Pilates classes near your hotel on Koh Samui: beach by beach

Search for a pilates class on holiday and you are really asking two questions: is there one, and how far is it. On Koh Samui the second matters more than people expect. One main road rings the island, and a class that is technically “on Samui” can be five minutes from your hotel or most of an hour. So here is the island beach by beach, measured from one studio — ours, in Chaweng, on the third floor above Isla Café.

The distances are by road and the times are by car or scooter, rounded up for traffic. Use the studio’s map pin rather than an address: Samui road numbers are not something a driver can follow, and the pin is exact.

Chaweng: about five minutes

The closest. From Chaweng Beach or Central Samui it is two or three kilometres, so you can leave after breakfast and still arrive with time to spare. Chaweng Noi, at the quieter southern end, is about ten. If you have not booked a room yet and pilates is part of the reason for the trip, this is the part of the island to stay in.

Bangrak and the Big Buddha: seven to ten minutes

Bangrak is about three kilometres away and the Big Buddha about five. From here the ride to class is shorter than most people’s commute at home.

Bophut and Fisherman’s Village: about ten minutes

About four kilometres, and an easy ride. Bophut is where a lot of people stay for the quieter beach and the evenings in Fisherman’s Village, and it is close enough for a class most mornings. The airport is about ten minutes from the studio too, so a class on the day you land is realistic.

Choeng Mon and Plai Laem: about fifteen minutes

On the north-east corner, about seven kilometres away. This corner is quiet, full of villas, and a common base for people staying a few weeks — which is exactly the length of stay where a pack of classes starts to make sense.

Maenam: about fifteen minutes

West along the north coast, about eight kilometres. Maenam is calmer than the east coast and home to a good share of the people who live on Samui year-round — the ride fits easily into a morning.

Lamai: about twenty minutes

South down the east coast, about ten kilometres. Honestly, if you are in Lamai you may find a class closer to you, and for a single session that could be the right call. People make the ride for what they cannot find nearer: a class of ten on reformers, a teacher who corrects your form by name, and a timetable in English they can book from their phone.

Nathon, the west and the south: thirty minutes and more

Nathon, where the ferries come in, is about twenty-one kilometres — half an hour. Lipa Noi, Taling Ngam and the south coast are further. From there a daily ride stops being practical, and a private class at your villa — a teacher who comes to you, with the mats — is usually the better answer.

Getting there without fuss

• A scooter is the quickest way to get around if you already ride one. If you do not, the island is not the place to learn.
• A ride-hailing app or a taxi works well from the busier beaches. Agree a taxi fare before you set off.
• Paste the map pin into whatever you use, not the name of the road.
• Arrive ten minutes early for your first class. The teacher sets up your reformer and shows you the springs before the class starts.

What you find when you get there

Ten wooden reformers, so never more than ten people in a class; every class taught in English; beginners in the room in every class marked All Levels. You book a place online, see how many are left, and choose your reformer when you arrive. the guide to reformer pilates in Koh Samui covers what a class is like, and the timetable shows every class with the places remaining.

Not every class is at the studio. Isla also teaches mat pilates and sunrise yoga at partner hotels on the island, open to people who are not staying there — those appear on the timetable with the hotel’s name, and yoga on Koh Samui has more on the beach class.

Try a reformer class in Koh Samui

Isla is a ten-reformer studio in Chaweng, a few minutes from the beach, with small classes taught in English. If it is your first time here the intro offer is ฿1,800 for three classes; a single class is ฿900. Pick one from the timetable, or see the packs and prices first.