This visit dates back to last year but it is still worth mentioning in our blog since it is a big part of our life. In June 2014, Kanika and I got married in Bangkok and because of family obligations (Kanika’s cousin’s upcoming wedding), we couldn’t really plan a full-on honeymoon. There just wasn’t enough time so we decided to go on a minimoon to Koh Samui.
Before our wedding, we looked around to see where we wanted to go and we narrowed it down to Koh Chang, Koh Samui, or Koh Phi Phi. I can’t seem to remember why, but we finally settled with Koh Samui.
Now if you’re new to Thailand travel, Koh means island in Thai.
Anyways, our work wasn’t over yet. A year ago we were extremely bad at planning trips (we’re still learning though), so it took us a long time finding the right place to stay. We’ve come a long way since then.
After some vigilant searching and comparing prices on booking.com and TripAdvisor, we decided on a luxury resort called Akaryn, which recently changed its brand and ownership to Outrigger.
Getting There
We found that there 3 different ways to get to Koh Samui, depending on budget and time.
We could either:
- A direct flight from Bangkok to Samui. There are about 20 daily flights where the majority of them are via Bangkok Airways and one or two via Thai Airways. The price starts at about THB 3,400 (approximately 90 USD) one way, which comes to be about THB 10,000 (approx. 276 USD) per person, roundtrip. This is quite an expensive way to travel to the island considering when you get there you can end up spending a lot as well. But if you’re constrained with time and have money to spend, definitely take the direct flights. The flight is only 1 hr 10 mins.
- Flight from Bangkok to Surat Thani then a bus + ferry transfer. This is what Kanika and I opted for since we had the time and wanted to be a bit careful with our budget since we were booking a luxury resort. To us, the stay was more important than how we got there. AirAsia is the best way to get to Koh Samui as they provide a plane ticket + transfer to island package for just half the price to taking a direct flight. This will, however, set you off by an extra 5 or 6 hours. It takes 1 hr and 10 mins to get to the province, another 1 hour to 1.5 hours bus ride to the ferry pier, and another 2 hours ferry ride to Samui pier.
- Train or bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani + ferry transfer. This is the cheapest way to travel to Koh Samui but at the cost of time (about 11-12 hour train ride to Surat Thani and don’t forget about the ferry ride too). However, if you have all the time in the world and want to do some sightseeing along the way, this is the best option. Since I work and have limited time, this wasn’t the right choice for me. The best website to book your train tickets is through seat61 or com.
Travel Tip: getting around Samui can also be very expensive, especially if you take taxis so make sure your hotel offers a complimentary or well-priced pickup/dropoff. You can also rent motorbikes or cars, which is more economical. Unfortunately, I didn’t know the roads well and can’t ride a motorbike so ended up paying quite a bit on taxis.
Akaryn Resort
Now I’m not sure why Akaryn shut down and changed ownership but when writing this article and trying to find the resort, I couldn’t. That’s when I came across a blog called Koh Samui Sunset where the writers informed me of the change. Anyways, finally, after a tiring 6-hour journey from door-to-door, we reached Akaryn Samui Resort & Spa, snuggled in a forest-y area next to a small but stunning rocky beach at Hanuman Bay. We were warmly welcomed and our check-in was very smooth. The resort features 55 pool villas that were a blend of contemporary and authentic Thai design, making them very stylish and cozy.
It seemed from online pictures that each villa had an ocean view and private pools. This wasn’t really the case. The view was obstructed with giant trees and we couldn’t really enjoy the outdoor deck because it was inhabited by fire ants (my worst fear – story for another day).
Kanika and I quickly unpacked and explored the resort before the sunset. We enjoyed a pair of mojitos each and had lunch (their famous wood-fired pizza is a must-try) on the beach.
Later we came to know that we had arrived on a day when the resort holds a networking and cocktail event between the hotel staff and guests. I found this very interesting. It was a great way to meet new people and get to know the staff (and vice versa). We made sure to attend this on our first day.
