Thailand Ko Samet: 3 days to discover its most beautiful beaches Ko samet, Eastern Provinces, Rayong, Travel to Thailand 4.8 (5)After a long absence of 13 years, we returned to Ko Samet, not without a certain excitement to finally (re)discover all the charms of this paradise island.The purpose of this article is to detail how we spent our 3 days in Ko Samet, with the itinerary done day by day, highlighting all the activities and visits to do on the island. Our first visit had been so brief, and with bad weather as a bonus, that this return to Ko Samet resonates for me as a whole new discovery.And I can assure you that I was not disappointed!For general information about this popular destination located less than 3 hours from Bangkok, such as where to stay, renting a scooter or how to get there, I have compiled it all in a dedicated article:The charm of Ko Samet: an island less than 3 hours from Bangkok Summary hide Day 1: Arrival and the North Coast Day 2: Exploring the beaches, from north to south Day 3: Relaxation and fine-tuning Back to Ban Phe Day 1: Arrival and the North CoastAfter settling in at Tok Little Hut, I took a few pictures of our beach, but with this grey sky, I didn't insist and very quickly, we got on the scooter to go eat. It was noon and after this morning's drive, we were starting to get quite hungry. I had spotted a rather well-rated beachside restaurant, the "Reef".Main road passing in front of the hotel, as two songthaews of the island cross.It is located two beaches from our hotel, on Ao Tubtim, named after the main resort but this beach is also called Ao Phutsa. It was quite nice and after this good meal, we left for a little digestive stroll along the beach, the time to reach Ao Phai, its neighbor.We then pass by a hotel with which I had hesitated for a while to book, the Blue Bay Bungalow. No regrets since the latter is under construction so probably noisy in the morning. The area between the two beaches is wooded and bordered by rocks. On the Ao Phai side, deckchairs and masseuses. Not a bad setting to be pampered but personally, I was already restless, even if the next day, I planned an in-depth exploration.Ao Tubtim (or Phutsa, as you prefer) beach, north side.The same on the south side.We can see the Blue Bay Bungalow under renovation.The massage area, located between Ao Tubtim and Ao Phai.Panorama of Ao Phai beach.We left the restaurant to go a little into the main village, right next to the arrival dock, where we had spotted a cafe that looked nice, the Lamoon Cafe. It was again a good choice, the coffee is very good, small cozy garden (too bad the view of the abandoned hotel behind but oh well) and superb big trees in front (too bad the wires that spoil the view… but hey, it's Thailand!). After half an hour and our dose of caffeine, it was time to continue the day and we went back to explore a little the north coast of the island.We then arrive at Noi Na Beach, the largest beach in the area, deserted that day, and for good reason, its main hotel has clearly been abandoned since Covid, even if the latter seemed to be starting a renovation for the time being.At the very end of the beach, there is a small Chinese sanctuary, Sri Tubtim Shrine. From there, you can clearly see the continent from where you arrived, visibility is good and you are only 5 km away as the crow flies. On the way back to the village, we stopped on the way to Ao Klang beach, still on the north coast. It is not really an area suitable for swimming but it has the merit of being peaceful.Noi Na Beach, deserted.Noi Na looking the other way.The small Chinese shrine.Could have a swimming pool…Passing several dogs, we spent a good quarter of an hour cuddling the most welcoming of them. There were two sanctuaries there, one dedicated to an admiral, as is often the case on islands, they become like the protectors of the coasts. And a second one resembling a mini "Erawan", named after the sanctuary at the Ratchadamri crossroads in Bangkok (next to Central World).We made another short stop further on, at the Minnie Seaview Resort to see another part of Ao Klang beach. On the way, some more friendly dogs came to see us as we were just parking. They were kindly squatting on the terrace of a guesthouse set up there on the side of the road (we actually came across several of them, making me wonder who likes to stay in a bungalow on the side of the road… even if the area is quiet).It was while making this stop that I was surprised to hear what seemed to me to be a bird, with a sound that seemed atypical and exotic to me. When I managed to lay my eyes on it, I discovered that it was a type of hornbill, apparently a great hornbill. Before returning to our beach, I made a final stop at a rock with a view of the entire coast of Ao Klang, and a stretch of beach behind which is the port of