Big Buddha Beach (Hat Pra Yai)

Big Buddha Beach, officially signposted as Bang Ruk, is named after a 22 m gold painted Buddha image at the eastern end of Samui. It is a small linear village in a calm and scenic bay. The beach is lined with about 20 resorts and a few private houses. There are capes at both ends jutting out to protect the bay so the water is calm and shallow. Big Buddha Beach is a very good and safe place for swimming, but even during the peak season it appears to be almost deserted. The beach is only six kms wide and parts of it are sometimes disheveled. It is a peaceful and quiet spot for an escape from the crowds, but it is not too remote to connect with any other beaches in Samui. The only inconvenience is that there are not many restaurants here, but there are a number of vendors and food stalls which sell snacks such as grilled squid, mussels, fish cakes and shrimp balls.

Big Buddha is only one km from Samui Airport and four from Chaweng Beach. One can take highway 4171 straight to Big Buddha. The highway, which parallels the beach, is lined with a range of resorts. You can take the road further east to Chaweng via Thongsai bay and Chengmon and west to Bophut.

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