Koh Samui: Once in a lifetime

MANILA, Philippines - An asymmetrical emerald floating in the blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui entices those who crave for romance amidst a holiday.

Though the second most popular Thai island (Phuket is arguably the first) and despite its fast pace of development (it has fifty-seven 7-Eleven convenience stores, would you believe?), Koh Samui has maintained its charm as the quintessential tropical beach resort fringed by powdery white sand and coconut trees. Visitors to the island (about a million annually) can enjoy vibrant days and nights alongside tranquility. The archipelago is a peaceful home for fishermen and a natural den for seagulls and other rare birds, as well as the most luxurious resort chains.

The island has snubbed time and refuses to be its prisoner. Life is laidback, the days are long, not because they are boring, but because they are unshackled from deadlines, traffic and other modern-day nuisances that steal precious time away from the reveler.

Though Koh Samui is blissfully isolated, it is not unreachable. It is rustic, but not primitive. It has uninterrupted electricity, Broadband Internet, WiFi, French bistros and Spanish tapas bars as well quaint seaside restaurants not unlike our own “Dampa” in Parañaque or Sutukil in Cebu.

At the Santhiya Resort and Spa in Koh Pha-ngan are (from left) Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Dave de Jesus, the author, Metro Weddings’ Georgia Schulze del Rosario, Metro Society’s Raul Manzano, TAT director for Singapore and the Philippines Porntip Makornpan, Santhiya manager Danny Sukomol, Thai Airways’ Malu Duenas, Wedding Essentials’ Aurelio Icasiano and Spark’s Carla Sibal.

We were in Koh Samui recently upon the invitation of Thai Airways and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, which trumpets the island as a wedding and honeymoon getaway. “Once in a lifetime” is the come-on tagline to Koh Samui, and in many ways, it is a “once-in-a lifetime” treat.

We flew “smooth as silk” on Thai’s Royal Orchid Class and arrived on time in Bangkok’s Suvanaphumi Airport. We spent the night at Amari Watergate Hotel in the city, before flying to Koh Samui to see for ourselves why it is Thailand’s destination wedding mecca.

 For one, Koh Samui is so accessible. The Koh Samui airport is a privately-run international airport that looks like a resort — but with a matching runway. The airport, whose arrival and departure areas look like pavilions in a Thai prince’s villa, also reflects the conveniences that abound on the island. The shuttle trams from the plane to the pavilions are clean and on schedule, the restrooms beat those in a five-star hotel (they even have aquariums!), and the conveyor belts are humming and well-oiled — with orchids on the side as eye-candy.

In the departure lounge, there are free refreshments — coffee and an assortment of local cakes and continental rolls. You feel like you’re always traveling on Business Class!

Many resorts offer wedding packages that are tailor-made to one’s budget, from a backpackers’ wedding to a wedding only a sheik can dream of. The weddings may be civil, ceremonial or religious. There are Christian pastors and one Catholic priest on the island, among others.

Most of the weddings unfold at sunset on the beach.

Koh Samui also has a concrete road that circles the island. Built in 1973, the circumferential road is well maintained and is continuously being widened. You can swing from your honeymoon suite in any of the island’s resorts to the street market or to the swingiest bar in an average of 10 minutes. You may want to rough it up in the island’s inner jungles and take an elephant ride — but roughing it up is a choice. It is not your fate.

The Banyan Tree Samui.

Because of the regularity of flights to Koh Samui (Thai flies twice daily to Koh Samui from Bangkok), its infrastructure and conveniences (phone signals are strong and consistent), the island is a wedding coordinator’s dream.

Because nowadays, dreams are something you plan for and execute with military precision. Koh Samui offers the setting, and the facilities to make the dream come true.

Honeymoon & holiday

Koh Samui is an hour’s flight from Bangkok. On the island, we were billeted at the Nora Buri Resort and Spa on Chaweng Beach, a five-star cluster of luxurious villas. The villa assigned to each of us has a breathtaking view of the placid Gulf of Thailand. The Thai version of a honeymoon cottage in the woods, it has its own wooden gate, infinity pool, terrace deck for small gatherings, a four-poster bed and bathroom with a garden. Unless you’re in the mood to hike, you need golf carts to take you to the lobby or to the restaurant overlooking the sea. But when you’re honeymooning, who wants to leave the villa with its view, its pool and its especially-made bed (a Nora Buri secret)?

The resort’s manager is Filipino, Lloyd Maravilla. He himself had a dream wedding recently to a lovely Thai woman in Koh Samui, during which he and his male entourage wore Barong Tagalogs!

My hilltop villa at Nora Buri overlooks the sea.

If you want to have a honeymoon and a holiday at the same time, Koh Samui has many other attractions. We spent an afternoon at a street market that sells everything from clothes to trinkets, Pad Thai to longkong (the Thai lanzones). There is even a mini bar on the street, where martinis and cosmopolitans sell for about 30 baht a glass. The longkong, which is grown on the island, also sells for 30 baht a kilo. For me longkong is the fruit for the gods. Simply divine!

If you want to rendezvous further, you may take a 40-minute boat ride to nearby Koh Pha-ngan, a smaller, more private island known for its moon festivals. I remember it most for being the island where Leonardo di Caprio’s character in The Beach had a one-nightstand with the leader of his commune (played by Tilda Swanson).

In Koh Pha-ngan, we had lunch at the Santhiya Resort, the most authentically Thai-designed resort I have ever seen. Its buildings and pavilions are templates of Thai design. Even the lounging chairs by its pool were designed to look like a Thai banca.

And finally, what is a Thai holiday without some spa-mpering? We had a massage at a secluded spa, The Tamarind, in Koh Samui. All the massage rooms (except the bathrooms and dressing rooms) are open air. There were no television sets or CD players for mood music. The mood was set by the sound of crickets, the whisper of the wind and the rustling of the leaves. Here, nature is your lover.

Weddings, ideally, are once-in-a-lifetime. But at Koh Samui, romance is forever.

(Thai Airways flies 12 times weekly to Bangkok. For inquiries call tel. no 580-8424 or 580-THAI or through sales@thaiairways.com.ph. The Tourism Authority of Thailand Office in Manila may be reached at tel. no. 911-1660 and through tat_mnl@yahoo.com)