Thailand’s two largest islands – Phuket and Samui – attract nearly 15 million visitors a year between them. Phuket’s visitor numbers are about four times Samui’s, yet Phuket is only twice as big as Samui, so it’s easy to see why Phuket is much busier. For many older travellers, that fact alone is enough to make them choose Samui.

However, there are many other factors that should be considered if trying to choose between one or the other. Of course, if time is not a limiting factor, you can easily include both on a travel itinerary because there are direct prop-jet flights between Phuket and Samui, five times a day, which take less than an hour.

Phuket is a province in its own right, whereas Samui (Koh or Ko means ‘island’ in Thai, so the prefix is usually dropped when locals are talking about it) is part of Surat Thani province. Phuket has a road bridge connecting it to Phang Nga province (which is why there is so much more traffic on Phuket) whereas Samui is further offshore and doesn’t have a road bridge. Access to Samui is by air or ferry only.

Both islands have great beaches and lots of good resorts from budget to luxury, and excellent spas. On Phuket the resorts are mainly along the west coast facing the Andaman Sea, whereas on Samui they are mostly along the north and east coasts. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hasn’t deterred visitors returning to Phuket, and it’s still the best place in Thailand to enjoy sunsets.

Samui is on the other side of the Kra Isthmus in the Gulf of Thailand so is unlikely to ever be affected by a tsunami. Samui has a shorter rainy season than Phuket, so that means more beach days, but during the peak season (December to March) there’s little difference in the weather between the islands.

Samui doesn’t have any big shopping malls like Central or Robinsons on Phuket, or theme parks like Carnival Magic, so there tends to be fewer families holidaying on Samui compared to Phuket. It doesn’t have Phuket’s vibrant bar scene either, although there are a few bars around Chaweng Beach on Samui. Everything on Samui is on a smaller scale and quieter.

Phuket has longer beaches with more water sports activities, but those south of Bang Tao Beach can become very crowded in the peak season. Beaches like Kamala, Patong, Karon, and Kata can get so busy that it’s almost impossible to walk along the beach without bumping into people. North of Bang Tao the beaches are much quieter, and these are usually a better choice for older travellers.

Samui’s beaches are smaller but generally more tranquil – with the exception of Chaweng Beach where most of the bars are located. As most of Samui’s best beaches face east or north, they don’t offer the spectacular sunsets that are so often seen in Phuket. The sunrises on Samui’s eastern beaches, while nice, are more subtle affairs.

If you are into golfing, then Phuket would be a better choice because Phuket has six international standard golf courses, whilst Samui has only one.

Both destinations offer good opportunities for trips to other islands. From Phuket there are many different tours available to the islands in Phang Nga Bay with the Phi Phi islands being amongst the most popular (although it’s easier to visit those from Krabi). From Samui, there are boat trips to the islands of the Ang Thong National Marine Park, which are less touristy than those usually visited from Phuket, and Koh Phangan and Koh Tao which offer additional recreational options.

Whilst Phuket has more direct international flights than Samui, and is therefore easier to access, the busy Phuket airport is always crowded. Travelling through of Samui’s airport is a more relaxing experience. Its open-air design incorporating traditional Thai architectural features such as palm leaf thatched roofs gives it the ambiance of a large Polynesian resort.

If you fly out of Samui, it’s worth getting to the airport an hour earlier than you need to so you can browse the boutiques and cafes around the departures area. They occupy small white weatherboard houses reminiscent of those you’d find along a marina boardwalk in the Bahamas.

Overall, everything in Samui is less crowded, quieter, and things happen at a slower pace. There are not so many choices of eating places on Samui as there are in Phuket, but unless you are staying there for more than a few weeks, you won’t run out of choices. And the quality of food available on both islands is comparable.

Whilst all of the above leans towards Samui being the better option for older travellers (except perhaps for golfers), the downside of Samui is that it is more difficult to do side-trips to other places of interest in southern Thailand. When staying in Phuket you can hire a car and do day trips to Khao Lak or overnight trips to Khao Sok or Krabi, and explore some of the great nature spots in Phang Nga province.

You can visit all of those from Samui too, but it would involve making a ferry trip across to the mainland first and hiring a car at Donsak Pier. From there, the road journey times to Khao Sok or Krabi are similar to the journey times from Phuket, but the total journey times would be longer because you’d need to first travel to Nathon Pier on the west side of Samui, and then add the ferry journey time which is about 45 minutes for the speedboat passenger ferry or one and half hours for the car ferry.

Another downside of Samui is that if you’re travelling there during the rainy months (especially October and November) there’s not so much to do compared to Phuket which has a much greater range of indoor activities to offer travellers. Phuket’s old town is a great spot to spend a few hours on a rainy day. There are lots of lovely cafes and boutiques that you can move between without getting wet as most of the walkways in front of the colourful Sino-Portuguese style shophouses are covered.

Ultimately the choice between the two comes down to what you want to do there. If you are a golfer, or still into water sports, nightlife, or shopping – and you don’t mind some traffic and crowds – then probably Phuket would be the better choice. But if you’re looking for a more laidback stay away from tourist crowds, then Samui is the way to go.

All images: © David Astley