Northern beaches loop, Sai Kaew to Ao Tubtim
Routes Island spine5-6 km45 minutes round tripEasy
Three beaches end-to-end: the Mermaid Statues at Sai Kaew, the lively Ao Phai bar strip and the calmer Ao Tubtim crescent for lunch, all on sealed road.
Pick up a scooter at Na Dan Pier the moment the Ban Phe ferry docks, then ride the sealed island spine south through Sai Kaew, Ao Phai and Ao Wong Duean to Laem Kut at the southern tip.
845 reviews
3 verified shops
60+ bikes
from 170 THB/day
A quick scan of what matters for motorbike renters in Koh Samet (Ko Samet).
| Best bike size | Automatic 100-125cc for the sealed spine; the southern dirt to Ao Wai and Laem Kut prefers a higher-clearance 125cc |
|---|---|
| Day rate from | From 170 THB/day |
| Nearest 24h fuel | Mainland PTT and Shell on Sukhumvit Road in Ban Phe; on-island fuel is bottle vendors in Na Dan only |
| Typical parking | Free Na Dan Pier square, free Sai Kaew main lot, paid Ao Wong Duean beach 20-30 THB/day |
| Traffic peak | Na Dan to Sai Kaew 07:00-10:00 and 14:00-17:00 with ferry surges, Saturday 10:00-14:00 with the Bangkok weekend wave |
| Best ride-out | Sealed-spine south to Ao Wong Duean and the dirt finish to Laem Kut and Ko Chan views (~16 km one way) |
Koh Samet is the closest island getaway from Bangkok, a 6 km long sliver of national park 4.5 km offshore from Ban Phe with a single sealed north-south spine threading nine east-coast bays from Hat Sai Kaew at the top to Laem Kut at the southern tip. Private cars and motorbikes from the mainland are not allowed off the ferry; every rider on the island is on a rented bike, picked up within 100 metres of Na Dan Pier or at the Sai Kaew waterfront. Distances are short and speed bumps every 200 to 300 metres keep the average pace honest, so the bike is a tool for beach-hopping and pier transfers rather than long-distance touring. Pick a 110-125cc automatic, plan to refuel before boarding the ferry at Ban Phe, and treat the southern dirt past Ao Tawan as the rougher half of the island.
The sealed island spine from Na Dan Pier south through Sai Kaew, Ao Phai, Ao Tubtim and Ao Wong Duean is in good condition but punctuated by speed bumps every 200 to 300 metres with no warning signs. Beyond Ao Tawan the road transitions to packed earth and then loose gravel and rock by Ao Wai and Laem Kut; cheap rental tyres slip in the corners after rain. The beach access lanes off the spine are short and sandy at the entrances.
The Na Dan Pier square is a free, sandy ferry-arrival lot with no attendant; safe for a few hours but not for overnight. Sai Kaew main public lot near the Mermaid Statues is free and busy 09:00-18:00, then unattended after dark. Ao Wong Duean has informal paid parking at 20-30 THB per day under vendor watch 08:00-19:00. Cocoon Hostel and the larger Ao Wong Duean and Ao Prao resorts park guest bikes inside their compounds for free.
There is no full-service petrol station on Koh Samet itself. Riders top up at the PTT and Shell on Sukhumvit Road in Ban Phe before boarding the ferry from the mainland with their own bike, and on-island refuels happen at informal bottle vendors in Na Dan and outside the bigger Sai Kaew bars at 60-80 THB above mainland pump prices. Most pier-area rental shops hand the bike over with a full tank, which usually covers a full day of beach-hopping; budget a top-up before any push south past Ao Tawan to Ao Wai or Laem Kut.
The Na Dan to Sai Kaew stretch peaks 07:00-10:00 and 14:00-17:00 with ferry-arrival songthaews and luggage trolleys clogging the 2 km link; Saturday 10:00-14:00 brings the Bangkok weekend wave on top. The Ao Kiew narrow section in the central-south stays calm midweek but turns into a passing-conflict at midday on weekends because the road is too narrow for two scooters abreast. Sai Kaew bars draw drunk weekend riders 21:00 to midnight, the highest-risk window for crashes on the spine.
Three beaches end-to-end: the Mermaid Statues at Sai Kaew, the lively Ao Phai bar strip and the calmer Ao Tubtim crescent for lunch, all on sealed road.
The signature mid-island ride: Sai Kaew south to the Ao Wong Duean crescent for snorkel boats and beach bars, then onward to the quieter Ao Cho and Ao Nuan turn-offs.
Sealed road south to Ao Loong Dam, then dirt and rock to the Ao Wai swim crescent and the Laem Kut tide pools at the southern tip with Ko Chan islet offshore.
Quick westbound turn-off on a sealed road to the island's only true west-facing crescent for sunset views over the mainland.
