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The Koh Samui Guide

Thailand travel expertise | Est. 2008

The Koh Samui Guide
  • Start Here
    • The Latest
    • Most Popular
  • Shop
    • The Koh Samui Guide
    • Favourites
  • Koh Samui
    • Beaches and Hotels
    • Things to Do
  • Thailand
    • Packing and Prep
    • Thailand 101
Thailand Travel Blog: Packing Lists, How-Tos, Thailand Travel Tips & Koh Samui Expertise – Thailand travel blog with 14 years’ Thailand travel expertise: Find out how to love Thailand, navigate it safely, ethically, with total cultural savvy.

Start Here: How To Travel Thailand Like A Pro

Hello and welcome! I’m Alex, and here I confess to being a Very Bad Tourist on my first Thailand trip. I started this blog in 2003 to atone for my early mistakes. I had an incredible trip but I…

  • Packed the wrong things
  • Got really sun-burned
  • Rode an elephant
  • Wore (short!) shorts to a temple

Back then, I didn’t know any better*. But the more I returned to Thailand, the better informed (and reformed) I became.

So … How to travel to Thailand like a pro?

Going to Thailand shouldn’t be complicated – but there are easy mistakes to avoid. To help otherwise clever and well-intentioned people avoid my early mistakes, I decided I should spend more time on my computer (what a healthy hobby!?) and start a Thailand travel blog. In 2008, it came to life with two posts:

  • How to pack for Thailand?
  • What to wear in Thailand?

Basically, I want you to love Thailand and it to love you back. (And I want to save all the puppies – but that’s another story).

The Koh Samui Guide

Discover Koh Samui with The Koh Samui Guide, your total travel guide for Koh Samui, Thailand

In 2012, as the blog grew, The Koh Samui Guide was born. Today in its 8th edition, it’s been an Amazon best-seller (Asia travel books) and has customers in 97 countries! If your travel plans take you to Koh Samui, the book is an ideal place to start, finish (and fine-tune) your perfect trip.

See Inside the Guide

Most popular

Koh Samui: The Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid on Your First Trip to Koh Samui – Are you planning your first time to Koh Samui or elsewhere in Thailand? If so, borrow my “older and wiser” list of top 10 mistakes to avoid.
    • Thailand 101
10 Mistakes to Avoid on Your First Trip to Thailand
  • Alex Hammond
  • February 24, 2023
What to Wear in Thailand? Learn the Thai Dress Code for Bangkok, Beaches, Temples & More
    • Packing and Prep
What to Wear in Thailand?
  • Alex Hammond
  • March 17, 2023
    • Thailand 101
The Best Things to Buy in Thailand
  • Alex Hammond
  • December 3, 2022
More Most Popular >

Beaches and Hotels

Easily decide where to stay on Koh Samui: choose your perfect hotel or private villa. Discover where to stay on every Koh Samui beach – at every budget.
    • Beaches and Hotels
Where to Stay on Koh Samui?
  • Alex Hammond
  • March 10, 2023
Choeng Mon Beach in Koh Samui, Thailand
    • Beaches and Hotels
Your Total Guide to Choeng Mon Beach
  • Alex Hammond
  • March 3, 2023
Bophut Beach, Koh Samui: Hotel Guide and Bophut Beach FAQs
    • Beaches and Hotels
Best of Bophut Beach: Hotel Guide and FAQs
  • Alex Hammond
  • December 3, 2022
More Beaches and Hotels >

Weather

When is the Best Time to Visit Koh Samui? Koh Samui Weather, Rain, Timing Tips and Advice
    • Weather
When’s the Best Time to Visit Koh Samui?
  • Alex Hammond
  • March 3, 2023
Koh Samui in December: Weather, What to Expect and December FAQs
    • Weather
Koh Samui in December: What to Expect
  • Alex Hammond
  • December 1, 2022
Koh Samui in July: Weather, What to Expect and 15 July FAQs
    • Weather
Koh Samui in July: Weather, Events and What to Expect
  • Alex Hammond
  • December 3, 2022
More Weather >

