# Maenam vs Bophut: where to buy on Koh Samui

Source: https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/compare/maenam-vs-bophut
Updated: 2026-11-14
Publisher: Thailand Property Investor (Omnia Capital Group)

Bophut is the practical choice and Maenam the quiet one. Bophut has the International School of Samui, a private hospital and Fisherman's Village, about 15 minutes from the airport. Maenam, about 20 minutes out, is a long beach with far fewer hotels, an 18-hole golf course in the hills behind it and villas on the slopes facing Koh Phangan. Choose Maenam for space, golf and long stays. Choose Bophut if school, dinners out or an easier resale come first.

| | Maenam | Bophut |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Condominiums | n/a | THB 60,000 to THB 80,000 per sqm |
| Villas | n/a | n/a |
| Airport | 20 min, Samui International (USM) | 15 min, Samui International (USM) |
| Coast | Gulf of Thailand | Gulf of Thailand |
| Best for | Buyers who want space and quiet over nightlife; Golfers; Hillside villas with views to Koh Phangan; Long-stay residents and retirees | Families who need the international school; Sea-view pool villas for personal use and holiday letting; Year-round residents who want restaurants within walking distance |

## Choose Maenam if

- you want quiet and space more than restaurants on the doorstep
- you play golf: Santiburi Samui Country Club is in the hills about 10 minutes inland
- you will live on the island for long stretches, or retire there, and are content to drive for dinner
- you want a larger villa: Maenam held 12% of the value on the island's market in mid-2025 on 9% of the units

## Choose Bophut if

- your children will attend the International School of Samui
- you want to walk to dinner in Fisherman's Village
- you plan to let the villa to holiday guests while you are away
- you expect to sell within the life of the lease and want the larger pool of buyers

## The drive for everything

In [Maenam](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/maenam) the village on the ring road has local shops, a market and a few restaurants, and the mood is residential. Everything else is east: the school and Bandon International Hospital in Bophut, Bangkok Hospital Samui and the main shops in Chaweng. If you are retired or on the island for the season, that drive is a fair price for the quiet and the long beach. If you have children at school, you make it twice a day, and [Bophut](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/bophut) is the easier life.

If Maenam is for you, look at the [retirement visa](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/visas/retirement-visa) and the [Long-Term Resident visa](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/visas/long-term-resident-visa) early, before you commit to a house.

## Resale and the lease

Villas in both are registered leases of up to 30 years, with ownership of the building and renewal only as a contractual promise. A lease loses years as you hold it, and Maenam's buyer pool is smaller than Bophut's: a large hillside villa on a shortening lease is a narrow market. Bophut sits in the core of the island's market. The wider Bophut sub-district, which also takes in Chaweng and the airport area, held 2,030 of the 2,882 units on sale in June 2025. Read [freehold vs leasehold](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/freehold-vs-leasehold) on how lease length affects value.

We expect new supply to keep spreading into Maenam from Bophut. Before you pay for the quiet, ask what is planned on the slopes around the plot.

## Permits and water

In both, the hillside is the risk: permits, height limits, water and access. Have a lawyer check the land title, the building permit and that the villa as built matches its approved plans: see [title deeds and due diligence](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/title-deeds-and-due-diligence). A villa with its own well and generous storage is worth more than one without.

## Questions

### Is Maenam cheaper than Bophut?

Do not assume so. In mid-2025 Maenam held 12% of the value on the island's primary market but only 9% of the units, which points to larger or dearer homes than the island average. Test any asking price against recent registered sales your lawyer can verify, and against the island-wide median in mid-2025 of THB 14.9 million for a three-bedroom villa of 250 to 350 sqm.

### How far is Maenam from the school and the hospitals?

They are a drive east. The International School of Samui and Bandon International Hospital are in Bophut, and Bangkok Hospital Samui is in Chaweng. Most dining and larger shops are in Bophut and Chaweng too, so a household in Maenam drives for most things.

### Which is better for holiday letting?

Bophut. Short-stay guests want restaurants and nightlife close by, which is why letting works less well in Maenam. Island-wide, villas averaged 56.6% occupancy in 2024 at an average nightly rate of THB 13,692, with February the strongest month and September the weakest. Any let of under 30 days needs a hotel licence.

### Are hillside villas a risk in both?

Yes, and the cases are recent. In September 2024 the authorities closed 21 villas on Khao Ma Ngaen in Bophut, among 46 identified as built without permits. In July 2025 a task force inspected six villas at Ban Tai in Maenam sub-district suspected of exceeding the six-metre height limit on slopes of 35 to 50%. Higher ground in both was worst hit by water rationing in mid-2026. Have a lawyer check the permit and the as-built drawings before you pay.

## Sources

- [C9 Hotelworks, Samui Property Market Review, June 2025](https://c9hotelworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Samui-Property-Market-Update-June-2025.pdf)
- [The Nation, Colliers on the Koh Samui residential market, Q1 2026 (6 June 2026)](https://www.nationthailand.com/business/property/40067109)
- [The Nation, Savills on Phuket and Samui (29 July 2026)](https://www.nationthailand.com/business/property/40069163)
- [Khaosod English, villas raided in Koh Samui crackdown (25 July 2025)](https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/07/25/ex-beckham-villa-among-properties-raided-in-koh-samui-crackdown/)
- [Santiburi Koh Samui, golf course and airport distance](https://santiburisamui.com/)
- [Pattaya Mail, emergency measures for the Koh Samui water shortage (30 July 2026)](https://www.pattayamail.com/?p=559361)
- [OpenStreetMap, place coordinates](https://www.openstreetmap.org/)
- [Bangkok Post, illegal villas closed on Koh Samui (18 September 2024)](https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2867727/illegal-villas-closed-tenants-ordered-out-on-koh-samui)
- [Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort, location](https://www.anantara.com/en/bophut-koh-samui)
- [International School of Samui, address and school sections](https://www.iss.ac.th/)
- [Wikipedia, Ko Samui (WMO climate normals)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Samui)