Samui is a leisure island where most of the services cater to hospitality and enjoyment, with plenty of options for nightlife. Since almost everyone on the island is on holiday, or working within the environment, there is always some
Zicco at Koh Samui.....Chaweng Beach, Centera Grand Beach Resort.
action every night in the main tourist areas. Often you can stumble back to your villa or hotel room, otherwise there are always taxis waiting by. The best part is you can sleep off the hangover on the beach, so the atmosphere is mostly festive and ranges from refined cocktail lounges and quiet beachside dining to raucous bars and discos with live music. Then there are a number of tamer activities to while away an evening and we’ve covered these too.
While bars can be found at all of the island’s main beach areas, it is Chaweng and to a lesser extent Lamai, where the parties linger on long into the wee hours. The evening entertainment on other beaches is largely limited to a few quiet local bars, but in the height of the busy season you’ll always find good company and it won’t hurt your wallet to sit drinking all evening.
Always loud, sometimes lewd… if the hedonistic life is for you, then we can suggest a few venues to really let your hair down:
Lamai
It's Reggee Pub at Koh Samui, Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui.
Lamai is Samui’s second largest beach resort and has a strong following among visitors and expatriates alike. Quieter than Chaweng (though not that you’d always notice), Lamai has a huge selection of bars and clubs, including some of the best known on the island.
Super Sub Club
One of Lamai’s finest, featuring house tunes spun by well-known local DJs. It’s a good size air-conditioned club with a large outdoor terrace featuring a large screen for watching sporting events if you need a break from dancing.
The Bauhaus Club
One of the best known clubs on the island thanks to their truck trundling up
Dance at Green Mango Koh
and down the Chaweng road blaring out advertisements about the latest upcoming events, that include one of their specialties: the Bauhaus foam party.
In addition to these there is a busy drag of venues along the Lamai road, back from the beach, which is the centre of the action by night. There are dozens of places to choose from and you can easily wander from one to the next, sampling cheap cocktails or seeking out a selection of local and imported beers. One particular area has been set about for the girlie bars, which is a feature of any popular Thailand resort area. Set back slightly from the street, there area has dozens of open bars full of friendly ladies looking to turn a trick for the night. It’s all pretty harmless and friendly, you can sit down and drink alone or let a pretty girl talk you into a slightly more expensive ‘lady drink’. Even non-punters find it fun to people watch or linger without obligation.
What to drink?
Bar at Koh Samui.
Beer anyone? Local or international, you’ll find plenty of choice in all the bars and clubs you encounter. Most places will also feature a cocktail list as well as all of your favourite spirits. For the truly adventurous, try a bit of the local Thai Whiskey served in an iced bucket with Red Bull. If this lethal concoction doesn’t get you going, then nothing will. Just don’t expect to be moving too much the next day. Beer is generally cheap in Thailand and a favourite with locals and foreigners who drink both locally brewed and imported brands. The Thais like to sit around and share a bottle of whiskey, wine is far less popular and although widely available in hotels and good restaurants it is hardly good value. Most bars do cocktails, some far cheaper than others.
