Samui e Thailand
The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and Southern China. It appears on Chinese maps dating back to 1687, under the name Pulo Cornam. The name Samui is mysterious in itself. Perhaps it is an extension of the name of one of the native trees, mui, or it is a corruption of the Chinese word Saboey, meaning "safe haven". Ko is the Thai word for "island." Until the late 20th century, Ko Samui was an isolated self-sufficient community, having little connection with the mainland of Thailand. The island was even without roads until the early 1970s, and the 15 km journey from one side of the island to the other involved a whole-day trek through the mountainous central jungles.
Beaches
Samui is mostly visited by holidaymakers wanting to get away from it all and its main appeal is its beach communities with white sands and clear, warm seas. However, Koh Samui has become more of a bustling international island resort in recent years. Choeng Mon beach Lamai beach High street Chaweng Beach covers a large portion of the island's northeast coast, and is easily the most crowded region on the island. The beach itself, while beautiful and clean, often suffers from seasonal overcrowding. Several hotels, ranging from budget resorts to luxury villas line the shore. Restaurants are set right along the beach and set back about 100 meters from the sand, the one-way beach road in Chaweng has developed into a bustling international area with many kinds of resort, restaurant, and bar.It gets very busy on the beach road at night as there is plenty of nightlife.
