Day 11: Surat Thani - Maenam / Koh Samui - Frankie goes to.....the Gulf of Thailand (2022)

January 18, 2022

Day 11: Surat Thani - Maenam / Koh Samui

As I said yesterday I had very little expectations about the 64 km from Surat Thani to the ferry pier in Don Sak. The first 20 km on the very busy and dusty #401 certainly lived up to that reservation but I was then very positively surprised that the remaining 44 kilometers on the mainland gradually improved once I turned left onto the #4177 and later the #4009.

There are two different ferry companies serving the Don Sak - Koh Samui route. The Seatran vessels go into Nathon, the islands capital, while the Raja ferries do not only leave from a different pier in Don Sak but arrive several kilometers south of Nathon. I have never used anything else than the Seatran, in particular as I am always headed for Maenam on Samui´s northshore.

When you roll your bike onto the compound don´t go through to the terminal but get your ticket at the first little booth. In the terminal they only sell passenger-only tickets. I was charged 180 Baht (4€50) for both of us and consider that a very fair price for the 90 minute journey to one of the world´s top holiday destinations.

Seatran has certainly improved the whole experience from the compound itself through the terminal and ablution blocks and even the old ferries themselves have been pimped up with a modern cafeteria and shop. Once again very pleasant 1 1/2 hours on the water and from the Nathon pier it´s another 12 km to Maenam with one nasty steep crest about half way through.

Maenam Beach has got plenty of decent bungalow resorts along one of Thailand´s finest swimming beaches. Different to the ones on the mainland the beach here drops instantly and you don´t have to wade through shallow water for 5 minutes before your knees get wet. But for me, not being the most enthusiastic beach person, there is another very good reason to visit Maenam. My long-time Kiwi friend Geoff lives here and that alone makes it a must-stop.

Back to the accommodation issue: This time I checked out a couple of resorts where I had stayed at previously but while they wanted 650 Baht for very basic fan bungalows with cold water only I got a very well equipped one at the Shangrilah Resort for 800 Baht. The very nice garden area and even a large pool make that price almost a bargain. Not that I did actually swim in the pool but it is just nice to sit along it in the afternoon sun overlooking the great beach.

The impact of the current pandemic on tourism in Thailand becomes more obvious here than on the always rather quiet mainland beaches. The Shangrilah Resort has got about 50 bungalows and is usually well booked during the high-season. I counted this morning and we are exactly 11 guests in the whole resort and the whole beach is almost deserted. I don´t even consider that an advantage, I much rather have a bit of activity around me.

All the same, a great place to have a couple of rest days and accordingly I booked my bungalow for three nights before I roll back towards Trang via Nakhon Si Thammarat and Thung Song.

Along the #4177. Imagine you have to spend two weeks of quarantine in these windowless huts without water and electricity.

I was quite impressed when I got to the ferry terminal in Don Sak. They have really improved the appearance of the whole facility.

Much easier nowadays. On my previous trips I always had to leave the bike down on the cardeck but today they asked me to roll it right into the passenger lounge

My bungalow at the Shangrilah Resort on the left

The beach in front of the Shangrilah Resort...

Another great aspect of Maenam. While the resorts cater for the Western tongues, there are enough "real Thai" food stalls in the village. This is another absolute staple meal: Pad Pik Gaeng Gai (fried chicken in chilli paste) and comes for 50 Baht/1€30

The 12 km on the island itself are not marked but Maenam is roughly above the "K" of Koh Samui

Today's ride: 76 km (47 miles)
Total: 727 km (451 miles)

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