Our cruiseship docked in Ko Samui for just one day. I contacted Island Gem a few days before arrival and they replied the same day which I appreciated with details on the booking.

A driver met us at the dock where our cruiseship tendered with a sign with our names. His English was the best; however, he made up for it in enthusiasm. We stopped at a waterfall and also at a temple.

The tour with Island Gem was special. We went with a guide on a Thai longboat to a snorkeling area and then went to a beach area where they cooked us a nice Thai luncheon right on the beach! There were several courses to try – I lost count after five.

After spending a few hours relaxing on the beach, it was time to go back to the cruiseship thoroughly relaxed.

This would be an excellent tour for a group or couple – it felt intimate and personal. It felt very casual and non-rushed.

We wanted to do the island picnic trip but because of the rough seas it was cancelled. We opted then for the Photographers’ Tour. Gavin took us round the whole island and answered all our questions about the the culture, people and more. He is a mine of information and so pleasant. We had as much time as we needed to take photos of the temples and other sights. Next time we will definitely do the picnic tour, too.

Hello, the photografhy tour was amazing, well organized, & it was the best day in Koh-Samui. The sunset location is must see site in any weather. Thank you

This review is long overdue but I feel that I should credit Gavin and his team for making me stay in Samui an extremely memorable one. I visited Samui in August 2015 with my mum and booked a customised tour with him. However, I made numerous changes to my travel plans and not once did Gavin flare up at me. I do apologise to him for over my fussy travel plans. Gavin is simply awesome throughout the whole tour. He brought me to an awesome location to view the sunset….This is a fraction of what you pay to other firms in Samui who bring you out to sea for the sunset. And the best part of the whole day…..Gavin brought me to a off-tour location to see planes landing. I am commercial aircraft fanatic and seeing a Bangkok Airways A319 landing was the simply the most amazing item on this tour. Highly recommend Gavin to anyone looking for a customised tour in Samui.

We did the photographers tour today. The other admissions cancelled, so we had a private tour with the owner of the company! Very nice guy, we enjoyed talking about life on the island almost more than the actual tour! Saw some nice sites and took some great pictures. Would definitely recommend Island Gem Tours!

Went on the drink tasting tour with island gem. This tour was great and would highly recommend the tour. It was very unique and took us to place I would of never known about otherwise l. The wine was amazing and by far some of the best wines I have ever had. The staff are really friendly and make an effort to get to know you make sure that you are looked after the whole time. Amazing tour and staff.

What could be better, rum, wine, beer and lunch by the beach. Gavin owner/ guide was prompt and provided island lore as we drove to the various locations. The rum distillery was near Chaweng beach. Two shots and a sweet mixer. The owner of the Thai Winery House explained that her wines were created to go with thai food. A picnic tour and photography tour were also offered.

The best day out on hour holiday, enjoyed every minute, lorraine you were fantastic, gave us a full guided tour, history and lots of delicious tastings with great hosts all the way. Beautiful lunch looking out to sea, we will look back with fond memories, will never forget a wonderful day spent with you.

We had an incredible day alcohol tasting with Island Gem Tours. They picked us up from our hotel and we started with the only rum distillery on the island. The distillery is currently under renovation for expansion, however, their rum and simple syrup were delicious. From there we ventured to a winery to try numerous fruit wine flavors. Next, a delicious lunch (included with tour) with a homemade cocktail and finally ended the day with the local brewery. Gavin and his team were exceptional and we highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a unique Koh Samui adventure!

We went on the “Drinks Tasting Tour Including Lunch in Koh Samui”

To start we found out we were the only ones on the tour today. So we got a private tour which I think made the whole day so very special. I know other companies would have cancelled the tour if they did not have “minimum numbers” but not Island Gem Tours. Nope, they came and picked us up and proceeded as scheduled. Our first stop is the only distillery on the island. Its pretty interesting as the Thai sugar cane is really different to the Australian (it looks more like bamboo). We got to meet one of the owners, a French man, which is quite special. The rum is unique and quite strong. If you think, I do not like rum, try it anyway because I think you might like this one.

Then we went to the only Thai wine disturber on Koh Samui.
Again we met the owner who actually served us. If you have not had Thai wine before you have too. Its such an amazing experience and it isn’t just fruit wine. There is grape wine made from grapes grown in Thailand – unique and delicious. Trust me, try it. Lunch was the next stop where I got to get behind the bar and make my very first cocktail with the help of an experienced barwomen. Lunch was just brilliant with views out to the ocean. The last stop was a brewery. Again we got to meet the owner – I mean seriously where else do you get to do that?! We talked about beer and London. The beer is specially brewed for Koh Samui so it is perfect for the climate and food.

So the places we went to and the people we met were amazing but the best part of the tour would have to be our guide. Lorraine. She was just brilliant. I usually ask odd questions and I ask why a lot. She was so knowledgeable and never got flustered with the endless questions. Trust me even my family gets annoyed with me so this is a sign of just how brilliant Lorraine is. When we come back to Koh Samui we will definitely be doing more tours with Island Gem Tours and we will be requesting Lorraine.

PS – also she is an awesome driver which is saying a lot if you have even been in traffic in Koh Samui