Ko Samui - Samui Island is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region, and it was once a haven for the cheapest backpackers.  These days, I gather, it's a lot more developed and noisier, but if they've kept all the developments below the height of the coconut trees, as they had when I was there at the end of 1993, then all is not lost.  It's an island in the Gulf of Thailand with clean sandy beaches, coconut palms, seafood and beach bungalows.  Doesn't sound too bad, does it?  If you've read The Beach, you'll know that Samui and her sister island Ko Phangan aren't good enough for all the  hippies anymore, which suits me just fine.  So you can sit back and relax while they all head off in their thousands for somewhere completely unspoilt so they can spoil it.  I didn't like The Beach, by the way. It didn't have much to do with Thailand, and if you're after a yarn about the breakdown of civilized values in a tropical paradise, read William Golding's Lord of the Flies instead.

How to get there - A ferry boat from Surat Thani, on the mainland, or Bangkok Airways to the delightful little airstrip up in the north-east corner.   

Where to stay -  We picked Chaweng Beach, because by the time our minibus from the airstrip was mended, it was getting late, and we wanted to get booked into somewhere quickly.  Once we'd checked in at the Moon Bungalows at the north end of Chaweng, nobody wanted to go anywhere else.  It had a lovely set of simple fan-cooled bungalows, and a relaxing little restaurant, right by the beach.  Have a look at the photos, but I'm told they've been bull-dozed to make way for another bungalow operation now.  There are plenty of other beaches offering the same kind of facilities at different stages of development and at different prices.  Pick one to suit your own requirements.

What to do in the day - Unless you want to hire a jeep and go for a spin around the Island, it's beach time.  Swim, sunbathe, read a book, drink some fresh coconut juice, and watch the world go by.  There are water sports (in the more traditional sense of the phrase) available for people who insist on "doing something".  If you go for the jeep, there are plenty of little beaches to find, plus waterfalls, temples, coconut plantations and the Big Buddha overlooking a beach near the airstrip.   

What to do at night - For me, seafood and beer, mainly, combined with Sang Thip Whisky and joking around with the bar girls.  My memory's a bit hazy on the details, but I recall a huge reggae pub/disco which was still empty at 11pm, and none of the staff were expecting customers until after 2am.  These days there's no doubt a whole load of other similar venues to discover for yourselves.  You won't have to wander far down Chaweng or Lamai beaches to get the hang of the Ko Samui scene.