Treasure takes many forms. When it comes to the twin islands of Phuket and Koh Samui – one on the west coast in the Andaman Sea, the other on the east coast in the Gulf of Thailand – treasure is something you experience – redolent in timeless traditions and the slow rhythms of nature.
Karma Royal Boat Lagoon sits among the mangroves on Phuket’s east coast, where fishing longtails still outnumber speedboats. Twenty minutes away, the shophouses of Phuket Old Town run in ranks of faded ochre and shuttered green, their kitchens turning out hokkien mee, the pork and prawn noodles the island’s Chinese tin miners brought with them. Out in Phang Nga Bay, kayaks slip through sea tunnels at low tide into the hong, roofless lagoons hidden inside the limestone stacks.
On Samui, Karma Panalee opens straight onto the sand at Bang Por and Karma Sawet looks down from the wooded hills above Maenam, both on a north coast of coconut plantations and fishermen’s jetties. Boats leave Maenam Pier for Ang Thong, forty-two limestone islands where a saltwater lake the colour of jade lies trapped inside a collapsed crater.
Phuket’s skies clear from November and Samui’s from January, covering the northern winter between them. There’s a reason Travel + Leisure has just named Samui the world’s best island; while Lonely Planet lists Phuket among its 25 must-visit places for 2026. Discover why by contacting your Karma Concierge and locking in your island sojourn.
