I am a fan of holidays in Thailand, and in particular on Koh Samui. I am also partial to Bali and have been there more than once. A couple of times on vacation I was able to warm bones first on one island and then on another. Sharing my travel experience this route.
From Koh Samui to Bali by plane
Unfortunately, there are no direct flights on this route. You can get there with a transfer. It can be done, for example, in Singapore. The journey will take a little over eight hours.
Both flights are operated by Singapore Airlines. You can also fly from Samui to Bali via Kuala Lumpur (the capital of Malaysia). You will spend more than seventeen hours on the entire journey.
conclusions
Ferries do not operate between the two islands. I personally suffer from seasickness, and if they ran between Samui and Bali, I would hardly dare to make such a trip. It’s a pity that there are no direct flights between the islands, but maybe something will change in the future.
The cost of a flight always depends on the time of travel. The chart will allow you to compare prices for air tickets from Samui to Denpasar Bali, track the dynamics of changes in their cost and find the best offer.
Statistics will help determine the season of low prices. For example, in April prices reach an average of 49,343 rubles, and in May the cost of tickets drops to an average of 32,738 rubles. Plan your trip now!
We analyze this information and create charts to make it easier for you to plan your trips.
What is more profitable – to buy air tickets in advance, avoiding the general rush, or to take advantage of a “hot” offer closer to the departure date? The chart will help you determine best time to purchase air tickets.
See how the price of air tickets from Koh Samui to Denpasar Bali changed depending on the time of purchase. Since the start of sales, their value has changed by an average of 22%. The minimum price for a flight from Samui to Denpasar Bali is 20 days before departure, approximately 32,738 rubles. The maximum price for a flight from Samui to Denpasar Bali is 13 days before departure, approximately 49,343 rubles. In most cases early booking helps you save money, take advantage of it!
Airfare from Koh Samui to Denpasar Bali does not represent a fixed and constant amount. It depends on many factors, including the day of departure. The dynamics of changes are visible on the graph.
According to statistics, the most affordable option for flights from Samui to Denpasar Bali is on Wednesdays, their average cost is 32,738 rubles. The most expensive flights are on Sundays, their average cost is 49,343 rubles. It is worth considering that flights on holidays are usually more expensive. We hope this information will help you plan your travels more effectively.
The cost of air tickets depends not only on the date, but also on the time of departure. An airline can operate several flights on one day, and they will differ in price category.
The graph shows the cost of departure depending on the time of day. For example, the average cost of a ticket from Samui to Denpasar Bali in the morning is 38,161 rubles. Evaluate all conditions and choose the best offer.
The graph shows comparative prices for air tickets from Koh Samui to Denpasar Bali on the most popular airlines. Based on this information, you can plan your trip and buy air tickets from Koh Samui to Denpasar Bali from the carrier that suits you.
Statistics will help you choose a flight based on your financial capabilities, as well as your wishes in terms of comfort and flight conditions. Most low prices for flights from Koh Samui to Denpasar Bali offers Singapore Airlines, the highest prices are Singapore Airlines.
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At the risk of incurring the wrath of Thailand lovers, I nevertheless offer my view of life on the island of Koh Samui. It should be noted that the author has visited many places before and can compare. The island of Bali, Indonesia, was chosen as an alternative. When we decided where to go next time, we played the map between these islands. I had to go to Bali again. I will give the main differences between the two islands at the end of the story, so as not to interfere with the soup and compote.
We flew from Moscow on an Ethihad Airways flight. Two transfers, in Abu Dhabi and Bangkok. Only 20 hours on the road. No matter how much Arab airlines are praised, Singapore Airways is still better. The Arabs' cabin was dirtier, the plane was somewhat rickety. But, in general, we arrived. By the way, the food was quite edible, the movie was also in Russian.
In Bangkok we switched to local airlines and flew to Samui on a small turboprop plane-bus. There were countless islands below us. Why the people of the world have focused their attention on Samui is not clear. They all look the same.
I must say right away that after reading scary stories before the trip, that there were no available hotels on site or that they cost twice as much, we booked everything from Moscow. Since we didn’t need super service, and we weren’t going to sit in the room, we chose the price-quality ratio. Therefore, we didn’t really look for hotels on the first line. Walking for five minutes a day won't hurt. Important information for those traveling as a group of three: it is very difficult to find hotels with triple rooms. Or it will cost the same as two separate rooms or the child sleeps in the same bed with his parents. You can find options, but I’ll say right away that there are few of them.
