Samet’s best beaches are along the east coast, where you’ll find nearly all the bungalow resorts, though there’s one rather exclusive beach on the otherwise largely inaccessible west coast, and the north-coast shoreline retains a pleasingly village ambience. Most islanders and many resort staff live in the northeast, near the island’s main pier, in the ramshackle, badly drained village of Na Dan, which has small shops and cheap foodstalls as well as Samet’s only school, health centre and wat. Na Dan’s high street, which runs from the pier down to Hat Sai Kaew, and its other small roads, are paved, as is the road along the north coast to Ao Noi Na. However, from Hat Sai Kaew south, there’s only one poorly maintained dirt road (with a branch west to Ao Prao) that runs down the island’s forested central ridge, and much of the interior is dense jungle, home to hornbills, gibbons and spectacular butterflies. The evergreen vegetation belies the fact that there are no rivers on this unusually dry island, which gets only scant rainfall in an average year. Lack of rain is another plus point for tourists, though it means water is a precious and expensive commodity as it has to be trucked in from the mainland.
The most backpacker-oriented beaches are east-coast Ao Hin Kok, Ao Phai and Ao Tub Tim, with Ao Hin Kok and Ao Phai both quite lively in the evenings; the travellers’ vibe at nearby Ao Nuan is more alternative, with Ao Sang Thian and north-coast Ao Noi Na also worth investigating. Hat Sai Kaew and Ao Wong Duan are the biggest centres on the east coast, dominated by upper-scale accommodation aimed at families, package tourists and Bangkok trendies. Samet’s super-deluxe accommodation is on west-coast Ao Phrao and southern beauty Ao Kiu.
Shops and stalls in Na Dan (which has a pharmacy) and on all the main beaches sell basic travellers’ necessities. Many bungalows have safety deposits and it’s worth making use of them: theft is an issue on Samet and there are occasional instances of drinks being spiked by freelance bar-girls and punters waking next day without their valuables.