Koh Samui is an island just off the east coast of Thailand. It’s popular worldwide for its beautiful beaches, thick coconut groves, and lush rainforests. The island’s tourism industry has grown exponentially over the years because of the island’s attractive beaches and coral reefs. In recent years, Koh Samui is bustling with an incredible abundance of resorts, private villas, spas, and a roaring nightlife. The crowd ranges from those looking for a luxurious stay in Thailand to the average backpackers traveling on a budget.

If there’s a downside to this beautiful island, it’s the weather. Unfortunately, the weather can’t be all inviting throughout the year. But that doesn’t mean visitors can’t enjoy what the island has to offer. There is still a significant variety of activities that tourists can do and enjoy in Samui even on a gloomy, rainy day.

Related: When is the Best Time to Visit Koh Samui

1) Spend Some Private Time at a Private Beachfront Villa

The island boasts of a plethora of private villas on its coasts,  each with a portion of the beach closed off exclusively for the villa guests. There’s nothing more relaxing than a leisurely stroll on a private beach area even when the rain is pouring sweetly around you. If getting soaked in rain is not your thing, you may take advantage and use the top-notch facilities provided by the exclusive villas. This way you need not worry about running into or disturbing other guests. You get all the freedom to enjoy and relax in the company of your loved ones.  One of the best beachfront villas on the island – Villa Akatsuki – sits on the western coast of Koh Samui on the tranquil Lipa Noi Beach is truly a great private getaway which travelers to Samui shouldn’t miss out on.

Related: Best Beachfront Luxury Villas Koh Samui, Thailand

2) Learn How to Cook Thai Food

What better way to remember your recent trip to Thailand than by bringing home the skills of cooking Thai cuisine and testing it at home every now and then? Most Thai dishes are usually quick and pretty easy to prepare. There are many cooking schools along the numerous beaches of the island. One such popular cooking academy is the Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts on Chaweng Beach. Cooking is a perfect activity for a rainy day because you get to spend the day surrounded by the sweet and delicious aroma of Thai herbs and spices. And you don’t have to worry about getting wet from the rain. If you’re looking for special vegetarian dishes, check out Samahita Retreat at Tambon Namuang.

3) Go to the Central Festival

This three-floor shopping and dining mall is located on the east coast of the resort town near Chaweng Beach. With four distinct sections and over 90,000 square meters of space, a rainy day will surely be well-spent here. In fact, one day may not even be enough to explore and discover the vast place. With complete facilities and amenities, this is a great place to pass those gloomy days away. There are restaurants, bar, fashion outlets, playgrounds, and even an arcade.  You can also find some of your favorite international brands such as Starbucks, Swensen’s, Adidas, Uniqlo, thus making you feel like you’re home.

Related: 2 Major Shopping Malls in Koh Samui

4) Unwind at a Relaxing Spa

Koh Samui plays host to a wide variety of spa resorts, ranging from the most luxurious and modern wellness centers to the most affordable offering traditional methods. They are located all over the island, even along the shorelines where clients can enjoy the fantastic view to complement the service. When the weather outside isn’t cooperating, you can still relax indoors with the resort’s spas and massage treatments, letting the sound of the rain lull you to sleep.

If you’re looking for a more affordable way to relax, you can visit massage shops that dot the island and enjoy some of the services they offer such as a calming foot spa – to relieve your tired feet from excessive walks on the beach, or a traditional Thai massage. But if you are looking for a comprehensive spa treatment and service, the Tamarind Springs Forest Spa offers an authentic natural remedy to your body, mind, and soul.

Related: Top 5 Best Spas on Koh Samui

5) Hang Out at a Beachside Café

Being a tourist hotspot, Koh Samui has an abundance of restaurants and cafés scattered throughout the island. These are the ideal places to let the rain clouds pass. But why let the beautiful view go to waste? You can still enjoy it from a beachside café, while sipping your hot beverage. Some resorts have their own Cafe but there are equally nice stand-alone Cafes as well.  Some of the beachside cafés that tourists may be interested in visiting include the Chill Inn Beach Café which directly overlooks the sea, or the Bamboo Beach Bar Café & Restaurant which is part of the Element Boutique Resort.

Related: Five Chic Beachside Cafes & Restaurants on Koh Samui

6) Live Action Brain Training Exercises

Escapology has opened its first location in Asia at the Beach Republic, right on Lamai Beach. It’s a live escape room where you can enjoy with a group of friends or your family. It may not take the entire day to escape the two-themed rooms, but it’ll certainly help you forget about the rain as you race against the clock to find clues to help you escape. It’s located in the more luxurious area of the island, but it’s open to guests and tourists from all over.

7) Watch a Cabaret Show

The Ladyboy Cabaret shows are one of the popular shows found in most of Thailand tourist-frequented areas. The shows come to life at the nightlife clubs of Lamia where the audience gets to enjoy a full hour of one-of-a-kind entertainment that differs night after night. If mingling with fellow tourists on the beach is not your cup of tea, you might get a different excitement when you mingle with them as you watch the entertainers showcase their rare and electrifying talents while you enjoy sipping refreshing drinks?

8) Pay a Visit to the Butterfly Garden

It looks misleadingly like a big open garden, but it’s actually a covered and net-surrounded garden. The net serves to keep the rain out while keeping the beautiful butterflies in. It gives you a mixed feeling of being outdoors without getting drenched by the rain. Surrounded by multicolored butterflies, a visit to this garden is the best opportunity to come face to face with these beautiful flying creatures. The Samui Butterfly Garden is located on Natien Beach, opposite the Centara Villas Samui

9) Watch a Snake Show

For tourists who are looking for more of a thrill than that provided by butterflies, there’s also the option to go to a snake show. Thailand is no stranger to these crawling creatures. And with the abundance of snake species found in the island, the snake show is bound to be far from boring. Since the rain prevents tourists from exploring creatures in the ocean, then this is a good chance to discover and enjoy animals on land.

Snake shows are usually two hours long, but the excitement will last the whole day. A snake show venue is located 13km south of Nathon Pier.

10) Learn Thai Boxing

This isn’t similar to the ordinary boxing we see in the West. Muay Thai – traditional Thai martial arts, is a different sport altogether. It’s fascinating to watch and even more fascinating to learn. Muay Thai lessons are available for all ages. It’s certainly a good activity on a rainy day, even for the entire family. Investing time to learn the basics of self-defense while waiting for the downpour outside to stop, is never a waste. There are several Muay Thai camps across the island including the Lamai Muay Thai Camp and Wech Pinyo Muay Thai, both located on Lamai Beach.

Rainy days don’t have to be a reason to ruin a grand vacation in Koh Samui. Even with the sun hidden behind the rain clouds, there are plenty of pleasurable activities visitors can indulge in to ride out the gloomy weather.

Image sources: tripadvisor.com, samuilink.com, chillinnsamui.com, thailandcabaretshows.com, facebook.com/escapologysamui, facebook.com/Lamai-Muay-Thai-Camp-Koh-Samui