Koh Samui, Thailand

Judy. A friend asked me, “Where is Koh Samui?” Fair enough question—I didn’t know, either. Not till another friend recommended we come here. Koh Samui is the lesser-known  sister of Phuket, Thailand. This is the beach resort that never quite became famous, and our idea of the best kind.

Oh, there is plenty to see here: Big Buddhas, waterfalls, Pig Island, but we’ve not done those. I’ll tell you this: If you come down with a “travel cold” and feel rotten, there’s not a better place to be than in a lovely warm place by the ocean, and that’s where we are. 

Mornings are so peaceful

There are shrines everywhere. This is outside our hotel

The town, or rather the strip along the ring road, is one of those awful touristy places with a massage parlor every other store front, “gas stations” that consist of bottles of gasoline (which we also saw in Cambodia), touristy restaurants serving Thai food and pizza, and the ubiquitous 7-11. 

The mountains across the road look inviting!

The streets, not so much

Takes me back to the 70's

Double duty in this shop

A different kind of gas station

You should see it. But once you get inside our little Resotel, all that disappears. There are glowing white villas with private or semi-private pools, morning birdsong, open-air restaurants, and the ocean and beach. Just what we needed for recovery.

Shrine in the Resotel lobby

 

Evening at our shared pool

We have ventured out for lunch. We had delicious sushi and tempura at Bento, a small Japanese restaurant up the road, and, most notably, Phensiri, a Michelin Thai restaurant, an out-of-this-world experience in Thai food—for a total (with tip and drinks) of less than $60 American. 

A little piece of Japan in Koh Samui

Phensiri

Tomorrow we head to Chiang Mai. Looking forward to it. But this chance to get over jet lag (first time we slept through the night since arriving in Asia) and to heal our bodies has been a sweet gift.