Koh Samui - birthday girl treats

Getting from Surat Thani (mainland) to Koh Samui was excellent fun. Knowing the island was expensive and that we were arriving late in day, we opted to take the VERY slow boat and go overnight instead of rushing to the island to find a hotel and go to bed. The ferry port is surrounded by a night market for good, local, cheep food. On board for a 10pm departure and we were two of only 15 people on the deck (5 monks and some locals) Slow means VERY-slow and the gentle rocking of the boat soon put us to sleep, but we did arrive in Koh Samui an hour early (5am) when we could have slept a lot longer. Deciding not to go to the very crowded Chaweng, we opted for Bo Phut beach instead and glad we did. It is a little fishing village on the north of the island and known for its boutique hotels and quiet family feel.

After sitting on the peer for an hour waiting for any signs of life, at sunrise Simon set off on the accommodation search and found Eden Bungalows. Owned and run by a Frenchman, it was very well kept and the real treat was the pool around which the bungalows were built.


Inside Eden - think they might have overdone it with the orchids!

The beach is lovely for early morning walks (even taking your water buffalo for a stroll if you have the time) and evenings bring lots of paper lanterns floating into the still night sky.


More fun than dog walking!

Although we noticed how expensive the island was vs anywhere else we had been, we did manage to splash-out a little for my birthday weekend. In fact, I was treated like a princess and Simon cashed in on the deal. We spent the day in a mountain spa having massages, wraps, body-scrubs etc etc - no pictures!! As it was my crown birthday I was given a crown of flowers to wear... clearly nobody wears flower crowns anymore as I got some very strange looks.


Flower crown and wine spritzer - classy!

Like any popular tourist destination, Bo Phut has an Irish pub...no surprise. What was a surprise was that we were not treated to traditional Irish hospitality. Never before have I met such rude Thai people - our waitress actually shouted at us when they got our order wrong and refused to pay for things we didn't have. Do not go to the Irish Pub if you ever go there - they are terrible.