Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai from the air, its pool and pavilions above terraced rice fields, with hills behind — The resort from the air: the main pool, pavilions and rice terraces, with the Mae Rim hills behind. Photo: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

Asia · Chiang Mai to Koh Samui, hotel to hotel

Thailand, from the rice terraces to the Gulf

Two Four Seasons resorts, one short flight apart: cool mornings over the paddies outside Chiang Mai, then a hillside villa above the sea on Koh Samui.

The short answer

Spend 4 nights at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, take the 1 hr 45 min Bangkok Airways non-stop south, then finish with 5 nights at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui. Go between January and mid-February: the north is still cool and clear, and Samui is past its rains. For two adults in January, the rooms and the flight between them come to about £12,904, at the from-rates we checked on 30 October 2026, before your flights from the UK.

Skip it if you want the old city or nightlife on your doorstep: both resorts are a drive from town, and Samui's villas sit on a steep hill.

Work out your own split

2
resorts, both on our Thailand shortlist: 1h 45m
roughly, non-stop from Chiang Mai to Samui: January
when both stops are at their best, into mid-February: £1,227 + £1,514
a night, from, in January (checked 30 October 2026)

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The route: Chiang Mai to Koh Samui

Stop 1 · 4 nightsChiang MaiRice terraces, a lotus pond and hills in the Mae Rim valley, about 30 minutes from Chiang Mai airport.

Fly non-stop, 1 hr 45 minBangkok Airways, CNX to USM · from £213 one way

Stop 2 · 5 nightsKoh SamuiHillside villas with their own pools above the Gulf of Thailand, about 28 to 45 minutes from Samui airport.

The flight. Bangkok Airways flies non-stop from Chiang Mai (CNX) to Samui (USM) in about 1 hr 45 min. On our sample date, 20 January 2027, the non-stop left at 11:30 and landed at 13:15, for £213 one way in economy, per adult. Bangkok Airways includes a 20 kg checked bag on this route. One-stop flights via Bangkok were cheaper, from £145, but take 4 to 11 hours, which is most of a holiday day. We have no flight partner, so this leg is information only: book it with the airline.

The transfers. Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai is about 30 minutes by car from Chiang Mai airport; Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui is about 28 to 45 minutes by car from Samui airport. With a late-morning flight you can check out after breakfast in the north and be at the pool on Samui by mid-afternoon.

Stop 1 · The north · Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

Mornings over the paddies

Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai sits in the Mae Rim valley, about 30 minutes north of Chiang Mai and its airport: 98 pavilions, pool villas and residences set around working rice paddies, with twelve pool villas among them. You wake to the terraces and the hills, not to traffic.

A guest at the edge of an infinity pool on a timber deck above the rice paddies at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai — An infinity pool on a deck above the rice paddies. Photo: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

A guest on a swing seat on a pavilion terrace with its own plunge pool at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai — A pavilion terrace with its own plunge pool. Photo: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

A two-storey Lanna-style pavilion behind a long reflecting pool at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai — The main pavilion behind its reflecting pool. Photo: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

A raised teak sala among palms above a pond at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai — A teak sala above the pond, among palms. Photo: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

Why we'd go: pavilions and pool villas around working rice paddies in the hills, and a quiet, green first stop after the flight from the UK.
The honest con: Half an hour from the city, and the north's crop-burning haze can hang in the air from late February to March.
Recognised by: Three MICHELIN Keys (2026)
From: £1,227 a night in January, £766 in December (Garden Pavilion, two adults, Booking.com, checked 30 October 2026).

Check rates at Chiang Mai

Stop 2 · The Gulf · Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

A pool of your own above the sea

Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui is built into the hillside above the sea at Mae Nam, on Samui's north-west coast: about 70 villas and residences stepped down to a palm-lined beach, every villa with its own infinity pool. After the north, this is the part of the trip for doing very little.

A villa deck with a private infinity pool at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, the last stop on the trip from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui, looking down through palms to the beach — A villa deck with its own infinity pool, looking down through palms to the beach. Photo: Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

An infinity pool and a thatched sala above the sea and a wooded headland at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui — The hillside infinity pool and its thatched sala, above the sea. Photo: Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

A family in a pool in front of a Thai-style pavilion among palms at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui — A family pool in front of a pavilion. Photo: Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

A couple walking on the white-sand beach under leaning palms at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui — The resort's beach, under leaning palms. Photo: Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

A villa sala and infinity pool above the sea at sunset at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui — A villa sala at sunset, above the sea. Photo: Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

Why we'd go: an infinity pool with every villa, looking over the Gulf, and a beach at the foot of the hill.
The honest con: The villas sit on a steep hillside, and it is exposed to Samui's wet season from October to December.
Recognised by: Two MICHELIN Keys (2026), Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star
From: £1,514 a night in January, £1,229 in March (Serenity Pool Villa, two adults, Booking.com, checked 30 October 2026).