As elsewhere, it is very important to choose the right vacation spot, although the island is very small, 57 km. along the ring road, but the places there are radically different. The most popular beaches are Chaweng and Lamai. Since we were traveling with our teenage daughter, who was too early to go to nightlife, we chose Lamai as a calmer and more family-friendly resort. As it turned out later, they were right. Although, in order to get the most complete picture of life on the island, we divided our vacation like this: a week in Lamai, three days in Chaweng, and then we didn’t book anything, we decided to see if there might be somewhere else we’d like to live. Our vacation was three weeks.
We went there at the beginning of June, in the low season, when there are few people and the prices are reasonable.
A taxi shuttle from the airport to Lamai cost 150 baht, read rubles per person. We checked into the Hathai House Hotel, 400 meters from the shore. The hotel is run by a family and they live there themselves. The elderly aunty owner spoke English well, so there were no problems with communication. A room for three without breakfast cost 1000 rubles per day. The room is large, clean, with air conditioning, refrigerator, TV. Towels were changed every day. Three bottles of free water were placed in the refrigerator. For breakfast, we ate fruits bought the night before at the night market right in the room, or later on the beach. I somehow didn’t feel like eating sausages, omelettes, or buns. The hotel had a swimming pool, we never used it, we swam in the sea. In total, when we checked in, only two of the hotel's 16 rooms were occupied. When we left at the end of June, the hotel was packed to capacity, and, as the hostess said, with regular guests who come to them year after year. Later, while walking around Lamai, we went to many hotels and discovered that for the same money we could rent a place no worse, but a hundred meters closer to the sea. I didn’t want to move because of such trifles.
Lamai Beach itself is a wide strip of sand about 6 kilometers long. The most the best place, it's in the middle. The north is deserted, there are shallows, and a stinking river flows into the sea. The south is also sparsely populated, far from everything, but there are beautiful rocks. A vacation there is suitable for those who want to retire. In the center of the beach there are more people and affordable restaurants right on the shore and the entrance to the water is the most convenient.
There is no white, flour-fine sand that can be seen in photoshopped photographs from other parts of the world on Koh Samui. Sand of varying degrees of yellowness and grains of sand of different fractions. There are places where it is small, like dust, and there are places where it is large, like cereal. The entrance to the water is gentle, after 10-15 meters it is already up to your neck. The water is very warm, but not disgustingly cloying, but just right. 23-25 degrees. Sometimes very transparent. When there are waves, it becomes cloudy. Quite salty, holds well. In general, it is believed that on Samui, except in autumn and winter, there are no waves, almost complete calm. That's how it was when we arrived. Feeling like you're on the shore small lake. But then, when the weather changed, the waves appeared, and for a couple of days they were quite large.
On the beach coastal hotels and restaurants offer their sunbeds and umbrellas for 100-150 rubles, or, if you are their client, then for free. Nobody particularly used this service. We, like many, preferred to sit in the shade of palms and trees right on the sand. You need to be careful with palm trees so that the coconut doesn’t fall on you.
The sun beats down there mercilessly. Creams with a high degree of protection are required. When walking in the middle of the day, it is better to wear a T-shirt and a cap. The local merchants who carry crafts - ice cream - corn along the beach are completely covered, only their hands are exposed. The atmosphere in Lamai is calm, conducive to leisurely relaxation. There are scooter rentals there, but rarely anyone used them, mostly in the late afternoon. This pleasure costs 1500-2000 rubles for 20 minutes, depending on the novelty and power of the scooter itself. Many people leading a healthy lifestyle run along the water's edge. Despite the fact that there are a huge number of dogs everywhere here, they behave very friendly and do not try to grab runners by the heels. At the beginning, their presence bothered us a little, but then we got used to it and stopped paying attention to them. The merchants are also not very intrusive; like it or not, they ask and move on. Many people immediately recognize Russians by their speech. They treat Russians friendly, fortunately during our season it gets immeasurable here.
