Chaweng - the best beach in Koh Samui

Chaweng Beach is Koh Samui's most popular powdery white sand beach. The wide bay as the focal point for the development of the island's tourism industry and the majestic five-kilometer crescent-shaped strip of sand bordered by rocky promontories at both ends, and the tiny Koh Matlam island to the north.

For a comfortable trip, many tourists prefer to use car rental services in Thailand. The average cost of renting a car at Koh Samui airport is 17 euros per day, at Phuket airport - 18 euros per day.

The beach offers a large swimming pool and plenty of water sports, restaurants and accommodation options. Both summer and winter high season, the beach offers sun, fun and a festive atmosphere. It's not the most secluded or peaceful of Koh Samui's beaches, but everything you could want is within meters of your sunbed - from cold drinks and snacks to massages - making it a great choice to laze around in comfort all day.

If you wish for a quieter alternative, in the southern part of Chaweng, off the ring road towards Lamai, there is a separate small stretch of beach called Chaweng Noi, which is less crowded and also offers good swimming.

In general, Chaweng offers similar services and atmosphere throughout its length, so if you are visiting during the day, just walk down from the beach road at any point and find a place to relax on a towel.

The southern and middle parts have the deepest water and therefore the best places for swimming and water sports. At the northern end, the water can be very shallow and there is a reef just offshore, however this makes it ideal for small children.

Before you go swimming, look for red flags that warn swimmers of dangerous currents at certain times of the year. Most of the time, the azure waters are perfect for swimming, but when the temperatures warm up during the hottest part of the year, you might need the hotel's pool to cool off.

If you are not staying at a hotel by the sea, some resorts rent sun loungers and umbrellas to non-guests for around 100 baht per day. Alternatively, just grab a towel and lounge on the sand, although it can be hard to find shade during the hot hours, so don't forget sunscreen.

An army of vendors patrol the beach selling ice cream, fruit, grilled shrimp or chicken and Thai papaya salad, cold drinks, jewelry, sarongs. They also offer services such as henna tattoos, hair braids and pedicures.

The sales people are mostly polite and not too pushy. They will take a friendly "no" for an answer. But if any of the goods or service you like, this is a good way to spend money from the locals. The vendors often hail from Thailand's impoverished northeastern provinces and have traveled to tourist hotspots looking for work to support their families at home.

One big luxury for westerners is the ability to have affordable massages right on the beach, delivered by legions of gay women ready to brush your worries away.While not quite as rigorously trained as some of the massage therapists at the beach road salons and spas, these ladies provide a good treatment nonetheless, and there's nothing better than listening to the waves while strong arms ease your tight muscles.

Most beach masseurs offer Thai and oil massages, as well as aloe body wraps for those who overdose on the sun. Busy times for massages are between 4pm-6pm, so it's sometimes worth booking in advance.

Chaweng Beach may be the perfect place to laze around and get a tan, but there is also a good range of sports available for those with an active lifestyle. Just walk along the coast and you will find many places where you can rent jet skis, catamarans and kayaks, and you can even ride a banana boat. Two of the best and most reasonably priced rentals are located near the deeper waters at the southern end of the beach.

Dolphins, near Chaweng Cove Resotel, offers catamarans, windsurfing, water skiing, wakeboarding, parasailing and kayaking. The courteous and knowledgeable staff can also arrange fishing trips. A few minutes walk north you will find Chaweng Water sports which has many jet skis and a banana or two, they also have speedboats that you can rent for a day trip with a skipper.

As the sun goes down, many of the beach restaurants set up tables on the sand, and at night, candles and fairy lights create a romantic atmosphere.