Lamai Beach: Three in One

Lamai Beach, or simply Lamai, is one of the three most famous beaches on Samui, along with Maenam and Chaweng. Describing Lamai in a single paragraph or showing it in a few photos from one spot doesn’t do it justice.

Unlike the other three dozen beaches on Samui, Lamai varies greatly along its entire five-kilometer stretch from northwest to southeast. You could say it’s three beaches in one, which I have conditionally divided into Central, Southern, and Northern Lamai.

Beach Overview

Northern Lamai

Northern Lamai comprises about two kilometers of winding beach with consistent width. It starts from the foul-smelling Lamai River, passes by a fishing island and the Le Meridien hotel pier, and ends at a rocky section bordering Laem Nan Beach.

The sand on Northern Lamai is light yellow, coarse, and very loose. Finer sand is found further from the water, with coarser grains near the shore. Hotels line the entire beach, maintaining cleanliness on their properties.

Trash is only seen near the fishing pier, during rough seas, or early in the morning before the beach has been cleaned. Despite Lamai being one of the busiest beaches on Samui, this doesn’t apply to Northern Lamai due to its shallow waters.

Central Lamai

Central Lamai features one kilometer of straight beach with consistent width, extending from the foul-smelling Lamai River to Aloha Resort. It’s the most popular and crowded part of the coast, where Pongponrat Road makes a 90° turn in Lamai village.

Southern Lamai

Southern Lamai is about 600 meters of straight beach, 40 meters wide near the Bill Resort boulders and narrowing to 15 meters near the Hin Ta Hin Yai rocks. This section of Samui’s coast lies at the base of a rocky mountain slope.

Hotels here don’t maintain their sections as diligently, leading to visible dirt not only during rough seas or early in the morning but at any time of the day.

Swimming

Northern Lamai

Northern Lamai is quite different from the central and southern sections due to its bottom. From the river-deposited sandy patch under the water to the rocks bordering Laem Nan, this area has the shallowest water on Lamai.

The bottom is covered with rocks of varying sizes, coral fragments, and dirt. The water entry in Northern Lamai is far from ideal, and wading without special shoes is not recommended. Swimming is only feasible before low tide, mostly in a crouching position.

Because of the shallow depth, Northern Lamai’s appearance suffers significantly during low tides. The sea recedes by 5-10 meters, further reducing the already shallow water and exposing the seabed and marine life.

The waves in Northern Lamai are better than in other sections, but swimming here is impossible during bad weather. A sign at the entrance near the bridge over the river warns of dangerous underwater currents on this beach.

Central Lamai

The water entry in Central Lamai is ideal. This is the best sandy entrance to the sea on the island, with a fairly steep slope, and depth increases almost immediately.

Five meters from the shore, there’s no bottom underfoot. Thanks to the depth, Central Lamai doesn’t suffer during low tides, with the sea only receding by 2-3 meters without affecting the beach’s characteristics. However, small waves can be quite good here with a light breeze, becoming dangerous with stronger winds.

Southern Lamai

The water entry in Southern Lamai is hindered by rocks and coral reefs along the entire stretch, with greater depth under the rocks at the beach borders. This depth means Southern Lamai doesn’t suffer during low tides, with the sea only receding by 2-3 meters without affecting the beach’s characteristics.

Small waves can be quite good here with a light breeze, becoming dangerous with stronger winds.

Sunbeds and Shade

Northern Lamai

The beach width varies from 5 to 30 meters. Sunbeds and umbrellas are set up in front of each hotel and can be rented. Trees are rare, but there are a few luxurious leafy specimens providing shade.

Central Lamai

The beach width reaches 40 meters, fully exposed to the sun throughout Central Lamai. Sunbeds and umbrellas are set up in front of each hotel and can be rented. Trees are rare, growing at the very edge of the shore where sand meets grass. There is no natural shade within 30 meters of the water.

Southern Lamai

The beach width ranges from 15 to 40 meters of sand, exposed to the sun throughout Southern Lamai. Sunbeds and umbrellas are set up in front of some hotels and can be rented. Trees are rare, growing at the very edge of the shore where sand meets grass. There is no natural shade at the water’s edge.

Beach Photos

Northern Lamai

Central Lamai

Southern Lamai

Amenities

Northern Lamai

Northern Lamai is located on the outskirts of the area’s daytime and nightlife. All of Lamai’s amenities are just a minute’s drive away. Approximately in the middle of Northern Lamai, there’s a huge triangular pit dug in the seabed for boat parking. The extracted ground is piled up in the sea as massive artificial breakwaters.

One of the breakwaters is large enough to host a small hut that attracts local fishermen. The beach near the foul-smelling river is constantly spoiled by wastewater during the rainy season, washing away up to 50 meters of the beach.

Central Lamai

Lamai is equipped with everything necessary for a full and interesting stay on Samui. Mini-markets, the Lotus’s hypermarket, day and night markets, banks, gas stations, coffee shops, cafes, restaurants of all cuisines, equipment rentals, bicycle rentals, children’s and clothing stores,

laundries, spa salons, massage parlors, a red-light district, a water park, and a children’s entertainment center. On the beach, you can rent jet skis, bananas, kayaks, and longtail boats. There are numerous bars and restaurants, street vendors, and masseurs.

Southern Lamai

Mini-markets, the Macro hypermarket, and an Orthodox church are the main amenities in Southern Lamai. This part is on the outskirts of the popular beach, ensuring that noisy tourists and nightlife won’t disturb you at night.

There are few beach activities here, with almost no rentals for jet skis, kayaks, and inflatables. This part has an air of neglect and abandonment, in stark contrast to the bustling Central Lamai.

Accommodation

Northern Lamai

The space between the ring road and the sea is filled with hotels, with slightly more than a dozen of them, the largest being Le Meridien Koh Samui. Private housing rentals are available deeper into the area. Lamai is one of the wealthiest areas on Samui for private housing.

Notable hotels on the beach include:

• Seaview Paradise Beach & Mountain Villas
• Pao Jin Poon Pool Villa
• Beach Republic, Koh Samui
• Lamai Bay View Resort

Central Lamai

Only one old marshy vacant lot remains in Central Lamai, and even that is almost gone. It’s being filled with construction debris, leveled, and developed into resorts.

The entire Lamai area behind Beach Road is filled with hotels. Private housing rentals are available only deeper inland, on the outer side of the Ring Road. This is one of the wealthiest areas on Samui for private housing.

Notable hotels include:

• Melia Koh Samui
• Lamai Wanta Beach Resort
• Lamai Inn 99 Bungalows

I personally stayed at Lamai Coconut Beach Resort and had a great experience.

Luxury hotels with high ratings include:

• Pavilion Samui Villas & Resort
• The Privilege Hotel Ezra Beach Villas

Southern Lamai

The 300-meter space between the sea and the ring road is occupied by hotels. Behind the ring road are mostly shops and a few houses. This is the least developed part of Lamai, so for private housing, you’ll need to head towards the village center.

Near the Hin Ta Hin Yai rocks, you’ll find vacant lots. Resorts here look quite unpresentable, with some simple fishing houses right on the beach.

Notable hotels include:

• Bill Resort
• Beluga Boutique Hotel
• Sunrise Bungalow
• Rummana Boutique Resort

Lamai Hotels →

How to Find the Beach

Access to the beach is possible through any hotel property, but if you prefer to avoid dealing with security or administration, you can always turn into one of the two alleys that lead directly to the sea. One convenient spot is the descent opposite the fishing pit, where there’s a sizeable parking lot for vehicles.

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