Koh Samui is located next to the National Marine Park in the southern Gulf of Thailand, an ideal place to chill out and experience the tropical island dream. Samui is growing in popularity as a holiday destination for gay and lesbian travelers who come from all over the world to dive, golf, shop, dine, party, splash in waterfalls, trek, ride elephants, drive from beach to beach or melt their cares away in exotic spas. Biking around the island on an easy-going day trip will bring you to small villages, Thai and Chinese temples, old Chinese heritage architecture, lush coconut groves and laid-back seaside restaurants on beaches you can nearly call your own.
Samui can be reached by frequent daily Bangkok Airways flights from Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi a daily flight from Singapore and direct Samui/Hong Kong, Samui/Kuala Lumpur flights three times a week. You can take a train, bus or drive from Bangkok or Phuket to Don Sak or Khanom which offer hourly ferry services to Nathon, the administrative capital of Samui.
Samui gay life is a relaxing, quieter contrast to the exuberant gay life of Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket. Bars and clubs are more laid back and friendly. The local gay community is easy to encounter at gay and mixed venues or as you enjoy the island's many leisure offerings. Samui men and women tend to be more down to earth and tend not to be as flashy as those in the larger gay destinations. Many tourists who may have gone to Phuket have opted for Samui while a large number of gay Thai men and women have moved to Samui to work.
The the warm clear waters around Koh Samui and Koh Tao are excellent places to experience scuba diving. Rainbow-Scuba & Tour specializes in land and sea adventure activities for gay men and lesbians and provides the only exclusive scuba instruction for gays in Thailand including PADI diver training, scuba diving and snorkeling, sailing, mountain biking, kayaking, and live-aboard trips. Relax and have more fun with like-minded people!
Mana's Home is a large, private residence in the hills overlooking Chaweng, the most popular tourist area on Samui. Mana and Didier have designed this oasis as a home-away-from-home for gay people and their friends. Guests are treated as family and enjoy all the facilities of the guesthouse, as well as benefitting from the owners' extensive knowledge of Samui's popular gay places and overlooked natural treasures.
Tropical Garden Lounge Hotel & Resort is a peaceful, gay-owned bungalow resort in a tranquil, tropical garden setting just 700m from the beautiful Mae Nam Beach beach. Their resort sports a beautiful swimming pool with bar, restaurant and 35 well-equipped bungalows with air-con or fan, minibar, satellite TV, shower and sitting lounge. There is parking for a car or motorbike right in front of each bungalow. Their restaurant serves up a delicious menu of Thai and western favorites. Look forward to being pampered with true Swiss hospitality during your island get-away.
For more information on the gay scene in Samui, please visit Utopia's Samui listings.
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