Koh Samui for Two
Choeng Mon, Silver Beach, Lipa Noi Sunsets & Bophut Dinners

This is Samui's most couple-friendly beach. Choeng Mon is in the northeast, about 10 minutes from the airport, and it is a curved white-sand bay with shallow, clear water that is far quieter than Chaweng. Little Koh Fan Noi sits just offshore, and at low tide you can wade across to it. The beach is lined with private-pool villa resorts and a few beachfront restaurants, and the water is calm and shallow, so it is easy to swim and lounge without competing for space. It is a setting you rarely get on the busy beaches, and it is ideal for a honeymoon or couples who want a lovely beach without the crowds.

For the clearest water on Samui without a boat trip, Silver Beach — also called Crystal Bay — is a small cove between Chaweng and Lamai. The water here is clear and turquoise, with large granite boulders in the water and along the shore that give it the feel of a private cove. It is a lovely spot for snorkelling and couples photos, with small fish around the rocks. The beach is not big and is fairly quiet because it is tucked behind the boulders, and there are a few beachfront restaurants where you can sit and look at the sea. Swimming in the clear water together in the early morning, while it is still quiet, is the best time to be there.

For the loveliest sunset over the sea on the island, head to the west coast at Lipa Noi, the side that faces out towards the sunset. It is a long white-sand beach with calm, shallow, quiet water and only a few beachfront resorts and restaurants — a calm setting that suits couples well. In the late afternoon, the sun slips below the Gulf of Thailand in shades of orange and gold, with the silhouettes of coconut palms against the sky. Many beachfront places put tables out on the sand so you can have a drink right at sunset. Standing here hand in hand for the last light of the day is the most romantic spot on Samui. Another nearby sunset spot is Taling Ngam and Laem Hin Khom.

A date-night dinner on Samui means a seafood dinner with your feet in the sand at Fisherman's Village in Bophut. Many beachfront restaurants set tables out on the sand for couples, with the sound of the waves and a cool sea breeze, and some have laid-back beach cushions. Pick fresh seafood — prawns, shellfish, crab, squid — and have it grilled or cooked for you. The Gulf has fresh, fairly priced seafood, and you should not miss a local dish like steamed sea bass with lime and fresh oysters, then finish with a chilled coconut. A dinner by the sea with the person you love is the best memory of the trip, and you can walk straight on into the Fisherman's Village street afterwards.

After dinner, stroll through Fisherman's Village in Bophut, an old seafront street that still keeps its Sino-Portuguese timber shophouses, now lined with restaurants, cafes, beachfront bars and shops — one of the nicest streets on the island for atmosphere. Walk hand in hand in the evening under the warm lights, and stop at a beachfront bar for a drink with the sound of the waves. Every Friday there is a Walking Street, when the road closes for a night market with food, crafts and live music. It is a relaxed evening with nothing to plan — just wander slowly with the person you are with.

For your clearest-water day, take a boat trip to Ang Thong Marine Park, an archipelago of 42 limestone islands northwest of Samui that inspired the novel and film The Beach. The highlights are hiking up to a viewpoint over the green islands strung across the sea, and the Emerald Lake — a saltwater lagoon of emerald-green water hidden inside the main island. Tours run by both speedboat and big boat, and include kayaking through caves, snorkelling, and lunch on board. They leave Samui in the morning around 8 AM and return in the evening. It is a day trip where a couple gets to kayak, hike to a view, and swim in clear water together. Book ahead, as tours include hotel transfers.

Part of what makes Samui good for a honeymoon is the number of hillside private-pool villa resorts with a sea view, especially around Choeng Mon, Chaweng Noi and Bophut, set on the slopes looking over the Gulf. Many are pool villas with a private infinity pool facing the sea. Wake up, open the door, and the pool and the sea are right there — a swim for two with no one to share it with. It is a setting an ordinary hotel cannot match. Choeng Mon suits couples who want a quiet beach near the airport; Chaweng Noi suits those who want the view but still want to be near restaurants and nightlife; and Bophut suits those who want to walk the village street in the evening. Pick one area and settle into it.

One part of a Samui honeymoon many couples love most is the couples spa. Many beachfront resorts and pool villas have a spa with couples treatment rooms looking onto the sea or a garden, and some have an outdoor massage cabana by the beach with the sea breeze coming through. Lying side by side for a massage with the sound of the waves in the background is a moment of calm you share. Samui is known for Thai massage and spas at better value than luxury resorts abroad, from massage shops in the Chaweng and Lamai area to spas inside the resorts. Book the couples treatment ahead when you check in, as evening slots fill fast, and choose a couples package, which often comes with a flower bath or herbal tea afterwards — a soft way to close the day for two.

The key thing couples often miss — Samui is an island you can drive around on one ring road, but each coast has its own feel, so it is better to pick one area and settle into it than to keep moving. For couples there are three main choices. Choeng Mon is quiet and luxurious, with a shallow clear-water beach near the airport — ideal if you want to stay put. Bophut has Fisherman's Village, a seafront walking street, good for couples who want calm and somewhere to wander in the evening. Chaweng Noi is a view-rich small bay that is calmer than the main Chaweng but still near the restaurants and nightlife. For sunsets, head west to Lipa Noi or Taling Ngam. Pick the one that fits the trip you want.

Timing matters a lot for a beach trip for two, and Samui runs on the Gulf of Thailand's calendar, not the Andaman coast's like Phuket or Krabi. February to September is Samui's best window — little rain, clear water and bright skies, ideal for beach walks, couples photos and a boat out to Ang Thong, with March and April the calmest and clearest. October to December is Samui's wet season, the rainiest stretch, with a choppier, sometimes murky sea, and it is when Ang Thong tours often skip some days. The other thing to watch: New Year and Songkran see room rates spike and the beaches pack out — book far ahead or avoid them. For good prices and a quieter beach, May to June or September, when the rain is still light, is the best value.