Luxury Villas in Bophut & Big Buddha

Bophut sits on Koh Samui’s north coast, a long, gently curving bay looking across the water to Koh Phangan. At its heart is Fisherman’s Village, a narrow strip of old wooden Chinese shophouses that once housed fishing families and now holds boutique shops, cafés and some of the island’s best restaurants. The beach in front is calm for much of the year, and the village has a relaxed, unhurried feel that many visitors prefer to the busier east coast.

East of Bophut, the coast curls round to Bangrak, better known as Big Buddha Beach. The twelve-metre golden Buddha of Wat Phra Yai sits on the small island of Koh Faan, joined to the shore by a short causeway, and is one of Samui’s best-known landmarks. A little further on, at Plai Laem, the colourful temple of Wat Plai Laem stands on a lake, with its striking eighteen-armed statue of Guan Yin. Small coves such as those around Plai Laem make up the quieter, north-eastern tip of the island.

Villas in this part of Samui range from beachfront homes along the bays to hillside properties above Bophut and Plai Laem, where the views stretch out over the Gulf of Thailand to Koh Phangan and, on clear days, Koh Tao. The hills behind the coast are green and peaceful, yet the beach, the village and a choice of restaurants are rarely more than a few minutes away by car.

Location is the great advantage here. Samui International Airport lies between Bophut and Bangrak, so most villas are only five to fifteen minutes from the terminal, and the piers at Bangrak and Bophut have regular boats to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. Chaweng is around fifteen minutes south, and Choeng Mon a short drive east. It suits couples, families and groups who want a characterful village base with as little travelling as possible.