The trip to Ko Samui will have you first heading for Surat Thani, the provincial capital where both train and buses drop you off to catch one of the boats servicing the island. Apart from acting as Ko Samui's land transport hub, the main attraction here is the Monkey Training College, 8 kms out of town, where monkeys are trained to collect coconuts on trees too high for humans to access.

Ko Samui alone produces a staggering harvest of three million coconuts each month and the island is famous for beaches lined with a thick fringe of palm trees. Alocal regulation forbids constructions higher than a coconut palm (three to four storeys) and accommodation mostly comes in the form of bungalows, from the most basic to the most luxurious. The bulk of the bungalows are located on the two main beaches on the eastern coast, Chaweng and Lamai. There are more options as well at Maenam on the north coast, regarded as less scenic butgenerally quieter.

There is not much to do in Ko Samui... except being on holiday! The full range of water sports is available on most beaches, where on-the-spot entertainment includes massages and getting a new-look with braided hair.

Motorbike rental is widely available and songthaews (shared taxis) circle the island throughout the day to drop visitors off at the Na Muang waterfalls in the centre of the island, or the Big Buddha at the tip of the northern coast.

There are altogether seven spas, most of them located within the complex of luxurious resorts, offering wonderful services which include traditional Thai herbal saunas. One of the better facilitated resorts is the Samui Natien on Chaweng Beach. To round up the day, head for Lamai, where nightlife is reputed to be the best.

There are a good dozen scuba-diving companies offering day trips to the wonderful coral gardens in Ang Thong National Marine Park. Even if one doesn't intend to dive, this lush, dense group of 41 small islands, 31 kms west of Samui, is worth a trip for the pristine quality of its natural environment.

Over the past decade, the sister islands of Ko Pha Ngan (20kms to the north) and Ko Tao (40 kms to the south) have begun attracting the backpacker crowd. Facilities are generally more basic and roads are notalways paved, but both offer virgin beaches which Ko Samui now lacks. Ko Pha Ngan has developed a reputation for its monthly full-moon party, by now one of the biggest beach party in the world. Much more remote and sedated, Ko Tao stands as one of the best diving locations in Thailand, with rich marine life by the shore and crystal clear deep water within close range.