Wat Plai Laem

Wat Plai Laem is a Thai-Chinese Buddhist temple in the northeast of Koh Samui, built around a lake and best known for its 18-arm statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy. Entry is free and it’s open daily, roughly 06:00 to 18:00. Built between 2004 and 2009, it’s a short drive from the island’s Big Buddha, and the two are almost always visited together.

The Guanyin statue and the temple

The white 18-armed Guanyin is the reason most people come — she stands on the water, each arm holding a different object to represent reaching out to help in every direction. Across the lake sits a large, grinning Laughing Buddha, a symbol of wealth and contentment that visitors rub for luck. The ordination hall between them is worked in bright ceramic tile and multi-tiered roofs, in the Thai-Chinese style that runs through the whole complex. The lake is full of carp, and buying a bag of fish food to feed them counts as merit-making.

Insider Tip: Come early or late, and pair it with the Big Buddha (Wat Phra Yai) five minutes up the road — they share the same corner of the island, and doing both takes barely more than an hour.

Visiting

Entry is free; leave a donation if you wish. As a working temple, the dress code applies — shoulders and knees covered, shoes off before you enter any building. The grounds are flat and easy to walk, with the statues, lake and gardens all within a compact area, so 30 to 45 minutes is enough.

Watch out: It’s an active place of worship, not just a photo stop. Keep your voice down, don’t climb on or pose disrespectfully beside the statues, and ask before photographing people at prayer.

For more of Samui’s sights, the island’s tallest waterfall at Na Muang makes a good half-day pairing inland.

Wat Plai Laem is on Road 4171, Bo Phut, Koh Samui District, Surat Thani 84320. View on Google Maps.