My husband and I have been visiting Chaweng in Koh Samui on and off for 10 years now. In that time we have seen the beach and the surrounding area fill up with commercial enterprises. We have also seen the prices for accommodation and food increase (sometimes as much as 50% more than the rest of Thailand). Nevertheless, Chaweng remains one of our favorite places in the world. My husband and I always say we would buy a luxury villa in Chaweng if we were to win the lottery.

The great thing about Chaweng is the beach. It is a 7 km long stretch of beautiful white sand. The sea at Chaweng is ideal for swimming. Some beaches in Thailand you have to walk for ages to get into deep water, others get deep too quickly. Neither is the case with Chaweng. Another great thing about Chaweng is that at either end of the beach are coral reefs that make it possible to go snorkeling and see fish.

Chaweng is protected from the noise of vehicles by a row of businesses that line the beach. It is just as shame that polluting jet skis couldn’t be banned from the beach too. Behind the beach is a long and sprawling urban area that contains everything nearby for a comfortable beach holiday. There are plenty of restaurants, bars, nightspots as well as souvenir shops and a couple of big supermarkets. This makes Chaweng a very convenient place. We never bother with renting motorbikes or a jeep as we can get most things we need in Chaweng town. The only irritating thing about Chaweng and Koh Samui as a whole is the arrogant taxi drivers who refuse to go on the meter and that charge almost as much as London cabbies!

Chaweng accommodation ranges from basic guest houses to luxury resorts. We always book a mid-range place with swimming pool. It normally costs us about $40 a night – although as I wrote before the prices have been going up.

At night my husband and I normally find a nice restaurant and then stroll along the beach to find a quiet bar to have a couple of cocktails. We avoid Soi Mango as we don’t want to see all the Thai girls throwing themselves on Western men for money. It’s an unfortunate aspect it seems of Thai culture.

Nevertheless, the beauty of the beach and the great weather more than make up for the seedy element of the town late at night. For those wanting a beach holiday in Asia but don’t fancy the idea of slumming it like backpackers Chaweng is the ideal destination.