Tag: huts

Exploring Koh Samui Island on New Year’s Day

On the first morning of 2019, I took the very first ferry that departed from from the Full Moon Party Island (Koh Phangan), and traveled to my neon pink hut on Koh Samui.  Koh Samui is my favorite island in Thailand because not only is it conveniently located, but it also has a myriad of activities and places to explore.  What better way to kick off the new year than on a beach!

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Sunset on Lamai Beach in Koh Samui, Thailand.

After doing some swimming and photography, I took a taxi to see the Hin Ta and Hin Yai, also known as the Grandmother and Granfather rocks.  They are extremely famous due to their uncanny resemblance to human genitalia, and are definitely worth checking out for the view of the beach as well.

Next I had my taxi driver take me to the Secret Buddha Garden on top of  Pom Mountain.  This is a relaxing outdoor sculpture park surrounded by lush jungle and waterfalls.  There are also some nearby temples and buildings you can walk to on foot.  It is one of the most relaxing places in Koh Samui due to it being away from the beaches and center of the city.

I had originally planned to see the pink dolphins on this trip, but due to a severe storm that hit Thailand, I had to come back and do this on my 2nd trip.  Instead, Koh Samui Tours rescheduled me to a Samui Aquarium & Tiger Zoo where I got to meet tigers, see birds race on bicycles, and get kissed on the cheek by an otter! 

Though I’ve been to more zoos than I can count in Asia, I had fun seeing the wildlife here that is unique to this island.  The double-beaked bird and the long-necked turtles were animals that I had never seen before.  The otters were some of the friendliest I had ever met and could do a lot of neat tricks!

You could easily spend a week on Koh Samui Island relaxing and enjoying the scenery, but I recommend staying for at least 3 days.  You can book ferries to other surrounding areas through 12go like Krabi, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao.  Each hotel usually has their own restaurant, and the island food is always fresh and delicious!  Be sure to try the mangos and any fruit that you can find.  My favorite dish was the glass noodles with shrimp.

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Delicious seafood glass noodles made at New Hut Bungalows.

Be sure to be outside during the sunset you so can look at the beautiful magenta sky!

I loved swimming under it every day!  Though the weather during this trip was a bit stormy, I fortunately was able to a lot of fun things.  Please come here if you get the chance.

The Rainbow Huts of Your Dreams (Koh Samui, Thailand)

Koh Samui is my favorite place in Thailand.  It has beautiful private beaches, and even unique geography like mountains with gardens that make it a stunning destination full of wonder.  I arrived here by ferry on the first day of 2019 after counting down the new year at the full moon party.  When one of the attendants woke me from my slumber, I had arrived at this fantasy dream-like island and was staying in a pink triangular hut on Lamai Beach:

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This is New Hut Bungalow, the most colorful and affordable accommodation on the island (priced at around $11 per night).  When I saw how adorable my hut was, I immediately fell in love with it!  All of the beaches on Koh Samui are more secluded and less touristy than the ones in Phuket and Krabi.  I enjoyed waking up and running on the beach every day, the ending the night with a swim under the purple and orange gradient sunset.  It felt like I had the beach to myself at times!

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The palm trees, soft waves, and the lanterns really made me feel like I was in paradise!  I enjoyed swimming and looking back at the rainbow huts.  It made me realize how hard I had worked to come here, and how much I was enjoying adventuring through this country! The restaurant also had amazing glass noodles and fresh fruit that I feasted on everyday.  It was so much fun that I didn’t want to leave!

One iconic landmark of these bungalows is the sign for the toilet whose eyes light up at night:

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Whether it’s cursed, and omen, or actually good luck, I was grateful for this guidepost, as the island gets quite dark around 8pm and there are no streetlights like in the city so this is a necessity to survival.  Even though whatever it was is now deceased.  In theory.  I really would like one of these for my room!

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The 5 cocktails I had during happy hour on my 2 nights here.

While I was in Koh Samui, I went to the Tiger Kingdom, saw and aquarium and birdshow, went to the Magic Buddha Garden and saw some of the mountains, and also relaxed on the beach and had an amazing start to the year!  I would choose this over Tokyo most days, because you don’t find this kind of relaxation there (though onsen are pretty great for that).  I am so excited for my next trip back here during Golden Week!