Getting Around Koh Samui Guide – Transport, Taxis, Songtaew and Rentals

With Koh Samui’s main ring road measuring a total of only 50km, getting around Koh Samui isn’t much of a problem as you are never more than 40 minutes’ drive from any other point on the island with several transport options for visiting tourists including taxis, public transport in the form of songtaew trucks, minibuses and the rental of cars or motorbikes.

Without a doubt car rental or motorbike rental is recommended as the best option, giving you complete freedom and independence to explore the island on your own terms. Of course, renting a car or motorbike means that you will need to navigate the chaotic roads of Samui which, understandably, is something that many visiting tourists are not willing to do. The roads are dangerous on Koh Samui but by driving slowly and always defensively, driving around should be problem free. Make sure that your car rental is insured and be aware that motorcycle rentals are not insured on Koh Samui. Scooter rentals are generally around the 200-350 THB per day mark, depending on age and model, with available car rentals ranging from around 800-2,300 THB per day. But, if renting a vehicle is not for you, there are several other options to get around.

The infamous taxis of Koh Samui are known for their refusal to use their fare meters with customers and for overcharging. The drivers cite high costs of living as the reason for their refusal to use meters and generally it costs about 200 THB to get into a cab with fares anything from 500-1,000THB for any journey on the island. Just be sure to confirm the cost of the taxi ride with the driver before setting off. There are also motorcycle taxis around in all the busy areas of the island and they will take 1 (or 2!) passengers for 50-150 THB depending on the length of journey.

Motorbike taxi drivers wear colourful vests and are good for short journeys

Songtaew trucks are the closest thing to s public transport bus system on Koh Samui. These converted pickup trucks have been fitted with 2 benches on the back and a roof added, allowing them to sit about 10 passengers. These songtaew trucks drive around the island picking up and dropping off passengers with fares of about 20-50 THB per person, depending on the distance covered. On hailing down a songteaw, speak with the driver to find out where he is going and agree a price. When you want off the truck, just ring the bell on the back and the driver drops you off and asks for your fare.

Songtaew truck

Another option is to rent a minibus with driver for short journeys, by the day or half-day. Several companies offer minibus rental and taxi services with the cost usually working out cheaper than car rental.

However you decide to get around Koh Samui, enjoy the scenery, stay safe and have a great time.

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Plae Leam Temple, Koh Samui

Plai Laem Temple is without a doubt Koh Samui island's most beautiful temple with several brightly coloured Thai-style temple buildings and several impressive Chinese-style Buddha statues built amongst a large pond within beautiful landscaped gardens.

A spectacular Chinese style Buddha image in Plai Laem Temple, Koh Samui

Visitors are free to stroll around the temple grounds, taking photographs and admiring the tropical landcape and you can also take a look inside the temples where you can view wall paintings depicting the life and enlightment of the Buddha.

The temple's impressive statues, which depict characters from Thai mythology and Chinese-style  Buddha images, are a great backdrop for postcard- perfect souvenir shots.

The pagoda buildings in Plai Laem Temple show truly intricate detail

Several years ago, the temples large pond was packed full with large catfish and visitors could buy food to feed the fish, however over-feeding caused many of the fish to die and so visitors are no longer encouraged to do so.

Plai Laem temple is a beautiful Koh Samui tourist attraction, a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the island and well recommended for a 30 minute to 1 hour visit. After exploring the grounds, grab an ice-cream at the ice-cream vendors in the car park area to cool down while admiring the scenery and intricate detail of the temple buildings. 

Plai Laem Temple is located about 1km past Samui's Big Buddha statue as you are driving from Bangrak town. The large buildings and statues can be seen clearly from the main road and there are spaces for parking both cars and motorcyles within the temple grounds.

Visitors should dress politely though casually (shorts and T-shirt or vest is fine) and take care to remove shoes when entering temple buildings. Admittance to the temple is free though visitors are encouraged to make a small donation to support the termple.




