Samed Island
A couple of months back, when we were in Bangkok, we decided to have a vacation within a vacation. After a hectic Myanmar trip, when we got back to Bangkok, we decided to have a 3 day recharge at Koh Samet.
Samet (or Samed) is an island about 3 hours away from Bangkok. There are buses from the Victory Monument that travel to the port going to Samet. From the port, it's best to hire a speedboat, as it saves you the hassle and the time, just by adding 200 or 300 baht extra. If you do the whole boat thing, it'll take you a while, thanks to the dozens of stop overs the boat has to make.
(speedboat you can hire)
When in Samet, I strongly suggest you stay in Tubtim.
It's only about 2,000 Baht a night, which is reasonably priced, considering how Tubtim is secluded, away from the busy beach of Samet. Yet, the quality of sand and water in this area is really good. And the rooms are clean, and fairly new.
You get to stay in a tree house like this, and it's fully airconditioned. If there was any downside to this resort, it would be the all cash policy. They don't accept credit cards, and we initially thought they did. Good thing we had enough cash with us before leaving Bangkok or else, we're still probably stuck in the island, earning our way out of Samed.
The beachfront is probably one of the best in the island, and the privacy really is something I loved.
The sand was white and fine, but of course, nothing beats Boracay.
We went there on a weekday, so it was really quiet and serene. Definitely a different Thailand, after coming from Bangkok.
And did I already say that they have really good food? Tubtim was actually my favorite during this trip. And the dishes are cheap! We never even left the resort for 3 days, and just ate almost everything that they had. It was that good, that you don't really need to go somewhere else and explore.
So if you are thinking of escaping Bangkok, even for just a weekend, I suggest Koh Samet, and strongly suggest, Tubtim. :)