The town of Lamai itself, like many settlements throughout Southeast Asia, this big village. Just recently there were dirt roads here, and chickens ran around the streets. Now, of course, tourism and trade are thriving. Although, there are big doubts about this. There are a lot of empty retail outlets. There are also many “for rent and for sale” advertisements. During the season, business may be good, but we noticed that in the evening there are not a single customer in countless bars, although the girls are spinning around the poles and the music is playing, and beer costs almost the same as in the store. In some places there is active construction of housing, but I still couldn’t imagine why anyone would need it there. There is frankly nothing to do there, because you won’t grow coconuts. And living there, even for a couple of months a year and doing nothing, is truly melancholy. Quite often you come across farang-thai couples. But they both look rather disappointed. She is disappointed that this pot-bellied man with a red face turned out to be not such a prince on a white horse. He is disappointed that this Thai princess girl quickly turned into a wrinkled frog, not at all as slender as at the beginning of their acquaintance. And this farang sits all day in bars, chatting with visiting fellow countrymen, while his Thai wife tends chickens and children at home. Prose of life.
After living in Lamai for a week, we moved to Chaweng to see with our own eyes the most popular corner of the island. This place is much noisier and more crowded.
In terms of shopping - the most the best option all over the island. Hotels here are more expensive, but youth hostels are generally available for pennies, although the rooms are mostly only for two.
But the main thing is the sea. But here it is much worse than in Lamai. Small fry! You walk 40-50 meters and everything is knee-deep. No surf at all. Attention! In the northern part of the beach, right behind the famous Arkbar bar, a generally disastrous place begins. By the way, most of the hotels that promote sites like Agoda are located there. There is no water there at all.
Just a swamp, the bottom of which is overgrown with algae and strewn with fragments of coral.
Moreover, walk 300-500 meters to normal water in any direction. Each time you will have to walk along the shore closer to the center of the beach. If you are offered a hotel on Chaweng, be sure to look at the satellite view on Google, it will immediately be clear where the shallows are.
After living on Chaweng for three days, we still didn’t understand what draws people here. Night life, of course, more active than on Lamai, but nothing more. In addition, on the last evening we had food poisoning at the expensive Japanese restaurant Fuji, and our impressions of Chaweng completely spoiled. In general, without any reservation we are going back to Lamai to the same Hathai House hotel. They welcomed us there and gave us a price even lower than the special offer.
After the unsuccessful experience with Chaweng, we no longer wanted to move to other beaches like Bophut or Big Buddha, and, as it later turned out during a circular trip around the island, it was the right decision. Since the situation with the sea, or rather with its absence, was approximately the same. There are shallows all around, protruding corals, algae and melancholy.
By the way, about moving around the island. Of course, many people rent bikes. Rental costs 100-150 rubles per day, gasoline costs 40 rubles per liter. There were three of us adults, you couldn’t fit on one bike, and you didn’t need two. In general, we walked, a maximum of 10 minutes in one direction. Sometimes we used a Tuk-Tuk, 40-50 rubles per person inside the city. We rented a car for one day to drive around all the sights of the island. A Toyota automatic costs 1,500 rubles for a day; a passport is taken as collateral. As I already said, the length of the ring road is only 57 km. We left not too early, stopped at a show at a crocodile farm, visited the Big Buddha complex, visited the jungle in the south of the island in national park, where we rode elephants, stopped at the Tesco-Lotus supermarket and returned home at 6 pm. In short, 7 hours were enough for the entire excursion, covering all the sights. Usually tourists are taken to the “Grandmother and Grandfather” stones, which look like the corresponding genitals, but we already went there on foot, because... they are located just at the southern end of Lamai beach. As we drove around the island, we paid attention to the beaches. And it turned out that, at least at this time of year, almost all the beaches in the south and north of the island are without water. We have not been to the western shores, but I have already written about eastern Lamai and Chaweng. Among the excursions we also went fishing. They paid 1,700 rubles for each. Everything was organized well, transfer, bananas, tea, coffee. The boat is quite comfortable; fifteen fishermen did not interfere with each other. They took them to the north of the island, swam not too far from the shore and began to fish. Of course, there was a fish, but only some small crucian carp. And that's very rare. During the whole day we caught about thirty of them all. There were no such trophies as shown in their advertising brochures. They come across probably once every hundred years. But from the shore, at night, in front of us, one fisherman pulled out a rather large barracuda. People still went to neighboring island Koh Tao where good snorkeling. But we, after the tiring and stupid fishing, no longer wanted to swim anywhere. Yes, by the way, on Samui itself there is no snorkeling, much less diving, at least near the shore. In the sea there are only translucent rare fish of one or two species.
