Koh Samui, Thailand, Cruise Port Information

We had the privilege of being invited on the Marella Discovery whilst we were on our recent holiday to Thailand. We cruised on the Discovery in October doing the Seeking the Northern Lights Cruise itinerary and had an amazing time. We were excited to be back on board and to see the changes that had happened in dry dock. We also wanted to understand where the cruise ships tendered so we could share this information with you. So here is our Koh Samui cruise port information.

Where is Koh Samui Cruise Port?

Koh Samui Cruise Port is situated in Nathon, the capital of the island which is situated on the west coast of the Island. The ships tender to the main piers by the ferry port.

There are two piers next to each other and depending on how many ships are in port at any one time will determine which pier you’ll be tendered to.

Nathon is a small town, there are a few bars and restaurants but it is mainly a shopping town, because most of the products for sale on the island come into Nathon from the mainland in theory it should be cheapest place to shop but this doesn’t always pan out so don’t forget to barter hard. Of the restaurants we have visited in Nathon our favourite is a place called Will Wait, we had in Paul’s opinion the best masaman curry to date and the yellow noodle soup was excellent too.

If it is thai curry pastes that you are after the best place on the island can also be found in Nathon. Sanphet grocery and liqueur store has a wide selection of thai products but also stock the things that can be harder to find including a excellent selection of wines and cheese you name it and they’ve got it and its definitely the cheapest we’ve found anywhere. If you are looking out to sea on the main sea front walk left and around the corner and you will find it on the right, half way up the road.

How to get around the island from the Koh Samui Cruise Port?

Koh Samui is not a huge island, it is 25 kilometres long and 21 kilometres so is easy to navigate in a day. Taxis in Thailand are notorious for over charging, sometimes 3 times the price that it should be and they never use a meter. We have learnt a lot on our many visits and have written this post on how you can save money and how much taxi fares should be.

We recommend that you download the Navigo App from Google Play or App Store and use it. Our video describes how.

What to do in Koh Samui?

There are lots of beautiful beaches within easy reach of the port and there is also a fantastic elephant sanctuary called the Samui Elephant Sanctuary which are a must see, but please don’t confuse them with the trekking site at Nu Muang water falls where the animals are treated appallingly. To find out more about why you shouldn’t visit these parks and ride elephants check out our post here.

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If site seeing is your thing then a trip to Big Buddha and Fishermen’s village is a good option at the north of the island, and if you fancy a day of indulgence you need to go to Nikki Beach which is only a short taxi ride from Nathon. A luxury beach club on Lipa Noi beach, that even has its own DJ booth and Saxophone player, it is not cheap but a great treat! The busier resorts of Lamai and Chaweng on the west coast are also worth a visit too.

Whatever you decide to do make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship, Nathon is on a one way system and during busy periods long delays are quite common so please bare this in mind if your not going on a pre arranged excursion. The day we visited there were 3 ships in port and we were stuck in traffic for nearly an hour.

We hope you have found our Koh Samui cruise port post useful. Koh Samui is a great destination and if you need any more information please do get in touch!

Further reading/videos –

More Thailand information can be found here.

Check out our cruise ports information page for more inspiration!

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