views of the island.
We were even more spoiled with the wonderful infinity pool right outside our door… safe to say I was in heaven. We had two to choose from as well.
From our balcony we could see a secret hidden coral cove isolated from the bigger beaches and of course, we had to check it out. We ignored the private property sign and drove straight in. The tiny beach was idilic and you felt completely isolated (other than the few brave people who also ignored the sign post).
Our location really is perfect as we are right in-between two of Koh Samui’s main towns, Chaweng and Lamai (both around a five minute drive away) therefore completely set for choices of food. Turns out there is far more to Koh Samui than I first anticipated and you can pretty much eat whatever takes your fancy.
The large supermarkets in particular were filled to the brim with fresh ingredients if you fancied some of your own cooking. We were even surprised to find not one, but two giant Tesco’s on the island.
Whilst there are way too many restaurants on the island to try in our short space of time, here are a few of our favourites restaurants so far:
The Little Boat Restaurant: This place is an absolute gem and we have been so many times already. The restaurant is located in Chaweng and is by far one of the cheapest restaurants we have found that offers such a wide range of great food, mostly local favourites. A particular favourite is their beef massaman curry.
Pasta House: Also located in Chaweng, this restaurant is slightly pricier but great if you feel like some western comforts. They have a ‘Build-your-own-pasta’ menu which is an added touch. The food here was just so good albeit not a lot of choice if pasta isn’t your thing… but really, who doesn’t like pasta.
The Big Buddha Coffee Shop: Literally the best BBQ smoked pork or chicken sandwiches ever. The restaurant is situated right on big buddha island and also makes delicious milkshakes (I had the biggest chocolate one I could get of course)
Plus a view of the ocean makes it all the better.
The Duke: I must admit when travelling, you do sometimes miss old home comforts so one day we decided to indulge in some good old British food. The decor was so cool and we genuinely felt like we were in an old English pub with British memorabilia dotted around everywhere you looked. Gary opted for a hearty steak pie and I choose some homemade macaroni with bacon topped crust. Ahh Britain…
As far a beaches go, Koh Samui is not short of choice. We scooted on over to Maenam beach one day after checking out on trip advisor some more recommendations. This beach is quite small but offers a few little beach shacks to eat. It’s very peaceful and we chose a little spot to have some lunch before the tropical rain storm got to us (Thailand does have some crazy weather habits we have come to learn)
Chaweng beach is definitely a favourite so far in terms of ascetics, with powdery white sands and the most glorious warm sea I have ever been in. You can walk right up to your shoulders and still see your feet on the ocean surface. Unfortunately, this beach is also one of the busiest so be prepared to be hassled by beach sellers. The beach is also great if you want to do any water-sports with jet ski’s and aquatic hover-boards (yes that is now a thing) readily available. Also, if you have too much energy to spare, they have a water assault course too.
One night after deciding to head into Lamai for some dinner, we stumbled across a gigantic night market set up right over four streets that were usually so quiet… so unexpected!
It was a wise decision though as we were completely overwhelmed with how much amazing food was on offer. It all looked so fresh and inviting too, unlike the cramped sweaty smell from Bangkok’s chatuchak market we tried the previous week (dark memories for poor Gary).
Vibrant stalls lined the roads selling all sort of goodies and as a lover of markets as you’ve come to realise, I was in my element and picked myself up a few souvenirs and clothes. Seriously, don’t pack anything when travelling, you can get such great things out here and the clothes cost pennies.
They had it all from garlic bread on sticks to the most mouth watering cakes and desserts. After enjoying some fresh Japanese dumplings, crispy spring rolls, oven baked pizza (which our new dog friend happily joined us with) I choose some homemade ice cream in a coconut shell which was incredible to finish off our feast.
I just wish I had been more hungry to have even more – markets really are just a great way to dine on a budget as we had come to find that Thailand was not as cheap as we first anticipated. In-fact, many of the larger sea front restaurants are completely overpriced – unfortunate for us two foodies who would have been keen to try out some new cuisines.
On another one of our days we decided it was time to drive around the entire island on our scooter, whilst checking out all the sites along the way. Being on such a small island makes this very doable and we set off early in the morning to explore. It is really by far the best option (if you are confident) to rent a scooter as taxis and tuk tuk’s are more expensive and don’t give you the freedom that a bike can. You can just stop when you want to and go at your own pace – ideal!
