Thailand is one of the best holiday destinations to explore. Both Koh Samui and Phi Phi islands are beautiful places to celebrate your marriage. Each destination offers incredible experiences to newlyweds.
Koh Samui is a beautiful beachside that attracts budget travellers and also features luxury resorts. Phi Phi is a group of six islands that is well-known for their parties. Both destinations have breath taking activities available and must see experiences.
Choosing a honeymoon destination depends on what kind of experience you hope to have, and what your budget is. Koh Samui is home to breath-taking beaches, extraordinary resorts and fine dining experiences. Phi Phi has incredible beach front bars, shops and excursions to enjoy.
What Does Phi Phi Offer?
Phi Phi is a 45 minute speed boat, or 90 minute ferry ride away from Phuket. It is completely motorbike and car free and so everyone walks. Everything is within a 10-15 minute walk and it is safe to do so.
Phi Phi is a group of 6 islands that offers a host of excursions for their visitors to experience. You can go island and beach hopping between Koh Phi Phi Lee, Koh Phi Phi Don, Ko Bida Nok, Ko Mai Thai, Koh Yung, Ko Mai Phai and Koh Pai.
Speedboat tours are an incredible way to experience the Phi Phi islands. Snorkelling here is a must-do activity in crystal clear waters. You’ll spend the day lounging on sunny beaches and swimming in refreshing waters.
Koh Phi Phi Don is the largest of the group of islands and the most popular of the group of islands to stay on. It is where the majority of hotels, guesthouses, bars and nightlife are. You should, however, keep in mind that as space is more limited than on the main land it can be more expensive to stay here.
Popular activities include scuba diving, rock climbing and cliff jumping. There are no shortage of activities for thrill seekers to enjoy while visiting the Phi Phi islands.
Maya Beach attracts nearly 5 000 tourists a day. It has a small snack stand that sells drinks and snacks but there aren’t meals available. It features 100 metre cliffs on three’s sides where small beaches are nestled inside.
Maya Beach was closed during 2020 to preserve its coral reef as it had begun dying. The beach is set to reopen sometime in 2021 although this is not yet confirmed. Visitors can however still visit the beach by boat but can’t go onshore until it is officially reopened.
Hiring a private catamaran is romantic way to experience the Phi Phi islands with your new spouse. You can visit the islands within Phi Phi and drink champagne while the sun sets. Ask around while in Phi Phi to get the most recommended catamaran tour for the optimal experience.
There are countless nightlife events to enjoy including fire shows and beach & pool parties. Regardless of your budget, the Phi Phi islands offers memorable parties for everyone to experience.
You and your spouse can dance until the sun rises and celebrate your marriage in an exciting way. It is also close enough to Phuket that you can take a day trip into the city to shop and experience Phukets well known nightlife.
As food is brought onto the Phi Phi islands from the mainland, it is a bit more expensive than food found on the mainland. You should also not expect high class fine dining. There are fine dining options, but it is more common to find fast food joints and local restaurants and vendors.
Recommended places to stay are the Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort which starts at $150, or the Zeavola Resort which starts at $270. You can find cheaper accommodation in hostels or on Airbnb. Resorts however offer more access to facilities and often have all-inclusive deals.
What Does Koh Samui Offer?
Koh Samui is a more relaxed holiday and is peacefully nestled in the Gulf of Thailand. It is Thailand’s third largest island. It is slightly more difficult to access Koh Samui as you can only reach it by air or sea.
Flights to Koh Samui are marginally more expensive by Thailand’s standards. Alternatively, you can also find ferry options to Koh Samui and many vendors offer bus and ferry packages.
Koh Samui has a tropical climate and is warm year round, however the best time to visit is between April to October. The beaches in Koh Samui are less crowded and better for snorkelling.
You can enjoy exciting activities such as parasailing, kayaking, jet skiing or you can enjoy a romantic day at the spa with your new spouse. Hiring a small boat and island hopping is a tourist favourite activity and an incredible way to experience Koh Samui.
Koh Samui is known for its beach front fine dining experiences and has no shortages of cocktail bars. The best restaurants are found in Bophut Beach. There are fast food chains available as well and divine local food options.
There is no shortage of accommodation in Koh Samui. Luxury resorts, Airbnb’s, hostels and hotels are all options when looking for a safe place to stay. When looking at hostels and Airbnb’s be sure to check how close they are to local beaches and other activities you’d like to do.
Recommended luxury resorts include Banyan Tree Samui – which is positioned peacefully in the hillside of the southern end of Lamai Bay and has a total of 78 pools. Prices start from $632.
More affordable options are Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort and Melati Beach Resort. These prices start from $100-200.
Airbnb has incredible accommodation available for much more affordable prices – the one downside being that you may not have access to as many facilities as you would when staying in a hotel or luxury resort.
While you are in Koh Samui it is highly recommended that you visit the Big Buddha Temple – or locally known as the Wat Phra Yai. This is a 12 metre golden Buddha statue that is a popular tourist location.
There are food stalls and vendors around the statue. Buddhists come to the statue to make religious offerings of flowers and fruit, and tourists are welcome to observe these practises at any time of day.
In Conclusion
Choosing where to stay for your honeymoon depends on what kind of honeymoon you hope to have. For an adventurous and vibrant honeymoon, staying in the Phi Phi islands is highly recommended.
The Phi Phi islands hosts a number of bars and beach parties, and is close enough to Phuket for you to go and explore the city as well. The Phi Phi islands are well known for their nightlife and you can island hop between the Phi Phi islands during the day.
They are also more easily accessible as it is so close to the Phuket mainland. You are still able to enjoy a beautiful beach vacation here with a balance of adventure.
For a more intimate and romantic honeymoon, Koh Samui is highly recommended. With its countless options between spa’s, fine dining on the beach front, luxury resorts and incredible activities – Koh Samui is the perfect way to spend your honeymoon with your new spouse.
Koh Samui has boundless options of romantic activities to do with your new spouse such as parasailing or romantic beachside dinners.
Depending on your budget and your ideal honeymoon, you can experience both Koh Samui and the Phi Phi islands. Both Koh Samui and the Phi Phi islands have no shortage of activities for couples to enjoy together. Thailand has an abundance of showstopping experiences and affordable activities. It is an incredible country to spend your honeymoon in and regardless of where you choose to stay, you are guaranteed to have a honeymoon you will never forget.
