15/01/2023
Hear hear 👍😍
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝟏𝟎 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐨𝐡 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐮𝐢 🏝️
In short: Phuket is too big - it's essentially Bangkok on an island. Koh Phangan is too small with poor infrastructure. Koh Samui is just the right size (Goldilocks Island) with an international airport, great healthcare, beautiful beaches, and amazing weather year-round.
1. Koh Samui is about an hour and a half by boat from the mainland of Surat Thani. You can either take Raja Ferry, SeaTran, or Lomprayah.
2. It has an international airport making it easy for tourists and Thai nationals to arrive from the major cities without a hassle. Although Bangkok Airways has a monopoly, flight costs are not overly expensive to get here.
3. The road system and infrastructure is already good & constantly improving with a decent drainage system during heavy rains unlike the smaller Koh Phangan, which incurs significant flooding on small poorly-paved roads.
4. Samui has very convenient access to both Koh Phangan popular with digital nomads and the the world famous diving destination Koh Tao. This is a great place to get your diving certification with very affordable rates.
5. This beautiful Thai island also has numerous housing options available for all types of budgets. For example, you can rent a house for less than $500 or purchase a beautiful spacious villa for less than $200,000 or in excess of $3 million if you're a wealthy elite.
6. This makes Koh Samui very appealing for real estate projects in the future since there are a plethora of luxury villas for any budget to choose from on the island and many of them need immersive virtual tours.
7. There are also hundreds of luxury hotels and resorts on the island; including many of the large hospitality chains like Anantara, Centara, Four Seasons, Intercontinental, Hyatt, the list goes on.
8. Koh Samui by land size is significantly smaller with significantly less traffic and pollution than Phuket, which is technically not an island since it's connected to the mainland by a bridge.
9. Phuket is getting extremely busy as more tourists are incentivized to flock to this popular destination; and the Chinese citizens will be flooding back like a wave starting today. Koh Samui on the other hand is less touristy with a slower pace of life, and more relaxed environment.
10. Last but not least, I love the friendly people, vibrant culture, delicious food, sunny weather, and beautiful beaches. There is no winter in Thailand. It's sunny and beautiful year-round. Koh Samui also never gets ravaged by tsunamis unlike the more popular Phuket in the Andaman sea.
As always, don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you're interested in visiting Thailand and need advice about best places to go, cost of living, what to eat, where to stay, and much more.
Note: There are new travel restrictions requiring proof of vaccination for all international travelers in effect until January 31st. Stay tuned for updates...
