Chaweng Beach
Samui's most popular and lively beach. Along the seven kilometer stretch can be found some of the island's best hotels, together with an endless number of bungalows, beach bars restaurants, discos and shops. The strip splits naturally into three sections, with the resort town located in the central area. In recent years it has blossomed into the island's second largest town, and is a magnet for visitors from all over the island. All of the attractions are easily accessed by the road which runs parallel with the beach.

Lamai Beach
Samui's second most popular beach, Lamai is a little quieter, a little looser, and a little cheaper than Chaweng. There is something distinctly boom-town about the main strip, which is generally referred to as Lamai Gulch, with its bars, diners and shops crammed together along the roadside and down the dusty sidelanes. Ride or walk to the back of the beach road and you're in the heart of banana groves and coconut plantations, and you can take a mountain bike ride up the hilltracks and into the rugged interior... Or follow the road down past the headland where the infamous Grandfather and Grandmother rocks attract picnicking Thais

Maenam Beach
Maenam Beach is some two kilometers to the west of Bophut. There is a largish village here with several small restaurants and some dive and windsurfing centers.
Maenam has a smooth white beach running for four kilometers along the calm, scenic bay. This is a pleasant, secluded spot for swimming and sunbathing, and attracts families and honeymooners. For nightlife you need to travel

Big Buddha Beach
Big Buddha Beach is to the east of Bophut and takes its name from the twelve meter tall statue sitting out on an islet connected to Samui by a causeway. This is part of the Koh Farn temple, which is the focal point of this area; there is no town as such, although there are plenty of little shops and restaurants around the temple. The beach itself is very quiet and peaceful and the waters are calm

Choeng Mon Beach
Choeng Mon Beach is eastwards past Big Buddha. A remote and quiet part of the island it has several smaller capes and bays, some of which have been developed into self-contained resorts. Owing to the geography of Choeng Mon there is no central village: this really is where you can get away from it all.