At 250 square Km, Samui is the largest island in the Gulf of Thailand. It has an international airport serviced via Bangkok, Krabi, Phuket,
Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
There is also a car ferry to the mainland.
Over the last 20 years, the main industries of coconut farming
and fishing have given way to tourism and many of the small cheap beach huts favored by backpackers have been replaced by luxury resorts
.
Happily, local regulations limit the height of these resorts so there are none of the high rise hotels seen in Phuket or Pattaya.
The primary resorts of Lamai and Chaweng offer stunning white sand, luxury resorts, spas, water sports, restaurants to suit every pocket. Although famous for its beaches, the interior of Samui has much more to offer.
The interior of the island is dominated by rainforest and mountains with spectacular views.
You can explore by foot, motorbike, jeep, or for the very adventurous, by elephant.

Property prices in Samui have risen in the past 5 years and foreign investment is on the increase.

However, it is still far cheaper than Phuket (which is also still rising) and for that reason, the upward trend is expected to continue

Smaller than its sister island (173 square km), it is far less developed and is considered by most to resemble Koh Samui in the 1980's and is the quintessential unspoiled paradise.
ike Samui it consists of mountainous (but traversable) jungle surrounded by white beaches. The interior is practically untouched aside from some small roads. The roads are typically rough made which makes for slow going, but that is in keeping with the atmosphere of the island. Here are there no large resorts and tourists largely consist of backpackers and day trippers from Samui. Bars and restaurants are plentiful but never in large concentration and genuine seclusion is an option.
Koh Pha Ngam is at its busiest for the monthly Full Moon Party on Haddrin Beach. Two docks have been built here to provide easy access for the many visitors from Samui for this now world famous event. However, it is confined to a single area and is as easy to ignore as it is to indulge in.
The untapped potential of Koh Pha Ngam as a major tourist destination has not gone unnoticed by the Thai government which has recently invested heavily in improving its infrastructure and accessibility.
The good news for investors is that prices are still low and the choices wide. It is not expected that this will continue for long and investment interest is on the increase.

We would strongly recommend anyone looking at investing in Samui to also consider Koh Pha Ngam as it offers by far the best value in South Thailand.