U Koh Madsum Koh Samui 

Thirty minutes from Koh Samui, the tiny Koh Madsum consists of four things: forest, beach, amazing Gulf views, and what we reckon is the cheapest private island resort in the country; U Koh Madsum Koh Samui. And it just got even cheaper thanks to a couple of new deals running through Dec 31. Book seven days before your trip and the price of a 46-sq-meter tented villa drops from B4,259 to B3,799, while the all-out 93-sq-meter beachfront pool villa is down from B18,499 to B11,299. Both rates rates are per night and include daily breakfast (served all day long--yay!), roundtrip boat rides from Samui, and the usual beach resort things like kayaking and snorkeling. Reserve at 077-953-009 or [email protected]. Visit the website for more details. 

Bandara Resort & Spa

Through Oct 31, snag one of Bandara Resort & Spa's (www.bandarasamui.com) pool villa suites for under B8,000—or B7,885, to be precise (orginally B17,523). In fact, they're offering 55-percent off all villas for stays of up to two nights, and even more for longer. That means standard villas are down to B6,027 from B13,395. Stay for three nights or more and those prices drop to B5,358 per night for a standard villa and B7,009 for a pool-villa suite. Not too shabby, especially given the resort's proximity to the up-and-coming Fisherman's Village, which also happens to be home to the newest Casa Lapin.  

The Sarann Koh Samui 

This resort is right by Samui's nightlife hub of Chaweng. But don't expect beach clubs and all-night parties. The Sarann Koh Samui (www.thesarann.com) sits on the much more charming Chaweng Noi, where along with some fairly standard "deluxe rooms," it also offers a few charming pool villas situated on the rocks above the ocean. Visit over the weekend from now through Dec 25, and you can get one of these seafront pool villas for B18,000 for both nights (down from standard rates of B11,805 per night), including daily breakfast, shuttle service to Chaweng's pubs and clubs, roundtrip transfer to the airport and 10-30-percent off at the spa. Make reservations on 077-448-540 or e-mail [email protected].