No visit to Phuket is complete without a trip to the Big Buddha. Photo / Getty Images
No visit to Phuket is complete without a trip to the Big Buddha. Photo / Getty Images
Looking for an island holiday in Thailand? Phuket and Koh Samui are two of the country’s most popular destinations, but how do they stack up against each other? Mark Daffey reports.
Prior to the pandemic, some 40 million tourists visited Thailand annually. For many, the promise of lazing on an island beach shaded by coconut palms was sufficient enticement to jump on a plane, and the likelihood was that either Phuket or Koh Samui would be their final destination.
Fast forward a few years and Thailand’s tourism industry is clicking back into gear, with Phuket and Koh Samui leading the way. It’s hardly surprising; both islands offer a blend of relaxation and holiday indulgence. Phuket is busier, yet it offers more to do. Koh Samui is half the size of Phuket and is the more laid-back of the two, though action is never far away.
So how do you choose between one or the other? This comparison test will help you decide.
Bangkok Airways owns the only airport on Koh Samui and was the only airline servicing the island at the time of writing. On the other hand, airlines from Australia, Singapore, India, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Switzerland, Denmark, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Russia all fly direct to Phuket – Thailand’s second busiest airport behind Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok. That, and a wider choice of accommodation, largely helps explain why you might be able to secure a better holiday deal for Phuket than Koh Samui.
The drawback for Koh Samui is that Bangkok Airways’ route network isn’t so extensive. Most flights to the island depart from Bangkok, though there are also direct flights from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Bangkok Airways also connects Koh Samui with Phuket on hour-long flights across the Malay Peninsula.
Not flying? The only alternative way to reach Koh Samui is by ferry, departing the mainland at Donsak Pier in Surat Thani. No such obstacles hinder access to Phuket though; motorists can simply drive across the Sarasin Bridge on to the island.
Verdict: Phuket
Getting around
Koh Samui certainly has more of an island feel about it compared to Phuket. It’s smaller, less developed, not as crowded, and it has one main ring road and not much else. Phuket’s tangle of roads can get clogged with traffic, particularly in and around the congested Old Town precinct in the east.
In Phuket, the airport is located near the island’s northern tip, with most major resorts strung out along the west coast. It takes an hour to drive to Kata Beach or 40 minutes to the Old Town, whereas you can drive around the entire coast of Koh Samui in 50 minutes. Koh Samui’s airport is in the island’s northeast, close to the busy Chaweng, Lamai and Choeng Mon beaches, where the majority of resort developments are located.
A bustling night market in Phuket's Old Town. Photo / Getty Images
Public transport is better in Phuket though. A Smart Bus travels down the west coast from the airport, stopping at every resort town along the way. Bus fares are a few dollars each, making this the cheapest way to reach your hotel. The closest equivalent on Koh Samui is its songthaews – pick-up trucks with two back benches seating up to 10 people – that continually circle the ring road (plus wherever else the driver chooses to go).
Verdict: Koh Samui
Weather
The optimum time to visit either Koh Samui or Phuket is between late December and April. The monsoon season arrives in May, bringing frequent rains and rougher seas, particularly in Phuket, which was badly affected by the 2004 tsunami. September to November is when the heaviest downpours occur.
Verdict: Draw
Beaches
Phuket wins this argument for me on account of sheer numbers and the cleaner waters of the Andaman Sea. You’ll find most of Phuket’s resort towns strung out along the west coast. Club Med opened the first international resort on the island at Kata Beach in 1985. It, and neighbouring Karon, are now popular with families, as well as surfers.
Patong is undoubtedly the resort town flagbearer these days, attracting younger travellers lured by the promise of a sweeping beach to collapse on to after partying all night. Kamala, Surin and Layang – favoured by ex-pat residents – are more subdued, with world-class golf courses close by luring a well-heeled, active clientele. Mai Khao is a long, straight stretch of beach that’s conveniently close to the airport.
Silver Beach at Koh Samui. Photo / Getty Images
Koh Samui’s beaches are generally calmer. Chaweng and Lamai are the most developed beaches on the island, and everything at either village is within walking distance. Choeng Mon is slowly becoming Koh Samui’s upmarket beach town, with honeymooners and families opting for this quieter beach on the north coast.
Verdict: Phuket
Culture
Though many travellers might be content to spend entire holidays lazing by a swimming pool or beach, there are others who like to inject some culture into their time away. On this, Phuket has the upper hand courtesy of its Old Town, where colourful, colonial-era buildings contain stylish coffee houses, boutique hotels, Chinese shrines and museum houses, plus a cat cafe and several cannabis dispensaries (Thailand legalised cannabis in June 2022). Time your visit so you can come on a Sunday when Thalang Road transforms into a pedestrian night market.
There are 29 Buddhist temples you can visit in Phuket, though none are more impressive than Wat Chalong, where a 60-metre-high stupa houses a bone fragment that’s reputedly from Buddha himself. Phuket also has a Big Buddha statue that’s 45 metres high and can be seen from many of the island’s southern beaches. It’s a popular spot at sunset.
Koh Samui has its own Big Buddha at Wat Phra Yai, though at “just” 12 metres high, it’s a scaled-down version compared to Phuket’s. Just inland, floating on a lake is a statue of a garish, 18-armed goddess at Wat Plai Laem. Never seen a mummified monk before? Then head to Wat Khunaram, where the preserved body of a Buddhist monk who died in 1973 is on display inside a glass case.