First stop was at the Big Buddha Temple located North-East of the island. This place was simply magical and I have literally never seen so many beautiful colours in one place. When you’re at home and you think of Thailand, this is what I envisioned and it definitely did not disappoint. Just make sure you are appropriately dressed with no shoulders out on display as I stupidly forgot. Thankfully, the kind gentleman working by the temple offered me a sarong so I could head up the large staircase to enjoy the wonders of the giant buddha.
The temple is situated within a quiet little village where there are plenty of markets and little cafes around so you can make a day of it. The area is much more peaceful if you are looking to get away from busy Chaweng or Lamai.
This is also where Gary had his first experience of the mouthwatering pulled pork BBQ sandwiches (as mentioned above) so is a no brainer really that we will be back. Plus I could certainly go another milkshake!
Just five minutes down the road are a selection of other temples to visit, one being homed to a giant buddha with eighteen arms. I only wish they had more signs explaining the meaning behind each buddha (there is a lack of english signs) although I’m sure with some research, more could be explained. Either way, your eyes are engrossed in a feast that surrounds you and I genuinely felt I was lost within a Thai wonderland.
Moving on with our day, we decided to take a spontaneous detour to explore Koh Samui’s Hin Lat Waterfall and unexpectedly found ourselves lost in the middle of the Thai jungle. After parking up the bike we followed a sign pointing to the whereabouts of the mysterious waterfall however we did not expect to embark on a full hour hike.
After walking for what felt like forever, we figured that we could in-fact be lost… then finally caught sight of some tourists in the distance who informed us it was not much further. So we carried on…
Tired, extremely sweaty and mildly dehydrated we reached the waterfall and to our surprise (after jokingly wishing for a juice cart to be situated at the top of the waterfall) our saviour in the form of a kind Thai gentleman was selling ice cold drinks. We were ecstatic and sat down for a well earned rest and enjoyed probably the best coke of our lives. Hiking in flip flops in 36 degree heat is thirsty work!
A little further up was a tranquil swimming area to enjoy the waterfall and just kick back and immerse yourself into the gorgeous jungle surroundings, or in my case gather up the energy to make our way back down the beaten track.
So far Koh Samui has pretty much everything to offer and we are excited to have another week here to explore before sailing off to the surrounding islands. You just feel so relaxed here after our crazy stay in hectic Bangkok. I’m starting to feel like I belong on a white crystal beach.
All of this peace and relaxation has enabled me to read a few more books I can share:
Holy Island: A DCI Ryan Mystery by LJ Ross:
After the murder of a young girl, DCI Ryan is called to the small community of Holy Island, located in the tiny village of Lindisfarne to lead the investigation. With the help of former resident, Anna who is an expert in the field of religious symbolism, they embark together to solve not only one murder case, but a series of murders to follow – all that seem to correlate with historic ritual killings. There appears to be a lot of hidden secrets buried deep within the history of the island which are soon discovered. Lots of twists and turns in the storyline and you are kept guessing until the very end who is to blame. I actually really enjoyed the book and thoroughly recommend as a quick and painless holiday read.
The Journey by Josephine Cox
I’m usually a sucker for crime novels but decided to give this book a try. Set in 1952, the story shares the memories of Lucy and her life she shared with a man named Barney, who we know from the start died after enduring a great sacrifice. Lucy’s daughter Mary, is adamant to know what became of her father and to know the secrets that her mother has kept for so long. We are taken back to the 1930’s where Lucy’s whirlwind story begins. I felt the book lacked something whilst reading and many of the chapters consisted of heavy descriptions of things such as every mundane tasks. Funnily enough after finishing the book, I didn’t realise how much I did enjoy the story as many plot lines have been left unanswered so I have found myself reading the sequel, Journey’s end! I would recommend to anyone fancying an easy read thats perfect for those lazy beach days.
I hope you have liked this post and are still enjoying keeping up to date with our adventures.
Please remember, any feedback or questions are very much welcomed.
Thanks for reading!
Lots of Love
Xx
