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Surat Thani is a picturesque coastal town of 42,000 people with tidy streets 650 Km South of Bangkok on the southern train line. Most visitors come to Surat Thani to catch the ferry to Ko Samui some 30 Km off the mainland.
Indeed the tour companies that handle many of the Bangkok-Ko Samui transportation sell joint bus-ferry tickets, ensuring that most visitors are unloaded at the ferry pier and bypass Surat Thani completely. The town is pleasant enough with plenty of eating spots and hotels but little else to recommend spending more than a few hours in town.
Most visitors to Ko Samui cross via one of Songserm's express boats which takes 2.5 to 3 hours. Both the ferry terminal and the boats are modern and well appointed and the trip is enjoyable. Be aware that the express boat operators charge westerners double the price Thai's pay for the trip however you have little choice but to pay. The slower and larger passenger / vehicle ferry is not recommended simply because . In any event if you have bought a joint ticket in Bangkok or Phuket you will not get a choice of boats.
Boatloads of western tourists pour into Ko Samui via Surat Thani every day during peak season and are overcharged terribly from their first cold drink in Surat. This continues over on Ko Samui where - whilst there are some excellent accommodation bargains if you look hard enough - tourists pay inflated prices for food and drink all over the island.
Touts for the various bungalows often ride the boats armed with enticing brochures and looking for customers. If you accept an offer it is best not to commit to more than one night in case the establishment does not live up to your expectations.
There are multitudes of hotels and bungalows on Samui and most of the year you will have no problems locating a place to stay - just walk down the beach until you find a place you like then check in ! There are plenty of beautifully located beachfront establishments to choose from.
In peak tourist months - August, December and January - vacancies dry up and prices for bungalows go sky high. The island becomes so crowded with Europeans during these periods that it loses much of its carefree atmosphere and you should avoid visiting at these times.
Hotelz Asia has a huge range of hotels and resorts in Surat Thani and Ko Samui available at low rates.
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HOTEL RESERVATIONS 
