Thailand Guide
Southern Thailand: the Gulf coast
Maenam
MAENAM is Samui's most popular beach for budget travellers. Its exposed four-kilometre bay is not the island's prettiest, being more of a broad dent in the coastline, and the sloping, white-sand beach is relatively narrow and slightly coarse by Samui's high standards. But Maenam features many of the cheapest bungalows on the island, unspoilt views of fishing boats and Ko Pha Ngan, and good swimming. Despite the recent opening of some upmarket developments on the shoreline and a golf course in the hills behind, this is still the quietest and most laid-back of the major beaches, with little in the way of nightlife.
Though now heavily built up with multi-storey concrete shophouses, the main road is set back far from the sea, connected to the beachside bungalows by an intricate maze of minor roads through the trees. At the midpoint of the bay, Ban Maenam is centred on a low-key road down to the fishing pier, which is flanked by several cafés, internet shops, travel agents and small boutiques.