Thailand has always known how to beguile travellers. And this year, the hospitality industry made it official: Koh Samui has been ranked number one in Asia Pacific in the 2026 Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards, and the island’s particular alchemy of laid-back tropical ease, serious wellness credentials and genuine local culture has never felt more relevant.
Karma Sawet sits high above Maenam on Samui’s north coast, a cluster of just thirteen suites looking straight out across the Gulf of Thailand to Koh Phangan. The mood is unhurried, the coastline below among the island’s finest for swimming, and the proximity to Karma Panalee and the Karma Two Palms Beach means the wider Karma Samui ecosystem is always within easy reach. Inland, the ancient temple of Wat Phra Yai watches over the island from its hilltop, and the night markets of Fisherman’s Village in Bophut deliver some of the best street food in the Gulf: grilled prawns, pad see ew, coconut-laced curries eaten at plastic tables with cold Singha.
Thailand’s other great island story unfolds further south, where Phuket’s vibrant coastal energy offers a different but equally compelling proposition. Better connected than ever, with direct flights now running from Bengaluru, it draws travellers seeking azure bays, ornate Chinese-Portuguese temples in the Old Town, exceptional seafood and a pace that accelerates pleasingly after dark. Karma Royal Boat Lagoon sits at the heart of it, a well-positioned base from which to explore an island that rewards curiosity at every turn.
Between Samui’s stillness and Phuket’s vitality, Thailand offers a range that few destinations can match.
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