Now about the most important thing. What you liked and what you didn’t. And, at the same time, let’s compare it with Bali.
People. Both are quite friendly. We have never had a bad attitude towards us, even from the sellers on the beach, whom we politely rejected. Only in Bali, in Kuta they are much more persistent and intrusive. I haven't seen a single beautiful Thai girl. The drag queens were much nicer. Indonesians are somehow nicer overall. There are problems with English in Koh Samui, few people know it, so they often explained things using their fingers.
Prices. About the same. Although, in general, a holiday in Bali is cheaper. For example, on Samui a car costs 1,500 rubles per day, and in Bali the same per day, but with a driver-guide. Tuk-tuk for 50 rubles per person. And in Bali, a metered taxi costs an average of 50 rubles for a trip around the city, for three or four. Branded items are expensive all over the world, give or take, and in South-East Asia, where all the fakes are riveted, the prices are local, but the quality is appropriate.
Food. Thai cuisine is considered to be one of the best in the world. That's probably true. When we first arrived, the abundance of smells from all sides made us think about food all the time. And the Thais cook and eat all day long. In cafes, in houses, on trays and strollers (makashnitsa). All food is prepared very quickly. And it smells very appetizing. But as Kurt Vonnegut wrote, “...their food is good, but such that you don’t even want to remember.” In short, I got tired of it in one week. Moreover, we were so tired that we could no longer tolerate even these ubiquitous smells. We tried to take something simple: rice, chicken without sauce, eggs, fried or boiled potatoes. When we first arrived, we wondered why so many foreigners sat in restaurants serving European, Mexican, and Australian cuisine. Moreover, many devoured simple hamburgers. Haven't you had enough of all this in your homeland? After all, local food is inexpensive, varied and tasty. But then we joined their ranks. They also began asking the Thais to fry an omelette or cook pasta. And the child has been eating only pizza and potatoes baked in foil for the last few days. And when walking through the streets, I had to plug my noses to escape the odors that had previously seemed so fragrant. We weren’t the only ones who were so picky, many of the Russians we met on the island also tried not to eat local food. By the way, there is a night market in Lamai, right opposite McDonald's, where there is a huge variety of food and any dish costs 50 rubles. In the afternoon we ate at the Bambu restaurant, right on the beach. Both there and there already knew what we wanted and prepared adapted dishes for us. In Bali, the food was somewhat similar, but not as persistent and intrusive, as if it were simpler, and therefore more digestible. There are more fruits in Thailand than in Bali.
Sea. This is what everyone travels to distant countries for. On Koh Samui it is warm, calm and also boring. No waves. In Bali, in Kuta, there is a constant wave. This is a Mecca for surfers all over the world. Even if you are not a surfer, you can try to learn how to stand on a board, it is very interesting. Even just swimming in the waves is much more interesting than “taking a bath” on Koh Samui. In the evening in Kuta, the real fun begins on the beach - like Tverskaya Street on City Day. Crowds of people, football, volleyball, surfing again.
The island itself. Compared to Koh Samui, Bali is huge. Just driving around the island takes several days. There are enough attractions there for a month of daily excursions. Moreover, this will not just be a “failure” for tourists, like Ilf and Petrov, but real cultural and natural treasures.
There’s a lot I haven’t written about yet, so you can’t remember everything. In addition, about food, nightclubs, shopping, prices, etc. You can find a lot of information in other stories.
Generally. Samui – green melancholy. There is nothing to do there, I got tired of everything after a week. Bali is not for everyone. If you want to move actively and not lie like a vegetable on the warm sand, then it’s better to come here. Well, of course, this is just a personal opinion. Maybe someone will find their heaven on earth on Koh Samui. And I was in Thailand for the first time and, it seems, the last. Although, who knows, never say never!
We bought a Samui-Bangkok bus ticket for me in advance at the bus station on Nathon. When purchasing, we were surprised why the price was 1,066 baht, while we arrived in Samui for 700 and a few kopecks on a VIP bus, and then they showed us a layout of the cabin and offered to choose a seat. At first glance, it seemed to me that this was a layout of a minibus, and not a large bus, there were so few seats there! There are 8 rows in total and 3 seats in each (2+1). I chose my favorite seat number 5. Apparently, we arrived in Koh Samui by a VIP bus from another company.
