Koh Samui - Coconut Island Paradise on Earth

Koh Samui is one of the most well-known island getaways in Thailand. It is roughly 700 kilometers. South of Bangkok and Bangkok Airways will reach you there in about an hour's time. Koh Samui is also called the coconut island because of the endless line of coconut palms yielding more than two million coconuts per month.

It offers the weary traveler seemingly infinite golden beaches, sparkling blue waters, abundant greenery and a calm environment. Accommodation is in plenty with luxuriously appointed villas on the beachfront with a clear sea view and private cottages for the more budget conscious. It is quite easy to rent a villa or cottage for the duration of your stay at Koh Samui. These fall in two categories - the resort villa or the private cottage. The resort villa would be a part of a resort or hotel chain with standard amenities in each, but the guests would also be able to use other resort facilities. However, there are many who rent private furnished villas or cottages decorated with individual tastes and traditional Thai hospitality. The owner/manager would be able to give more personalized attention to the client. There is usually a support staff to cook, clean or offer guide facilities if asked. These are more economical for a large group or family holidaying together. It's a more authentic and traditional experience of Thai hospitality.

Being a major international tourism destination, Koh Samui has plenty of other activities such as spa facilities, exploring waterfalls, elephant rides, paintball, sea sports, diving, fishing, golf, bungee jumping etc than the tourist attractions.

Flights to Koh Samui - The Start of a Vacation in Paradise

Flights to Koh Samui are provided by Bangkok Airways all year round and as visitors fly over the picturesque Buddha into the airport, they are greeted with the island's ambiance of 'getting away from it all'. Visitors certainly do not have to wait to disembark to feel like the getaway has begun - they can feel it during the 1 hour flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui.

The island offers a wide range of pleasurable activities. In addition, it is renowned for housing many of the best health conscience resorts anywhere in the world. No wonder it is called 'The Healthy Island'! Upon arrival, travelers are greeted by an eco-friendly environment marked with pristine beaches, natural luxury, tropical plants and thatched roof bungalows. Coral Bay Resort on Chaweng beach stands out with their 56 bungalows built on 10 acres of lush tropical gardens. Relaxing in one of these bungalows is the perfect way to unwind after travelling on one of Bangkok Airway's flights to the island.

A range of affordable flights to Koh Samui are offered by Vayama. They are not just another travel company but specialize in international travel and bring together hundreds of private, consolidator and exclusive fares for the island. You can begin your Samui holiday by booking an affordable flight with them on Bangkok Airways, Thai Airways, Lufthansa or Emirates.

Once the off the beaten track for backpackers and hippies, Samui island is definitely a tropical treat to be experienced at least once. With more and more luxury hotels opening, the island is fast becoming the far East island of choice for the more discerning traveler in search of a exotic and serenely gorgeous spot to unwind. Deciding on where to spend your holiday is probably the most difficult vacation decision to make. But once you have settled on this tropical gem in Thailand, getting there is just a breeze since flights to Koh Samui are easily obtained.

Expensive Ticket to Paradise

     Low fare airliners have changed the tourism industry significantly in the recent years. Holiday destinations across the globe are now reachable at affordable cost. In Asia, the largest low fare airliner AirAsia connects South-East Asian hubs to numerous holiday destinations in the region.

     Now everybody can get cheap flight ticket from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, or Bangkok to Bali, Phuket, Penang, Hainan, Macau, even less popular new emerging destinations like Krabi in Thailand, Guilin in China, or Bandung in Indonesia.

     Unfortunately it is not the case with Koh Samui, the newly emerging tropical island in the southern part of Thailand. Flights to Koh Samui are rather limited and expensive. A flight from Phuket to Koh Samui - which is only about half an hour - costs a lot more than two hours long flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket.

     AirAsia flies to much less visited Krabi, so if we are looking into airliner's readiness, I believe they are much more than ready. Residents of Koh Samui explained that the situation is caused by absence of airport. The only airport in Koh Samui is owned and operated by Bangkok Air only to serve their own flight with an exception for Thai Airways. Without competition Bangkok Air retains the power to dictate any price they want.

     From tourism development point of view, it is quite a bad situation, especially because Koh Samui is a very potential island destination. In addition to beautiful calm white-sandy beaches it is also serves as gate to its surrounding smaller islands including Koh Phangan. So attractive that some tourists are prepared to pay the price, but still, the vast majority chooses to save their money and somewhere else.

     Providing private villa accommodation for high-end tourists to whom money is not really an issue, Wisna Wedhana, the Managing Director of Private Leisure International saw the airfare as a significant barrier even to her wealthy clients. "We have many interested clients who decide to go somewhere else as son as they know the ticket price", she complained. "It may be okay if you are traveling alone, but if you are a family of 10, it is a significant amount of money", she added.

     Actually there is a few other ways to get to Koh Samui. You can drive from either Phuket or Krabi to the pier at Khanom and take a short ferry trip to Koh Samui. Air-conditioned coaches and train are available from Bangkok to the southern provice of Suratthani where you can take a short drive to Khanom pier. The super luxurious Orient Express train also stops at Suratthani. Another alternative is to take a yacht from Bangkok directly to Koh Samui. "Yes, but no one is comparable with a flight, how do you expect people to take a 10 hours land trip after a long haul trip from Europe", Wisna commented about the alternatives.

Before the authority finds affordable transportation solution, maybe we should see it from the positive point of view, being only available to those who are prepared to pay more or take the pain, Koh Samui is kept as a peaceful tropical paradise.