arrival of Ko Samet shortly after.Ao Klang Beach.Small shrine in Ao Klang.Beach in front of Minnie Seaview Resort.Opposite, a bungalow of another guesthouse.And between the two, the road.I present to you, a great hornbill.General view of Ao Klang beach.Back at Ao Hin Khok, our beach as a reminder (also known as Jep's Beach, and simply annotated "Ko Samet Beach" on Google Maps), we thought it was still a little early to settle down in our homes. We took the time to walk a few meters from the Tok Little Hut to see the statue located between our beach and its neighbor, the main one on the island, Sai Kaew Beach (which means "glass sand page"), where we had stayed 13 years ago.The statue in question, made of bronze, represents a child carried by a mermaid. What I didn’t realize at the time was how different the sculpture is from the one I had known. Indeed, there had been for decades a famous sculpture representing the mermaid and the prince, taken from an epic poem “Phra Aphai Mani”, the name of the prince at the center of this love story in verse, in which the mermaid, Nang Nguek Thong marries the prince and gives him a son named Sutsakhorn. A new, much more modern sculpture has been added in its place, in recent years. However, both are taken from the same poem by the famous Thai poet, Sunthorn Phu.The small hill leading to our hotel and the access to Sai Kaew is just to the left of me.Shrine next to the statue.The new mermaid statue.The old statue, placed at the top of the small hill.Overview of Sai Kaew Beach.While I was taking my photos, Jitima sat down to do some sketches. I also spent some time observing the hundreds of small crabs, busy around their freshly dug holes in the sand. Behind the clouds, you can feel that the sun is already starting to descend. Despite this gloomy weather, I am rather happy, because I have the feeling of having already enjoyed it and seen more than during our previous escapade. On the way back to our hotel, I take a photo of a statue on a kind of esplanade by the side of the road, without realizing at the time that it was simply the original sculpture. I then think back to the comment that Jitima says to me when I see it, "it's ugly" and something like it's not worthy of the island and/or the poem... She didn't think about it being the old version either.It's rare enough to be worth mentioning, but after that, it wasn't even 17pm, and we were going back to the hotel. Rare, because normally, I enjoy the place and never return to the hotel before nightfall. We also settled for our hotel restaurant to eat, which is not necessarily an exception though. But with the experience we'll have, we'll clearly look elsewhere for the rest of our stay... In short, we ordered dishes, repeated by the very enthusiastic waitress (it's ironic, she spent her time on her phone and seemed bothered by having to work...), after waiting a while, some dishes arrive, we thought that the last one, a fish, was probably longer to make. Except that after a while, we get used to the idea that clearly, it was forgotten. It wouldn't be such a problem if the waitress had apologized... Instead, she seemed to accuse us of making things up by inventing dishes we hadn't ordered... The height of it, no apology from her but she turned on her heels, pouting and it was the cook who came to apologize even though she wasn't at fault!Day 2: Exploring the beaches, from north to southSeeing the sun shining early in the morning, it's safe to say that the day was off to a good start. I rushed to take some photos of our beach, highlighted by this beautiful light and we set off to explore the rest of the island. The first stop was not far since it was the neighboring beach of Ao Phai. With this beautiful weather, I finally discovered the true face of Ko Samet and its translucent waters (which often tend towards green).Our next goal was to reach the west coast, which has a unique beach, Ao Prao. When I say unique, I mean the only beach, since the rest of the west coast is only cliffs. We stopped on the way at a viewpoint located just before the Ao Prao car park, which is located within a small military base (the rangers who manage the national parks).The spot is rather known for admiring the sunset in the evening, with the advantage of being close to the village (2 km) when the next sunset viewpoint is 4 km from the main area of the island (well, the distances remain small, the island hardly exceeding 6 km long).Ao Phai beach that morning.The purpose of our visit was to have breakfast at the Buzz restaurant, which belongs to one of the three resorts located on this beach. Due to its isolated nature, there is only one road to get there and leave, so vehicles are prohibited from driving along the bay. You must therefore park in a car park, which is free of charge (meaning free, which is rare in