KOH SAMUI, Thailand (CNN) -- Superlatives come quickly to mind when talking about Koh Samui. But most visitors to this island in the Gulf of Thailand simply call it "Heaven on Earth." The first ...

The 95-square-mile island of Koh Samui saw 3.4 million tourists in 2023, with numbers. Whereas, the country of Fiji —more than 330 islands—saw just over 1 million visitors in 2024.

For better or for worse, Alex Garland’s 1996 novel The Beach (and its 2000 film adaptation) pinned Koh Samui firmly on the backpacker’s map of Southeast Asia. Nearly 30 years on, Thailand’s ...

Though Samui is Thailand's third-largest island, a single road circles it, and only the coast is inhabited. Samui reminds me of Kauai: the green interior is mostly impassable.

The producers of The White Lotus have made a clever choice. Thailand ’s second-largest island is rapidly becoming known as the most upmarket island in the country. Whilst it’s historically ...

The footage was captured on March 26 at the airport in Koh Samui, an island off the east coast of Thailand. The couple—who had spent two weeks on the island on their first trip to the country ...

While Phuket and Koh Samui are popular island destinations in Thailand, they’re also full of tourists. Consider visiting Koh Yao Noi instead, a paradise in the middle of Phang Nga Bay.