Where to stay in Koh Samui: the best beaches and hotels

Chaweng is Samui's showpiece, a long, sweeping beach of soft white sand on the east coast, with clear water and palms leaning over the shore. Behind it runs a busy strip of restaurants, bars, clubs, massage parlours and shops that gets louder as the night goes on.

For a first visit, it's hard to argue with. Centara Reserve sits right on what many call the island's finest stretch of sand, Amari is surrounded by tropical gardens on the beach, and the Hyatt Regency, in North Chaweng, is about eight minutes from the airport. Samui Resotel, on the quieter southern section of the beach, has pool villas and sea views without the bustle.

Just south of Chaweng, over a rocky headland, Chaweng Noi is a smaller, calmer bay with the main beach's restaurants a few minutes away. Vana Belle is a polished five-star retreat with a spa, and the Sheraton, on the beach, has two pools, a tennis court and all-inclusive rates.

Further south, Lamai is the island's second beach: long, golden and noticeably more laid-back than Chaweng, with a handful of bars and a famous pair of rude-looking rocks at its southern end. Silavadee's pool villas are built into the cliffs at Laem Nan, and Tolani offers private pool villas on a peaceful private beach.

The north-eastern corner of the island is a string of small, sheltered bays with calm water that suits families and swimmers. Choeng Mon is the prettiest, a curve of white sand with a few restaurants, about 15 minutes from both the airport and Chaweng's nightlife.

SALA Samui is right on Choeng Mon beach, and Garrya Tongsai Bay has a private sandy beach in its own little cove. Around the corner at Bangrak, near the Big Buddha temple, The Privilege Hotel Ezra Beach Club brings a chic beach-club vibe. Bangrak is also one of the jumping-off points for boats to Koh Phangan.

Bophut's Fisherman's Village is the most characterful corner of Samui: a strip of old Chinese wooden shophouses along the beach, now filled with restaurants, cocktail bars and boutiques, and a lively walking-street market on Friday nights. Anantara Bophut is a short stroll away, and Chi The Residence offers apartments with kitchens for longer stays.

West of Bophut, Mae Nam has a long, peaceful beach looking across the water to Koh Phangan, and The Sea Koh Samui offers roomy residence-style suites right on it. Out on the far north-west coast, Four Seasons wraps its villas around a secret cove, about as far from Chaweng's nightlife as you can get.

The south-west coast is the island's quiet side, with few towns, empty roads and views west across the sea to the jagged islands of Ang Thong Marine Park. The sun sets right in front of you, which is reason enough to come.

Two of Samui's most romantic resorts are here. The InterContinental spreads across 22 acres at Taling Ngam, with cliffside and beachfront villas with private plunge pools, and the Conrad is perched on the south-western tip with 81 pool villas overlooking the Gulf. You'll need a car or taxi to go anywhere else, which is rather the point.