Clima

- Like most of Thailand, Samui has a tropical climate with temperatures averaging around 28C . The weather is generally good year round, with sun and low humidity from July to October. August is the the peak season in Samui. Located on the Gulf of Thailand, the best season for diving is from January to May and from September to October when visibility is at its best.

Health

- Samui has several hospitals of varying quality. By far the best is Samui International Hospital in Chaweng (North Beach Road, Tel. 077 422 272), which can deal with most medical needs. Anyone requiring long term or highly specialised treatment should get to Bangkok as quickly as possible.

Post Offices

- main post office in Nathon, which also has a telecom centre for international calls. Seaside Road. Open 8.30am - 430pm Mon - Fri and 9am - 12pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Telephones

- International phone calls can be made quite easily from mid- to upper-level hotels. There is direct dialling to and from more than so countries on five continents. Rates for calling out of the country are normally considerably higher than for calling in so if you expect a long conversation you might save some money by having your party call back if possible. If you can't call from your hotel, go to the General Post Office (GPO) on New Road, or major post offices, and call from special booths for overseas calls

Telex and Fax

- All better hotels will offer complete telex, telegraph and facsimile ("fax") services. The GPO offers telex service around-the-clock. Numerous private businesses offer such facilities; most often in conjunction with translation services.

Police

- There are police boxes or stations in most towns, but many of the officers in them won't be able to speak any English. To overcome the language barrier, see the tourist police in Nathon. Thanon Thaweeradphakdee, Tel. 077 421 281