The bus itself is simply gorgeous. The chairs are very comfortable and very wide. The distances between the rows are huge, when the person in front leans back, you hardly notice it. And there weren’t many people at all, about 7 people left Samui, then someone else got on, but in the end no more than half of the bus was occupied. While the first and second classes were packed to capacity. By the way, they started at the same time and rode with us the whole time. In the VIP bus, besides me, there were no foreigners at all, only Thais, but the “conductor” duplicated all the announcements for me personally in English.
I took the morning bus; it leaves the bus station at 7:30. Of course, I didn’t have time to have breakfast, I thought we would be fed normally on the way. For breakfast they gave us two cookies (one of which was so-so) and half a glass of coffee. And around 11 they dropped us off and told us to go eat. There is a Thai buffet: rice and plates with additives on it on a rotating stand. I even found a non-spicy dish there and ate almost all of it without sharing with the Thais, especially since they were not interested in it. Well, after that they didn’t feed us. For a night bus this is normal, but for a day bus it’s somehow not enough.
We were told that it takes 12 hours, but it turned out to be 13. The bus was an hour late. It’s good that I still didn’t decide to take the daytime bus at 15-something, otherwise I would not only have overpaid for a taxi, but I might even be late for the plane, which was leaving at 6 in the morning. By the way, about the taxi, as soon as I got off the bus some Thai guy started waving his hands at me, smiling and calling me to him. He consulted with his girlfriend for a long time and gave out the price - 700 baht! Yeah, now! Then the second one jumped up - 400 baht. It’s good that at that moment I saw the stop where the taxi drivers were standing, otherwise these prices scared me :) According to the meter from the Southern Bus Station to Don Muang Airport - 240 baht.
Dom Mueang Airport is a different story. There is no Internet there! The seats are absolutely uncomfortable, the backrests are incredibly short, reaching only to the middle of the back, which means you can’t sleep while sitting, and you can’t sleep lying down either, because... The seats are concave and when you lie across they dig into your body terribly. But there is no Internet, so I had to sleep, and in fact my eyes were drooping. I even wanted to sleep like the Thais on the floor, but unfortunately I’m not so prudent, and I didn’t have a sleeping bag or anything like it. I had to sleep for a long time, 6 hours. On such a “bed” it is simply incredibly long. If you have the opportunity not to spend the night in Don Mueang, you should use it.
The flight to Bali was great. I met the dawn already in the sky. It was incredibly beautiful. I slept almost the entire flight, I woke up only before boarding, because you can’t miss boarding. When landing, I saw familiar places, it was so interesting. Volcano Batur, the new road along which we rode in the first days of the opening, the airport and the place where we looked at the planes. The sky was clear, so the whole island was visible.
I was met at the airport by a personal driver. He took me to the hotel. We drove for a very long time. I had already forgotten how narrow the roads are in Bali and how crazy the traffic is. The Ecosphere Hotel is located on the oceanfront in Canggu on the world famous EcoBeach beach (at least that’s what it says on the sign:). There are only villas and hotels around, you can’t reach civilization (Kuta, for example) on foot, and I don’t drive a bike. I haven’t found where to buy fruit here yet, there is only a minimarket, but as usual in Asia, there is no fruit.
The hotel itself, as I understand it, is Russian. Their website is in Russian, the managers are Russian, they offered to pay for the reservation also to a Russian account, the menu includes “Borcsh moskovskii” and “Sharlotka”. Space here is catastrophically limited; in Ubud, our homestay had much more space. Everything is so compact here: a swimming pool and several houses. There are rooms for one, two and four. Judging by the photographs, the rooms for one and two look good. But I live in a room for four. This is absolutely creepy. Bunk beds, although there is space to put regular ones, the door to the bathroom does not close, the shower only provides hot water in exceptional cases. At least I'm alone for now. And the prices here are wow! I don’t know what this has to do with the proximity of the ocean and surfers or Russian greed. In Ubud we rented a room for $10 a day for two. Here a place in a room for four costs $22 per day, that is, from all four of them they can get $88 per day! Seriously, they could lower the price, maybe these rooms would be filled. Now I live in one of these and my surfer neighbor in the second, also alone. The hotel is quite dirty, at least in the "cheap" rooms.
