As Samui has developed, and grown into a thriving destination, investors have quickly snapped up the majority of what's considered prime land; leaving everyone else to search for the next best thing. At first, when Samui started to become a more popular destination, anyone looking to invest on the island wanted beachfront land. And one thing Samui has plenty of is beaches. Hotels were quick to spot the potential on the most visited beaches and because of their buying power they were able to get most of the beachfront land in these areas. But, as the popularity has grown, so has the price tag. And now any land, or property, on or very close to a beach is beyond the means of many private investors. Even if the money is available, good plots are becoming increasingly harder to find. And, not surprisingly, beach villas don't come up for resale too often.

So, with rapidly escalating prices and diminishing numbers of available beachfront properties, investors have been forced to look for other spectacular locations around the island. And it appears from the way the development has gone, that if you can't be on the beach, then having a sea-view is almost as good. It's certainly an obvious sales point and one that agents and developers never fail to point out in their advertising.

Samui is blessed with amazing sea-views from pretty much any elevated spot on the island. With views to the mainland and the surrounding islands, sunsets and sunrises, and the kind of climate that maintains the view on most days of the year, owning a property with a sea-view is a very attractive proposition. Just take a look as you drive around the island, villas are appearing on many mountainsides. The difficulty of building and higher construction costs seemingly not a problem, as long as a sea-view is achieved.

To some, a mountainside villa, even with astounding panoramic views, will always be second best to a beachfront villa. But, in reality, there are many advantages. The first that springs to mind is privacy and security. Beaches in Thailand remain public land; having a beachfront villa doesn't give you a private beach. In fact, there's nothing you can do to stop people walking past or stopping and having a picnic right in front of your villa. This is unlikely to be a problem anywhere on a mountain.

On some beaches there may be noise issues: fishing boats and jet skis; beach bars and restaurants, and their potentially rowdy customers. Again, none of these problems should be encountered on a hillside location.

And, finally, there's the weather. It's a factor over which we have no control, and only small measures can be taken to protect your home against it, wherever your house is. But, in a beachfront location, you'll undoubtedly feel the brunt of any bad weather. Unusually high tides; salt water damage to exteriors; flooding, leading to gardens and plants being covered in sand; and strong sea winds can all be hazards. And, on top of the problems coming from the ocean, you're likely to be hit from both sides. Because of the topography of the island, with a mountainous centre, when there's heavy rain gravity takes over and all the water makes its way down to lower ground, usually finding the quickest way to the sea. Rivers of muddy, debris-strewn water can sometimes be seen heading towards the beach in times of excessive rain. And their route to the sea could well be via your house. And once it gets to the sea, stormy weather has a habit of creating larger than normal waves that throw it right back at you again.

The weather can also pose a risk on the mountainside and the rain water can also be a problem when making its way down the slope, but it's definitely less of an issue than on the beach. Fortunately, for both mountainside and beachside properties, weather such as described above is very rare on Samui. And, although pointing out the potential disadvantages of beachfront properties, it's a fact that on a clear sunny day, of which there are many on Samui, it's hard to imagine even the most incredible view being as idyllic as stepping beyond your garden onto the soft sand, before dipping in the sea.

The point is that all properties have potential issues that may affect where you buy. Beachfront land is still the number one; it's the most sought-after and generally the most expensive. Following that, sea-view properties come next, and some of the most exclusive and expensive homes on Samui are perched on the mountain; the better the view, again, the more coveted and more expensive the home.

But not all investors have bottomless pockets and the fact of the matter is, on Samui, however remote your home may be, you’ll never be more than a few minutes away from either a beautiful beach or a breathtaking view. And having a maintained concrete road providing access to your home is another major advantage that will make your home more desirable and more valuable.

So, from an investment point of view, it's hard to imagine any home in any location on Samui not offering a good return, either as a rented property or in terms of capital growth. Both the real-estate and the tourism industries have to cater to all budgets, as people from all circumstances will want to visit what is clearly one of the premier destinations in the world. And, therefore, there will always be a demand for the next best thing. However far up or down the chain of desirable locations that may be.