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Koh Samui Street Food: Chinese Noodles

Chai-see Ba-mee Gee-ow is a franchise of Chinese-style noodle stalls which are to be found outside 7-11 and Family Mart convenience stores, on street corners and in just about every populated area in the whole of Thailand. The noodle stalls are instantly recognisable with their distinctive yellow light boxes with bright red Thai script.  

Chai-see Ba-mee Gee-ow, Chinese noodle and soup stall, Bangrak, Koh Samui

The most popular dish is 'ba-mee gee-ow', which translates as 'yellow noodle dumplings', which can be served in hot soup ('sai naam') or served with a hot bowl of soup on the side ('heng'). The dish contains yellow, Chinese noodles, rice-noodle dumplings stuffed with pork with sliced ham and green vegetables. The dish is very tasty, as is the soup, with no strong flavours to put off fussy eaters and cheap at only 40 Thai Baht per bowl.

You can order to take your food away or eat-in on provided plastic table and you are provided with dried chilli, sugar, vinegar, crushed peanuts and fish sauce which can be added to the dish to suit your own tastes.







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Big Buddha Statue & Temple, Bangrak, Koh Samui

Koh Samui's Big Buddha statue is one of the island's top tourist attractions and is located within Big Buddha temple ('wat pra-yai'), on a tiny island, on the far eastern side of Bangrak Bay.  Built in 1972, the impressive 12 meter high golden statue glistens in the tropical Samui sun and it is one of Koh Samui's best known landmarks as it can be seen from several kilometers away.

Koh Samui's Big Buddha statue, located in Bangrak, is one of the island's top tourist attractions

The access road to the Big Buddha Temple is located just after the fish market, next to the long established BBC restaurant and there are usually adequate spaces for parking in front of the entrance to the temple just after the first shops that you pass.

Next to the car park are several cheap Thai restaurants, several souvenir shops, ice-cream and refreshment stalls alongside a small selecton of chic boutiques and art shops which are worth a quick browse.

As you pass through the temple gates, a staircase leads up to the Big Buddha statue and at the base of the stairs are two pogodas where monks give blessing to the locals in exchange for offerings which include flowers, candles, food and water.

On the left, is a covered area where you can sign the underside of a temple roof tile (to be added to temple roofs in future building projects) in exchange for a small donation of Thai baht.

To the right are fortune telling machines. To tell your fortune, you first need to work out the day of the week that you were born on. Place a ten baht coin in the machine of the day of your birth (there are 7 in total, one for each day), read the number that is shown when the lights stop spinning and then read the fortune that corresponds to this number which are displayed on the wall in both Thai and English.

At the base of the Big Buddha statue is where locals to pay their respect to the Buddha

Up the staircase brings you to the base of the Big Buddha statue itself. In front of the statue is a small shrine where locals give offering for Buddha, and around the statue are a number of bells which can be rung for good luck using the pices of wood provided at the top of the staircase. This is also a very good spot to take some snaps of the stunning sea and island views which surround the temple.

Big Buddha is well worth a visit to soak up some local culture, take some nice photos and enjpy the views. Please note that visitors are requested to dress politely (i.e. no bikini or thongs). 


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Koh Samui Hospital (Government Hospital)

Koh Samui has one government hospital named Koh Samui Hospital which is located in Nathon, on the island’s western coast. The hospital has undergone a huge face lift recently with a clean, modern waiting area and well-organised staff.

Koh Samui Hospital is clean and well-organised

The waiting room usually has ample seating for all visitors and is well-organised with numbered counters each serving a different purpose. Register at the registration counter and you are given a counter number where you should wait until your name is called. You may then be directed to different counter to pay for treatment, and another which issues pharmaceuticals.

Though not many of the staff are fluent in English, some have enough English skills to allow understanding. Costs for treatment and drugs are extremely reasonable, especially when compared to Koh Samui's International hospitals. 

The main hospital building, car park and landscaped gardens are very clean and well-maintained with ample parking, outside eating areas and a children's play park. A shop sells refreshments, snacks and boxed rice dishes and there is a coffee shop just inside the side entrance to the main building. There is still a lot of re-building going on within the other parts of the hospital as they continue to pour resources into upgrading the interior of the buildings.

