Although Chaweng beach has much more night life and where a lot of the island’s big resorts are located, we much preferred our time in the Lamai beach area. The beach is much softer in Chaweng I will say, however if you’re after a break from the mad backpacker life, or just simply aren’t a party person, Lamai is the place for you.
Price
Lamai is SO much cheaper than Chaweng. Our daily budget as a couple is around £60 per day whilst in Thailand, which we far exceeded in Chaweng. We had expected this as we did splurge on two nights in Lub D hostel which; with an influencer’s 10% discount code, it was £26 per night. That’s almost half the budget gone already. Over the two days we spent in the Chaweng beach area we spent ฿4686 on food, that’s about £104! That in itself is basically the entire budget. Granted, we didn’t leave the area much and ate at Lub D a lot, but we were jet lagged and did like the fact that it was all close by it was just a shock to the wallet. I would recommend staying in Chaweng beach for maybe just a night and driving further afield for food. If night markets are your thing, the Cheweng night market is every Thursday and is definitely a budget option.
Our accommodation in Lamai Beach was New Hut Bungalow, and while the rooms are very basic; a room on the beach with a bathroom and A/C costs £15 a night. And I mean it’s RIGHT on the beach. They have more basic options that are as little as £8 a night, which split between two is £4; can’t get much more budget friendly than that! It’s also a 10 minute walk along the beach to Lamai night market where we’ve eaten late lunch and dinner for as little as ฿100 (£2.25) per person for the day.
Noise
Lamai is also so much quieter than Chaweng. The strip along the beach is packed with bars, restaurants and clubs all open till the wee hours of the morning in Chaweng and the beach itself is packed with lots and lots of bustling beach bars with loud music and fire shows going on just as long. Don’t get me wrong, the vibe is incredible and I highly recommend going along, just maybe stay elsewhere.
In Lamai the only noise you have to be concerned about is the sound of the sea, that’s it. It’s so incredibly quiet that you would think there wasn’t much going on, but there is so much to see and do nearby. Despite being on the island’s main road, there’s very little traffic noise to be heard from the beach. There are some bars and restaurant’s along the road, however it’s mostly a 5-10 minute walk from New Hut to get to the thick of it. Saying that however, the New Hut restaurant is packed every night because the prices are so reasonable for being on the waters edge.
Chaweng beach is also right below the airport, so the planes do come in to land right over your heads, and they can be very noisy.
Location
As Lamai is more central, and on the main island road, it means it’s not much more than a 30-40 min drive to every point on the island, compared to the 1hr+ from Chaweng. It’s also a much nicer place to drive a bike, especially if you’re very inexperienced like we were. The thought of trying to learn to drive in Chaweng was incredibly daunting and we decided against it (which is why we had to keep paying UK prices to eat nearby). Koh Samui is a big island compared to its’ neighbours and if you can’t ride bikes, it’s very daunting to try on its’ busy roads. But not impossible, Reilly has learnt to drive here but only because the Lamai area is much more driver friendly.
In terms of food, the Lamai night market is pretty much right on the beach, and the main ‘strip’ has a fair amount of restaurants. However, it does seem that everyone (locals and travellers alike) go to the night market for food. Furthermore, there are many cafes and bars down the beach (as you walk down the beach to the night market, you have the option to go further which seems to be more expensive).There’s a big supermarket about a 15 minute walk or a 3 ish minute drive from the strip if you’re looking to use the hostel kitchens, there is a wide range here and even some probiotic drinks which Reilly loved.