How to get to Koh Samui

The beautiful island of Koh Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand is a popular holiday destination for Europeans. It has been discovered by the British for its great beaches, excellent food and relaxed lifestyle. Many have even moved out here permanently.

The best way to get to the island is by sea or air. Flights to Koh Samui from the UK involve one or two stops in Bangkok and possibly somewhere else. The flights to Bangkok from the UK take approximately 11 and  a half hours with indirect flights taking longer. You can even spend a couple of days enjoying another city on the way over like Dubai, Mumbai or Hong Kong. The onward flight to Koh Samui is then taken by a local airline like Thai Airways or Bangkok Air from Bangkok and lasts about an hour.

Various airlines offer codeshares with Thai Airways or Bangkok Airways which makes transiting Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport very easy. Etihad Airways flies via Abu Dhabi, Emirates via Dubai, Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong and a host of other airlines offer regular flights to the Thai capital. Once here, you should also look at spending a couple of days exploring the sights of the city. Bangkok is a cultural hub from all corners of the globe and there is always something for everyone. Trains from the airport into the city take about 15 minutes so it’s quite easy to enjoy a day or two stopover.

There are even direct services from Singapore and Hong Kong to Koh Samui and if you are enjoying more of Thailand, direct flights to Phuket and Krabi from Koh Samui operate several times a day.

Take up Thai cooking...in Thailand!

Thai cuisine has worked its way around the world offering Pad Thai, green curries and many more oriental specialities to the world’s smallest towns. Eateries such as Busabi Ethai in London, Chai Yo in Berlin and Longrain in Melbourne have given us tasty dishes to enjoy, but when cooking, how do you perfect the Thai cuisine? By experiencing it first hand….in Thailand!

Hidden away in the northern city of Chang Mai, the Chang Mai Thai Cookery School offers beginner and master courses in cooking the perfect Thai dish. Offering a homestay programme too, guests can enjoy the schools facilities with a number of different stay and study packages and with free transport to Chang Mai city and a hour’s traditional Thai massage included it’s hard not to be tempted. Classrooms offer modern teaching tools including mirrors over the demonstration areas, specially designed personal cooking stations, equipped with everything you need during the course, an organic herb garden, set in the peaceful surroundings of Master Chef Sompon’s House allowing you to pick your own organic ingredients and of course the dining area, next to the herb garden to enjoy the sumptuous food in a relaxing and tranquil environment.

Master Chef Sompon Nabnian opened the cookery school in 1993 and has also written a Thai recipe book to accompany the courses he teaches. Sompon is dedicated to teaching his Thai cookery courses and is devoted to ensuring he has one of the best schools in Thailand.

Rooms at the school are modern, clean and very comfortable and prices start at 1,450THB (£30) for a day course or 5,000THB (£100) for a one night homestay course.

Flights to Thailand from London start at £590pp including taxes

For more information, visit www.thaicookeryschool.com