Plai Laem occupies the eastern side of Samui's north coast peninsular, which most visitors know thanks to the Big Buddha statue that sits proudly on a small island at its apex. Plai Laem is the less developed of the pensinsular's two coasts, although easy access to the airport and ferry piers to neighbouring islands has prompted a number of new villa developments, low-key resorts and small residential compounds to spring up, both along the seafront and scattered through the palm-clad hinterland. The restaurants in this area are mainly of the local variety, although some of the resorts also offer international cuisine. The beach is narrow for most of the year, so not really a bathers' paradise but the views across to the small island of Koh Som and left to the Big Buddha are superb.. For local culture, Plai Laem temple is an impressive, colourful compound containing large religious statues set in a man-made lake filled with carp.