Location

Welcome!

The Beach

Lamai is the quieter of Samui’s two most famous beaches. The north end is the quietest, with shallow water warmed to bath temperature, protected by a coral reef, and offering an abundance or palm-shaded private spaces, rock formations, and safe swimming for children. To the south of the bay, Lamai faces the open ocean. The sea is deep and turquoise and there are relaxed restaurants scattered along the soft-sand beach. The view along the beach really has not changed since we first visited this haven of tranquility four decades ago.

The Spas

Samui’s queen of all spas, Tamarind Springs, renowned across Thailand and beyond, is Villa Lamai Sarai’s immediate neighbour. We’re a bit hesitant to show you a picture of Tamarind Springs in case you decide to stay there instead of Lamai Sarai. But if you choose us, then please be sure to treat yourself to a gentle soak, natural medicinal pampering and full body massage among Tamarind Spring’s granite rock pools, or its steam bath in a granite cave. Tamarind Springs is five minutes’ walk away. Beyond that you will be lost for choice among Samui’s legendary spa and health-massage venues. If you would like a professional health-massage by our pool side in the Chinese Tea Pavilion, we can arrange for you.

Beyond the villa

If you’ve got this far, you will have already read about the rest of Koh Samui. It basically has everything you might want in a tropical coconut island retreat. Our favourite suggestions: snorkeling in the  marine national park (a day trip by boat, access restricted and bookable in advance); scuba diving around Sail Rock; an overnight stay and trekking on nearby Koh Phangan party island; early morning fishing trip on a long-tailed boat; exploring Koh Samui’s interior on a motorbike (take care); running or walking into the hills behind Lamai bay; swimming in any of the many secret sandy bays dotted around Samui (nearest is Crystal Beach, about 20 minutes easy walk from Lamai Sarai); night markets; and a starlit evening walk along the entire 4km of Lamai beach looking for phosphorescence – at certain times of the year diving into the waves at night is like diving into a universe of tiny glowing stars.

The local food

You can still find a humble eatery serving a simple plate of the sea-food noodles cooked in local coconut oil in the style enjoyed since the first fishermen settlers. But Lamai has been favoured by French travelers over the years and that means good dining. If you have an early morning jogger in your party, make sure they run early enough to bring back croissants from one of the two French bakeries in Lamai – possibly the best croissants in Thailand. Our favourite nearby Italian eatery offers pizzas that we think are the best we have ever tasted, cooked by our Italian friend Rino. You will go back. Ask for Rino’s hand-prepared traditional rural Italian pickled broccoli as an exotic side.

Eating on the beach is fun and romantic. Search out one of the Isan restaurants popular among Thai visitors, which serve a distinctive style of cooking from the North-East of Thailand. For a celebratory dinner, try one of the upmarket restaurants in the more cosmopolitan centres of Chaweng beach or Bohput, a short taxi ride away, or enjoy the sophistication of the beach-front eatery of The Lamai hotel (formerly Meridien).

Other favourites include The Outrigger hotel’s Waterfront bar and restaurant, five minutes walk away; Jasmine-Rice, a restaurant with tables on the beach – great for its Penang curries – twenty minutes walk along the sand; the amazing vegetarian menu at the nearby The Spa Resorts – our favourite dish is the masaman curry on a bed of mashed potato; the Indian restaurant in Lamai’s main street, Tandoori Nights, serving as good as you’ll find in London – their chicken tikka biriani is exquisite; and Ollie’s ‘Let’s Eat’ home-made burgers, claimed with good justification to be the best on the island. Our favourite nearby breakfast eateries are Chuz, for its shady peace and quiet, and Toast for absolutely anything you want piled onto sourdough toast, and very special coffee. Both are just around the corner (or try sourcing Lamai’s sourdough bakery directly, just ten minutes’ walk up the road).

Bird-life

Lamai Sarai is a great place for bird-watchers. Common visitors to the villa are the colourful olive backed sun-birds, Asian palm swifts, the majestic brahminy kites soaring overhead on the thermals, turquoise Indian rollers, the gentle peace doves, and many more.

Sea-life

Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park is a short boat ride from Lamai, as are the popular diving sites of Sail Rock, Koh Tao and many other small outlying islands. Hosts Chris and Maggies’ son Sam is a marine biologist and took the photos below in the seas around Samui.

Your Hosts

Welcome to our very special Villa Lamai Sarai. We are Maggie and Chris, originally from London but living and working in Asia. When we first visited Lamai Beach, 40 years ago, we were both working in Bangkok, and Samui was a little-explored coconut island way down in the south of Thailand and accessible only by overnight train and dangerously rickety boat. We slept in hammocks and palm-thatched wooden huts on the beach and explored Samui’s distinctive granite boulder-clad jungle-covered hills. Villa Lamai Sarai is built on one of the very rock outcrops we explored. We sometimes stay in the self-contained apartment below the Lamai Sarai main villa, but you won’t see us unless you want to introduce yourselves. If you do, we would be delighted to welcome you personally and tell you more of the story of Lamai Sarai. Mi casa es tu casa, as they say in Spanish (our home is your home). It is designed to be a place of rest, refreshment, inspiration, and a place to come back to. Please enjoy this piece of paradise that we are so honored to curate.

Representing us as your local hosts are Yvonne, our English property manager, and her highly professional team. Resident on-site to look after your needs, are Khun Kanchit and Khun Mod. Kanchit and Mod are from the Thai North-east and have been offering a friendly, efficient and professionally discreet service to Koh Samui villa residents for over ten years.