Lamai Beach Koh Samui

P erhaps, Lamai could be called the best beach for those, who feel like diving into the water right here and right now. At the same time, the sea won’t be cloudy as on Maenam, Bophut or Big Buddha Beach. The water here is deep and clean, and on a clear day – it is of jade-green shade. In order to submerge up to your shoulders it is only enough to make a few steps on a sandy bed without any silt. If there are some shreds of seaweed, it is only after storms, when they are thrown onto the shore from the depths of the stormy sea.
The seabed is safe and pleasant almost on the whole coast of Lamai, it only gets worse on the edges of the beach. The northern edge, closer to Chaweng, has shallow bed with silt and sharp stones, and is hardly suitable for swimming. In the south, near Grandpa and Grandma (Hin Ta and Hin Yai), the entrance into the water is most abrupt, there are large boulders rising from the seabed, there are coral gardens not far from the shore with corresponding sea life, such as tiny fish and sea urchins. It is advisable to be most attentive and careful in this part of Lamai.

T o those, who care about the ‘grind’ and the colour of sand, we will tell, that it is yellowish and coarse on Lamai, mixed up with small seashells and polished by the sea, show-white chips of corals. A walk on such a beach will guarantee your heels a superb massage.
Lamai is a big sandy beach with a length of about 5 km in the south-east of Koh Samui. In the north, it mergers into the coast of a cape Laem Nan, and in the south it borders a picturesque agglomeration of black-and-grey boulders with so much loved by tourists Grandpa and Grandma (Hin Ta HinYai). In terms of popularity and crowds of people, it is the second beach after its neighbor – Chaweng, which is situated higher on the east coast of the island. However, the atmosphere here is different: the rhythm of life is more unhurried and peaceful. There are night entertainments here, such as go-go bars, but they are not so intrusive.

T he main thing, that holiday-makers do here is rest on the beach. You may easily spend day after day on Lamay, sunbathing and swimming. Everything you may need will be close at hand. Diverse restaurants and cafes will provide you with Thai and European cuisine, sunshades and bent palm trees will shelter you from the burning sultriness, massage therapists will help you to relax, giving you a massage on a sun lounger under a sunshade. Apart from different souvenirs and ice cream, they like to offer pedicure on Lamai. In the evenings, you can go to a beach party, fire show, launch of fireworks or flying lanterns for good luck. However, Lamai beach can hardly be called a lively place, unless it is New Year Eve or Christmas time.

A t nights, the liveliest place on Lamai is still a concentration of bars with easy women, who occupied a central square opposite ‘McDonalds’ and adjacent tiny streets. Right here, there a stadium of Thai boxing, where fights take place regularly. There is also a ring on the very square, where sometimes female sparring matches are held. To the left from here, in the evenings they cook Thai street food: street venders behind counters or barrows will cook curry for you, fried rice noodles ‘pad-Thai’, sweet pancakes or fruit shakes.
As for shopaholics, they won’t get bored, either: there are plenty of shops with clothes, jewelry and souvenirs on Lamai. At some distance from the beach, with a turning from the ring road, there is also a big supermarket Tesco Lotus, abundant in not only food or household supplies, but also clothes, cosmetics and footwear. There are diving schools in the neighbourhood, too, so you can easily arrange a small adventure with a dive for yourself. Furthermore, Lamai is famous for its wide range of spa and yoga centres. By the way, the very first spa centre on the island was opened right here.