Thailand) at the top and go down the small hill to arrive at Ao Prao.The private aspect of the area is nice, with a shallow beach that could suit families with young children. If you have the budget, it can be a good idea to stay in this area for more tranquility, just in case, I'll give you the three establishments located there:le Vimarn Cottages & Spa (count the trifle of 8 baht per night, 000 € all the same)le Kerala Coco Resort (the cheapest, from 2 baht, around €800)le Ao Prao Resort (from 5 baht, €000, clearly the best value for money in the area)Unfortunately, when we arrived, we realized that the Buzz restaurant only opened at 11am, so breakfast was out... So, we went to see the neighbor, the Kerala, where the morning buffet was open to people passing through. For 250 baht, we ate an "all you can eat" meal, but it was disappointing (except for the omelette, which was fresh and excellent).It was not even 11am when we left Ao Prao to head towards the southern tip this time. The idea was to stop at each of the beaches, in order, so as to arrive at the tip by the end of the afternoon. The next stop was therefore the charming beach of Ao Nan, which is reached by a chaotic dirt road. As it turns out, the idea I had of Ko Samet is distorted.Indeed, due to its proximity to the coast and big cities like Rayong or even Pattaya, I imagined the island to be more tarmacked/developed, even if I understand that its status as a national park preserves it. And if the other beaches already have their beauty, Ao Nan already stands out a notch above. Already, due to its more difficult access, it is a haven of tranquility, since there is only one guesthouse there, with individual bungalows, nestled in the forest that borders the beach.As a little extra, it has its own little restaurant, which would have made a better spot for our breakfast of the day. However, it was a little early for lunch so we didn't try it. Ao Nuan is superb, with a color palette tending towards light turquoise green for the water, the blue sky dotted with clouds adding a touch of white, just like the color of the sand, in addition to being soft and pleasant to the feet. The whole thing is a small cove surrounded by woods and nature, in short, you will have understood, I am conquered!The little extra touch at Ko Samet? The presence on the beach of small trees, called cajeput or cajeputier (from which an essential oil is extracted), it is the same one that gives its name to the island, Samet, its term in Thai. It clearly adds a little wild and unique touch to the beaches where you find them and Ao Nuan is one of them.It was with the satisfaction of a job well done, once the beach had been seen from every angle, that we continued our exploration. And barely 10 minutes later, we arrived at the next stop, Ao Chor. I landed on the northern part of the beach. This is also a beautiful beach, with beautiful colours, but after Ao Nuan, it is no match. Afterwards, it is clearly a larger space and the vibe is different, very Rasta-oriented and cool (not to say hippie). There, near the wooden pontoon, are buoys at the end of ropes, as a swing, which I did not fail to test.After a good ten minutes, we move to go to the neighboring bay of Ao Wong Duean. It is a large bay, the largest after the main one of Ao Sai Kaew, and consequently, it is there that is after the village, the largest concentration of hotels and shops, even if it is not in the same proportions as in the village, no 7-11 in the area for example (sacrilege, lol).The floating pontoon here allows you to arrive directly on the bay if you come with a speed boat (often chartered by hotels), which is why, just like the main dock, there is a counter here to pay the entrance fee to the national park that includes Ko Samet (as a reminder, 200 baht per person). It can also be used as a starting point to visit the small islands in the area (Ko Kudi and Ko Thalu in particular). It was always high tide, so it limited the space on the beach, but it was generally very quiet given its size.Next stop, Ao Thian. A small beach where there is roughly only one hotel, the Ban Thai Sang Thian Resort (it is transcribed all attached with inversions of letters on Google Maps: Banthaisangthain Resort). At first we hesitated to eat there since it was almost noon, we were at the water's edge, so it seemed not bad. But finally we opted for a simple drink break, because the service seemed a little slow. So we quietly sipped our smoothies and left almost an hour later.Otherwise, if there are other hotels around, it's more of a rocky area than a sandy one so I don't really consider it as Ao Thian. In fact, the bay is split into several pieces, with Ao Thian to the north, an area in the middle, still considered Ao Thian and finally another piece of beach further south, which we went to