I would recommend Koh Samui's Government run hospital for all major and minor emergencies as it is always fully-staffed and the only hospital on the island with the resources to deal with life-threatening injuries and life-saving surgery. I have visited the hospital many times and have always been happy with the service and costs. When my son was delivered at the Koh Samui Hospital (on our paediatrician's advice) I just couldn't believe how well everything went and how friendly and well-organised the staff were. The only thing that could be improved on are the wards which are clean and comfortable, but lacking privacy. There are basic private rooms available at very low rates but they are given on a first come, first served basis.

To reach Koh Samui Hospital, follow the ring road through Nathon from north to south and then take a right turn at the large set of traffic lights just after the town. The hospital is located at the bottom of this road.

Outside eating area, nest to children's play park with stunning views towards Thailand's mainland

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Koh Samui Sea View Villas - A Guide to Hilltop Villas With Views on Thailand's Most Beautiful Island

Koh Samui, a tropical island holiday destination in Thailand's Gulf, offers some of the best beaches in Asia and truly stunning sea and island views, making it one of the best South East Asian destinations to enjoy a luxury villa rental holiday with exceptional tropical views. Samui sea view villas are dotted around the island with the largest density in the busy northeast of the island, specifically the Bophut and Maenam hills, Plai Laem, and the hills above Chaweng and Chaweng Noi. Typical sea view villas have two to six bedrooms with views ranging from partial views to complete 360 degree panoramas and rental rates ranging from approximately $150 to $1,500 USD per night. But just what level of luxury can you expect in return for your hard-earned cash?

At the top end, you can expect to pay between $600 and $1,500 USD per night for a top-class, luxury, three to five bedroom hilltop villa with panoramic views. For this price you would expect the villa to have uniquely designed, stunning interiors with only the most opulent in furnishings, artwork and fittings. These villas can be fully staffed with the latest in electronic lighting and top-end entertainment systems with a villa manager to take care of your every wish. At the other end, you can expect a smaller, two to four bedroom villa with swimming pool and good to excellent sea views, though not panoramic, for around $300 to $600 USD per night which would include daily cleaning.
Rental rates for villas on Koh Samui are highly seasonal. Most of the smaller, medium-budget villas have a high season from December to April and July to September, mid-season from May to June and October to December and peak season during Christmas and New Year. The more luxurious, hilltop panoramic view villas generally have four different rental rates which take into account Asian festivals such as Chinese New Year or Songkran (Thai New Year) when rental rates can sky-rocket.

The best times to look for a bargain are September to mid-December and the months of May and June. The annual monsoon arrives towards the end of the year, usually in November, so booking during the middle of the year should offer more favorable weather. At these times, the majority of luxury sea view villas offers low-season rates and often has free night promotions such as stay four nights and pay for only three.This is also a good time to pick up a good deal on a reduced occupancy rate as you can often save about 20%, for example, on booking a five bedroom villa with only six guests who require the use of three bedrooms only.

Bob Johnston is a leading content writer on Koh Samui hilltop villas and Koh Samui seaview villas.

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Tesco-Lotus Supermarket and Cinema, Chaweng Town, Koh Samui

The largest supermarket on Koh Samui island, Tesco-Lotus (Chaweng) is located on the island ring-road, just between the junctions which take you from Chaweng Town to Chaweng Beach. Please see location on our Koh Samui Map and Interactive Villa Guide. The supermarket has a large stock of food, clothing and electrical products and is one of the first stops for most holidaymakers on arrival to Koh Samui.

Tesco-Lotus as seen from the main island ring-road

Tesco-Lotus also offers a large food court with a good choice of both Thai and international menus, a cinema,  ten-pin bowling, restaurants, cafes, clothing stores, a pharmacy, children's play area and arcade and countless mobile phone shops offering cheap, local SIM cards.

