We have just returned from a week in Koh Samet. It was one of the worst places I have ever been to. There is nothing much do do on the island during the day. The shops are dull and dusty and increadibly overpriced. The beach is okay but there is a sewage inlet and lots of speedboats keep racing up to the swimmers.
A deckchair and rusty umbrella by a dirt broken table will cost you 50 Baht and expect to be constantly hustled by beach vendors and starying dogs. I have never seen so many prostitutes in my life! At night the place turns into party island with fire shows and dares such as jumping through a burning hoop or fire limbo dancing which earns you a free shot.
It is like an Ibiza holiday. The worst thing though is the serious lack of health and safety. I broke through the wooden floor of my bungalow! Just don't go there! There are much much better places to see! Koh Samet is perfect if you don't want the touristy type experience. Yes there are some tourists however it is nothing like Phuket or Koh Samui. The beaches are beautiful and the local lads put on fire shows each night which is NOT to be missed.
I went every night and just watched in awe of the rather sexy fire men. You can hire quad bikes, go for a drive on a moped, chill on the beach. Just so you know though if you are English looking especially blonde you will get pestered abit by the beach sellers however this is typical of Thailand. I would recommend this island to anyone. I want to go back there and get married one day!
The problem all over Koh Samet is that there are no 'locals' -- the island was an almost uninhabited national park until 20 years ago, so none of the opportunist accommodation or tourism operators has anything more in mind than extracting short-term dollars from tourists Thai and foreign. The result? The island is filthy, the hotels overpriced, the service somewhere between indifferent and surly. It is regarded as a backpacker haven, a tag which everyone can interpret in their own way. Trip took about 3 hours to Ban Phae.
