Originally Posted by
ung1
I have pretty similar requirements to the OP so thought I would ask here. Flying in/out of BKK in July, and would like to find a nice beach resort.
I would avoid Phuket in July. Seas will be very rough and you could see lots of rain.
The big advantage of Samui is the airport, which is fantastic (possibly the nicest in the world), and most of the resorts (excluding Conrad and IC) are within 15-30 minutes of the airport. If you go, book flights on PG aircraft which have the business class cabin, it's a very nice product for the short 50 minute flight. I've stayed at Vana Belle several times and am a fan.
In the same general area, there are several high end resorts on Koh Phangan, which has better beaches and is much less developed than Samui. They will offer door to door transfers from USM.