After the event, we decided to hit the Chaweng downtown area and explore a bit (but not too much since we were dead tired from the travel and a week-long wedding celebration…YES, A WEEK-LONG!)
Basically, Akaryn was a perfect choice for us as it was secluded enough for a quiet and romantic night but close enough to town for some activities and dining. The rooms here were spacious, comfortable, and luxurious. Other than the private pools, there were two big public pools, one that has a bar inside where you can enjoy snacks and drinks. The resort is ideal for honeymooners and families wanting to get away from it all even though it doesn’t exist anymore. However, its sister resort Akyra Chura does.
Things We Did
This wasn’t your average honey/minimoon. Although it was a time to relax and have a romantic getaway, we’re both adventurers so sitting around, sipping drinks all day, every day, wasn’t our thing. Other than eat and drink at local restaurants or bars, we wanted to do some excursion activities as well. On our first day, while we walked the streets of Chaweng, we came across a few tour operators. We stepped into one small shop and booked a few activities for the next 2 days.
The first one was a “fox ride”, basically, ziplining through forests and the second activity we booked was a half-day trip to Ang Thong National Marine Park (day 3).
Ziplining Through Forest
I don’t really remember where this place was where we did the ziplining but you can easily find out through a tour operator. It’s called SkyFox ziplining. You can find more here on canopy adventures. It was really fun climbing trees, walking across rickety bridges, and zipping through the forest area but I feel we missed a lot of other great views and better ziplining sites.
Ang Thong National Park
The next day, we woke up early for another set of activities. The trip to Ang Thong Marine park took 1.5 hours of a dizzying boat ride that sent half the riders hurling their breakfasts into plastic bags. Luckily I had a small breakfast and Kanika doesn’t get motion sickness (lucky her). Once we arrived, we could either go kayaking or hiking. We opted for kayaking. It was an awesome experience – our first time kayaking but hey we managed to do it pretty well.
But wait, What is Ang Thong? Basically it is a set of 42 islands that comprise this protected archipelago. By definition, Ang Thong means “Golden Bowl”, so there’s that.
After kayaking around an island we hopped on and had to hike up a mountain to an extremely picturesque view of the Emerald lake – something you thought you would only see in Bond movies. To get to this viewpoint, you have to hike up steep, sometimes slippery flights of stairs for about 15 minutes so make sure you’re wearing the right footwear. But man, was it worth it!
By now the sun and heat were taking its toll on us. We hurried back as quickly as we could so we could catch the ferry where lunch was being provided but not before giving us a chance to dive off the top deck. I was so excited because this was something I always wanted to do. I saw some tourists do perform some flips into the clear blue ocean. I go and grab my GoPro to get some footage and it conked out on me, so unfortunately I don’t have any pictures from that experience.
Not only was it adventurous and fun, but it was also an amazing way to cool off from the blistering heat we had to endure earlier.
Exploring Around
One of the days I also explored Akaryn’s beach and came across a bunch of rocks that made a perfect setting to a stunning view. After climbing and dodging gaps I was able to capture this:
Partying On
Once all the hectic and strenuous activities were done, we left one day to hit the nightlife scene of Samui. We had heard from locals and travelers about a place called ArkBar – a beach bar, resort, and club, which we just had to check out.
Make sure you come here early to be able to cozy up on one of the coveted beanbags and get the best view to the fire shows. Here at ArkBar, you can enjoy a good meal (from Thai to international dishes) at a decent price followed by drinks, and finally, be able to dance on the spot!
In addition, if you’re on a budget and the backpacker type who doesn’t mind loud music blaring into the late night, then ArkBar is definitely the choice for you. Prices range from THB 1,700 (USD 52) to THB 3,000 (USD 82) per night depending on room type and time of year.
Since we don’t travel to the islands that often (but plan to), I can’t give much information or advice about them. BUT…here’s a good resource I found that you can check out if you’re interested:
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