In general, this is a completely different Bali than in Ubud. There is no such riot of nature and beauty of architecture.
Swimming pool in the yard:
There are even workplaces, but there is no Internet in the room: 
View from the window, and so on everywhere around: 
I was very surprised by my number: 
Today our trainer arrives and we will begin Flexible Strength. I'll definitely tell you about it later
How to get there
The airport on the island of Bali is Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar, from where you can take a taxi to anywhere on the island. Its only drawback is that when departing from the airport you need to pay a fee - $20 per person, which does not apply to children under two years old.
Airport on Penang island. You can get there by regular bus and taxi (taxi to Georgetown costs approximately $10-15). A big plus is that AirAsia flies here; you can find Kuala Lumpur-Penang tickets for $10 and the flight takes 40 minutes.
Samui Airport is private, you can get out of it on foot (!), by minibus, taxi, or rent a motorbike/car. AirAsia doesn't fly here, but you can take it combined tours this airline, for example to Surat Thani and then an hour by ferry. There is one nice nuance! You can fly from Penang to Samui by the Malayan company FireFly (fireflyz.com.my), convenient for those who obtain a visa in Malaysia, are traveling from here with a child, etc. Because the flight Samui-Penang or Penang-Samui is on sale for $55.
Long term housing
It all really depends on the place, the village, the beach!
Houses on Koh Samui for every taste and color. And in general, finding a house is not a problem, both on the shore, and near the sea, and in the depths of the island. Moreover, the proximity of the sea will not always be a decisive factor in the price; the age and contents of the house also matter. Pleases good offer mid-price homes for $300-$500 per month. However, the most important point here is when exactly you plan to rent the house. Because if there is still a choice in September-October, then the closer to the new year, the fewer and fewer vacant houses there are.
On Bali Same a good choice housing, we actually only have experience in finding a house in Ubud in the month of February. And there we were faced with the fact that there was almost no available housing at prices acceptable to us ($350-400). Either villas with prices starting from $800 per month, or something with a nice price of 200-300 dollars, but completely unsuitable options like a separate shared kitchen, an abundance of stairs and (or) neighbors. My personal opinion is that in Ubud (and judging by the photographs of rental housing in thematic communities) in Bali, housing is often more beautiful and visually interesting, but during the season it is very, very difficult to find a suitable house, especially inexpensive. Our home in Bali -
In Penang Renting a house for a few months is very problematic, but renting a house for a year is very possible. It may be more convenient to focus on condos/apartments, since they are in abundance in the north of the island, overlooking the sea and next to the bridge, overlooking the mainland. The prices are very different, but judging by the advertisements on thematic websites, you can look for pleasant ones - from $300-350 per month for a 2-3 bedroom apartment in some complex.
For children
If you look at the islands from the point of view of the question “Wintering with children”, then approximately this:
You can get along well with children on each of the islands; everywhere there are local and English-language schools/kindergartens, both on an ongoing basis and one-time classes. There is a Montessori kindergarten school on Samui, Bali International, Green School on Bali, and Uplands on Penang. The only and most noticeable disadvantage of international schools is the high cost of education.
Everywhere there are swimming pools and the sea, places for walks. The pool in Bali, or more precisely in Ubud, simply saved us, since you don’t get to the sea from Ubud every day
But at the same time, it is important to take into account seasonality, because during the day in the heat you won’t be able to go out much either on your own or with your child.
In any case, the leisure time of children is very dependent on their parents, and in principle, very good leisure time can be organized on each of the islands. On Samui we mostly had the sea, but in Bali it turned out to be larger and brighter than anything else, you can read in the article -
Geographic data (note: weather information is always approximate)
Bali is the largest of the islands under consideration - 5,780 km², about 150 by 80 km in length/width, the climate in Bali is equatorial-monsoon, the rainiest months are November-January, the hottest are November-December, March.
Penang - 285 km², humid equatorial climate, rains October-December, April, the hottest months are May-July. There are four seasons in Pinang – wet, hot, hotter and the hottest (according to the guide).
Samui - 228.7 km², you can easily travel around on a bike in a day or even faster :) the rainiest months are October-November, March. The hottest months are May-July. The best time to go on holiday to Koh Samui is in January-February.
