Thailand - Samui airport

This is a one off blog as I can't imagine I'm ever going to say this again – I'm was really pleasantly surprised by an airport!

I'm going to tell you that they had free drink and food in the public lounge and toe tapping music playing. And, you are not going to believe this, there were comfortable seats, and plenty of them.

Despite the fact that I was heading home after a wonderful but all too short stay on a tropical island, it was a really a pleasant place to be. If I had more time I would have explored what seemed like endless shopping opportunities as I walked down to the gate.

So it really came as no surprise when I discovered Samui Airport has been announced in the world’s top ten in the “Best Airports Worldwide” category for the fourth consecutive year in an annual “Best Asian Travel Brand 2009” poll surveyed by one of Asia’s forefront online travel magazine, Smart Travel Asia.

Samui Airport, the only regional airport on the list, sees over 6 million passengers and more than 15,000 flights per year mainly by Bangkok Airways and other airlines such as Thai Airways International. Samui Airport serves domestic and international direct flights to and from Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Pattaya (U-Tapao), Krabi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

Bottom line: Obviously an airport is only a small part of the travel experience but this one shows just how much better it could be. Yes, there is an alternative to grey walls, endless rows of stained, hard seats and expensive, tasteless food.