RE: Thai Islands Datasheet- Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phi Phi
Just wanted to reply here saying that Qwest's datasheet is spot on, and most of the information he posted is still up to date with the current situation.
I came back from a quick holiday in Thailand of two weeks. I've been to BKK (of course), Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui and Koh Phi Phi.
What Qwest wrote on Koh Tao is really spot on and resonates with what I think myself. The island is gorgeous; it is smaller compared to the others, and that's partly what makes it so special: it is a little gem. It is still a bit touristy and nowhere near being "off the beaten path", but it is much less trashy than Phi Phi or Samui.
Here's a quick little breakdown of the islands which hopefully will add to Qwest's original post. Keep in mind I visited in mid August.
Koh Tao
Nothing more to add at this point. The island itself is smaller and quieter compared to its bigger sisters, but it still gets popping at nighttime. The crowd is friendlier and more approachable, as most of them are in Koh Tao to dive and admire its natural beauty.
The main bars are located in the center of "town". One's Choppers, from where a pub crawl starts, and the other (can't remember the name) lies a few meters ahead, and has a nice beer pong table in the center of the room from where you can easily command attention. Said beer pong table helped me pull a 19-y/o British fitness enthusiast, who I caught up with and smashed in Koh Samui. Despite all the praise I'm giving it, this was the only island I did not get laid on. If you like diving and friendly, laid back chicks, you need to check it out. Great male-to-female ratio.
My friends and I got a bungalow right on the beachfront for 300 baht each - I'm talking about Sairee Beach of course, which is the (only) place to be.
Koh Phangan
This is the island where the infamous Full Moon Party takes place. I got there a few weeks later and the place was still great. The island is much bigger than Koh Tao - we stayed at Rin Beach, which is where the party takes place, and just trolled the bars on the beach at night and drove around on our scooters during the day to scope out the amazing beaches around the island.
Once again, it's hard to go wrong to be honest. Get a room/hotel depending on your lifestyle and preferences close to the beach and get ready to have fun. Both main bars on the beach offer games/activities and 300b alcohol buckets, once 11pm comes around - they clear the tables and stuff lying around the beach and people just dance.
I got my Russian flag on this island, she was also a virgin. Incredibly hot Korean/Russian 20-y/o. Spaziba.
Koh Samui
Here's my very own impression on Koh Samui. The island is very big, has an airport and feels just like any big south european beach town: aka it's trash and caters mostly to families and people who don't have the patience/curiosity to visit the smaller, more beautiful islands. Can you get laid on the island, can you have fun, can you chill at the beach and drink etc? Absolutely. But it doesn't even come close to its two smaller sisters.
Please keep in mind I only stayed one day on the island and was still feeling dizzy from all the drinking done the 5-6 days before; like most things in life, it is highly subjective whether you'll like the island or not.
Main party beach is Chaweng, with one area that packs most of the bars/clubs (close to the Ark) and pros.
I got the British chick from Koh Tao on this islands; we took some pics with iguanas on the beach, did some shots, I told her friends to fuck off etc. She was an animal in the bedroom and had a body that could melt cheese from across an air conditioned room. I hit it raw and to this day don't know if I caught something or not.
Onto the next island.
Koh Phi Phi
After hearing stories about the absolute shitshow and pro-fest that is Phuket, my brave friends and I decide we will only visit Phi Phi island on the Indian Ocean side of Thailand and then go back to BKK.
If you are an aggressive player and like blonde, white girls, you're in for a treat on Koh Phi Phi. The island is the end-all be-all for young, party-happy europeans.
The beach where it all goes down is right next to the waterfront and crams music-blaring beach bar after music-blaring beach bar all close to each other on a small stretch of sand. It's like Rin Beach on steroids, with more, younger, drunker people.
The score is more or less the same as the other islands; get a bungalow close to the beach, guzzle a couple buckets of shitty thai rum and you're set. The island is not as big as Koh Samui or as touristy, in my opinion. We found less families there, and most young party goers are all concentrated in one district, which makes things much easier for us.
Yours truly pulled off a hat trick on this island. After having unprotected sex with a British girl with double DD tits in her hostel bathroom on my first night (thank you, British parents), I fucked two girls in the space of 30-45 minutes the following day; one westernized thai who was trolling the beach for dick and one incredibly sweet yet slutty dutch 21 y/o medicine student called Daisy. First one right on the beach (we were interrupted multiple times, more on that later) and the other in her own hostel single bedroom - yes, she was traveling on her own, oddly enough.
Wrap-up and disclaimers
As much as I feel there's no real need to say this, I would rather be crystal clear: do not go to the islands if you want to get laid with thai girls.
Move quickly! Everything closes at 2 am and everyone is there to have fun; that little brunette cutie you are going to approach as soon as she moves away from her friends/closer to you? Forget about it, girls get swarmed here. This is especially true in Phi Phi - I've found people to be much less aggressive on the other islands, almost subdued in Phangan. But this is way too subjective and I wouldn't make a trend out of it. Much like anywhere else in life - he, who moves the quickest, wins. There are so many girls around and so many more ready to move onto the island with the next day's ferry that waiting around makes absolutely no sense.
Now that we've gotten the obvious out of the way lets talk about the beach problem.
With bars closing at 2 am - a lot of people will be left on the beach fucking around and trying their last ditch efforts at getting some pussy for the night. Thais know this. There are thais patrolling the beach with flashlights once the music stops to make sure nobody is having sex on the beach. I got interrupted twice, with my dick literally out, relishing in the cool thai night breeze, by people with flashlights and bright orange vests, once in Phi Phi and once in Phangan. If you don't want your fun ruined by them (they are only doing their job), bring your girl back to your crib every single time.
On scooters. I have being riding a scooter since I was 14 years old, have a dirt bike home and am a more or less experienced rider. If you are not - I would advise on skipping the scooter part entirely. There are pick up trucks on every island that can take you (almost) anywhere you would go with a scooter for a small fee. That being said, if you trust in your abilities do get one. The sights that can be seen on all of the islands are simply amazing and they're killer for bringing girls back to your hostel or to some private thai beach to make sweet sweet love to while you listen to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.
On prices. Yes things are cheap, but they are not dirt cheap, or rather, not anymore. This is the opinion I got from a few different old timers who seemed like they really had their respective places on lockdown. That being said, depending on your wallet and where you come from, things are cheap.
On girls and ratios. The vast majority are British, so you know they're down for pretty much anything. Phi Phi in particular is just overrun with 20-something pasty, tatted up, potty mouthed brit chicks, which of course can be a lot of fun under the right circumstances and under a certain weight threshold. The ratios I found where incredibly favorable almost everywhere with the exception of Koh Samui, and with an only slight prevalence of girls in Phi Phi.
I'm a sucker for natural beauty and sceneries and I have to say, I have rarely seen anything as magnificent and imposing as some of the sights on the islands. Lush, green jungle, white sand and incredible crystal clear water. I would say the best island for this is Koh Phangan.
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