220km (136 miles) E of Bangkok on Highway 3 via Pattaya, or 185km (115 miles) on Highway 3 via the Pattaya bypass. Ban Phe is 25km (15 1/2 miles) southeast of Rayong City.
Tiny Koh Samet, better known simply as Samet (or Samed), is well known to Thais through an epic poem by Sunthorn Phu, a venerated 18th-century author and Rayong native who set his famous work, Phra Aphimani, on Samet. Just 1km (2/3-mile) wide, the island is a long, triangular pennant shape, split by a rocky ridge. It's now deemed a national park, hence there's a 400B (US$11/£6.15) per-adult landing fee (children pay half that price). As with so many of Thailand's "protected" areas, though, developers have devoured so much of the long sandy coastline here that one has to wonder what is being protected with the admission fee.
Ferries from Ban Phe land at Na Dan, the island's main port on the northern coast, from where it's a 15-minute walk south to Had Sai Kaew (Diamond Beach), a popular stretch with a serious party vibe. Or it's a short 20B to 50B (57¢-US$1.40/30p-75p) hop on a shared songtaew to fun-filled Ao Wong Deuan, or the more isolated Ao Phutsa. Ao Phai's beaches just south of Had Sai Kaew are said to be treacherous for swimmers, so take care; in contrast, Ao Thia is popular with divers. Right down south is the chilled-out bay of Ao Kiu Nan Nok. There are a few upmarket resorts on the west side of the island at Ao Prao where speedboats run guests over to Ban Phe. Ferries also run to east coast resort beaches in good weather.
Accommodations here get overpriced on weekends and in high season, and bookings may not always be honored. Stay cool and shop around. If you need to kick back and chill, avoid the busy weekend rush, when big groups of young Thai weekenders come over for some serious karaoke and drinking sessions. Peak season is similar to Pattaya's, with July through October bringing fewer travelers and lower rates.