In the center of all the islands there are jungle mountains, and in Bali, closer to the north, there are volcanoes, and there are mild earthquakes. In general, I like to look at the weather by region on this resource - pogoda.turtella.ru, everything is very well laid out there by month.
Water, sea-ocean
The Samui Sea is the Gulf of Thailand, there are excellent beaches for swimming and contemplation, and the ebb and flow of the tides can be clearly felt. At low tides, children have plenty of freedom (depending on the beach). The weather and sea are generally good, but not very predictable; if it is windy, the water will be opaque. But in general, with a child on Samui (in November-December) it turned out to be very comfortable, sea/sand are the main entertainments (1.5-2 years), we were on the beach until 11:00 and after 16:00, there was shade under a palm tree very comfortable.
Bali - washed Indian Ocean and the Bali Sea. Beach holidays in Bali are available and very beautiful beaches, but renting a house for a long time right next to the sea is almost impossible, there are none, unlike Samui and Penang. The water here is more powerful, still an ocean, than in Koh Samui and Penang, where sometimes you swim as if in a giant calm pool. This also happens in Bali, but much less often in other places there are always waves that are not suitable for a child to swim. In general, in Bali (we really lived in and the sea from there you can’t run over on a bike) somehow beach holiday passed us by, and we walked around the pools more and more.
Penang is washed by the waters of the Strait of Malacca, there is a beach holiday here, and you can also live literally on the beach, only it will be an apartment/apartment in a huge high-rise building with a developed area around it, with the obligatory swimming pool. Of course, the sea is not as clean as on Koh Samui, for example, but if you wish, you can swim at Batu Farringi, and swim by boat (or walk along a rather long path) to the beaches in the national park. The only thing that might be in the sea is jellyfish; it is advisable to have vinegar with you to wipe the burn area with it in case something happens.
Transport
Samui
On Koh Samui, songthaews (tuk-tuks) go in both directions along the ring road; the cost depends on the distance and during the day it is approximately $1.5-$2.5. After 18:00 you need to agree on the cost and direction. There are taxis. But the most convenient way is to rent a bike or car, although there are very mountain roads. Rent a bike on average - $100 per month, or $5-15 per day, car - from $400 per month.
Bali
There are a lot of different types of transport in Bali, but at the same time there is no clear system. Local travel agencies have information about minibuses and buses in different tourist destinations, you can rent a bike/car with a driver (for a day, half a day) or for any period without him. The estimated cost for a bike per month is $50, for a car – from $200. In addition, they recently launched minibuses with a specific schedule and route,
Penang
Penang has a very developed system public transport(buses with air conditioning), the fare depends on the distance of the trip and is paid on the bus (to the driver in a special box, the driver does not give change). The only negative is that the buses travel quite slowly and wind around a lot. There is also a special tourist bus in Georgetown, which takes you to the main attractions of the city for free! And of course, taxi by meter or negotiated in advance. You can rent a bike/bicycle, bikes from $10 per day.
Infrastructure (shops, hospitals)
Each of the islands has international Airport, large stores and various hospitals. The only thing, of course, is that these shops and hospitals are concentrated in the most popular places among tourists.
Penang has many large shops and various hospitals, and it also depends very much on the area.
There are three large stores on Samui - Tesco, Big C and Makro, the first two have a children's playground, and Makro is a wholesale store.
Household small items (washing, water, massage)
On Samui you have a choice, you can take your clothes to the self-service laundry yourself - on average $1 baht per load and then dry it yourself, or hand over everything to local aunties and get everything fresh, then the average price per stack we got was $4, I think 1 kg – $1.5. In Thailand, we haven’t rented things out to the locals for a long time, because they go too far with the rinse aids and the result is a complete synthetic stench, plus they can wash something with something colored, and then only apologize that it’s stained :) Massage on average $10 per hour session. Water in large bottles (20 liters) costs less than a dollar, but it was unpleasant for me to drink it raw, so for drinking I bought all kinds of pop like Nestle - almost $2 for 5 liters.
There are no self-service laundries in Bali, but you can always and everywhere wash everything and the price is not based on weight, but on the number and name of things, such as a T-shirt, so much, pants, so much, our small stack averaged $2. I liked that everything was ironed and only slightly scented. It’s true that something might get lost, I gradually didn’t get a couple of things back, I didn’t check and noticed it too late, maybe it would be possible to find it. Water in large bottles (19 l) costs approximately $2, delicious. Massage is a little cheaper than in Thailand, from $7 per hour session on average!
