Planning to go to Shantou from HK in June 2014. What is the safest, fastest and most comfortable way to do this?

I think the safest and fast method is to take a flight.
There is no train between the two cities. There are even no trains between Shenzhen and ST. Only one train between Guangzhou and ST.
So it is suggested to take a flight.

If you do not want to take a flight, you can use the direct bus and the buses can be boarded at gate of Cityview Hotel. The buses are at 09:00 and 15:00 and it operates for about 5 hours.

Thanks for your reply. Change of plan, now going from Guangzhou to ST, is there high speed train for the two cities? Where can I find schedule and price? Thanks!

Yes, there is high-speed train service between Guangzhou South and Chaoshan Station. Chaoshan Station is at the center place of Shantou, Chaozhou and Jiefang. Upon arriving in Chaoshan Station, there are shuttle buses to ST city. You can search the timetable and price in the train page at this website you are visiting!

You mean Express Train, not high speed as I checked and line T802 will take over 7 hours from Guangzhou to shantou. Is there faster train?

No, I mean high-speed train indeed and it connects Guangzhou South and Chaoshan Station, with the travel duration of around 3h. Two are in service: G6305/G6308 and G6309/G6312.