Next Stop: Koh Samet Island

Some of you might have noticed that most of my posts about Thailand are about spots located on land. My only post about the sea and beach would be about the Bang Saen Beach where I didn’t even wade in the seawater.

The “dry spell” is over because I will now talk about the one and only beach in Thailand that I enjoyed visiting. That beach, of course, is located on Koh Samet Island.

My office mates invited me to join their Koh Samet Island trip. I immediately accepted their invitation because opportunity like this is so rare.

Where the in the World is Koh Samet Island?

When talking about Thailand beaches, the first ones to be mentioned are Pattaya and Phuket. Koh Samet Island is way under the radar of foreigners. Fortunately, Koh Samet Island is not that unknown. Thai people and some foreign tourists know of this place. My Thai office mate prefers this island over Pattaya because it is less crowded and less commercialized.

Thailand map showing the location of Koh Samet Island.

Koh Samet Island is located about 200 kilometers south of Bangkok and in the Gulf of Thailand. The island is part of the Rayong Province and can be accessed by riding a boat from Ban Phe Port. Pattaya is nearer to Bangkok than this island that’s why few foreign tourists go here.

For a better idea on the location of Koh Samet Island, I suggest that you use this Google Map of the island:

Van Trip: Bangkok to Ban Phe Port, Rayong

Our trip from Bangkok to Koh Samet Island was easy. We just rode a Line 36 van going to Ban Phe Port of Rayong Province. The trip took around 2 to 3 hours.

Van going to Ban Phe port.

You may also reach Koh Samet Island by following our “footsteps”. Vans going to Koh Samet Island can be found near the Rajavithi-Edwards Lifesciences Critical Care Training Center to the west of Victory Monument. Ask the people in the area about vans going to Ban Phe if you’re lost or you just search for this sign:

Going back to Bangkok from Ban Phe is also easy because the Line 36 vans wait for passengers in front of the grocery store just across the road of the Ban Phe Port.

I can’t recall exactly how much we paid for the van ride from Victory Monument to Ban Phe. I vaguely remember that I pay around 150 Baht for the one way trip.

You can get more info about the vans going to Koh Samet by visiting the Line 36 van website.

Boat Trip to Koh Samet Island

Crossing the sea from Ban Phe Port is the last leg of our trip to Koh Samet Island. The island is already visible from the port of Ban Phe but the actual travel time is around 1 hour. The boat that we boarded is a small passenger boat, like the one I rode during my trip from Masbate City to Bulan, Sorsogon.

Boats to Koh Samet Island

Our boat trip to Koh Samet Island is uneventful since the sea is calm and we didn’t encounter any problem in the middle of the sea. I’ve encountered rough seas in the past so this short boat trip doesn’t freak me out.

To ride a boat, you must first purchase the trip ticket from the Boat Service and Accommodation Office at the entrance to the pier. I can’t recall the exact amount but I think the ticket cost around 100 Baht per passenger.

We got excited when we saw Koh Samet Island getting nearer and nearer. I knew that I will enjoy the beautiful beach that Koh Samet Island has to offer.

How to Go Back to Bangkok

Going to Koh Samet Island is easy and so is going back to back Bangkok. You will just ride any ferry boat or vessel going to Ban Phe Port and then ride the Line 36 vans located at the grocery store just across the road in front of the entrance to the port.

Line 36 van waiting for passengers going to Bangkok.

Take note that the last boat trip from Koh Samet Island to Ban Phe Port is around 3 PM. The last van to Bangkok leaves around 6 PM. Just remember these schedules so you will not have a problem going back to Bangkok.

This is my initial post about our trip to Koh Samet Island. There is more to come so please stay tuned.

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The map of Thailand was obtained from Koh Samed website. Photos of the Line 36 vans was obtained from their official website.