One of the nicest places we've been in Thailand is Koh Samui - in fact over seven times. We made friends there and so there was a natural inclination to head back there to visit, but this island is very special.
POP: 62,500
GPS: 9.5120° N, 100.0136° E
AREA: 228.7 km²
CUR: THAI BAHT
Ko Samui, Thailand’s second largest island, lies in the Gulf of Thailand off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus. It's known for its palm-fringed beaches, coconut groves and dense, mountainous rainforest, plus luxury resorts and posh spas. Over the years, this has been one our most favourite places to visit. The people of the island are beautiful people, both kind and generous.
The landmark 12m-tall golden Big Buddha statue at Wat Phra Yai Temple is located on a tiny island connected to Ko Samui by a causeway. The main beach of Chewang Beach is where the highest concentration of hotels and bars are located.
There are several gay bars along the main strip. one of our favourites over the years has been "Starz Cabaret". You can spot the stars themselves out on the street earlier before the show encouraging people to come inside to see some amazing drag queens in two nightly shows. Many a good night has been had here at Starz.
Most of our trips to Koh Samui we stayed at Six Senses resort, but towards the end it started to be in need of some maintenance (when the bamboo gate to our villa came off in my hand as we opened it one day after breakfast - among other things), so we moved to the beautiful W Retreat & Spa, which is phenomenal - each room in the hotel section has a pool on its balcony.
There are lots of places to eat like The Page at The Library (you can also stay there, although we don't know how private the rooms would be as everyone walks to the restaurant down the pathway between them. Also Cafe 69 is a pretty cool gay friendly place to go eat some amazing food.
Whether or not you stay at Six Senses, it is well worth your while to have a special dinner there one night at Dining On The Rocks. This is an amazing place (see pic below) to dine with world class food and wines (and service).
