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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
    • Travel Pouches
    • Favourites
    • Shop All
  • Koh Samui
    • Beaches and Hotels
    • Things to Do
    • The Koh Samui Guide
  • Thailand
    • Packing and Prep
    • Thailand 101
    • At Home (For Now)
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 7th edition, it’s been an Amazon best-seller (Asia travel books) and has customers in 96 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
  • November 4, 2021
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
  • November 4, 2021
The Best Things to Buy in Thailand: Where, What and How to Shop in Thailand
    • Thailand 101
The Best Things to Buy in Thailand
  • Alex Hammond
  • November 4, 2021
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
  • May 26, 2022
Choeng Mon Beach in Koh Samui, Thailand
    • Beaches and Hotels
Your Total Guide to Choeng Mon Beach
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 17, 2022
Where to Stay on Koh Samui with Kids?
    • Beaches and Hotels
Where to Stay on Koh Samui with Kids?
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 19, 2022
More Beaches and Hotels >

Weather

Koh Samui in May: Weather, Events and What to Expect
    • Weather
Koh Samui in May: Weather, Events and What to Expect
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 13, 2022
Koh Samui in June: Weather, Events and What to Expect
    • Weather
Koh Samui in June: Weather, Events and What to Expect
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 28, 2022
Koh Samui in April: Weather, What to Expect and 15 April FAQs
    • Weather
Koh Samui in April: Weather, Events and What to Expect
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 13, 2022
More Weather >

Thailand 101

The Best Books about Thailand
    • Thailand 101
The Best Books about Thailand: Novels, Memoirs and More
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 19, 2022
25 Favourite Children’s Books about Thailand
    • Thailand 101
25 Favourite Children’s Books about Thailand
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 19, 2022
    • Thailand 101
The Best Thailand Travel Guides for 2022 and 2023
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 19, 2022
More Thailand 101 >

Packing and Preparation

My 14 Favourite Free Audiobooks and Podcasts for Thailand
    • Packing and Prep
My 14 Favourite Free Audiobooks and Podcasts for Thailand
  • Alex Hammond
  • October 2, 2021
Thailand Travel Kit: 17 Ways to Avoid a Bad Thailand Trip (for Under $100)
    • Packing and Prep
17 Ways to Improve your Thailand Trip (for Under $100)
  • Alex Hammond
  • November 4, 2021
More Packing and Preparation >

Thailand at home

Growing Dragon Fruit: How to Grow Dragon Fruit from Seed and Cuttings
    • At Home (For Now)
How to Grow Your Own Dragon Fruit
  • Alex Hammond
  • November 4, 2021
Discover the 33 best Thai cookbooks, including Bangkok and Northern Thai food, noodles, soup, Thai street food and basic Thai food principles.
    • At Home (For Now)
The 33 Best Thai Cookbooks [An Enormous Round-up]
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 13, 2022
Coconut Shake Recipe: How to Make a Thai Coconut Shake
    • At Home (For Now)
2-Ingredient Coconut Shake Recipe (Rum Optional)
  • Alex Hammond
  • November 4, 2021
More Thailand at home >

Things to do

The Best Places for Enjoying Sunsets on Koh Samui
    • Things to Do
The Best Places for Sunsets on Koh Samui
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 26, 2022
Mother's Day on Koh Samui
    • Things to Do
How to Celebrate Mother’s Day on Koh Samui
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 19, 2022
Koh Samui Songkran
    • Things to Do
Koh Samui Songkran: Your Total Guide (+ FAQs)
  • Alex Hammond
  • May 13, 2022
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 2021: The best-selling Koh Samui travel guide available for you to instantly download and start planning your perfect Thailand trip
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