afterwards, called Ao Lung Dam."Next station": Sunset view point, a point that you can't miss since you will see a widening of the road with visible facilities on the side of the road, to sit and admire the sunset on the cliffs of Ko Samet, with a view of Ban Phe and the tip of Khao Laem Ya, which is also part of the national park. Even in broad daylight like we are, it's a beautiful view, on the other hand, I am always saddened when I come across several pieces of waste below...To pass by the spot again at sunset time (when we returned to the southern tip the next day, see day 3 below), several street vendors will be there to offer something to nibble on while enjoying the show.Otherwise almost opposite the viewpoint, you have a dirt road that leads to Ao Lung Dam, the southern part of Ao Thian if you follow. From what we saw, it's a quiet area, with two or three small resorts and simple bungalows on the water's edge, but no beach at high tide so not very conducive to relaxing with a towel. There are also at least two restaurants, but given how deserted it was, I decided at the time to go to the neighboring bay.We then arrive at the foot of a path leading to the Samet Ville Resort, an apparently important hotel since we then come across quite a few scooters parked on the side, and even green songthaews waiting. The establishment is the only one in the area and therefore the only way to access Ao Wai beach is to take the path in question. Several signs at the entrance and along warn you that it is private and that only customers can go there.In order not to abuse, we thought we would eat there, so we became customers. Before that, we enjoyed the beautiful view and superb beach, similar to Ao Nuan but bigger. The time for the photo "session" took a good quarter of an hour. We then looked for food while moving towards the part of the restaurant that was covered. No one showed up, and the feeling despite the tables outside on the sand finally pushed us to go elsewhere... The next beach we passed is unfortunately inaccessible... From the photos, Ao Kiew, its little name, seems comparable to its neighbor from where we arrived, but the latter, unlike Ao Wai, is guarded and has been completely privatized by the resort occupying all the space, the Paradee Resort. So, we barely slow down (a little bit anyway, knowing that the Paradee is in a basin, with a steep slope just before and a good climb after in the stride). We continue in stride to the beach of Ao Pakarang, the last of the island, the most southerly, where there is apparently only one hotel occupying the area, the Nimmanoradee Resort.It is then 14 pm and needless to say that this time, we are determined to eat. But not before taking a few photos of course, especially along the path along the small peninsula of Laem Kut, which offers a view of the entire bay. 10 minutes later, I joined Jitima who had already sat on the terrace with a sea view. On this beautiful day, we can clearly see the continent and we can see a few buildings belonging to luxury hotels.After eating well, we had a few minutes to reach the end of the island, where there is a Rangers building and two paths to get to the Laem Toei peninsula. The path on the left indicates that it is the viewpoint for sunrise, and on the right, the one for sunset, each leading to a different piece of rock. In our case, even taking our time along the road, stopping at almost all the beaches, it is only 15:15 p.m. when we arrive there.Since it's a miss for both of them (sunset is around 17:30pm, a bit long to wait until then), I opt for the left, at least to start. In any case, it doesn't change much since a wooden pontoon, still being installed at the time of our visit, allows access to the "sunset" part. From this idyllic viewpoint, you can see the islet called Ko Chan, which adjoins Ko Samet a few hundred meters away.Since it's not even 16pm and I've already finished all the visits I had planned to do, I was quietly going back to the main village to try another café, the Life Buoy. Unfortunately, in addition to having waited more than 10 minutes for the coffee maker to come back to the tiny shop, the coffee was frankly disappointing... In terms of time, it's 17pm, between the time to come back from the end of the island and wait for my coffee and take a few photos in the area), we think that a little massage would be nice then.Looking at the reviews, we chose the Fahsai Massage, a stone's throw from the café. There were only 3 reviews when I looked, but the other salon in the area with a good rating, the Mer Elephant Spa, is much more expensive and the frontage didn't look appealing... We didn't regret our choice, because after an hour, we came out feeling very relaxed and we both agreed that the massage we received was excellent.Back at the hotel, we were going to sit down shortly