We booked with Gavin and Lorraine at the last minute and they were very accommodating. We didn’t want to be on a boat packed with tourists all day so my husband and I did the island Gem snorkel and picnic. It was just the 2 of us with Gavin and Chot our long boat driver. We stopped for a snorkel and saw lots of fish, then headed out for Thai picnic lunch. We enjoyed the food and Gavin was a very entertaining host. We loved the stories and his love of Thailand is very evident. Special thanks to Peter and Bella for recommending this tour.

Visited February 2016, Check out the review on TripAdvisor!

Our cruise ship 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 cruise ship 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 cruise ship 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.
Unwind and Enjoy!

Visited February 2016, Check out the review on TripAdvisor!

This was a great, family run tour. Gavin picked my husband and I up from our hotel, and we were introduced to our guide for the day, Len, who was an absolute pleasure to talk to and hang out with for the day. We took a boat out to the snorkeling site, and I’ve never snorkeled with fish who are willing to get so close to people (probably because they were being fed). It was a great snorkeling experience. After that, we headed to the secluded beach and had a wonderful picnic prepared by Len on the beach with terrificThai food. It was great to lay on the beach for a few hours, drink beers, eat good food, and go in the ocean. Worth noting that there is nothing on the island except for the beach, so it was great to book this tour that provided food and booze – travelers who came with other tour companies to the beach were quite jealous of our sweet set-up. I would definitely book with Island Gem again and would recommend them to anyone going to Samui.

Visited March 2016, Check out the review on TripAdvisor!

I have honestly had the most memorable day with Lorraine and Gavin from Island Gem tours. Thank you for a great day!! The food was amazing and the traditional long tail boat ride over there was really such a great experience too. 🙂

Visited March 2016, Check out the review on TripAdvisor!

We went on a snorkeling tour, lunch included – fantastic, would not change a thing – plenty of chat with the tour guide yet plenty of privacy for our family, great food in a great location, great snorkeling and very good quality snorkeling gear. Definitely recommend!

Visited January 2016, Check out the review on TripAdvisor!

I was lucky enough to experience this fantastic trip on Sunday. Lorraine, Gavin and Gem put on a spectacular day, starting at a very reasonable 10.30am.

We started out on a long boat, and stopped for the best snorkelling I’ve done on Samui, just off Koh Tan. Gorgeous! As soon as we were back on the boat, we were offered beers, before we got to the secluded Koh Madsum, for a delicious bbq lunch, comprising western and Thai cuisine. This island really is beautiful, and the lunch so tasty. I drank white wine, but there were also beers, red wine and soft drinks on offer.

The hosts, Lorraine and Gavin, were so lovely, helpful, and knowledgable. The best part? Chilled out and relaxed. So many tours take it out of you, but this day was perfect. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone. Do yourself a favour.

Visited March 2016, Check out the review on Tripadvisor!

We used Gem Island tours for the Beach Picnic.

They arranged for a transfer from our hotel. The transfer was on time! We stayed at Choeng Mon, so it was about a 45 min drive to the tour.
When we got there, we were surprised that we were the only ones on the tour. Gavin explained that he only offers exclusive tours now. That was a bonus! We jumped onto the Longboat and headed out.
Gavin chatted the whole way and he was really easy to talk to. When we arrived at the snorkelling location, Gavin gave a good briefing and got the snorkelling gear ready. The gear was top quality, best I have used.
The amount of fish in the area was amazing. You were literally surrounded the minute you entered the water. The water was clear and the variety of fish amazing. We saw sting rays, leopard fish and even a puffer fish. That was pretty cool. We did a trip out to Ang Thong Marine Park later in our trip. The snorkelling was better with Gem Island Tours than at Ang Thong.
Because you have the tour to yourself, you get to choose how long you want to snorkel for. That was a great aspect.
When we finished, we went onto the island for a beach picnic. Gavin stays away from the more commercial area. There were 5 – 6 boats there. We had this big stretch of beach all to ourselves. Gavin had prepared an excellent picnic, and had specifically catered for Jes, who is gluten free.
Gavin provided lots of drinks too, which was great.
All in all, an absolutely fantastic day. I cannot recommend Gavin and Gem Island tours enough. You simply must book this if in Koh Samui!

Visited April 2016, Check out the review on TripAdvisor!

Island gem tours is a hidden gem. It is exclusive and you are treated like royalty. We were picked up from our hotel on time by Christian and Lan who were our guides for the day.
Nothing is too much trouble for them and more importantly they are able to communicate very well in English.
We had a comfortable drive to the long boat departure point.
The 20 minute or so long boat ride to the snorkelling stop was smooth and comfortable especially as my wife suffers from motion sickness, but she found it comfortable.
The snorkelling and fish feeding was awesome. Beautiful coral and lots and lots of fish.
Then off to another island for a picnic lunch.
Fantastic Do Not Have Breakfast
Too much food but great
Plenty of time to do what you want
The trip back highlighted by me driving the long boat – only for a bit
A really good day and thank you so much Christian and Lan

Visited May 2016, Check out the review on Tripadvisor!

Galvin picked up on time with big smiles and abundant knowledge of the island. We sailed off on a private long tail boat from an interesting harbor (good pic point of local fishing boat and dried fish!) The first stop is snorkeling, wonderful experience with Galvin, he makes you feel safe and will point out what to look out, very easy snorkeling experience. Then we sailed off to a private island with almost nobody, the water is so amazingly beautiful, you will really think you are in heaven, Galvin cooked us wonderful Thai meal with option of spiciness you can choose, I totally enjoyed all authentic Thai flavor! I got lucky in the middle to try some live sea urchin even! I couldn’t recommend more of this trip to others, its romantic, private, caring and you will not want to leave.

Visited April 2016, Check out the review on TripAdvisor!