Koh Samui or Hua Hin? How to choose between two of Thailand’s top beach destinations

Thailand is one of the world’s sandiest nations, with hundreds of beaches garlanded over 2,000 miles of coastline. These range from secluded, unspoilt coves with fine, white sand and crystal-clear waters to the more easily accessible and well-known beaches that tourists flock to every day. So where do you start?

You’ll find the best introduction in Hua Hin and Koh Samui. Two very different destinations but both oozing with the charm and beach experience that you’d expect from Thailand. Once a quiet fishing village on the skinny stretch of mainland north of the Malay peninsula, Hua Hin was established as a royal getaway in the 1920s and has since grown into a fashionable resort town. While Koh Samui offers laidback island life with pristine beaches, tropical greenery and a calm blue sea. Both border the Gulf of Thailand, a sandy-bottomed waterworld filled with kaleidoscopic sea life, where temperature in the area seldom dips below 24 degrees.

Let’s dive in and find out more about each destination.

Hua Hin – good enough for a king

The oldest resort destination in Thailand, Hua Hin became popular when King Prajadhipok chose it as a retreat in the 1920s. Today, Thailand’s original beach resort is favoured by royalty and the capital’s bon viveurs. Powder sand in one direction, dense forest in the other, and just a four-hour car journey from Bangkok, it’s set in a prime location.

But how about the hotels? Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa commands the area with its towering presence, yet blends into the beachfront amid a jungle of nodding palms. The grandeur is felt as soon as you walk into the enormous alfresco lobby, and the feeling of space continues outdoors thanks to the curvaceous lagoon-style swimming pool and a line of sun loungers. Guest rooms feature cooling parquet floors and crisp white linen, plus epic ocean views. Following its recent renovation, this is a royally appointed hotel.

Getting around is made easy on the rental bikes provided by the hotel, so guests can explore to their heart’s desire. And if you want to venture farther out, fear not – the concierge are happy to arrange visits to anywhere from the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary to Monsoon Valley Vineyards and the spellbinding Phraya Nakhon cave. There’s so much to see here.

When it comes to the atmospheric attraction in Hua Hin, the night market is the place to be. As the sun sets, the district around Decha Nuchit Road awakens. Waft through barbeque smoke and take your pick from sticky pork belly, sai krok Isan spicy sausages or grilled crab. Or sit down at street kiosks and enjoy a fresh green mango salad, dried squid bites or coconut pancakes. Hua Hin is a photogenic feast.

If you’d prefer to stay within hotel grounds, Chay Had serves authentic Thai cuisine and local seafood on a raised dais overlooking the beach. The White Lotus Restaurant and Rooftop specialises in Sichuan and Cantonese dishes on the hotel’s 17th floor – views over the gulf are best served with a platter of dim sum alongside.

A clue to the hotel’s highlight is in its name: Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa. The Eforea spa is a comforting cocoon overlooking the hotel’s pools and beach. Rejuvenating treatments include vitamin-enhanced body wraps, detox baths and nuad Thai traditional massage.

In short, Hua Hin packs a beach break with city buzz into one sunny package, a short distance from Bangkok. Time-honoured Hilton hospitality showcases Thailand’s original holiday resort destination at its best.

And fear not if you have children that need entertaining – the kids’ club features interactive play zones, rock climbing, an illuminated wall and arts and crafts. All activities are supervised, so you can leave your little ones to enjoy themselves while you have your own fun. Or if you’d rather sit and watch while they play, there’s a comfortable lounge area where you can relax.

Koh Samui – splendour and seclusion in one place

Until the 1980s, the primary industry on Koh Samui was coconut exporting. Before the arrival of asphalt roads, it took an entire day to trek the nine miles of hilly jungle from coast to coast. Thailand’s second-largest island has slowly evolved from hippy haven to five-star escape, but its languid spirit remains. Sunrise yoga, hammocks hung between palm trees (or over the water) and sunsets coloured like a mango smoothie are among the many things that attract people to this beautiful island year after year.

Conrad Koh Samui promises the same traditional experience: seclusion and splendour, laced with sunshine and sea.

But make no mistake, the hotel offers an ultra-luxurious experience in a discrete corner of Koh Samui. Individual villas with private infinity pools are suspended on stilts above virgin forest, and architecture comes courtesy of Eco.ID, the agency that designs south-east Asia’s hippest hotels. There is nowhere else quite like this on Earth.

The hotel’s ethos is to create island memories to last a lifetime. It does this by enhancing the guest experience to conjure deep communications with nature and local communities. Guests can immerse themselves in the resort’s 8,000-square-metre farm, which provides 70% of the on-site restaurants’ ingredients. Culinary workshops include coffee roasting and kombucha making. The hotel’s Botanikka cafe welcomes visitors keen to explore a hydroponic system that grows organic greens and herbs to produce herbal teas.

And there’s a huge range of activities to choose from too. Snorkel with sea life offshore. Paddleboard through the gulf. Learn muay thai boxing on the beach with a local tutor. Enjoy the kids’ activity programme, where little travellers can pick vegetables and pet farm animals. Or book a private boat tour to Koh Tan, a paradisiacal island with no roads, secluded beaches and no worries. The list goes on.

Samui first became inhabited by fishermen. Their legacy lives on in the island’s seafood cuisine: steamed crab, tuna sashimi or simple grilled pomfret soused in ginger and lemongrass. Conrad Koh Samui’s moo kra ta barbecue experience can be set up in guest villas, complete with fresh seafood and vegetables from the organic farm. The hotel’s culinary crown jewel is Jahn. This panoramic steakhouse serves intricately marbled cuts from high-welfare farms in Australia and Japan.

Find inner peace at the Conrad Spa. Siam fusion signature treatments use herbal compresses with the aim of expelling toxins and enhancing energy flow. In a neat twist, guests can craft their own products to bring home, using ingredients sourced from the hotel farm. The spa sums up both the resort and the island itself. It’s secluded, serene, organic and experiential.

Conrad Koh Samui seamlessly blends luxury with sustainability to bring a quiet corner of this timeless island to life. At this five-star hotel, guests can feel far from the world’s hustle and bustle, yet have everything they need to hand. Now that’s the dream getaway.

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