Koh Samui in 4 days

A 12-metre seated golden Buddha from 1972 on Koh Faan islet, reached by a causeway and a naga-lined stairway, looking over Bangrak Bay.

A street of old Sino-Thai wooden shophouses on the north coast, now full of restaurants and galleries, on a beach facing Koh Phangan.

Seven kilometres of fine white sand on the east coast, sheltered by a reef; the island's most built-up beach, backed by a busy bar street.

A 250-metre cove between granite headlands near Lamai, with clear shallow water and reef fish round the rocks: the island's easiest snorkelling.

The Grandfather and Grandmother rocks at the south end of Lamai beach, granite shaped unmistakably like male and female genitals, with a local legend attached.

Two falls on one river in the wooded south; 18-metre Na Muang 1 is by the car park, with a pool among purple rocks.

High in the hills, a fruit farmer's stone statues of musicians, dancers, animals and deities line a forest stream, carved from 1976 until his death.

Forty-two jungle-covered limestone islets 30 km west, a national park since 1980; day trips visit an enclosed emerald lake and a steep viewpoint.