Korean Job Discussion Forums

koreaking · Joined: 05 Sep 2006 Location: Omokyo, Seoul

going to Thailand next week. just wondering, which of these places would be better to visit or are they pretty much the same?

Koh Sumai is much farther than Koh Sumet from Bangkok which is where my flight goes into

just trying to get some good/bad points about each place? thk

Matilda · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Location: Gimhae gal

I stayed for 3 nights at Koh Samet a few years back... not sure if this is the same place/spelling?

Koh Samet is a very small island located off Pattaya - a couple of hours east of Bangkok. It was very cheap and was very much backpacker style accomodation ie electricity only supplied at night by generator, goats wandering on the beach.

It was fairly small and laid back but not the resort style accomodation you would find in Koh Samui.

Hope this helps. Have a SAFE journey to Thailand.

4 months left · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

Koh Samui has a great beach and a lot of different kinds of accomodations. Pretty laid back with a bit of nightlife, I highly recommend it.

passport220 · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Location: Gyeongsangbuk-do province

Koh Samet is much quieter and laid back than Koh Sumai. One activity people seem to like on Koh Samet is an organized fishing trip where you cook (with assistance) and eat your catch when you return from your day�s fishing. When I was there about 4 years ago, that was about all that was available for entertainment. I expect it has progressed some since then.

Koh Sumai is a complete and modern tourist destination. It has a wide variety of entertainment, and pleasure activities available.

Unless you are looking for complete peace and quiet I would also recommend Sumai.

oxfordstu · Joined: 28 Aug 2004 Location: Bangkok

Never been to Koh Samet, and I don't think I would ever want to. The island caters to Thais on weekend holidays. They even charge foreigners to come to the island 200 baht upon entry (and I think it might have gone up to 500 by now). Accommodation is very expensive, as is everything else. A friend of mine went there and said that the internet cafes were charging 10 baht per minute. No thanks.

I've stayed on Samui on several occasions, and as long as you stay away from the tourist beaches of Lamai and especially Chaweng, it's a great place to visit. There are plenty of secluded beaches between Chaweng and Lamai that are great.

Colorado · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:49 pm Post subject:

I've never been to Ko Samui, but I've been to Ko Samet many times and can recommend it. It's off the coast from Ban Phe, though, not Pattaya, and you can be there in three hours by bus from Bangkok. It's not all that quiet anymore, lots of resort style bungalows, restaurants and a few bars. The beaches are clean, the people are friendly and it's not terribly expensive. I'm going again in February.