Lamai Beach in Koh Samui, Thailand - Travel Guide

Lamai Beach, the second largest beach on Koh Samui Island, is located on the western side of the island, south of Chaweng Beach, the largest beach on the island. Lamai Beach itself is about half the length of Chaweng Beach, about 2.5 km, the sand isn't as white or as fine, and the water is a little rougher.

Hundreds of coconut trees, however, provide excellent background and the water is just as pure and blue. The beach is far less crowed than Chaweng and there are far fewer international style restaurants.

There are however, plenty of places to shop, eat, sleep, do banking, buy travel packages, and party at night. And, best of all - from the average person's perspective, anyway - prices are a good bit less expensive than in Chaweng Beach.

Hin Ta and Hin Yai (Strangely Shaped Rocks - Grandmother and Grandfather rocks)

Lamai Beach is enclosed by a fairly high headland of rocks to the north and by a rocky headland to the south highlighted by two famous, strangely shaped rocks, Hin Ta and Hin Yai, or the grandfather and grandmother rocks.

Hin Ta and Hin Yai (Strangely Shaped Rocks - Grandmother and Grandfather rocks)

Areas of Lamai Beach, Koh Samui

There are three somewhat distinct areas of Lamai Beach. The northern section is the quietest and least developed but suffers during flooding, which happens fairly often during the rainy seasons.

The central or middle section has cleaner water but is quite developed, having many accommodations, shops, restaurants, and bars. There is a beach road that runs along the central section – about 100 meters from the beach - and the development is on the road, and the side roads or sois, not on the beach itself.

The southern section is not as developed as the central section and does not have a beach road. The island ring road, however, runs near to the beach on this part of the island.

Accommodation - Hotels - Resorts

Accommodation runs the range at Lamai Beach but there are many more low end opportunities here than at Chaweng Beach. The northern end of the beach – with its drainage problems during rainy season – is home to many of these places.

Many of these places have the bungalow or small cabin format and range in the 500 to 600 baht a night area so they are not exactly cheap. Midrange places, beginning at around 1,500 baht a night, often have swimming pools and quite nice views.

Central and southern Lamai, which have a nicer beach than the northern end, are home to most of the beaches high end places to stay. There are, though, some budget type places here, usually near the noisier parts of the area. Among some of these places are Utopian Bungalows, Sea Breeze Bungalows, Aloha Resort, Sunrise Bungalow, and Bill Resort.

Other places advertise they have low priced rooms but frequently don't have very many! The far southern end of the beach is mostly the preserve of upper and midrange accommodations, many of which are located in secluded jungle hideaways.

Restaurants - Dining and Eating

Dining and eating in Lamai Beach is convenient and reasonably priced although there are not a large number of international style places to choose from. Most of these are in the central part of the beach, along and off of the beach road.

They tend to be run by expatriates and serve seafood, steak and/or the cuisine of their expatriate owners. The nicest – and most expensive - of these is considered to be The Patio, located in the Pavilion Samui Boutique Resort on the main road, its specialties being European, Thai and Seafood.

A nice restaurant near Lamai worth checking out is The Cliff, located on in the rock headlands between Lamai and Chaweng. It has a great view and a great bar and is also expensive.

Rocky's is a similar place at the south end of the beach. Most of the other international style restaurants are said to charge quite reasonable prices, at least when compared to their competitors in Chaweng Beach.

Those who wish to eat inexpensive but very good Thai food need not worry. There are many small Thai restaurants and food stands along the beach road, many of which have English language menus – often posted on the walls or sides of the carts.

There is also a McDonald's in Lamai for those who wish to eat a less expensive western cuisine.

Shopping

Shopping in Lamai is nothing to brag about but it is basic and travelers can get almost everything they might need, usually at relatively cheap prices. Most shopping places are in the central part of the beach, quite near each other and to restaurants and food stalls.

Particularly recommended is the Samui Hot Club which resembles a cheap department store, and Mr. Samui's, which is a large discount antique and jewellery plaza.

There is a large night time bizarre opposite the McDonalds restaurant. A "must" stop are the Hin Ta Hin Yai stalls at the Grandmother and Grandfather rocks in southern Lamai. This is essentially a large bizarre and one can get the usual tourist stuff there as well more unique forms of island handicraft.

Lamai Beach Road

Bars and Nightlife

Bars and nightlife abound in Lamai Beach. Most of the nicer restaurants resorts have the standard quiet bars and/or offer guests drinks with meals, but large numbers of small and medium beer bars – complete with young ladies - are located up and down the beach road.

Very few of these can compete in terms of size or ambience with the bars of Chaweng, but they can make a lot of noise and be a lot of fun.

The best known bar in Lamai, and one of the largest, is Bauhaus. Some "higher class" but quite reasonable bars which generally get good recommendations are Sounds, Fusion Bar, The White Monkey, Safari Pub, Kangaroo Bar, Dublin Castle, Tavern Bar, and the Outback.

Some have live music. They are located in central Lamai. Highly recommended, although perhaps more a restaurant than a bar, is the Long Island Bar, at the northern end of the beach in the boutique Long Island Resort.

Spa & Massage in Lamai Beach

Those health conscious travelers might want to spend some time at the world famous Spa Samui Resort. It is supposed to be the oldest spa on Koh Samui Island and is famous for its fasting and cleansing programs. Fasting packages range from one to seven days and are accompanied with reflexology, yoga and meditation classes.

Bungalow accommodation is available at both of its locations – one in the hills and the other on the beach. It is possible for anyone to go in and get a good massage, including a facial. Vegetarian restaurants are attached to both locations.

Another nearby spa which also gets good recommendations is the Tamarind Springs Spa on the ring road. There are other places in Lamai Beach, big and small, indoors and outdoors, on and off of the beach, that offer high quality Thai massage. Thai massage given on the beach can be quite relaxing and enjoyable but usually is not as good as that given in regular massage facilities.

Word of Caution

Word of caution must be addressed to those that visit Lamai Beach. Lamai Beach, like Chaweng Beach, suffers from bungalow break-ins, pick pocketing and bag thievery. In addition, however, there have been many reports of muggings. These most frequently happen in the dark areas between the beach and the beach road.

It thus appears that the targets of the muggings might not be those who have enjoyed the late night partying too much but perhaps those who simply wanted a quiet walk on the beach! In any event, one must be vigilant at night when alone in dark areas.

Video of Lamai Beach, Koh Samui, Thailand