Chaweng Beach Nightlife

Making a sweeping U-shape off Central Chaweng's Beach Road, Soi Green Mango is lined with open-sided full-on party bars, each with ear-spitting sound systems vying for aural dominance – and with predictably muddled results. On the northern side of the U there's more of a girlie, pick-up and Go-Go bar atmosphere whereas bars like Green Mango itself and Sweet Soul Café as well as Solo Bar are more for revelers.

Further down the soi, on alleys branching off, are even more pubs and bars so if you're looking for a pub/bar crawl that doesn't involve transport this is perfect territory.

GB Lounge/Dream Girls

Since the social order crackdown began, the more risqué aspects of the shows at Samui's two pre-eminent go-go bars, a short stroll apart on Soi Green Mango have been toned down considerably. Still, these Go-Go bars are worth a visit if only as an eye-opener. Of the two, the split-level Dream Girls is considered the classier version, due to its revolving stage and glass ceiling.

Opening Hours: 18:00 – 02:00
Location: Soi Green Mango, Chaweng

Green Mango Club

The Green Mango Club is hard to miss; it's in a huge warehouse building at the end of the road. It has two main areas with the entrance space playing hip hop and mainstream tunes, whilst the main pumps out some banging house and techno music.

Opening Hours: 18:00 – 02:00
Location: at the end of Soi Green Mango, Central Chaweng.

Mint Bar

Leading the way in establishing Samui as a serious venue for international DJ's, The Mint Bar has managed to attract the likes of Brandon Block, Lisa Loud, Kenny Hawkes and BT but still manages to keep admission costs down to around 200 baht and regularly offers two-for-one drink deals.

In terms of decor and design, it stands head and shoulders above the competition on Soi Green Mango and is split over two fully air-conditioned levels - the floor to ceiling windows and lots comfortable seating make it a great spot for people watching, when there isn't a big name playing.

Opening Hours: 18:00 – 02:00
Location: Soi Green Mango, opposite Sweet Soul Cafe

Moulin Rouge

This popular cabaret show and bar, formerly the Christy's Cabaret before changing ownership, features three shows nightly at 8pm, 9.30pm and 11pm. Some 20 performers bring out their inner Lady Marmalade with song, dance and fabulous costumes. The earlier show is a more 'soft and sweet' performance suitable for families, while things heat up for the later shows. Entry is free but drinks, at 220 to 360 baht each, are pricier than the average bar or nightclub.

Location: Chaweng Beach Rd, Central Chaweng (down the soi opposite the Khao San Restaurant and close to Burger King)
Tel: 082 815 4843

Sound

Sound is a great outdoor venue, the front bar plays hip-hop and R n'B to a packed house, while the dance floor at the back has DJ's spinning harder house, and there's a big swimming pool separating the two dance floors, which sets the scene for some late-night water fights. This is a really popular venue for the late-night crowd, and doesn't really get going until after 01:00 when it becomes crammed with high-energy revelers.

Opening Hours: 00:00 - 05:00
Location: Soi Green Mango

Sweet Soul Cafe

Sweet Soul Cafe is an institution on Samui and is located in the epicentre of Soi Green Mango. It's popular with both locals and tourists alike and is probably the liveliest place in town. A full range of cocktails, shooters and beers are available and the staff members are all very friendly. Music tends to be mostly a mixture of top 40 dance, R n' B, and hip hop tunes played at maximum volume. It's a great place to go if you want a rowdy night out on the town, but not somewhere to go if you want to chill. Check out the Jagermiester machine at the back of the bar that dispenses ice cold shots to liven you up.

Opening Hours: 18:00 – 02:00
Location: Soi Green Mango, Central Chaweng.

Charlie's Angels

New, classy venue in the middle of the beer bar area of Soi Sound, for those requiring a little more discretion. The club has a lively atmosphere, attentive waiting staff, and plenty of bouncing belles.

Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge is an up-market Go-Go Bar on Soi Reggae, behind Chaweng Beach Road, by the lake. There you can indulge in a drink or two and watch the dancing babes into the early hours.

