Koh Samui

Ron and I flew south to Koh Samui island in the Gulf of Thailand on December 30th. We arrived at our old family owned resort we’ve been staying at since New Years Eve 1999 ~Y2K. We lasted two nights. It’s sadly run down and tired. The weather was not kind either because of the big wind and choppy seas. But mostly because of the heavily tattooed couple in the bungalow just 10 feet away. They  played pounding, throbbing angry music from the time they woke up until late at night. They sat on their porch and smoked endless cigarettes and talked loudly.  It was a nightmare.  I asked them at 1:45 in the morning to please lower their music. They looked at me as if I were an alien.  And continued their noise. Russians! Not to be dealt with easily. 

So we left.  Found a beautiful friendly resort down the beach, Saree Samui, and got lucky. The registration manager gave us generous discount and we moved in.  There was the most beautiful infinity pool, 50 meters of clean clear cool water.  Since the beach was littered with trash and seaweed from the storms I was grateful for the pool.  The staff were genuinely sweet and happy the tourist were returning. They suffered during Covid. All the rooms are encircled by a tall walls with a small gardens inside, outdoor shower and tub, sitting room and air conditioned bedroom. Especially nice considering the weather. 

We’d walk miles every day, found a few small restaurants nearby for simple but fresh Thai meals, went to the local market and met up with an old dear friend who has lived on the island for many years. 

This woman made the best fried chicken.  She’d slice it for you and top it with crispy fried shallots, wrap it in brown paper and stuff it in a plastic bag along with some sweet chili sauce… yum!

At night we would lay on the chaise beneath the moon and stars and enjoy the balmy evenings… sometimes you really need to step up, pay more and find comfortable places to stay with peace and quiet! 

The last morning we had reservations to take the large catamaran from the nearby pier to the next island, Koh Phangan.  The sun came out and the seas were calm and it was the beginning of a new weather pattern.  Things were looking up!