Thread: Hua Hin or Koh Samui?

Hello! I didn't know where to place this thread, but I would love any help/ advice. I have been living in Thailand for two months and am currently living in Rayong. I finished my TEFL course last month, and I am now beginning my job search. I really want to live on the coast or an island. I know that these jobs are hard to come by, but I would like to give it a shot before I give up on the idea.

I am strongly considering Hua Hin and Koh Samui. I've never been to either place, but I hear great things. I would like to be close to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao (mainly so that I can go scuba dive on the weekends). Does anyone have suggestions as places to live on the coast? Or does anyone on this thread live in Koh Samui or Hua Hin? I would love to pick your brain about the places. I am planning on going and spending one week in Koh Samui and one week in Hua Hin, but I wanted to seek out some advice beforehand. Look forward to any feedback. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Originally Posted by a788

I am strongly considering Hua Hin and Koh Samui.

Both Hua Hin and Koh Samui haven't many EFL jobs available.

When you're looking for a job on the coast, Phetchaburi and Surathani are better choices.

Phetchaburi: 60 km to Hua Hin, 40 km to Cha Am, 60 km to Kaeng Krachan National Park and 150 km to Bangkok.

You're gonna find it hard to find work on Samui unless you have contacts or exp.

Hua Hin on the other-hand shouldn't be too bad. (I can send you the email of someone who can help if you PM me).

I love Hua Hin. It has everything, such a perfect mix of East and West. I'll end up teaching there at some point.

---Update---

Originally Posted by Stamp

Both Hua Hin and Koh Samui haven't many EFL jobs available.

There are loads in Hua Hin. Mainly through an agency though..

Thanks for your help! I'm leaning towards Hua Hin. Going to spend some time there in a week. Po3try, I will PM you. Thanks again.

if you like the islands why do you choose HH? If someone went to Koh Samui once and heard jobs were sparse from someone he talked to on the ferry do you automatically believe him?

If you want an easier place to find a job go to Surat. There are various high speed and slow speed boats to all the islands. If Koh Tao is your favorite island live and work in Chumporn, only because it's a closer trip than from Suratthani. There are jobs on Samui. There is a turnover. It's an easy place to tire of. In fact none of the island stay attractive for very long .. unless you like to sit in bars and drink.

Originally Posted by a788

Thanks for your help! I'm leaning towards Hua Hin. Going to spend some time there in a week. Po3try, I will PM you. Thanks again.

Best of luck.


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Thanks, Jonny danger. I've never been to Hua Hin or Koh Samui, so its hard to decide which place is better for me to even begin to find a job. I have limited funds now, so I was thinking it would be smarter to try out Hua Hin first, and in the case that I like it there, to stay and find a job. Going to Koh Samui and spending cash seeing if I like it could end up just being a waste of money if I can't even find a job there. I am keeping my options open and reaching out to schools today by email to see if any will respond. I guess I am in search of a little direction....

I know that Surat Thani is a good place to search for jobs and is a short ferry ride away from the islands. This is attractive to me. However, I hear that Surat Thani isn't necessarily a very fun place to live. I am female and 23 years old. I am not an avid partier, but being social and having a social life is important to me. Can anyone attest to Surat Thani being a good place to live?

Thanks again for everyones' words. I appreciate the help.

No scuba diving in Hua Hin.

true, but it is just a short trip away to Koh Tao. 5 hours or so?

^ perhaps, with a good connection (which if you take public transport you won't get, the Lompraya busses will drop you off at the port hours before the boat leaves (check this site for connection times :: Route :: Lomprayah High Speed Ferries Co.,Ltd. :: - they don't suit weekend trips from Hua Hin) and taking the fast boat. But the cost is already building up... 1500-2000 baht return from Hua Hin to Koh Tao before you start thinking about hotel and scuba diving. If you're really keen on scuba diving then why not try Phuket/Krabi? You're then much closer to the action and I've heard the diving is better on the Andaman side too.

---Update---

Probably more like 7 hours than 5 hours...

Originally Posted by a788

true, but it is just a short trip away to Koh Tao. 5 hours or so?

277 km, 3.5 hours by car from Hua Hin to the jet boat ferry in Chumpon.

Lompraya Hua Hin company has a package. Depart 23:00 h from Hua Hin and arrive at Koh Tao around 06:00 h next day.


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Originally Posted by Stamp

Lompraya Hua Hin company has a package. Depart 23:00 h from Hua Hin and arrive at Koh Tao around 06:00 h next day.

How is this possible? There are the cheaper overnight boats that leave Chumpon at about 23.00 and then I wasn't aware of any boats leaving Chumpon until 7am. If you take the high speed boat at 7am then you arrive in Koh Tao at 8.45. Meaning if you left Hua Hin at 11pm it's taken you almost 10 hours to get to Koh Tao.

Originally Posted by theSmiler

How is this possible? There are the cheaper overnight boats that leave Chumpon at about 23.00 and then I wasn't aware of any boats leaving Chumpon until 7am. If you take the high speed boat at 7am then you arrive in Koh Tao at 8.45. Meaning if you left Hua Hin at 11pm it's taken you almost 10 hours to get to Koh Tao.

Don't know, mate. Did the trip like posted 2 or 3 years ago. Later on I'll tell you the exact date.


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Originally Posted by theSmiler

There are the cheaper overnight boats that leave Chumpon at about 23.00 and then I wasn't aware of any boats leaving Chumpon until 7am.

Originally Posted by Stamp

Later on I'll tell you the exact date.

You're right. I guess it was a special Lompraya trip. It was on 11/ 12 April 2009. Songkran!