As we continue to bushwhack our way back to normal, you’re bound to have a lot of questions. To make sure you’ve got the most current details, you can now find a July 2021 island updates supplement with your download of The Koh Samui Guide (plus easy-to-spot changes highlighted within the guide itself).
- Totally up-to-date for July, 2021
- 18 years of Koh Samui expertise
- Helpful maps, charts & checklists
- 393 pages, 19 chapters (PDF download)
Whether you’re planning ahead to finally travel again as a couple, a family, are on a budget or will be celebrating something special, you’ll find the guide helpful, reassuring and insightful. (Basically it’s the 2021 version of a warm loaf of sourdough).
Get Your GuideHow to get your updated Koh Samui Guide?
Existing 7th edition customers
These 2021 updates are FREE for 7th edition customers. You will have received an email with all the details. Simply click your original download link (in your receipt email or easily reissue it with your purchase email address). Then help yourself to your free updates. Enjoy!
New customers
New customers – (hello!) – your updates are already waiting inside your 2021 guide, so all you need to do is make your purchase, click download … and sail into the sunset. Enjoy!
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Inside The Koh Samui Guide 2021 (7th edition)
It’s hard to believe that what began as more or less a rainy day project in February 2012 has turned into this –
- Readers in 96 countries (and 49 U.S. states!)
- 84,045 words
- 393 pages
- … and a full-time job!
How to celebrate seven editions?
I wanted to really mark how far this little beauty has come (The Koh Samui Guide’s first edition in 2012 was just 71 pages) – so I thought I’d give the book a “bit of a spruce-up” for this edition. Famous. Last. Words. I should not be allowed near Adobe products or colour wheels ever again. It became the most misguided “I’ll just clean out my closet in two hours” project ever undertaken…
What happened instead?
A total reinvention. I started The Koh Samui Guide’s 7th edition from bare bones with a plain text document. Then, I reformatted and re-styled the entire book with new maps, new photos, an updated cover – everything. And, because I’m obsessive, I straightened the horizons in over seven hundred photos, too. Pixel by painstaking pixel.
What’s changed from the previous editions?
A major difference for The Koh Samui Guide’s 7th edition was the decision to use big photos – HUUUUUGE – and lots of them. With dozens of new photos taken from both sea level and way up above, all 753 photos are absolutely representative of the island today and really elevate the book to a new level of gloss. It’s the ideal mix of picture-perfect total honesty.
Two months later…
It took over two months to complete The Koh Samui Guide’s 7th edition and now? Cannot look at it without squealing. I am so, so proud of this travel guide and its evolution from 2012 to today. As an example, here’s a recent email that made the carpal tunnel go away –
Best. Email. Ever.
“We are going back for our 5th visit, thanks a large part to yourself, I have been 4 times, 5th already booked and still finding new things. Thanks to the guide. so so useful from selecting hotel, packing and planning things to do.”
– Thomas
Oh, there was dancing after that. A whole lot of dancing.
See 200+ ReviewsWhat’s changed in the 2021 update?
Temporary hotel closures and future bookings
You’ll notice in your guide and updates that dozens of favourite Samui hotels are temporarily closed. However, most are ready to reopen at little notice when the tourism/quarantine situation warrants and are taking future bookings (most from October 1st onwards).
Likewise, many bars and restaurants, particularly small or family-owned operations, are in that “pandemic holding pattern” – shut the door for now and hope to come back soon. Cross your fingers and send some support (10% of Dr Pouchy sales are donated to Koh Samui’s food bank and animal shelter).
So is The Koh Samui Guide up-to-date?
Short answer: Yes – As much as any OCD human can possibly know what’s going on right now.
Covid-19 updates: As we continue to wade through the murk and muck of the pandemic, you’re bound to have a lot of questions – When can you return to Koh Samui? What’s the situation with COVID-19 and Thailand immigration? Is it possible to book a villa and self-isolate within? To make sure you’ve got the most current details, you’ll find a July 2021 “Covid Updates” supplement with your download of The Koh Samui Guide 2021 (plus island updates and changes highlighted within). Customers also receive email updates when pertinent (plus an email newsletter should you choose to subscribe – and definitely do, it’s a great way to stay informed).
Regular updates: In normal times, I do my absolute best to keep ‘my baby’ current and my readers informed. Any adjustments are made as needed – even tiny details like “the mini-golf course became a bungalow resort”. Rarely are such updates anything of global significance (unless you love mini golf) – but I try to cover them.
Get Your GuideMore details, reviews and FAQs
The Koh Samui Guide 2021 is 393 pages – with tons of maps, charts and helpful checklists – and is available now for your instant download as a handy PDF file.
- Buy now: The Koh Samui Guide
- FAQs: Is it up-to-date?
- How to: See how to download your guide in 3 easy steps
