Koh Samui Tops the World’s Best Islands – But Is It Really the Best?

July 31, 2026

Image: A happy girl enjoying the sunshine at Ao Thong Takhian, also known as Silver Beach. Photographer: Jens.

A Ranking Based on Travelers’ Experiences

When the American travel magazine Travel + Leisure announced the results of the 2026 World’s Best Awards, Koh Samui topped the list of the world’s best islands. The Thai island received a score of 95.64 out of 100 from the magazine’s readers, placing it ahead of several of the world’s most renowned island destinations. But what really lies behind the award?

Travel + Leisure has been publishing its annual World’s Best Awards since the 1990s, giving readers the opportunity to rate destinations and travel companies. This year’s survey included more than 207,000 readers, who collectively cast around 661,000 votes for more than 10,000 destinations and travel companies around the world.

When it comes to islands, readers rate factors such as natural attractions and beaches, activities and sights, restaurants and food, the people and their hospitality, and value for money. The results are therefore not based on an expert jury or any kind of objective measurement, but on how the participating travelers themselves experienced their visits.

Koh Samui received an overall score of 95.64 out of 100. The five highest-ranked islands were:

Koh Samui was also a so-called first-time winner. In the 2025 ranking, the island placed 14th with a score of 89.31. In just one year, it has therefore climbed from 14th place to the top spot while increasing its score by more than six points.

What Makes Koh Samui So Popular?

It is, of course, impossible to know exactly why the participating travelers ranked Koh Samui so highly, but the island offers a combination that appeals to many different types of visitors.

There are long beaches, tropical nature, a wide range of restaurants and hotels, activities, spas and opportunities to relax – but also quieter areas and opportunities to experience a little more of everyday Thai life. The island is developed enough to offer most of what a tourist could wish for, while there are still places where the pace of life is considerably slower.

The fact that Koh Samui has also received increased international attention through the TV series The White Lotus may well have contributed to the island’s popularity. The third season was filmed largely on Koh Samui and introduced the island to a global audience.

Image: Anders shows his younger brother Henrik how to celebrate Songkran on Koh Samui – with a generous splash of water. Photographer: Jens.

But Is Koh Samui Really the World’s Best Island?

This is where things get a little more complicated. Calling something the “world’s best” is fun, but at the same time a little absurd. How do you really compare Koh Samui with a small, almost uninhabited island in the Pacific? And what is better – white-sand beaches, great restaurants, dramatic scenery, seclusion, or a wide range of conveniences? Naturally, it depends on who you ask.

After living on Koh Samui for many years, I think the island has a great deal to offer, and I can certainly understand why visitors enjoy it. But I would not claim that Koh Samui is objectively the world’s best island. It may, however, be the world’s best island for a great many people.

Perhaps that is also what Travel + Leisure’s top ranking really conveys. Not that the question of the world’s best island has been settled once and for all, but that a great many travelers have left Koh Samui feeling that they had a really good vacation.

I think my wife’s spontaneous reaction was quite telling when I told her about the award: “Really?”

✪ Link to the award:  Travel + Leisure

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✪ Related reading:  About The White Lotus Season 3

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