Information: Big Buddha Beach , Koh Samui is a popular beach for tourists, visitors and locals alike. There are plenty of access points to the beach from the road along its length.

The beach is sheltered and has a backdrop of coconut palms and other tropical trees giving you that desert island feeling. The water here is generally warm, above body temperature and calm, but not clear enough to snorkel. The beach drops off quite steeply a few metres from the low water line so if you are not a good swimmer beware of that fact. We did not experience any strong currents. There at a few sharp rocks in places but these can easily be avoided. The sand is a coarse yellow, mildly abrasive and not suitable for sand castles!

There are a few hotel resort areas and restaurants, a fisherman’s village and of course Big Buddha Beach is overlooked by the Big Buddha Statue from where the beach derives its name.

Information: Bo Phut Beach is situated on the north east of the island of Koh Samui. The beach is a couple of kilometres in length. The beach itself is made of a yellow fairly coarse sand (that doesn't make good sand castles!) Gently sloping down from a mainly coconut palm fringe to a pleasantly warm, generally quiet aquamarine sea.

The water is not generally clear enough to snorkel and the underwater beach drops away quite steeply a few meters out at low tide. The water at high tide still leaves a good wide stretch of sand and at low tide the beach doubles in breadth. There are no strong under currents in the bay.

The Bo Phut Resort areas are spread thinly along the length of the beach except around the central area where there is a fisherman's village and crude jetty. Around the same area there are a number of bars and restaurants catering for just about all tastes. Bo Phut Beach resort areas are popular with all nationalities: British, German, Australian and Japanese seeming to be the prevalent 'species'.

Information: Samui's most popular and lively beach. Along the seven kilometer stretch can be found some of the island's best hotels, together with an endless number of bungalows, beach bars restaurants, discos and shops. The strip splits naturally into three sections, with the resort town located in the central area. In recent years it has blossomed into the island's second largest town, and is a magnet for visitors from all over the island. All of the attractions are easily accessed by the road which runs parallel with the beach.

Central Chaweng Beach has the greatest concentration of venues, and most of the nightlife attractions are located here. You will find a good choice of music venues ranging from traditional Thai to jazz, rock to roots-reggae, many of them keeping open until dawn. For a quieter evening there are plenty of bars and restaurants right on the beach, offering a dreamy view of the Gulf. Food lovers can find just about anything, whether it be Thai or western fare, and there are some excellent seafood restaurants. Chaweng has the greatest number of dive shops on Samui, many of which organize night dives off the beach. Despite all the activity, however, Chaweng still maintains the classic image of a palm-fringed tropical beach.

Information: Choeng Mon, situated on the far northeast corner of the island, consists of a number of beautiful and secluded bays, with some of the best accommodation on Koh Samui. The Choeng Mon area juts out from the rest of the island, and the main road cuts a more direct route through the island, helping to keep the beaches quiet. This area is popular with families, and people looking for relaxation, without the nightlife of other beaches. A significant amount of the area has been taken up by private residences, but there is still a good number of accommodation options, albeit it at the higher end of the scale.

The main Choeng Mon Beach here is one of the most beautiful on Samui, and while many people just like to totally relax here, there are plenty of water sport options for the more activity minded tourist. Just off the coast is the tiny island of Ko Fan Yai which can be reached on foot at low tide, but is also within reach of the beach by kayak, making for a fun activity.

Choeng Mon Beach tends to attract more foreign than Thai tourists, and this is perhaps reflected in the restaurants and entertainment options. The Thai food on offer tends not to be too spicy, and there are often Thai dancers and Filipino bands playing in some of the restaurants.

The disadvantage of Choeng Mon’s location, jutting out from the rest of the islands, means that transport is not so convenient here, songthaews do operate here, but are not nearly as regular as at the other major beaches. It is easy enough to arrange for taxis, and your hotel will be happy to assist, but it is a good option to consider hiring a car or motorbike if you want to visit other parts of the island.

Information: Samui's second most popular beach, Lamai is a little quieter, a little looser, and a little cheaper than Chaweng. There is something distinctly boom-town about the main strip, which is generally referred to as Lamai Gulch, with its bars, diners and shops crammed together along the roadside and down the dusty sidelanes. Ride or walk to the back of the beach road and you're in the heart of banana groves and coconut plantations, and you can take a mountain bike ride up the hilltracks and into the rugged interior... Or follow the road down past the headland where the infamous Grandfather and Grandmother rocks attract picnicking Thais.

Lamai is home to a charming old temple with a tiny museum, and a number of local gyms where you can take Thai boxing lessons. You will also find a choice of dive shops and even a couple of meditation centers. After dark Lamai Gulch loses its sleepy daytime persona and becomes a jumping nightspot. There are some real home-style alfresco places with Thai and western food, pub/saloons featuring live bands, video movies on show and several discos which start swinging 'round about midnight. Central Lamai has a broad selection of bungalow type accommodation, ranging from budget lodgings to the magnificent, the latter with tended landscaped gardens, swimming pools and sweet seclusion.

Information: It’s hard to believe as you drive along the Ring Road in Maenam that just a few hundred metres away there is one of the prettiest beaches that Koh Samui has to offer. Once you're off the road, it’s an amazingly tranquil spot, fringed the whole way along by majestic palms. It’s also here that you find some of the cheapest accommodation deals on the island, as well as a few up-market resorts.

The sand, though not postcard white powder, is a fine yellow colour, with a turquoise sea stretching away. In the distance you can see Koh Pha Ngan, Samui’s sister island, and on a clear day distant Koh Tao. For those who know it, Maenam represents a largely unspoilt beach and when you sit on the sands here, and look along it in either direction, it’s hard to see the development, most of which consists of small collections of bungalows.

Maenam Beach, unlike Chaweng, is never crowded, and very often you will come across only a handful of people sunbathing.