Thailand 101

Koh Samui: The Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid on Your First Trip to Koh Samui – Are you planning your first time to Koh Samui or elsewhere in Thailand? If so, borrow my “older and wiser” list of top 10 mistakes to avoid.
    • Thailand 101
10 Mistakes to Avoid on Your First Trip to Thailand
  • Alex Hammond
  • February 24, 2023
    • Thailand 101
The Best Things to Buy in Thailand
  • Alex Hammond
  • December 3, 2022
Do's and Don'ts in Thailand: 10 Easy Tips for Perfect Manners in Thailand
    • Thailand 101
5 Things You Should Never Do in Thailand
  • Alex Hammond
  • December 3, 2022
More Thailand 101 >

Packing and Preparation

What to Wear in Thailand? Learn the Thai Dress Code for Bangkok, Beaches, Temples & More
    • Packing and Prep
What to Wear in Thailand?
  • Alex Hammond
  • March 17, 2023
What to Pack for Thailand? Clothes, Shoes & Gear to Pack for Thailand – Step-by-step packing guide. Find out what to pack for Thailand: Toiletries, clothes, shoes, tech. Use my best tips to pack like a total pro.
    • Packing and Prep
What to Pack for Thailand? Here’s the Total List
  • Alex Hammond
  • February 7, 2023
Mosquitoes in Thailand: How to Avoid Them + What to Bring
    • Packing and Prep
How to Avoid Mosquitoes in Thailand
  • Alex Hammond
  • March 3, 2023
More Packing and Preparation >

Thailand at home

Growing Dragon Fruit: How to Grow Dragon Fruit from Seed and Cuttings
    • Thailand At Home
How to Grow Your Own Dragon Fruit
  • Alex Hammond
  • December 3, 2022
Discover the 33 best Thai cookbooks, including Bangkok and Northern Thai food, noodles, soup, Thai street food and basic Thai food principles.
    • Thailand At Home
The 31 Best Thai Cookbooks [An Enormous Round-up]
  • Alex Hammond
  • December 6, 2022
Coconut Shake Recipe: How to Make a Thai Coconut Shake
    • Thailand At Home
2-Ingredient Coconut Shake Recipe (Rum Optional)
  • Alex Hammond
  • November 4, 2021
More Thailand at home >

Things to do

Koh Samui Songkran
    • Things to Do
Koh Samui Songkran: Your Total Guide
  • Alex Hammond
  • March 29, 2023
2023 Koh Samui Events Calendar
    • Things to Do
The 2023 Koh Samui Events Calendar
  • Alex Hammond
  • January 10, 2023
Where to Eat on Koh Samui? The Best Thai Food, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in Koh Samui, Thailand
    • Things to Do
Where to Eat on Koh Samui?
  • Alex Hammond
  • March 3, 2023
More Things to do >

*Mistakes of 2003…

In my defence … this was the black-and-white days of dial-up internet. Blogs, Pinterest and social media didn’t exist in 2003. It was 4 years before the iPhone. Did we even know anything?!

Affiliates

As mentioned in my disclaimer, I use affiliates throughout my site to recommended books, services and travel stuff I own, love and use often. My favourite love-it-so-much-I’d-drink-it mosquito repellent is a good example. What does this mean? To you – business-as-usual, not a whole lot. To me – I receive a small commission on any resulting purchases at no cost to the customer. It keeps this site ad-free.

Start Here: How To Travel Thailand Like A ProStart Here: How To Travel Thailand Like A ProStart Here: How To Travel Thailand Like A ProStart Here: How To Travel Thailand Like A Pro
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The Koh Samui Guide 2023: The best-selling Koh Samui travel guide available for you to instantly download and start planning your perfect Thailand trip
The Koh Samui Guide
8th Edition Reveal

Hello! I’m Alex. Since 2008, my blog and companion guidebook, The Koh Samui Guide, has helped travellers like you discover the region’s very best. About »

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