Beach Dining in Koh Samui

Chaweng Beach is seven kilometres long and features for the most part powdery white sand. The sea is never rough and dangerous here and many people find strolling along at dusk after a hard day doing nothing a relaxing activity. Chaweng Beach at night seems worlds apart from the noisy hustle and bustle of the Beach Road with all its neon lights, hawkers and crowded bars whereas in reality it is no more than 300 metres away.

Dining on Chaweng beach

For many years now many stand-alone restaurants have been tapping into an inventive option for resort guests and passers by: Beach Dining.

Just before the sun drops into the western hills smartly dressed staff begin laying out mats, 'mon' (brightly coloured lounging cushions), short-legged tables and lamps, some electric, some flaming torches set in the sand, giving an Arabic-like nomad feel to the evening. In some cases the wooden beach chairs you have been using all day to enjoy the sun on are in the evening converted into platforms to sit and dine on.

Each restaurant does it slightly different of course but it is quite an eye-opener to pass by ad hoc removable 'restaurants' on the cream-coloured sand under the moon and the stars.

Stroll the Beach

A more conventional table setting

From The Briza in northern Chaweng it's quite a stroll to Centara Grand Beach and on your way you will pass quite a few choices and types. Take your time to pick the right spot; each restaurant seems to identify itself and differ from the next not so much by the menu, which is of course always seafood, or the table settings, but mainly through its music. If you are not a fan of trance music – predominant in the central beach section – keep on walking to a quieter, more peripheral area.

At each end of the beach you will also find a more traditional way to dine with tables and chairs. If you are not familiar with Chaweng Beach, it might a bit difficult to find your way from the main road to the beach itself. Most people just cut through the one of the many beachfront hotels to reach the sand.

Island-wide Beach Dining

On Lamai beach

Lamai Beach now has joined this tropical dining experience and offers a quieter and maybe a bit more laid-back experience than at Chaweng. This romantic style of dining is also possible at Peace Resort on Bophut Beach towards Maenam.

The Impiana at Chaweng Noi also offers beach dining in its grounds and there are many resorts, not only along Chaweng Beach but island wide that have tables-and-chairs beach restaurant arrangements.

But for a sheer pasha experience, dining on cushions in the sand at Chaweng is hard to beat.

More Restaurants

Phuket Restaurants, Koh Samui Restaurants, Hua Hin Restaurants, Bangkok Restaurants, Pattaya Restaurants, Chiang Mai Restaurants, Kuala Lumpur Restaurants, Singapore Restaurants, Bali Restaurants, Hong Kong Restaurants