after on our beach, to enjoy a bottle of Champagne that I had been offered, that's a vacation! We hung around for an hour, admiring the "fire shows" from afar, these shows by jugglers who use flaming sticks or chains to entertain visitors. You can see them at practically every major restaurant along the island's beaches. From what we saw, the same jugglers liven up the evening by going from one restaurant to another, so the times of the "fire shows" are spread out along the beach.Since we had a late lunch, we weren't in a hurry to have dinner that night so we were only leaving to eat at 20:30pm. After the lousy dinner at our hotel restaurant the night before, there was no way we were going to settle for this one. The advantage of our resort's location is that it is only 150m from the mermaid statue, the end of Sai Kaew's main beach. Walking along it, and after having looked at the ratings of the local restaurants, we stopped at Kitt&Food.It was a good little meal and to conclude this excellent day, we observed from a distance a fire show in progress in one of the neighboring restaurants, the Joe Restaurant, an establishment which seemed popular and much livelier than around us.Day 3: Relaxation and fine-tuningHere we are again blessed with a beautiful sunny day, a great start to a more leisurely day, as I saw most of the island the day before, I have less "pressure" today on the program of visits to schedule. I have not even scheduled anything special at all, except that I planned to try the sunset at the famous point where we were yesterday.As the sun is shining, we started by taking some more photos of the mermaid statue and the view of our beach on one side and Sai Kaew on the other, it's still much better than the gray sky of the day we arrived! In the process, not having been there yet this time, I headed towards the main village to take some photos of the central part of Sai Kaew Beach, the same one where we had mainly stayed 14 years ago.Afterwards, we went back to the street where we had had the massage the day before, in order to do some shopping at the 7-11 because Jitima wanted to make a donation to the small temple of Ko Samet, the only one on the island, which is why it is generally simply called Wat Ko Samet even if its official name would be Wat Koh Kaew Phitsadan.The latter is still under construction, with its main building enthroned on a concrete terrace. Sculptures were being added to the still-gray walls, while the front facade and part of the interior are still partially painted.In front of the main building of the temple, there is an imposing white Buddha statue. On the lower part, there is the building where the monks will welcome you to proceed with the blessing in case of donation that we come to make. Around, there is a pretty garden, even with a pond, seen the day before from the main street.It's already 11:30 and since we haven't eaten anything yet (getting up after 10am), we decide to head to the north of the island, because we then wanted to try the cafe we saw in the area (the Brown Cabin Chocolate Cafe). Originally, I thought I would go to the Bar And Bed (Sleepless Society @ Samed) but I saw the first day when I was passing by that it was closed (and under renovation, probably a change of ownership due to Covid).So, I was looking for a small local restaurant, but the latter was indeed so small, with already taken tables that we decided to retrace our steps, since we were already arriving at the end of this hill. And finally, after some hesitation, we settled in the hotel restaurant Baan Ploy Sea (I'll give you the link if you're interested, it's a beautiful, well-known establishment on the island), right opposite the café we wanted to try next, and which apparently belongs to the hotel in question.The atmosphere is radically different from the small restaurant initially planned, but what does it matter. Having a view of the sea is always nice and the beach next door is pretty, the restaurant is under a large wooden structure with a beautiful, exotic effect. And the main thing is to have eaten well there. Afterwards, it's true, these are not the prices of a local restaurant, but you pay for the setting and the service.Full, it was time to try the famous coffee. Unfortunately, it was very disappointing. We still stayed for a while to enjoy the air conditioning, because Jitima wanted to work a little again. But finally, the desire for a good caffeine and the air conditioning that was a little too cool pushed us to change places.And since it was good, we went straight back to the Lamoon Café, next to the island's arrival dock. Plus, no need for air conditioning, we could sit in the shade of the garden plants.If I stayed a while to hang out, I didn't have my computer to work on, especially since apart from the photos to take, I was more in