Tesco-Lotus offers a major cineplex cinema

The food court has a cash-card system and you can purchase a card from the booth, adjacent to the children's play area. The court offers almost every Thai dish you could think of and a few European menus. The food is reasonably priced and reasonably tasty but not up to the same standards as other local Thai restaurants in the area.
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Tesco-Lotus food court

The cinema and ten-pin bowling are located towards the back of the compex, behind the food court. The cinema is modern with three screens and a snack-bar and plays both Thai movies (with Thai soundtracks) and Hollywood flicks with English soundtrack and Thai subtitles. For movie screening information please see the major cineplex listings for Tesco-Lotus, Koh Samui.

Restauarants and cafes on offer include favourite Thai franchise restaurants such as Fuji Japanese restaurant, MK (Korean) restaurant, Canyon Coffee, KFC and S&P Bakery.


Behind the cinema, the Homepro store offers all you could possibly need for those on a long vacation planning any DIY home improvement projects. Homepro also offers a large range of all electrical products including TVs, washing machines and kitchen appliances.

Tesco-Lotus is the perfect place to stock up your fridge and grab a bite to eat and is a good option to pass time and keep the kids busy on rainy afternoons.

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Koh Samui Aquarium and Tiger Show

The Samui Aquarium and Tiger Show is located on the southeastern coast of Koh Samui and offers an aquarium, tiger zoo and show, bird zoo and show, sea lion show and otter show.

Samui Aquarium and Tiger Show, Koh Samui Island, Thailand

The aquarium is open every day from 9am with bird and tiger shows starting each afternoon from 1.30pm, so make sure you arrive at least an hour before that to allow yourself time to get through the aquarium and take a look around the bird zoo. The aquarium itself has a reasonable selection of sea life to admire including some species of sharks and large sea turtles which you can feed. Though it is not a modern aquarium and certainly not up to the standards set by large, modern aquariums around the world, it is quite nice to see Thailand's indiginous sea-life up close and personal.

After lunch, the show is kicked off with a Bengal Tiger show. This involves the tigers jumping through burning hoops, walking across various obstacles and sitting nicely in formation. I have to admit that I thought the show was a little uncomfortable to watch as the tigers seem quite aggressive towards the trainers, the trainers looked extremely nervous and I just don't really like to see large, wild animals outside their natural environment. In saying that, my son, who was about 4 years old when he first saw the show enjoyed it tremendously.

Next the bird show, which I enjoyed a lot more than the tiger show. Parrots show off their intellect by riding bicycles and playing games, large eagles grab objects from the trainers' hands in mid-flight (or from volunteers' hands!). Both myself and the family really enjoyed the bird show, especially the kids. After the show is over, kids can go to the stage and have the birds sit on their heads or shoulders (take care as obviously the big bird's claws are large and sharp).


Once you have taken in the aquarium, tiger show and bird show you can have a look at the sea lion and otter shows or just take a stroll and admire the bird species which are kept in large cages in the gardens of the aquarium. You can also pay a fee to have your photo taken with a Bengal Tiger, though I would have to argue that both this and the Tiger Show step a bit over the line and I don't really agree with this practice.

All in all the show is reasonably entertaining for adults and very entertaining for children. If you don't like seeing big animals locked up or people taking pictures of themselves with baby tigers then this is definitely not the place for you. A visit to the Samui Aquarium and Tiger Show will take up about 3 hours of your day and is a good family day out.

Samui Aquarium and Tiger Show is situated next to the Samui Orchid Resort and ticket costs are 450 THB for children and 750THB for adults which gives you access to the aquarium and all shows.

Samui Holiday Villa Rental is your online portal to Luxury Samui villas and Koh Samui Holiday Rentals. Offering Koh Samui beach villas, seaview villas, garden villas, villa resorts and apartments. View our villa and holiday rentals on our new Koh Samui Map and Interactive Villa Guide. Owners and managers of Peerapat Villa, a 4 bedroom, sea view, Samui luxury villa for rent in Bangrak on Koh Samui island's busy North-East coast.