Plai Laem

Plai Laem occupies the quiet northeast corner of Koh Samui, a green headland best known for the dazzling white-and-gold Wat Plai Laem rising from its lake. Minutes from the airport, the Big Buddha and the restaurants of Choeng Mon and Fisherman's Village, it nonetheless feels secluded, a hillside enclave of luxury villas with panoramic views across the channel to Koh Phangan. The investment profile is firmly luxury-lifestyle. Sea-view villas here sit at the upper end of the Samui market, with island hillside stock around THB 15M-20M and beachfront far higher, and well-managed properties earn gross yields commonly in the 6-8% range on premium short-let rates. The honest framing matches all resort property: income depends on peak-season occupancy and professional management, and island villa supply keeps growing. Crucially, foreigners cannot own land in Thailand, so villas are held via leasehold or company structures, while condominiums remain foreign-freehold within the 49% building quota.

Plai Laem in Koh Samui, Surat Thani Province, Thailand