There are plenty of to choose from which are much better than Samui. Chaweng is very tacky but there are other areas of Samui: Bophut or Maenam which are not so spoiled.

Have you considered the mainland such as Krabi - easy reach from there to other islands.

What time of year your going will influence your decision weatherwise. If your going in our summer hols KS may be your best bet.

I'm with chris12...much prefer Krabi. Some of the quieter parts of Phuket (and there are still some left) are still worth visiting, but then there are some tacky parts to avoid as well. However this part of Thailand is best visited in our winter months.

On Koh Samui Cheong Mon beach is quieter, but with enough around in terms of hotels and restaurants and easy access to Chaweng should you wish.

We were thinking of going to KS over Christmast - our first visit to Thailand. What's the weather like then? When is the best time to go weatherwise? Thanks very much!

we went to KS in March 2006. Put off staying in Chaweng from what everyone said but visited it several times & it actually didn't look too bad.