Hey Hive! Finally went back traveling after 4 months of sitting at home. Regulations were finally loosened a bit and the first day they opened up the pier to Koh Samet, we were on our way there. Had so many places I wanted to visit during the rainy season, exploring some of the lakes and waterfalls around the country but I guess these will have to wait until next year since the rainy season is almost over. We were quite lucky with the weather on Koh Samet. It rained only on the very last day when we were leaving.

Baan Rom Talay Made Resort

So this trip came at the very last minute. We were coming back from work on Thursday and Nat was telling me she really wants to go to the beach for a weekend and that we can go to Koh Samet since it’s close by and we can drive there. I had a quick thought and was like ‘Want to go tomorrow?’ Didn’t take much convincing and we were already looking for accommodation. We didn’t want to spend too much money on this trip and went for something cozy rather than grand.

Baan Rom Talay resort is at the beach line of the northern part of the island (same side as the main pier). The beach is long but definitely not the most popular nor the best since all the boats go through here. Koh Samet is also well known for fishing so there are a lot of fisherman hunting for squids on that side of the island which makes the water less clear and slightly dirtier than other beaches around.
Right next to the hotel there’s a small pier used by the local fisherman that lived right next to the hotel itself. They were out fishing every night and their kids were taking a small boat to go in and fish as well.

Took quite a lot of photos of the kids fishing. These are some of my favorites. :)

The hotel itself is quite interesting and brings a very nice beach vibe. The rooms are made from containers and wood. It’s pretty nicely decorated with graffiti and other random accessories. The beach bar’s wooden frame and melancholic Thai music was creating this very relaxing mood, especially with the gloomy weather in the evenings.

The room we had was small but pretty cute. They have a variety of sizes for rooms but the bigger ones are for more than 2 people. Thai people love being together in a room for some reason having 3-4 beds next to each other in the same room. I wouldn’t want to go on a trip with my whole family or even with close friends like this but I guess different cultures think differently.

The staff was also super nice and helpful. They told us about the places of interest nearby, which is the best beach for swimming, where to go have nice coffee or watch the sunset.

At the very end of the island you can see the main pier. The shore down to our hotel is pretty long and mixed with resorts or houses of the locals.

This is our side of the beach. It was pretty long and empty because the two resorts below us were both closed. There's a small temple at the very end but I believe people go there through the road with a motorcycle and not through the beach.

Luk Yon Bay

Nat decided to stay in the shades alone with her mask on and save the people on the other side of the island from Covid.

This was our first stop on our day of exploration. The way to go around the island is by motorcycle and we rented one before arriving. It’s pretty easy and quick to go around.

Luk Yon Bay was dead empty. There wasn’t a single soul anywhere near the area even though it looked quite pretty. The bridge in the middle reminded me a bit of Koh Kood but the surroundings were very different.

Sai Kaew and Praw Bay

Sai Kaew Bay is the biggest and most popular beach on the island. Here’s where all of the beach bars and restaurants are. We went to a cafe called Sea Sky Cafe. The staff from our hotel recommended it and we were quite pleased. It was quite relaxing and we had lunch and some drinks before going on towards Praw Bay.

These birds are commonly seen in Bankgkok as well but they were in abundance on the island. I didn't really take many photos at this beach. I was quite hungry and after the food settled in.. rather lazy to do much walking around in the heat.

Praw Bay is the area we were told was best for swimming. It was the place where most foreigners were staying at since the majority of people at the resorts here were white. (It was mostly Thai people everywhere else)

There were 3 resorts along the beach shore and they were all quite big and luxurious. The beach itself was long and very clean. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and swimming in the crystal waters.

Most places around the island are considered National Parks and drones are forbidden. The only place I was alowed to fly the drone at was near the hotel and I waited for the sunset for that. Unfortunately the sunset was covered in clouds both days and the first night it rained on top of that. Overall we didn't go around as much as we usually would but the point of this trip was mostly to relax and not having to carry 3 cameras, gimbal and a drone everywhere. Having only 1 day to explore we wanted to just visit 1-2 spots and relax. That's why some of the photos aren't even from the camera but from Nat's phone so sorry for the poor quality.

Anyways this was our short trip to the nearest island to Bangkok. Hope you enjoyed the random arrangement of photos. I sure had some fun and well needed quality time in a different environment outside of my house. Hope to be able to start traveling a bit more often as I used to but we'll see. One step at a time.

Thank you all for reading and see you again next time!