How to get to Lamai Beach

Being on the circular ring road of Koh Samui it is comparatively easy to get to Lamai Beach from anywhere on the island, subject only to the distance. Now that the road is well made and paved everywhere there is no difficulty in taking a hire car or a local transport to and from Lamai.  Although Lamia does contain everything you need for your holiday there are of course interesting things in other parts of the island so consider how you may go to and from.

Koh Samui Airport / Samui International Airport

Mini bus services leave the airport and can be booked in the main hall. The fares are about 150baht per person and will take you directly to your destination in Lamai. However the minibus will only depart once they are full or mostly full, so if you are on your own or a small group and there are no other people going in that direction you may have to wait for another flight to arrive. Also of course it will be stopping to drop off other passengers which will extend the trip.

Booking a private transfer in advance is an option many people take, it can be done online, and will cost about 450baht for a car. Alternatively if you walk outside the airport onto the road then you can flag a normal metered taxi. Despite the name these taxi do not normally operate on the meter but instead of set prices for particular destinations. Again the trip to Lamai Beach from the Airport will be about 450baht, there should be no extra charge for luggage.

There are no songtaews, the local public transport, allow inside the airport however if you walk out onto the main road it is also possible to flag one of these down. As more of a commuter bus for the locals though they don't have any space for luggage so are not a great option if you have just arrived, what they are is of course extremely cheap though the exact price will depend on your time of arrival and how busy they are.

Chaweng Beach

Despite the very different atmosphere between the two main beaches of Koh Samui they are actually very close together. It is only a 10 minute drive from one to the other now that the ring road connects everything on the island with a modern paved way.  While in historic times this was a hill climbing feat that the local songtaews struggled with, many locals still remember all the passengers having to get out of the van and help to push so that the struggling motor could get over the highest parts, now it is an easy drive that even novice scooter riding tourists can manage in a few minutes.

Today with during the busiest times of year it is the traffic rather than the distance that controlls how long a trip from Lamai to Chaweng takes, at the worst times you can be caught behind a mass of vans and scooters and it might take 30 minutes, but never more than that.

Drive

If you have hired your own car or scooter then it is just a simple drive along the main road.  From Chaweng to Lamai you go south, so with the sea on your left past all the hotels until the road turns right just past the Samui Paradise Resort. Follow it inland until it meets up with the main ring road aka 4169.  Turn left onto the ring road so you are going south.

After a few hundred  meters the road meets the coast again and roughly follows it until the headland when it turns inland again around the Silver Beach Resort.  When the road meets the coast again you have arrived at the beginning of Lamai Beach, but continue driving for a hundred meters to reach the Food Court or another 100 meters to the Tesco Lotus which are big landmarks that you are in the town centre.

Taxi

There are plenty of taxis available and the price to drive from one beach to the other will be around 300 or 400 baht, more if it is late night. Remember that prices of Taxi are negotiable but of course the taxi driver may refuse your offer it is not acceptable.  Prices should be per car, not per person

Songtaews

The songtaew is a type of public transport in Koh Samui which carries around 10 people.  You may wave your hand to stop one in the street and board it for the trip. As a shared transport like a bus this is very cheap, around 60 or 80 baht for the trip but of course it is per person. Pay the driver directly.

However if a songtaew is empty then when you wave your hand you are starting a private hire, and the price for this will be similar to a taxi though a bit lower. Expect to pay 300 or 400 baht for a trip between Lamai and Chaweng depending on exactly where in each place you are.  At night time the songtaew operate almost exclusively as private hire taxi.