Some new locations are immediate hits and we literally fall in love quickly. Da Nang, Vietnam was like that, and within a day of being there to “check it out” we knew we wanted to return; which we did a month later. Some places are immediate “fails,” and can STAY that way, and other times they grow on us, and that was my feeling in Koh Samui.

The island gets a lot of love from many travelers and expats, and as the second largest island in Thailand, it is a well known spot for Brits, Aussies, and other Europeans. It is not necessarily the easiest island to get to, although it does have an airport which you can fly into from Bangkok and other large cities. That is a pricey flight for the distance, primarily since there is little competition and Bangkok Airways has a lock on it. You can also fly into Surat Thani, which is on the Thai mainland, and within a 90 minute ferry ride away. But if you want to do it affordably, you need to stay on land and fortunately there is a nice overnight train from Bangkok, for about $25 one way. Then it involves a one hour bus/ shuttle ride to the ferry port, then another 90 minutes ferry ride. The point is, Koh Samui is not a “weekend” trip if you are short on time or money.

After an almost 24 hour travel day we arrived on the island mid Friday and on the second day did an exploratory ride around the perimeter, which is NOT that long, and took a few hours with stops. We hit a few beaches and happened upon Silver Beach Resort, which enamored us, so stayed for the afternoon. It’s a small bay with rocks on either end, plus large rocks in the water which gave it lots of character. I noticed the hotel adjacent to the restauarant we ate at and thought, “nah, can’t afford that…” So I was pleasantly surprised to book two nights for less than $80 and Kat and I planned to return at the end of our initial stay. That first lodging was challenged due to an ankle injury that she sustained, we aren’t 100% sure how, but for a few days she was home bound, unable to walk. At all. And with another BIG move a week later, that caused us both concern.

As it turned out, it was nothing serious and within a few days she was able to get around and we returned to Silver Beach. And for two days we loved every minute. The front desk noticed she was limping and offered us a room in the FRONT—ocean view—for a slight upgrade, so I said,

“hell, yea!” She was fine hanging out at this new spot while I explored a bit, and I visited the Na Mueang waterfall, and Lamai Beach, neither of which wowed me. But we DID like the vibe of the east side and as we parted we said that yes, we might return, maybe for a month. Our few days on the Lamia Beach side was a great way to end, and also gave us a chance to get ready for yet ANOTHER 24 hour travel day to Malaysia. Coming up.