Check rates at Koh Samui

What it costs

Chiang Mai to Koh Samui, costed

Pick your nights and your month. The estimate is the from-rate for each night at each hotel in that month, plus the Bangkok Airways flight for two. Every change updates the address bar, so you can copy the link and share exactly this trip.

Estimate for two adults · 4 nights + 5 nights in January

£12,904

Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai: 4 nights at £1,227: £4,908
Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui: 5 nights at £1,514: £7,570
Bangkok Airways, Chiang Mai to Samui: 2 × £213: £426

Estimate, rates checked 30 October 2026. These are from-rates on one sample night a month, not live prices; see the rates table. Rooms are for two adults; the flight is the January sample fare. Long-haul flights are not included.

Link to this estimate: /chiang-mai-to-koh-samui/?cm=4&ks=5&month=jan

Check rates at Chiang Mai Check rates at Koh Samui

Worked examples

How to split the nights, and what each split costs

Four common splits in January, for two adults, at the from-rates checked on 30 October 2026: the room for each night at each hotel, plus £426 for two one-way flights. For a two-week Thailand itinerary, 5 + 7 or 7 + 7 is the shape to start from.

Split	Chiang Mai	Koh Samui	Flight, two	Estimate, January
3 + 4 nights	3 × £1,227 = £3,681	4 × £1,514 = £6,056	£426	£10,163
4 + 5 nights	4 × £1,227 = £4,908	5 × £1,514 = £7,570	£426	£12,904
5 + 7 nights	5 × £1,227 = £6,135	7 × £1,514 = £10,598	£426	£17,159
7 + 7 nights	7 × £1,227 = £8,589	7 × £1,514 = £10,598	£426	£19,613

From-rates by month, and 4 + 5 nights in each

The lowest price on Booking.com for one night, two adults, one room, in pounds, on a sample night in each month. A from-rate, not a live price. Read on Booking.com on 30 October 2026; we recheck them monthly.

From-rates by month at both hotels, with the date each was checked
Month	Sample night	Chiang Mai, a night	Koh Samui, a night	4 + 5 nights, for two	Checked
December	7 December 2026	from £766	from £1,411	£10,545	30 October 2026
January	18 January 2027	from £1,227	from £1,514	£12,904	30 October 2026
February	15 February 2027	from £1,038	from £1,514	£12,148	30 October 2026
March	15 March 2027	from £827	from £1,229	£9,879cheapest	30 October 2026
April	12 April 2027	from £816	from £2,177*	£14,575	30 October 2026
July	12 July 2027	from £787	from £1,308	£10,114	30 October 2026
October	11 October 2027	from £808	from £1,298	£10,148	30 October 2026

April at Koh Samui: Songkran week: only a Family Pool Villa was left at Koh Samui, so this is not a typical April rate. March is the cheapest typical month for 4 + 5, at £9,879 against £12,904 in January, but it is the worst month for burning-season haze around Chiang Mai. December is cheaper in the north, but Samui is still at the tail end of its rains.

When to go

When each stop is at its best

The north and the Gulf keep different calendars, which is why the month matters more than the order. January is the one month both are at their best, and the window runs on to mid-February, until the smoke builds in the north. From our Thailand month-by-month guide.

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Chiang Mai	jan: At its best. Clear skies in the north, nights near 15°C.	feb: Hot, hazy or in between. Still good early; smoke from crop burning builds late in the month.	mar: Hot, hazy or in between. The worst month for burning-season haze around Chiang Mai.	apr: Hot, hazy or in between. Haze lingers, and it is usually the hottest month.	may: Rainy season. The rains arrive and wash the smoke from the north.	jun: Rainy season. Rainy season.	jul: Rainy season. Green and quiet, about four hours of sunshine a day.	aug: Rainy season. At its most humid.	sep: Rainy season. Nationally the wettest stretch.	oct: At its best. Chiang Mai dries out; the north is good from October to January.	nov: At its best. The cool season returns; Yi Peng lanterns at the full moon.	dec: At its best. About eight hours of sunshine a day.
Koh Samui	jan: At its best. Past its rains: Samui is good from late December into the spring.	feb: At its best. One of Koh Samui's driest months.	mar: At its best. Beaches dry and bright.	apr: Hot, hazy or in between. Usually the hottest month; Songkran from 13 to 15 April.	may: Hot, hazy or in between. Hot, around 33°C, and mostly dry.	jun: At its best. The Gulf islands at their best.	jul: At its best. The Gulf is the beach choice.	aug: At its best. Samui is still kind.	sep: At its best. The Gulf coast is the place to be.	oct: Rainy season. The monsoon begins: rain on about two days in three.	nov: Rainy season. The island's wettest month, with rough seas.	dec: Rainy season. The tail end of the rains.

