Gulf of Thailand 'stint' - part 1
Months ago when organising my Thailand trip I had the idea to break it up into different sections - Bangkok -> Andanman (so Phuket etc.) -> Bangkok -> Gulf of Thailand (Koh Samui etc.) -> Bangkok. I just finished half of the 'gulf' stint - I had wanted to visit Koh Samui as I hadn't visited it yet and I was going to combine it with Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, but decided that would be a little too much so in the end I decided Koh Samui -> Koh Tao -> back to Koh Samui. I arranged it this way to give myself some buffer space incase flights or ferries were delayed. Note: this section isn't too sexually exciting so feel free to skip.
I feel like Koh Samui is similar to Phuket in a way, but just smaller and a little less busy. But wherever I went, all I noticed is there were so many farangs (both male and female) on motorbikes. Probably a combination of tourists and expats I would guess. It's a beautiful island though.
Places of note (Koh Samui):
Alpha Gay Resort and Spa - I've never stayed at a fully gay resort before so I decided to try it out so at least I could say that I did. For me, as I am quite introverted, I don't think a place like this is my vibe. There was a pool area where everyone hung out but I am not the type of person just to go hang and meet random people. I'm fine with meeting forum members because at least there is a common interest there or a place to go together (bars, dinner etc), but I'm not the type of person to randomly talk to people (although I am sure that they would all be friendly).
Enough about myself though, the guy who ran the place (owner? manager? I'm not sure) was amazing. He always was always easily available through WhatsApp and nothing was too much. He organises events at the resort as well as pub crawls to the nearby gay bars. The resort itself is idyllic, the rooms are decent and priced well, and the pool area is clothing optional (although I did not partake in this). The website is also super clear and up to date - this is a big plus for me. I ended up going on a private tour (organised by the resort) to some of the famous touristy places on the island since it was my first time. There is also a night market nearby.
Emerald Green Men's Club - this place is rather pricey but I thought I would give it a shot. The owner (farang guy) is quite chatty and talks you through the different options available and distinctly mentioning that there are no happy endings or sexual service. I opted for a 3 hour package which included a body polish (kinda similar to a body scrub), a face treatment and a massage. It was nearly 5000 thb, but I thought I would splurge a little. The therapist assigned to me was pleasant enough, did a good job and exceeded my expectations tbh.
Chanothai Health Massage - this is a gay friendly place (rainbow flags out the front) and just a short walk from Alpha. I originally made contact through Hornet asking for a price list and engaged in some conversation with the guy on the other end (no face pic though). It's a regular shop, a little run down and not sure how many guys work there. The night I went in, there were only 2 guys there, the one I was in contact with and another guy. Tbh he wasn't really my type, but he was pleasant enough, spoke clear English and I was horny. Extra services were offered (at a similar price to Saphan Kwai shops) after maybe 15 minutes of massage. It was quite good and he was very engaging and eager to please.
Koh Tao:
So this part of my trip was partly inspired by @bkkmfj2648 and his trip report from some time ago. I caught a ferry from Koh Samui which was booked in advance and pretty straight forward and it took around 2.5 hours, making a stop at Koh Phangan part way through. Arrival at the pier was hectic but through the chaos, it was well-organised. I found my hotel shuttle (which was just a songtheaw) and I and a couple of other tourists were on the way to the resort up some quite treacherous terrain (well, just some quite steep and windy roads).
Jamahkiri resort was stunning, however there were a lot of stairs to navigate (which I didn't mind too much) but if you have mobility issues, I probably wouldn't recommend this one. I didn't do a lot here tbh as the main focus on this island is diving which I am not really interested in, so I just spent time relaxing. There seemed to be a lot of people and more to do in the area nearby the pier, but the resort is a little more secluded with not much in walking distance - apart from a restaurant called Eagle View, which is on the top floor of what looks like a half finished abandoned building. The food and views were really good though (and much cheaper than the hotel food). The apps were a little quiet here, so BYO if you come visit.
So that's it for now. Currently doing Jomtien/Pattaya and then back to Bangkok for the final part of my trip.