The Statue of Shiva in Wat Plai Laem Temple, is an unmissable sight in Koh Samui. Photo / Getty Images
Fisherman’s Village in Bophut is Koh Samui’s nearest equivalent to Phuket’s Old Town, offering an insight into what the island was like before tourism arrived. It’s not as historical, nor it is as well preserved. Come here on a Friday night, however, and you can enjoy a meal at a seafood restaurant before browsing market stalls containing Thai clothing, souvenirs and finger foods along Beach Road.
Andamanda is Phuket’s newest waterpark (there are five), having opened in May 2022. It’s also its biggest, containing 27 waterslides, Thailand’s first surfable wave pool and a 550-metre-long lazy river on a 22ha plot bordered by jungled hills. It’s open seven days a week and hosts full moon parties that last all night. Eventually, the facility will incorporate a 300-room hotel and spa.
Inland from Kamala Beach, Phuket FantaSea is a theatrical dance, acrobatics, pyrotechnics, light and sound extravaganza showcasing Thai culture. It’s been open to the public three nights a week since 1998.
Koh Samui lags a long way behind Phuket on the theme park front, though it manages to compete on a level footing regarding wildlife parks. Travellers can visit elephant sanctuaries, crocodile farms, cobra shows and tiger zoos on Koh Samui. In Phuket, you can see tigers, elephants, monkeys and birds.
Verdict: Phuket
With its limestone karsts and stunning waterways, Phang Nga Bay is a popular excursion from Phuket. Photo / Getty Images
Nature
Deep within the jungled interior of Koh Samui are numerous waterfalls. Some you can swim in; others are appreciated for their beauty. The twin falls of Na Muang are popular on day tours due to their size and easy access, and because the pools at the foot of both falls are great for cooling dips in the water. Hin Lad is the second-largest waterfall on the island. Again, you can swim here.
Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks, so named for their resemblance to male and female genitals (try not to picture it), are unusual rock formations at the southern end of Lamai Beach.
The last true remaining rainforested area on Phuket is protected inside the Khao Phra Thaeo National Park, east of Thalang in the island’s north. This valuable wildlife sanctuary is known for housing a gibbon rehabilitation centre and two small waterfalls, Ton Sai and Bang Pae, that visitors can swim beneath. All can be reached via a four-kilometre-long hiking trail.
Otherwise, Sirinat National Park is a pocket-sized coastal park just south of the airport. It’s arguably better known as a place to watch planes take off and land than it is for its white sandy beaches.
Verdict: Koh Samui
Offshore excursions
Almost every resort or travel agency on Phuket offers tours to Phang Nga Bay. Home to James Bond Island, which featured in the 007 movie The Man with the Golden Gun, it’s a stunning region filled with limestone karsts containing mysterious sea caves and hidden lagoons that are best explored by sea kayak.
Ever since Leonardo DiCaprio starred in The Beach, travellers have been beating a path to the Phi Phi Islands. Unfortunately, not so long ago the actual beach showcased in the movie at Maya Bay had become so overrun with tourists that authorities were forced to close it for four years. It’s back open now.
Famous Maya Bay, offshore from Phuket, is back open to tourists. Photo / Getty Images
Divers won’t want to miss an excursion from Phuket to the Similan Islands for the chance to see whale sharks, manta rays and leopard sharks. Along with the main island, Phuket is comprised of 32 smaller islands. Most hotels offer snorkelling tours to Koh He (Coral Island), just off the southern tip of Phuket.
The islands and seawater to the west of Koh Samui are protected inside the Ang Thong National Marine Park, home to some of Thailand’s top dive spots. Book a day trip here and you’ll get close to hawksbill turtles, Kuhl’s stingrays and coral reefs.
Verdict: Phuket
Shopping
Phuket is the clear winner in this department, containing all the trappings you’d expect of a bustling city. The largest mega-mall on the island is Jungceylon Phuket in Patong. Expect to find souvenir shops, restaurants, cinemas, supermarkets and department stores, all in air-conditioned comfort.
Pick up cheap Adidas runners or Nike tracksuits at Premium Outlet Phuket, north of the Old Town. Other well-known Western brands include Levi’s, Timberland, Samsonite and Quiksilver.
You’ll find everything you don’t need – most of it fake – at the Phuket Weekend Night Market, which has been compared to Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak Market. Bags, watches, perfumes and shoes all carry brand-name labels at bargain basement prices.
Ko Samui's streets have a lively buzz, but the island is generally quieter than Phuket. Photo / Getty Images
In Koh Samui, there are more street vendors than shopping malls. The Central Festival Samui shopping mall in Chaweng is the one exception.
Verdict: Phuket
Stay
You name it, Phuket has it, from backpacker lodges to five-star resorts and luxury villas. In places like Patong, you’ll even find high-rise hotels, whereas planning laws on Koh Samui state that no building shall be taller than a coconut palm.
Get away from needless distractions in Phuket by staying at the Avani+ Mai Khao Phuket (avanihotels.com/en/mai-khao-phuket). On Koh Samui, you’ll be in the thick of the action at the Avani Chaweng Samui Hotel & Beach Club (avanihotels.com/en/chaweng-samui). Both nudge up against gorgeous beaches.