At its best
Hot, hazy or in between
Rainy season

Chiang Mai: October to January is the time for the north. Smoke from crop burning builds from late February, is worst in March and lingers into April, until the May rains clear it.

Koh Samui: past its rains from late December, with February among its driest months and June to September at its best. October to December is the wet season, with November the wettest month.

Questions people ask

Chiang Mai and Koh Samui, answered

How do you get from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui?

Fly. Bangkok Airways flies non-stop from Chiang Mai (CNX) to Samui (USM) in about 1 hr 45 min. For 20 January 2027, Google Flights showed one non-stop, 11:30 to 13:15, at £213 one way in economy, and it includes a 20 kg checked bag on this route. One-stop flights via Bangkok started at £145 but take 4 to 11 hours. Fares checked 30 October 2026.

How many nights should you spend in Chiang Mai and Koh Samui?

We would start from 4 nights in Chiang Mai and 5 on Samui: enough for the paddies and a day in the old city, then a slower finish by the sea. For a two-week Thailand itinerary, 5 and 7 fills twelve nights and leaves room for the long-haul flights either end; 7 and 7 is the full fortnight.

When is the best time to visit Chiang Mai and Koh Samui together?

January to mid-February. The north is cool and clear, with nights near 15°C, and Samui is past its rains: February is one of its driest months. From late February, smoke from crop burning builds around Chiang Mai, and Samui's wet season runs from October to December.

How much does Chiang Mai to Koh Samui cost at the two Four Seasons resorts?

About £12,904 for two adults for 4 nights at Chiang Mai and 5 on Samui in January: from £1,227 and £1,514 a night on Booking.com, plus £426 for two one-way flights. March is the cheapest typical month for the same split, at about £9,879, but it is the worst month for haze in the north. Rates checked 30 October 2026; long-haul flights are extra.

How far are the resorts from the airports?

Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai is about 30 minutes by car from Chiang Mai airport, in the Mae Rim valley. Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui is about 28 to 45 minutes by car from Samui airport, on the hillside at Mae Nam.

Can you book both hotels through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts?

Yes, both are in Fine Hotels + Resorts. Platinum, Business Platinum and Centurion Card members who book through Amex Travel and pay with the card get daily breakfast for two, a US$100 credit towards eligible charges and a guaranteed 4pm check-out, per room, per stay. The rate can run a little above the best flexible rate, so compare first.

Who should skip this trip?

Anyone who wants the old city or nightlife on the doorstep: Chiang Mai's resort is half an hour from town, and Samui's is on the quiet north-west coast. The Samui villas sit on a steep hillside, which matters if stairs are hard for you.

Sources

Booking.com, each hotel's own page (via our booking links)The from-rates: lowest price for one night, two adults, on one sample night in each monthChecked 30 October 2026
Google Flights, Chiang Mai (CNX) to Samui (USM) on 20 January 2027The £213 non-stop fare, 11:30 to 13:15, and one-stop options from £145Checked 30 October 2026
Bangkok Airways: Chiang Mai to SamuiThe non-stop route, about 1 hr 45 min, and the 20 kg checked bagChecked 30 October 2026
MICHELIN Guide: Four Seasons Resort Chiang MaiThree MICHELIN Keys (2026)Checked 17 October 2026
MICHELIN Guide: Four Seasons Resort Koh SamuiTwo MICHELIN Keys (2026)Checked 17 October 2026
Forbes Travel Guide: Four Seasons Resort Koh SamuiForbes Travel Guide Four-StarChecked 17 October 2026
Our shortlist: the best hotels in ThailandRoom counts, locations, transfer times and each hotel's honest conChecked 17 October 2026
Our guide: the best time to visit ThailandThe month-by-month weather, the burning-season haze and Samui's rainsChecked 29 October 2026
Our guide: Amex Fine Hotels and ResortsWhat an FHR booking adds, and who can make oneChecked 20 October 2026

Every photo on this page is the hotel's own press image and shows that hotel. Prices are dated from-rates, never live prices. The calculator's numbers are also published as machine-readable data. Information only: check the rate, the flight and the hotel's terms before you book.