Koh Samui Activities
All manner of indoor and outdoor activities are to be enjoyed on Samui, for example:
- Shooting range where you can try out a variety of weapons
- Quad driving
- Paintballing
- 10-pin bowling
- Water-buffalo fights (the animals rarely get hurt)
- Butterfly gardens
- Elephant trekking
- Golf - a choice of the world-class 18-hole Santiburi Golf and Country Club, or practice sessions at the Samui Extra Golf Club's three professional-standard holes
- Jungle tours
- Aquarium
- Crocodile and snake farms
- Muay Thai - Samui has it's own stadium behind Chaweng beach
- Thai cooking courses
- Diving and snorkelling - there are many diving businesses oparating locally and for safety, there's a nearby hyperbaric chamber
- Sea fishing
- Sailing and kayaking
- Monkey theatre
Samui Mermaid Resort can book all of these for you.
For those wishing to do something to help man's closest friend, Samui Dog Rescue Centre takes in the island's strays and provides them with food and health care. Volunteers are always welcome to help out at the centre for a day, or assist them in raising the funds they need to continue with this excellent work.
Nightlife
Koh Samui features bars of almost every imaginable kind - English pubs (one actually had all it's fittings flown out from a genuine pub in England that was closing), Irish pubs, German bars, classic rock bars, sports bars where you can see all the major sporting events on large TVs, go-go bars and much more. Every Sunday, a variety of bands perform at the Secret Garden, within easy walking distance of Samui Mermaid Resort.
For those into dance music, Chaweng and Lamai have several clubs with state of the art sound systems and regular visits from top international DJs. The famous Green Mango attracts so many customers that despite it's huge floorspace, they spill out onto the nearby street and the surrounding bars.
For lovers of the truly exotic there are also several katoey cabarets - dancers in amazing sequinned dresses and tall, elaborate headdresses, who, in fact, are all transsexuals! The fun, friendly shows are all free and are covered by slightly higher drinks prices.
For those who like to party on after the official closing time, there are the beach parties. Advertised by handouts, raves are held at unobtrusive beaches and jungle clearings. Koh Phangan has the most famous of all, the monthly Full Moon party. As, particularly during the high season, all of Phangan's convenient accommodation can get fully booked out, it makes sense to stay at the Samui Mermaid, which is only a short walk from the boat pier, and take a trip across at night and another back in the early morning, when, no doubt exhausted, you'll find a comfortable room and a swimming pool to laze beside, so welcoming.
Shopping
Bargains can be found for all manner of goods and services:
- Genuine antiques
- CDs and DVDs
- Jewellery
- Sportswear and swimwear
- Fashion accessories
- Tailoring
- Woodcarving
- Tattoos (both genuine and temporary henna tattoos are available)
- Thai massage
The staff at Samui Mermaid Resort can tell you some of the best places to shop and how to avoid being ripped off.
Transport
Koh Samui can be reached by air, or by bus or train from the major tourist centres of the region.
There is one international flight each day from Singapore, but it can also be reached from other parts of the globe by flying to one of the bigger international airports such as Bangkok or Phuket, then changing to a domestic flight.
Thailand boasts excellent bus services, whether on inexpensive government services or luxurious VIP services, and travellers to Samui will usually buy a combined ticket, that includes a further bus to the pier and the ferry.
Train services go to the nearest large city, Surat Thani, and again combined tickets are available. Trains offer the advantage of sleeper services, which while more expensive than going by bus, allow a refreshing night's sleep.
On arrival at either the main town, Na Thon, or Samui International port, there are small shared pickups, song theows, to take you to the beach resort of your choice. Note, however, after dark, song theows operate as regular taxis and become more expensive. It's always best to plan to arrive on Samui during the daylight hours.
Near Koh Samui
Samui Mermaid can arrange boat trips to nearby islands, many of which are uninhabited, such as Koh Taen, Koh Nang Yuan and Koh Som, and the spectacular Ang Thong National Marine Park. These make for unforgettable days out, with the opportunity for snorkelling or diving in unspoilt surroundings.
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