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1-8 December I took 3 LBs to Koh Samet for some R&R. (I had been in BKK and Isaan for 2 weeks). The rationale for Koh Samet was that I wanted a beach break and was tired of flying. Koh Samet ticks the boxes, its a quiet island, about 3 hours car ride from BKK and about 15-20 minutes by speedboat. ***Tip - don't wear shoes, as you may get dropped off on the beach, rather than at a pier, depending on where you are staying. I didn't want to stay at Sai Kaew, which is the biggest and busiest beach, as I had heard reports of hordes of Chinese tourists and non-stop noise from jet skis etc. I chose Ao Wong Duean as it seemed a good mix of some amenities, but not too busy There was a choice of 3 resorts and I chose Samed Cabana. I was happy with the choice and took 2 bungalows on the beach, which was well worth the premium over the bungalows set further back. The resort was about 85% Nordic types and 14.8% farangs with their teeraks, plus 1 farang with 3 LBs in tow! The resort was good value, a little bit tired, but I enjoyed the stay and so would recommend it. Breakfast was a bit repetitive, but the staff were very helpful and friendly. For dinners there are about 7-8 options on the beach. My favourite was a pace called 'Nice and Easy' towards the far end (300 metres away?) as it was the best value and had very good service. They had the usual fire shows on the beach and Chinese tourists were brought in just for dinner at some of the other restaurants. There were 2 mini marts in close proximity, so useful for beer and ice runs etc. ***Tip - take plenty of cash as very few places take cards. We went out a few times. The LBs liked a beach called Ao Phai which had 3 high end resorts. I preferred the laid back atmosphere at Ao Wongdeuan. One evening we went out to Naga restaurant, which is joined to Naga Bar and is very well known. The restaurant is a BBQ style joint, with all you can eat for THB 189/person, which was a great deal. The bar next door was busy with tourists painting themselves with effervescent paint. (Whatever floats your boat?) There's a number of tours you can take. I chose a 6 stops all day boat tour, which became much of a muchness, so would avoid the 9 stops version, as 1 beach becomes like all others after a few hours. The snorkelling was good fun. Getting around is by scooter (THB 100 per day) or the pick-up Songthaews. We rented one for a few hours and rode around the island. THB 1,500 for 2.5 hours. If you go into main town of Koh Samed from a beach resort you will need to pay the National Park Fee - which was THB 50 for Thais and THB 300 for farangs for 5 days. ***Tip - if you go island hopping or travel around on the land, make sure that you take your national park tickets with you. The park rangers jump out from behind bushes to inspect your tickets! If you don't have one, then you need to buy them all over again! In summary, if you want a nice relaxed break, this resort fits the bill. If you want a romantic get away, maybe Ao Phai would make more of an impression. I'd definitely go back to Koh Samet and probably this resort. ***Tip - take a few bottles of booze to drink on the verandah of your bungalow, as the prices on the island are 20-30% higher than on the mainland. ***Tip - take mosquito mats with you. The hotel provides one, but 2 in a room is more effective. ***Tip - ask the beach restaurants for mosquito coils under your table, as otherwise you will get bitten ***Tip - you can get to Ban Phae pier on the mainland by public bus, van or car. I chose the private car option and it was about THB 1,800 each way from BKK. ***Tip - you can get over to the island by public ferry, which only runs when it is full. Speedboats cost about THB 350/person ***Tip - if you don't like fish, then maybe not go! ***Tip - try and avoid weekends and public holidays - it gets noisy as that's when the Thais visit Cheers SAG

I had grasshoppers in front of a crowd of Thai after I pointed and asked how much - he immediately handed me a sample and I couldn't lose face so......actually quite nice

It's the spicy that does that. But yeah, love the street eats.

moo daeng Gai gaprow

My tastes tend to run more North Eastern Thai....in both respects... My favourite, so far, is a northern dish called Khao Soi Gai. After a night of drinking Lao Kao (aka: Lao Lao) and dancing, this is a great hangover dish.. Some people may know it as "Chiang Mai Noodles".

I have to say that Thai is my favorite food in the world. But when it comes to about 2 or 3 in the morning and I am getting kicked out of the bars because they are closing, I love to hit the McD's on soi4 and grab a cheese burger and fries. Hate my tastes, not me.