But we didn’t live in Penang for so long that I could write something about these points. We bought water in 1.5 liter bottles - it’s delicious, hotels/guesthouses have londri, we didn’t go for a massage, it’s not on every corner here.
Food, nutrition, cafe
Everything about food is completely subjective. I wrote more about food on the island of Koh Samui and in Ubud in Bali in notes of the same name - and The cheapest and most varied food in cafes was on the island of Penang, although food in stores seemed more expensive to us than in stores on Samui. But the most expensive things were in cafes in Bali and at the same time the least tasty. Everything on Samui is very good, varied both in terms of taste and price.
Sights, leisure
The most varied leisure activities on the island of Bali, yet it is larger in size than Samui and Penang. In Ubud alone, far from the sea, you can do a lot of different things - read the article - , shopping. And outside of Ubud there is the sea, trekking, hot springs, surfing, caves, parks, etc. And by the way, yoga in Bali is popular, especially in Ubud. And besides, Bali has a rich culture - there are dances and, in general, various ceremonies are frequent.
Attractions on Penang Island are many and varied. See our article There and national park and the sea, and and amusement parks, fruit farm, butterflies. There really are a lot of interesting things.
Penang, view from above
next to the Grandmother and Grandfather stones, Koh Samui
Locals
In Penang, it seemed to me that the attitude towards visitors was the most even and calm. Well, they don’t give up a seat on the bus to a mother with a small child in her arms, even if they sit in specially designated seats at the beginning of the bus. You can say anything politely :)
Internet
We had the best and fastest internet in Penang, it was the default where we lived. Literally flew.
The Internet in Koh Samui (Ban Tai village and beach) is also of high quality. We have Wi-Fi/LAN, which was immediately included in the price of renting a house, but in bad weather there were slight freezes and the speed changed depending on the time of day.
The weakest Internet was in Ubud, Bali, but for additional money we can more or less solve this issue.
We always try to make do with the available Internet, since we are trying to travel as cheaply as possible and, in general, either we were lucky, or we can live in housing in the $350-450 price category with the available Internet.
Subjective opinion about prices
Of course, it all depends on each person, preferences, needs. We don't eat meat, don't drink alcohol, but we eat kilograms of fruit. We rent a bike, not a car, actively wander around the sights (after all, there are “biting” paid entrance fees:) and try to cook at home. We make do with the available internet, don’t buy clothes, only small children’s items/books. Sometimes we allow ourselves to go for a massage and, or if it’s really tempting, then to some kind. We find ourselves in various unplanned situations - like a broken lens or If you travel for a long time, then you don’t have to be afraid of unseasonal weather - after all, this is a good saving.
In general, life on Samui (and in Thailand in general) turned out to be a little more expensive for us than in Bali or Ubud. Although in Bali we led a more interesting and eventful life, there was less comfort. The accommodation was simpler, without air conditioning, but it was beautiful and had its own mini-garden, and it was cheaper to rent a bike. We lived in Penang for a short time, and in principle, in terms of prices, in my opinion, they are very comparable to Samui.
A little summary
The most comfortable, simple, safe wintering with or without children is, in my opinion, wintering in Thailand, on Samui, or somewhere else. Specifically on Koh Samui there are also quiet quiet places, and partying. It’s convenient that, if you wish, you can move and live on other islands - Koh Phangan, Tao - get on a boat and voila, explore new spaces! If this is your first wintering, then our article may be useful - and
A cultural and very diverse holiday in Bali, but it doesn’t feel as safe as Samui. That is, wintering in Bali is very possible and good, but there are some nuances. However, here you can learn something new - surfing or yoga :) It’s far from the mainland, sometimes the power goes out, small earthquakes happen, a volcano is nearby, the Javanese builders can be inadequate. We lived in Ubud and practical advice can be found in the article -
Penang Island has more of a cultural and urban lifestyle/lifestyle. It’s convenient that the mainland is at hand and there is a national park, and in general there are a lot of different interesting things.
In general, now it seems to me that the choice of where to go to Koh Samui or Bali, Koh Samui or Penang is quite possible :)
