Koh Samui was our first stop on our adventures and gave us a proper taste of island life in Thailand, and honestly, it hit straight away.
We arrived with a bit of a plan for once and managed to secretly surprise my brother, who’s been living on Samui for nearly two years training Muay Thai. I really respect what he’s doing and has fully immersed himself in the athlete lifestyle. We don’t speak too often, usually because we’re both busy but also due to the time difference. However, it always makes my day when we do talk.
After finding and messaging his mate that he occasionally speaks about, I asked him to secretly bring him to an Irish bar with a lovely view of the ocean. Emerald Irish bar it’s called. They have some good pints and a great live band playing some evenings. A great place to surprise your brother. whilst we were hiding round the corner peeping through a little crack in the wall, I saw him suspiciously looking around the pub, I think he knew something was up. A few drinks after training on a school night, something didn’t add up. As soon as he got close enough I jumped out and with the biggest grins on our faces gave each other the biggest brother hug we’ve ever had. A moment that was much needed.
He was kind enough to let us stay in his beach hut for a few nights. Nothing fancy, but perfect. A small kitchen, a bathroom, a bed, and some decking out the front where you could just sit and exist for a bit. Waking up that close to the beach is something that never really gets old. It slows you down without you even realising. Exactly what we needed after the mad stressful rush of packing all of our stuff up and shipping them off to New Zealand.
Due to my Owen (my brother) being so busy with training. It was tricky to find time to see him, so we came up with a plan… I’d join him for a training session. It was only a light pad session at the gym Superpro Samui. and what a gym it was. It was fully equipped with all of the best facilities. A Muay Thai training area with rings and punching bags; inside was a big area with padded flooring with included an MMA ring and an area to train other martial arts like BJJ. A fitness gym with what looked like Hyrox or a big Crossfit area. It had yoga sessions on and ice baths for recovery. I understand why my brother came and decided to stay. We got into the MMA ring and he showed me some simple pad drills. 3 minute light intensity rounds apparently. It felt like he put me on a 5minute timer, it was a long 3 minutes. It’s very addictive and such a great technical sport. He is very good at what he does and has a great team around him that all support each other. Like one big family.
We were staying near Fisherman’s Village, which quickly became one of our favourite spots on the island. Most nights there’s a night market on, full of food, drinks, and live bands playing in the background. You can wander around, eat way too much, grab a drink, and probably buy something you don’t need from one of the stalls. It’s busy, but in a good way. Everyone is so friendly. The street venders are always up for a laugh and they love it when you try and speak their language.
Being right by the beach was a huge highlight. Morning walks along the sand, evenings watching the sky change colour, and that constant feeling that there’s nowhere else you’re meant to be. There’s loads of really nice restaurants around too, whether you want something cheap and easy or somewhere a bit nicer for the evening.
One thing that did catch us out slightly. Koh Samui is definitely more expensive than other parts of Thailand. You’ll easily pay around 150 baht for a meal, whereas up north you might only be paying 50-60 baht. It’s still cheap compared to home, but it’s worth knowing before you arrive. I’d recommend you save your money when buying clothes, gifts and other tat you might want, it’ll always be cheaper elsewhere than Samui.
There are also some unreal viewpoints and spas where you can just sit, relax, and watch the sunset. One of these spots that I would highly recommend is Samui Hill Club. It’s a spa with food and drinks. You pay something like 500bhat (£11.85) for use of the sauna, pool and ice bath which all is accompanied with one of the nicest views on the island.
Those moments ended up being some of my favourites. No rushing, no plans, just letting the day end properly.
Another bonus is how easy it is to get to other islands from Samui. You can jump on a fairly cheap two-hour ferry to places like Koh Tao and Koh Phangan which makes it a great base if you’re moving around. We didn’t go but apparently Koh Phangan is more party and hippy vibes and Koh Tao is also party, maybe not as big but is mainly an island for scuba diving. Beginner or advanced.
Koh Samui felt like an easy introduction to island life. Comfortable, beautiful, social, and just the right pace. A place that lets you slow down without ever feeling bored and a pretty perfect first stop.
