Bang Po beach is located on the northwest corner of Koh Samui, between Maenam and Nathon. The area consists mainly of the beach, a cafe or two but no commercial infrastructure to speak of. The palm fringed beach itself is around four km long and is usually very clean through underuse. The waters are most often calm in this area thanks to the protection of shallow coral reefs a short distance offshore that can provide reasonable snorkelling, but also cut unprotected feet.
The area is substantially underdeveloped with very limited accommodation. While perfect for those that really want peaceful relaxation, for many it is a shopping and entertainment desert. As a consequence of its unpopularity as a tourist destination, the price for land in this area is much less than other areas of Koh Samui resulting in its attraction to individual buyers as a place to build a house, whether to live in, rent or sell. Consequently, the beach area is dotted with many individual bungalows and small developments.
Inland the terrain rises steeply up the mountain, an area which has long been promoted by developer Santi Thani as a location for construction of large attractive villas for wealthy foreigners. Most require to be built on stilts of differing lengths to accommodate the mountainous terrain, but provide stunning views encompassing the whole of the north and north west of the island, together with the distant Ang Thong group from the higher developments.
Bang Po (or Bang Por)
Bang Po beach is located on the northwest corner of Koh Samui, between Maenam and Nathon. The area consists mainly of the beach, a cafe or two but no commercial infrastructure to speak of. The palm fringed beach itself is around four km long and is usually very clean through underuse. The waters are most often calm in this area thanks to the protection of shallow coral reefs a short distance offshore that can provide reasonable snorkelling, but also cut unprotected feet.
The area is substantially underdeveloped with very limited accommodation. While perfect for those that really want peaceful relaxation, for many it is a shopping and entertainment desert. As a consequence of its unpopularity as a tourist destination, the price for land in this area is much less than other areas of Koh Samui resulting in its attraction to individual buyers as a place to build a house, whether to live in, rent or sell. Consequently, the beach area is dotted with many individual bungalows and small developments.
Inland the terrain rises steeply up the mountain, an area which has long been promoted by developer Santi Thani as a location for construction of large attractive villas for wealthy foreigners. Most require to be built on stilts of differing lengths to accommodate the mountainous terrain, but provide stunning views encompassing the whole of the north and north west of the island, together with the distant Ang Thong group from the higher developments.
Photo source: Kinumi Yoshida コサムイ現地ガイド