What They Don't Tell You About Koh Samui: A Conversation with Nong, Island Resident Since 2009
Nong Rattanaporn moved to Koh Samui from Nakhon Si Thammarat in 2009 to manage a dive shop in Chaweng. She now runs a small guesthouse in Maenam with her husband and two kids. She dives twice a week, speaks Thai, English, and enough German to handle her European guests, and has watched the island transform for the better part of two decades.
We talked over iced coffees at her guesthouse porch, looking out at Maenam Beach with nobody on it.
On Where to Actually Eat
Q: Where do you eat when you're not cooking at home?
Not Chaweng. I haven't eaten in Chaweng in years. The restaurants there are priced for tourists — 200-400 THB ($5.70-11) for a pad thai that costs 50 THB ($1.43) at the night markets.
My regular spots:
Khao tom shop near Nathon pier — rice soup with fish. Opens at 5AM. The fishermen eat there before their boats go out. 40 THB ($1.14) for a bowl that's bigger than your head.
Hua Thanon Muslim market — the fishing village on the south coast has stalls run by Thai-Muslim families. The roti mataba (stuffed flatbread) for 30 THB ($0.86) is the best breakfast on the island.
Maenam walking street (Thursday night) — not as famous as Fisherman's Village on Friday, but the food is cheaper and less tourist-oriented. The grilled squid on sticks for 30 THB ($0.86) is absurd.
For seafood, go to Hua Thanon or Bang Rak — not Chaweng. The restaurants in Hua Thanon buy from the boats that dock right there. A whole grilled sea bass with Thai herbs: 200-300 THB ($5.70-8.57). Same fish at a Chaweng beach restaurant: 500-800 THB ($14-23).
Q: What about coffee?
The coffee culture here has gotten good. Stacked Samui near Big Buddha does excellent espresso — 80 THB ($2.28) for a latte. But honestly, the iced coffee at 7-Eleven (25 THB / $0.71) is perfectly fine for the mornings when you just need caffeine.
On the Beaches Nobody Visits
Q: Which beaches do locals prefer?
Silver Beach (Haad Thong Ta Khian) between Chaweng and Lamai. It's tiny — maybe 200 meters long — tucked between rocks. No sunlounger vendors. No jet skis. Clear water, good snorkeling right off the beach. The access road is narrow and unsigned, which keeps the tour buses away.
Also Taling Ngam on the west coast. The beach itself is nothing special — rocky, not great for swimming. But the sunset views are the best on the island. InterContinental has their famous infinity pool there, but you don't need the hotel. Just park at the beach, buy a coconut from the roadside vendor (30 THB / $0.86), and watch the sun drop into the Gulf.
Lipa Noi is the closest thing to what Samui beaches used to look like. Long, quiet, shallow water good for kids. There's one restaurant (Nikki Beach) that charges resort prices, but the rest of the beach is local families and a couple of small guesthouses.
On What Tourists Do Wrong
Q: What's the biggest mistake tourists make on Samui?
Staying in Chaweng and never leaving. Chaweng is fine for two nights — the beach is long, the nightlife is there, the convenience stores are on every corner. But if you spend your whole week in Chaweng, you've experienced the Koh Samui equivalent of staying in Times Square and saying you've seen New York.
Rent a scooter (200-300 THB / $5.70-8.57 per day) and drive the ring road. The entire island takes 90 minutes to circle. Stop at the viewpoints on the south coast. Drive through the coconut plantations inland. Visit the fishermen at Hua Thanon. That's the real island.
Q: Any scams to watch out for?
The main one: motorbike rental "damage." Some shops will point to pre-existing scratches when you return the bike and demand payment. Always photograph the bike from every angle before riding away. Use your phone — date and timestamp are your proof.
Jet ski rentals are another known problem. Same game — return it with "damage" they claim you caused. I tell every guest: don't rent jet skis. Go kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding instead.
Also, the "free" tuk-tuk rides to jewelry shops. If someone offers you a free ride, they're taking you to a gem shop where they get a commission. Just say no thanks.
Q: What about the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan?
It's fine if you're 22 and want to dance on a beach all night. But people treat it like a must-do and then come back to Samui sunburned, hungover, and missing a phone.
If you go: don't bring valuables. Wear shoes (the beach has broken glass). Don't buy drinks in open containers from random people. Take an organized boat back, not a random speedboat at 3AM.
Or skip it entirely and go to the Half Moon Party or Jungle Party instead — same island, smaller crowds, better music.
On How Samui Has Changed
Q: How different is the island from when you arrived in 2009?
Unrecognizable in some areas. Chaweng had maybe 30 hotels when I moved here. Now there are hundreds. The ring road has been widened. Mini-malls have appeared. A Central Festival shopping mall opened with a Starbucks and a cinema.
The coconut plantations are disappearing. Farmers sell their land to hotel developers because a single rai (1,600 sqm) of beachfront land is worth 15-20 million THB ($428,000-571,000). Why grow coconuts at 5 THB each when you can sell the land?
But the south and west coasts haven't changed as much. Taling Ngam, Lipa Noi, Thong Krut — these areas still look like the Samui I moved to. And the island spirit is still here. Neighbors share food. Temples hold festivals. The older generation still believes the guardian spirits of the coconut trees watch over the island.
Q: What's one thing you'd want every tourist to know?
The Thai word "sabai" — it means comfortable, content, at ease. Samui runs on sabai. Things happen slowly. Your food takes longer because the cook is chatting with a neighbor. The taxi is late because the driver stopped to help someone with a flat tire.
Don't fight it. Don't rush it. The island moves at its own speed. If you need everything to happen on schedule, you'll be frustrated. If you let go of the schedule, you'll be sabai.
