Island Life in Thailand: Ko Samet

Living right on the Gulf of Thailand I'm fortunate enough to spend a lot of my free time on the islands of Thailand, but we mainly stick to the small and quiet island of Koh Larn (more info on Koh Larn here) because it's closest to our mainland location of Pattaya. However, this past weekend was our Thai friend, Papae's, birthday and she wanted to celebrate on the island of Ko Samet which is about an hour south of us by car, followed by a 50 minute ferry ride. Ko Samet carries the reputation similar to some of the party islands in the south of Thailand and I was more than eager to get a new island experience, especially because the islands we have seen so far have been extremely mellow (and because hotels have warm showers, which is something my apartment is lacking).
Within the first hour, Ko Samet did not disappoint. We made it just in time for the nightly fire show and the night went up from there. The beaches of Ko Samet are littered with various bars and restaurants, all welcoming the tourists in with the lure of neon body paint and the promise of deals on buckets (essentially a small beach bucket usually made to build sandcastles, but instead filled with your liquor of choice).  Needless to say, our evenings stretched far into the early mornings, and we spent our afternoons relaxing on one of many of Ko Samet's beautiful beaches.

Our beach for the day that we shared with about 10 other people

We stayed a short walking distance from Sai Kaew beach, which is one of the most popular beaches on the island, but that means it's also one of the most crowded beaches, both with human and boat traffic. We opted for a short hike down the east coast of the island to find a smaller and more secluded beach, which gave us the quiet atmosphere we were hoping for. Growing up on Lake Erie I have very little ocean experience and am constantly causing myself pain by opening my eyes under water or by swimming out too far into a swarm of jelly fish, but I'm sure one of these days I'll learn my lesson.

A little fire limbo to get the night started

Before moving to Thailand I knew that Asia was cheap, and I pictured myself having the life of luxury while lounging on some exotic beach. One thing that I never found mentioned anywhere in my research is that although Asia is cheap, alcohol is still the same price. This is something that continuously bums me out because a large portion of my paycheck now goes towards alcohol, which is not something I usually did in the states. During our weekend on the island I ended up spending as much on alcohol as I did on our hotel room, which is a reality that frustrates me. Obviously the logical solution would be to not drink as much, which is a habit I've easily adapted during the week days, but I still enjoy having a fun night out with the girls and splurging on a few buckets on the beach :)

Went on a little hangover trek which was a
struggle, but the view was worth it

Although I definitely get to enjoy my weekends around Pattaya, our trip to Ko Samet felt like the first true vacation and it gave us all an opportunity to act like tourists in our new country. Ko Samet is known as Bangkok's island, because it's one of the biggest and most popular islands close to Bangkok ("close" being a relative term, it's about 2.5 hours from Bangkok) and is a good weekend trip for backpackers who won't make it down south. We spent our evenings getting to know travelers who have been backpacking Asia for months at a time, but who always took the time to come back to Thailand and slow down a little on the islands. We had a great time on the island and I would definitely advise it to anyone that's in the Bangkok/Pattaya area.

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Logistical Info

The island of Ko Samet is a National Park, which means there's a 200 baht fee to enter the area. However, the payment area is on a main shopping street and we found that if you are just casually strolling along with only a backpack they won't stop you to pay the fee. Those who took song taews and motorbike taxis automatically stopped to pay the fee, but no one even glanced our way when we walked through on our own.

We spent two nights at Sea Breeze Bungalows, which were a short walk to Sai Kaew beach and also walking distance to the ferry dock, saving us the cost of a taxi ride elsewhere. Rooms were 1000 baht per night for a two person room (you could probably squeeze a third into the generous sized beds).

Like most other islands in Thailand there are a few 7-Elevens and minimarts scattered around the island, but prices are a bit higher than the mainland. Next time we plan on bringing a small supply of water and alcohol.

The fire show we saw takes place each evening at 8pm at Ploy Bar, which is located on Sai Kaew beach. Although many bars and restaurants offer a show on the island the one provided by Ploy Bar is boasted as the best and biggest show on the island.