Lamai Beach
The island's second beach, four kilometres of sand with a slower pace than Chaweng and cheaper food. The southern end turns rocky, which is where the snorkelling is.
Open≈ 1.1 km
Sunday evening in Lamai: grills, noodle carts, fruit shakes and a stage, cheaper and more local than its Bophut equivalent.
Sunday evening in Lamai is the island's most local walking street: grills, noodle carts, fruit shakes, a stage and a crowd that is more Thai than foreign. Cheaper than Bophut and less polished, which is the appeal.
The street runs inland from the beach road and fills from about five o'clock. Come hungry and graze rather than sitting down — som tam, grilled pork skewers, roti, and the sweet shops at the far end. It doubles as the week's shopping for people who live in Lamai.
Sunday from about 5 p.m.
Agree the price of cut fruit and skewers before they are handed over; a few stalls quote tourist prices at the entrance end.
On the map…
Open the full island map · Driving directions · Google Maps · © OpenStreetMap
The closest places on the map, straight-line distance.
The island's second beach, four kilometres of sand with a slower pace than Chaweng and cheaper food. The southern end turns rocky, which is where the snorkelling is.
Open≈ 1.1 km
A heart-shaped rock on the same hillside, put on the map by couples and kept there by the view behind it.
Open≈ 2.0 km
A 200-metre pocket of sand between Chaweng and Lamai, hemmed in by granite boulders. The clearest water on the east coast and a reef you can reach by swimming.
Open≈ 2.0 km
The island guide · Markets & villages · Koh Samui map
See it with us · Traditional Fishing
Half of these places are easier with a driver who knows which hill road is paved. Tell us which ones you care about and we will build the day around them.