Privacy Policy - Samui69

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Who We Are

Samui69 operates the website samui69.com, a travel information resource dedicated to Koh Samui, Thailand. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your personal information.

For any privacy-related questions, contact us at hello@samui69.com.

Information We Collect

We collect minimal data necessary to operate and improve this website:

Server Logs

Our hosting provider, Vercel, automatically collects standard web server logs when you visit the website. This includes your IP address, browser type and version, referring page, pages visited, and timestamps. This data is necessary for site operation, security, and abuse prevention.

Analytics

We use Cloudflare Web Analytics, provided by Cloudflare, Inc., to understand which pages are useful, how visitors find us, and how fast pages load. It uses no cookies and no local storage, does not build visitor profiles, and does not track visitors across websites. We only ever see aggregated statistics (page views, referrers, country, browser/device type, and page load performance), never data tied to an individual visitor.

As with any web request, the request sent to Cloudflare carries your IP address and user agent. Cloudflare states it does not use this data to fingerprint or track visitors. This website is non-commercial, and analytics data is never used for advertising. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy for details.

Contact Communications

If you email us at hello@samui69.com, we receive your email address and message content. This information is used solely to respond to your inquiry and is not shared with third parties.

Site Statistics and Your Consent

Google Tag Manager loads Google Analytics, which we use for anonymous site statistics: page views, the referring site, rough country, and browser/device type. Google (Google Ireland Ltd / Google LLC) processes the data on our behalf. The cookies _ga and _ga_<id> (up to 2 years) are set only when statistics are on. We never use the data for advertising and never sell or share it with anyone else.

In EU member states (except the Netherlands), Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, a banner asks first. Statistics cookies stay off until you press Accept, and ignoring the banner means no cookies. Before you accept, Google Tag Manager still loads and Google may receive cookieless signals (no cookies, no identifiers, used only for modelled totals) under Google Consent Mode. In Germany nothing from Google loads until you accept. In the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the Netherlands, statistics are on from the first page, and a small notice tells you so (with OK and Read more). Everywhere else, statistics are on and there is no banner. With the control below you can object or turn statistics off at any time, and we honour it.

To choose which of these applies, your browser asks our server for your country once every 7 days. The server reads only the country code from the hosting provider's (Vercel) request header, returns just that code, and stores nothing. Your browser keeps three localStorage entries: s69-geo (country code and time of the check), s69-consent (your choice, kept until you change it or clear site data) and s69-notice (that you closed the notice).

Withdrawing or objecting, anywhere, stops statistics at once and expires the _ga cookies. On later pages no Google script loads at all until you allow statistics again. In the countries with a banner, the banner comes back on the next page.

What We Do Not Collect

We want to be transparent about what we do not do:

We do not require user accounts or registration
We do not collect payment or financial information
We do not accept or store user-generated content
We do not use advertising trackers or retargeting pixels
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties

Cookies

This website uses essential cookies required for basic functionality, such as storing your language preference. When statistics are on, Google Analytics also sets first-party cookies (_ga and _ga_<id>, up to 2 years) to count visits. In the countries with a banner they are only set after you accept. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party marketing cookies.

Essential cookies need no consent. For the statistics cookies, see Site Statistics and Your Consent, where you can also withdraw at any time.

Third-Party Services

Vercel (Hosting)

Our website is hosted on Vercel Inc. Vercel processes server logs as part of providing hosting services. You can review Vercel's privacy practices in their Privacy Policy.

Cloudflare Web Analytics

Our website uses Cloudflare Web Analytics, provided by Cloudflare, Inc., to measure page views and load performance. You can review Cloudflare's privacy practices in their Privacy Policy.

Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics

Our website uses Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics, provided by Google Ireland Ltd and Google LLC, for anonymous site statistics as described under Site Statistics and Your Consent. Google processes the data on our behalf. You can review Google's privacy practices in their Privacy Policy.

External Links

Our articles contain links to external websites: hotels, restaurants, booking platforms, and other services. When you click these links, you leave samui69.com and become subject to those websites' own privacy policies. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external site you visit.

Data Retention

Server logs are retained in accordance with Vercel's standard data retention policies. Emails sent to us are retained only as long as necessary to handle your inquiry, after which they are deleted. Cloudflare Web Analytics data is retained by Cloudflare according to its own privacy policy, and we only see aggregated statistics. Google keeps event-level Google Analytics data for the period set in our Analytics account (Google offers 2 or 14 months; we use at most 14 months) and then deletes it. Aggregated reports are not affected. We never store IP addresses ourselves; Google states that Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses.

If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

Right of access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification: request correction of inaccurate data
Right to erasure: request deletion of your personal data
Right to restrict processing: request that we limit how we use your data
Right to data portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
Right to object: object to processing based on legitimate interest
Right to lodge a complaint: file a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority

The legal basis for processing server logs and analytics data is our legitimate interest in operating and improving the website (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR). For Google Analytics statistics, the legal basis is your consent in the countries with a banner (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR); elsewhere it is our legitimate interest in improving the site (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR / UK GDPR), and you can object at any time. To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@samui69.com.

California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used. We do not sell personal information. You may request disclosure of the data we have collected by contacting us at hello@samui69.com.

International Data Transfers

Our website is hosted on servers that may be located in the United States and other countries. By using this website, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your own, where data protection laws may differ. Cloudflare, Inc. is based in the United States and may process the request data (IP address, user agent) there and on its global network. Google may process Google Analytics data in the United States and other countries.

Children's Privacy

This website is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact

For any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at hello@samui69.com.