Koh Samet Travel Blog

We really wanted to take the kids to an island in Thailand, but due to time restrictions and it being monsoon season our options were a little more limited. We don’t particularly mind if it rains, but we didn’t fancy rough seas/ferry crossings with young kids. After a lot of research we finally decided on Koh Samet. Which is one of the closest islands to Bangkok and is very easy and quick to get to. It also stays fairly dry and sunny in July and August, when a lot of the rest of Thailand is in monsoon season.

Koh Samet is a small island with lots of coves and beaches to explore. The beaches are beautiful and very clean. The main town in the north end of the island can get very busy at the weekends but the beaches get quieter the further south you go. After a lot of research we chose Tub Tim beach to stay at, which was the perfect base to explore the island. From there we frequently wandered up along the coast path to the busier touristy beaches to watch the amazing nightly fire shows. We also explored the coast path south past more rustic accommodation options. Here were quieter beaches which were wide and shallow, perfect for young kids.

There are 7-elevens and mini marts in the main town and on a lot of the beaches. The island is also trying to limit plastic bag usage by asking visitors not to bring them on to the island.

Things to do on Koh Samet

Most of the beaches have kayaks, inflatables and SUP boards to hire. There are also a few snorkelling tours on offer to the nearby marine park islands and turtle sanctuary.

A few of the restaurants and bars on the more northern touristy beaches have nightly fire twirling shows. The biggest of which is at the Ploy Talay Restaurant and is quite spectalcular! We had to watch from a distance with 2 slightly overwhelmed young kids in tow, but they still loved it!

Getting to Koh Samet

By bus/ferry

Koh Samet is only 4 hours from Bangkok and is one of the easiest islands to get to. The cheapest way to get to there from Bangkok is to take a bus from Bangkok’s Ekkamai bus station. The bus station is just round the corner from the Ekkamai Sky train station, making it nice and easy to get to.

From Ekkamai bus station you need to take the ‘Big Bus’ to Ban Phe ferry port. The ‘Big Bus’ ticket booth is on the left hand side as you walk up the front steps into the bus station. The bus tickets cost 166 baht each. They also sell a package which includes the bus and return ferry ticket for an extra 100 baht each. Kids get a discount on the bus/ferry combo.

The bus to Ban Phe is a large, comfortable, air conditioned bus with a working toilet, which is always a bonus. The buses leave every 1-1.5 hours. We took the 1pm bus and the journey took 3.5 hours. Our return bus journey from Ban Phe to Bangkok took a little longer around 4 hours 15 minutes due to heavy traffic. The bus does not stop on route for refreshments, but you get a free bottle of water when you board. There are also plenty of mini marts and street stalls around the bus station before you board.

The bus drops you at Ban Phe bus station and the ferry terminal is just across the main road from the bus station entrance. On our way back to Bangkok the bus picked us up from directly outside the ferry terminal, so it’s worth checking at the ferry terminal ticket window. The ferry only takes 30 minutes to cross over to Koh Samet Island.

By other transport

Minibuses also go from Ekkamai bus station and the Khao San road area to Ban Phe, or you can take a private taxi. Minibuses complete the journey in about the same time as the bus. A private taxi is much more expensive, but takes half the time the bus does.

Transport on the island

Once on the island there are numerous songthaews waiting to take passengers to their accommodation. We paid 100 baht for the 4 of us to get to the Tub Tim Resort. We shared the songthaew with other people so it would probably have cost 200 baht if we’d had it to ourselves.

Where to stay on Koh Samet

We would thoroughly recommend Tub Tim Resort. The location was perfect! It is nice and quiet, but easily walkable to town and other coves/beaches. Tub Tim’s wooden beach bungalows are large and clean with a lovely veranda. The bungalows are set back from the beach in the trees so there was lots of shade to keep cool in. The resort puts on a free breakfast in the morning with lots of options to suit everyone and the restaurant is right on the beach. It is a great place to sit at in the evening whilst the kids play in the sand. The beach is gorgeous and perfect for the kids!

Click here to book Tub Tim Resort on Koh Samet

Another place to consider staying on Koh Samet would be the Samed Villa Resort. We walked past this resort a lot and were very impressed. It’s a bit more money than the Tub Tim Resort, but it looked really lovely, has good sized family rooms and was in a great location. We wouldn’t normally recommend a place that we didn’t actually stay at, but we heard lots of good feedback about the resort from other travellers on the island, which counts for a lot in my book.

Click here to book Samed Villa Resort on Koh Samet

Please note that we only recommend hotels/hostels that we have really enjoyed and for no other reason. We are not being paid to recommend them just trying to help out other travellers like us. We do however have affiliate links to the hotels that we loved and if you click them it will give us a small commission to help fund this website.

Best things about Koh Samet

• Close to Bangkok
• Easy/quick to get to
• Good weather in July and August
• Shallow bays are great for kids
• The southern beaches retain the old Thailand island rustic feel

Other things to consider about Koh Samet

• Busy at weekends, but mainly on the northern beaches
• More expensive than beach destinations on the mainland