Koh Samui or coughet?

[cmon0005]

Hi All,

Have travelled many places around Asia but not to Thailand yet..

Thinking of going to Thailand for a 4-5 days as part of a bigger trip around Asia.
Now I want a safe, family friendly destination (we now have a newborn, will be 5 months old at time of trip) however won't be doing much just relaxing.

I am thinking either between Koh Samui or coughet, not based on any recommendations they are just 2 that come to mind, both have an airport negating the need for long car travel, and both have major hospitals.

Out of those 2 destinations which one would you choose and why?

Based on my basic internet research Ko Samui seems better for our purposes, but would like real world advice!

Thanks in advance!

 

[boomy]

Koh Samui is more relaxed and family friendly (as long as you avoid Chaweng Beach).

 

[cmon0005]

Koh Samui is more relaxed and family friendly (as long as you avoid Chaweng Beach).

I am thinking a starwood property like Le Meridien Koh Samui Resort & Spa or W (though @$600~ per night might give it a miss unless I can get a better deal).

 

[boomy]

I am thinking a starwood property like Le Meridien Koh Samui Resort & Spa or W (though @$600~ per night might give it a miss unless I can get a better deal).

The W looks awesome but it is pricy, as most of the 5* resorts there. Koh Samui is popular for couples, families and also a honeymoon destination.

We are going there next month and will stay at Conrad.

 

[LadyC]

Will be following this thread as i am considering the same options with the gentleman and our mini mister who will be 20 months.

 

[amaroo]

Been to both.

Koh Samui - 2005. Stayed at Napasai Belmond Napasai - Koh Samui | Luxury Resort and Villas in Koh Samui Thailand excellent hotel with two under the age of 4. We didn't cruise the island that much, just enjoyed our beachfront villa and sensational pool.



coughet - 2009. Stayed at Sri Panwa coughet Pool Villa coughet Sri Panwa Luxury Hotel coughet Resort Spa Thailand not that fussed with coughet however, this place was the duck's guts!



or ... IMHO go to Loas or Vietnam ... these were all family holidays - adults and kids had a great time.

Laung Prabang - 2009. Stayed at La Residence Phou Vao Belmond La Résidence Phou Vao - Luxury Hotel Luang Prabang, Laos outstanding village, hotel, destination. A must visit!



or ...

Hoi An - 2008 and 2010. Stayed at The Nam Hai The Nam Hai Hoi An Hotel | Luxury Hoi An Resort | Vietnam another absolute beauty!!! So good we went twice :mrgreen:

 

[Homer]

+1 for Koh Samui. We've done both with young kids and, while coughet is OK, you can't really swim in the water and it feels a bit, well, filthy to be frank. Koh Samui on the other hand is a more peaceful island yet with better restaurants, is less touristy and seems cleaner with nice enough beaches and nearby boating and diving options. And it has some pretty spectacular accommodation too. On a previous trip we stayed at the Banyan Tree which has its own private beach but on our last trip we rented a modern 5-bedroom villa in a new cliff-side estate complete with live-in staff (who made us breakfast, lunch and coughtails during the day), a cinema room, cabana and spectacular views day and night from the pool.

 

[Katie]

Have only been to Samui, not coughet, but would definitely do Samui (or Krabi) with a child. Agree on being away from Chaweng beach. We did very little at Samui - swimming, massages, one night at Chaweng, Big Buddha, that was about it.
We stayed at the Imperial Boathouse, as many family members have stayed there. Not as glam as W, etc.
Great interaction between the staff and our kidlet. Saw some of the waitresses helping out other families at breakfast time - when there was one parent clearl doing single parent duty, they'd take baby and carry them for a bit to help out while the parent got their food. Am sure fancier places could only be better.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Don't go to coughet. Bogan central.

 

[cmon0005]

Thanks for all the replies so far, so far it seems like a resounding vote for Koh Samui.

Thinking about flying J SYD-SIN (QF A330 refurb) and SIN-USM (PG on QF codeshare).

 

[craven morehead]

Krabi (Ao Nang Beach) definitely worth considering. In the same general area and serviced by an International airport. Have stayed there twice. Nice and relaxing. :mrgreen:

 

[Anna]

I've been to both and would not rush back to either. Perhaps slightly more likely to go back to KS than coughet. I prefer to go to places where you don't have to worry about things like cleaning your teeth in bottled water so as to avoid gastro. I would be very concerned about going to hospital in either place.

 

[cmon0005]

Also not sure if either of these places are 'schoolies' destinations if so that rules it out definitely!!

As for brushing teeth with bottled water this has to happen in a lot of countries that would rule out half the world! even hkg, kul, etc you have to be careful with the water due to potential contamination /pollution..

 

[smit0847]

Ko Samui is more family friendly but is the most expensive place in thailand.

 

[amaroo]

Given you may have doubts with the two nominated destinations...

Chiang Mai - 2008. Stayed at Four Seasons Chiang Mai Hotels | Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, Thailand three bedroom residence - spectacular!

 

[boomy]

Also not sure if either of these places are 'schoolies' destinations if so that rules it out definitely!!

Not many schoolies can afford Koh Samui so I wouldn't be too worried about that. As I said on my earlier post, as long as you avoid Chaweng Beach, where most of the backpackers stay, you should be fine.

coughet, on the other hand has direct JQ service, nuff said

 

[JohnK]

I wouldn't rush to either.

Koh Samui way too expensive and coughet way too many Australians I don't want to encounter on holidays.

Krabi is a nice place to visit. Haven't been yet but will be going as soon as I can find some time.

Hua Hin, or Cha Am, is a lovely place and both Intercontinental and Hilton are great hotels around the AUD200-250 mark. A little pricey for food and shopping but still cheap compared to here.

Chiang Mai is also tourist friendly place with lots to see and do and some cheap(ish) 5 star hotels.

I am at the stage where I want to start visiting the Thailand tourists do not see and need to split holidays between Pattaya, Chiang Mai and new destination which doesn't leave a lot of time.

 

[smit0847]

If you want somewhere cheap, family friendly and bogan free I would recommend Ko Lanta. Very peaceful and quiet.

 

[JohnK]

I've been to both and would not rush back to either. Perhaps slightly more likely to go back to KS than coughet. I prefer to go to places where you don't have to worry about things like cleaning your teeth in bottled water so as to avoid gastro. I would be very concerned about going to hospital in either place.

Do you have a shower with bottled water?

FWIW I use bottled water to clean toothbrush and I think I have had gastro disease 3-4 times in 12 years.

If you eat out a lot and don't limit yourself to cooked food only and eat salads as well the chances are quite high of you getting gastro disease. They use plain tap water to clean vegetables. They use tap water to clean plates and cutlery as well but generally wipe these down. Happened to me in coughet. Ruined a day and a half of a 3 day trip.

 

[Alanslegal]

I would highly recommend Villa Torcello, in coughet, pricey but definitely worth it. For that amount of money, you can also go to Koh Samui and stay in some very nice villas as well.

Villa Torcello | Kamala | coughet | Thailand - Home