Villa 4
1 king bed · sleeps 2 · 120 m²
Surat Thani · Thailand
Fine Stays on Koh Samui
The island's best kept in one place — where to stay, where to dine, what's worth your time. From our own villas and the landmark names to the tables and hideaways you'd never find alone, each one earns its place. Chosen by people who live here.
The Stays
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Private pool villas, serviced apartments and rooms across Koh Samui — visited in person, listed only if they earn it.
Serviced apartments are being added. The first are visited and photographed now — check back shortly, or read how we choose.
Rooms are being added. We only list ones we would book ourselves — see how we choose.
The Setting
Views from Samui Homes
The island, from the places we feature.
The Dining
The Tables of the Island
Nearby tables, island-wide finds, and cuisine brought to your villa.
Bophut
Fisherman's Village
The Friday walking street and a row of Sino-Portuguese shophouses turned into some of the island's best restaurants. Book ahead in season.
Bophut beach
Coco Tam's
Fire shows, bean bags on the sand, cocktails in jars. Touristy and it knows it, but the setting at dusk earns the trip.
Maenam
Krua Chao Baan
Local Thai on the north coast, the kind of place with plastic chairs and a queue of Thai families. Cash, and go early.
between Chaweng & Lamai
The Cliff Bar & Grill
A headland terrace over the sea on the east coast. Come for the view and the sunset drinks more than the menu.
Taling Ngam
Five Islands
The closest thing to fine dining on our coast, with a Thai restaurant and boat trips out to the five islands offshore. Verify it is open before driving.
Bang Po, north
Bang Po Seafood
A north-coast institution for Samui-style seafood, some of it found nowhere else. Simple room, serious kitchen.
Nathon
Nathon fresh market
Not a restaurant — the island's best market, and where to shop if you are cooking in the villa. Mornings.
Lamai
Lamai food stalls
The night stalls behind the beach road — cheap, busy, and the easiest introduction to southern Thai street food.
The Living
Life on Samui
The island at its most liveable — for holidays and for work, for one, for a family, for the whole group.
Ang Thong Marine Park
Forty-two limestone islands north-west of Samui, reached by boat. The emerald lake on Ko Mae Ko is the shot everyone comes for; the viewpoint climb above it is short but steep.
Na Muang Waterfalls
Two falls inland from the ring road. The lower one is a five-minute walk from the car park, the upper needs a proper climb. Best after rain, thin in the dry months.
Big Buddha, Wat Phra Yai
The twelve-metre gold Buddha on the north-east headland. Go early or late — the steps get hot. Shoulders and knees covered.
Fisherman's Village, Bophut
Old Chinese shophouses turned into restaurants and bars along one street. The Friday night walking market is the reason to time a visit.
Hin Ta & Hin Yai, Lamai
The grandfather and grandmother rocks at the south end of Lamai. Ten minutes of looking, and a good excuse to drive the south coast road.
Ko Taen & Ko Mudsum
Longtail from Thong Krut, twenty minutes south of us. Quiet snorkelling and a beach with almost nobody on it outside high season.
Secret Buddha Garden
A hillside of stone figures set among the jungle in the island's interior. The road up is steep and rough — check your vehicle before committing.
Chaweng Beach
The long east-coast beach, and the busiest part of the island. Worth one trip to see the contrast with our side of Samui.
Nathon walking street
The closest real market to Taling Ngam. Food stalls, produce and the old waterfront shophouses. Check the current day before you drive over.
The Journal
Notes from the island
Your companion to the good life on Samui.
Getting from Samui Airport to Taling Ngam
USM sits on the north-east corner of the island. Taling Ngam is diagonally opposite. Here is what that actually means on arrival day.
Koh Samui weather, month by month
Samui does not follow the same season as Phuket or Bangkok. This catches people out every year.
Staying a month or more on Koh Samui
The economics of Samui change completely past the twenty-eight night mark. So does what you need to check before booking.
Renting a car or scooter on Koh Samui
On the south-west coast a vehicle is not optional. Which one you take is the decision that matters most for the week.
Eating near Taling Ngam
The south-west has fewer restaurants than the north-east, and that is the trade you accepted when you chose the quiet side.
Koh Samui with children
The island works well for families. The quiet coast changes the calculation in both directions.
Why the west coast gets the sunset
It sounds obvious until you have booked the wrong side of the island and spent a week watching the sun disappear behind a hill.