November to February is peak season with calm seas, clear skies and the ferry on its full timetable; book the bike ahead because pier-area shops ration stock fast and weekend rates spike. December and January are the most crowded weekends. May and June run shoulder with quieter beaches and easier rentals, with brief afternoon rains. July to October is the southwest monsoon: ferry crossings from Ban Phe become unreliable in rough seas, the southern dirt past Ao Tawan turns to mud, and tropical depressions in September and October can shut down the crossing entirely for half a day. Songkran in mid-April is a secondary peak with high heat, packed beaches and the most distracted riders of the year on the spine.
Speed bumps every 200 to 300 metres on the spine are the single most common reason rental bikes get damaged on Koh Samet; cross every bump at 15-20 km/h, especially with a passenger. The southern dirt sections past Ao Tawan have loose gravel on the corner exits and blind hill crests; slow to 15-20 km/h, walk technical sections if unsure, and never ride that stretch at night. Helmet enforcement on the island is lax but a helmet is always available with the rental, and Sai Kaew bars push drunk weekend riders onto the spine 21:00 to midnight. Photograph the bike with a date and the odometer at pickup; pier shops have been known to invent new damage at return. Koh Samet has only a small clinic in Na Dan, so any serious incident means a ferry evacuation back to Rayong; travel insurance with motorcycle cover is non-negotiable.
Settle the rate, deposit, insurance and pickup window in the app before the speedboat leaves Ban Phe.
The pier-side rental stalls clustered on Nadan Main Street and Cocoon Hostel on Hat Sai Kaew are the two practical walk-in references on Koh Samet, with several Ao Wong Duean beach resorts adding a smaller third option mid-island. Each settles the rate, deposit, insurance and cancellation at the counter when you sign on the day, often after a haggle on multi-day rates. A Byklo booking through a mainland Rayong partner handles those four things in the app before the speedboat leaves Ban Phe, which matters on Saturday afternoons when ferry-timed arrivals find pier-area fleets already drawn down.
| What you are comparing | Book with Byklo | Walk in to a local Koh Samet shop |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Confirmed at checkout; the Honda Click or PCX you picked is held in your name, including for a Saturday afternoon ferry arrival when pier-side fleets thin fast. | Subject to walk-in stock; Nadan Main Street stalls can run dry on a December weekend when two ferries land within an hour. |
| Pricing | Locked at checkout; the rate you saw online is the rate you pay at pickup, with no haggle for multi-day or peak-weekend mark-ups. | Negotiated at the counter; rates shift between weekday and weekend and between Nadan and Sai Kaew shopfronts. |
| Passport deposit | Never held as deposit; most Byklo partners on Rayong skip passport-as-collateral, so yours stays with you on the southern dirt to Ao Wai and Laem Kut. | May be requested at the counter, with copies of a driving licence sometimes accepted in place of the original. |
| Insurance | Basic insurance included on every Byklo booking, with upgrade tiers shown before checkout and tied to the bike model. | Varies by shop; coverage and excess are confirmed on the day at the counter when you sign the rental contract. |
| Cancellation | Free cancellation on most Byklo bookings within the 1-7 day window shown on each listing, useful when a Ban Phe ferry suspends in the September monsoon. | Set by each shop at the counter; specifics vary and are agreed on the day, often with no written terms. |
| Contact and communication | Booking, receipt, in-app messaging and turn-by-turn directions to the booked partner shop all live in one Byklo app. | Reached via Facebook Messenger, LINE, WhatsApp or phone; the paper contract at the counter is the shop's record. |
If your Saturday plan is the 09:00 speedboat from Ban Phe and the day-one ride to Sai Kaew before the weekend wave hits, a Byklo booking with the bike confirmed across Rayong partner shops beats hopping between Nadan Main Street stalls with a soft fleet. With free cancellation up to your pickup day, you can lock the booking the night before and still pivot if the Gulf turns rough.
Walk-in descriptions are at the Koh Samet pier-area category level, not shop-specific; Byklo policies reflect current checkout across Rayong partner shops. Cross-checked March 2026 against the named shops' websites and Google Maps listings.
From Koh Samet, the ferry back to the mainland lands at Ban Phe in 30 to 60 minutes, and from there it is 30 km east on Sukhumvit Road and Pae Klaeng Road to Mae Phim's quieter casuarina-lined beach for an overnight or a long lunch. The full Rayong coastal drive west of Ban Phe runs another 30 km toward Rayong city centre and the inland fruit-orchard country.
Everything you need to know about renting motorbikes in Rayong
No passport deposit required
Pre-departure bike condition photos
Secure Stripe payments, no cash required
In-app messaging with the shop
Free cancellation available
24/7 support if something goes wrong
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