holiday mode. But rather than staying stuck at the café, I decided to get back on the bike to go back around the island, in particular to take photos of the road crossing the island and maybe complete a little the work done the previous day.As soon as I left, I met a friendly dog who had already come to say hello to us previously, this one was literally ready to come up with me for a ride! Apart from this little stop, I stopped again at Ao Phai before continuing on my way. By stopping two or three times along the road to take a few photos, it took me barely 20 minutes to get back to the end of the island, to the Laem Toei peninsula.But the fact is that I arrive at about the same time, and therefore with the same light as the day before... so in terms of photos, the interest remains limited, even if that doesn't stop me from taking a few more...In the end, it gives me plenty of time to get back to the café, to suggest to Jitima to come back there to see the sunset. 30 minutes later, I was back at the Lamoon Café, not without taking a few more photo breaks. Anyway, I had to come back to pick up the lady before 17pm since the café was closing. That's good, it's like 16:45pm when I get back to my starting point.One of the many speed bumps along the road on Ko Samet.In the process, I left directly towards Laem Toei and again 30 minutes later, we were ready to attend the show. We landed towards the lower part of the peninsula, near an area with some kind of reed flowers. In addition to being more relaxed, it was a great effect for the photos. In the area closer to the path to the parking lot, quite a few people had rushed to also attend this enjoyable little moment.We stayed for a good half hour enjoying the colors and the evening sky, but it was time to leave, because even if it is not far, I wanted to avoid the return trip in the pitch black night. In doing so, we returned to the height of our hotel with the last rays of daylight.After a short break in our room, we went back to choose a restaurant to sit at for this last evening in Ko Samet. After looking at a few menus, we decided on the beanbags at De' Grill Bar & Bistro (part of the Samed Grand View Resort hotel). Even if it's not the best rated in the area, the atmosphere is pretty cool, and eating with your feet in the sand is always tempting.The welcome will also be appreciated since having only one place next to the speakers spitting out the music a little loud, the latter kindly turned down the sound for us. If there was a kind of buffet available that evening, we opted for an individual dish. The wait was a little long but with the small cocktail while waiting, it went down well. The meal tasted, I had a few meters to go to get my favorite dessert on the beach, the famous pancakes called "roti".Shortly after ordering the 2nd drink of the evening, the "fire show" began, right behind us. Although we were in the front row, I was thinking that the location was not ideal for all the other people in the restaurant. No matter, we were able to enjoy the first quarter of an hour comfortably seated on our beanbags. The last minutes were spent on the front of the beach, so I got up to see the end of these 20 minutes of light show. This is how to end this seaside stay gently, with a full belly and stars in your eyes (in the literal sense).Back to Ban PheAll that remained was to return to the continent and get back on the road to get home. As Jitima had a work imperative, we left early in the morning. Arriving at the port, after returning the scooter to the rental company, and while waiting for our boat, I saw the price of another one at only 60 baht, apparently as fast (10 minutes) as ours. Since I already had the return ticket, I said to myself too bad, but just in case, I'll pass the info on to you.Remember that in our case, we left from the quay soberly called Ban Phe (Ban Phe Pier) while this other 60 baht express boat leaves from Nuan Thip (NuanThip Ferry), a pier just 200m from Ban Phe Pier.Back in the car park, I am surprised by the contrast in the filling of the latter compared to our day of arrival. It is full to bursting, so much so that there is double parking galore (classic in Thailand). The cars are parked in mass and you have to play Tetris to get out of there… Fortunately, the guard of the place is used to it and after a few minutes of moving the cars (hence the importance in this kind of car park not to put the handbrake), with very little room to maneuver, I was able to get out and take the road.It's just goodbye!Back to Ban Phe.The parking mess on the way back… Did you like the article? Vote on the article Note globale 4.8 / 5. Number of votes: 5 No votes yet. Be the first to rate this article! Did you like the article? Follow me on social media Heart-stopper Île Sea and beaches National Park 0 2 Roman 07/02/2023