Petch Bucha Thai Boxing Stadium

This large stadium near the Reggae Pub is the centre of Muay Thai boxing in Samui. Starting at 21:00 and going on until midnight, fights here are the real thing, unlike some semi-staged efforts at several tourist centres. Seat prices vary but in reality it's much the same experience buying a bleacher pew as in the 'VIP' section, perhaps better. It's a noisy, thrilling and sometimes shocking evening of thrills and spills. Bar available. (Read more about Thai Boxing in Chaweng...)

Fights: start at 21:00

Location: at the entrance of Soi Reggae

Reggae Pub

The Reggae Pub is a large, barn-like institution by Chaweng Lake and has been catering for party people en masse for years now. Here, a large dance floor is surrounded by benches and tables while international DJ's and live bands handle the entertainment through enormous sound systems.

Opening Hours: 18:00 – 02:00

Ark Bar

Another Samui institution, the Ark Bar has been at it for quite a few years. Even though it's changed hands several times the bar/restaurant still uses the same methods to draw people in with fire dancers, ambient music, dining and dancing on the beach and a relaxed atmosphere that extends to a child-friendly vibe, even late at night.

Location: Ark Bar Beach Club, Chaweng Central Beach Road

Bar @ C

Part of the Amari Palm Reef Resort, Bar @ C has obviously had no expense spared in its creation and has a fashionable appeal more readily associated with Bangkok bars than other hotel bars on Samui. There's a variety of seating areas including large day beds and giant sofas. In the evening discreet spot lighting is to the fore and a long wall shelf light slowly pulsates different hues, to add to the lounge-style ambience. As the name suggests, the bar is also only a few metres from the sea.

Opening Hours: 08:00 - 01:00
Location: Amari Palm Reef Resort, Chaweng Beach Road

Red Snapper

With a big screen and a nightly live band you'd think that Red Snapper wouldn't exactly be totally be focused in on its food but you'd be wrong.  Part of Chaweng Regent Beach Resort, Red Snapper fronts onto the Beach Road and is great for that laid-back meal, while watching the passing throngs. Modern fusion and healthy dishes prevail with more of a leaning towards cocktails than wine on the drinks list, the décor is pleasant and this is definitely a happening place to be.

Opening Hours: 17:00 – 01:00
Location: Chaweng Regent Beach Resort, North Chaweng

Solo Bar

Bar Solo has a cool, sleek interior and a great music policy as well as a pool table and six plasma screens showing major sporting events. Solo Bar is a good option to start a night out, when you can take advantage of their 1/2price cocktails from 14:00 – 20:00. Later in the evening, the bar gets lively with DJ's spinning funky, uplifting house and chilled lounge tunes.

Opening Hours: 14:00 - 02:00
Location: Central Chaweng Beach Road, next to Starbucks

Tropical Murphy's

If you're looking for a happy-go-lucky evening with lots of beer choices, good food, great music, pool, quizzes and an Irish ambience look no further than Tropical Murphy's. Owner Paul Watson takes no prisoners in his quest to be the top pub in town and he ensures that everything runs smoothly. Murphy's Thai staff members speak good English and the extensive choice of seating means that you can take in the live music upstairs in the air-con, watch sports downstairs or enjoy the night air and the street sights on the outside terrace.

Location: Opposite McDonald's Central Chaweng

Zico's

One of the most spectacular dining options in the south of Thailand, the Brazilian-themed Zico's is an on-fire mixture of entertainment, glam cocktails and skewer after skewer of freshly prepared meat served from sword-like serving knives by strolling waiters. To the side lies a salad bar to balance the all-you-can-eat fixed price meats. Entertainment takes place on a central stage and consists of bottom-wiggling sexy samba dancing girls in outfits that leave little to the imagination, live percussion and sax players. Read more about Zico's Diner & Show...

Opening Hours: Restaurant 18:30 – 22:30 Bar 17:00 – 01:00
Location: Opposite Centara Grand Beach Resort
Tel: 077 231 560-3

Bar Ice

One of the coolest places in town – in more ways than one: The walls, bar, sculptures and seats are made from Canadian ice and are permanent fixtures. And no, it's not the usual tiny, fridge-like arrangement that many ice bars go for; Bar Ice is big enough to hold elephant and tuk tuk sculptures and has separate rooms.

The chilliest is kept at -7 degrees, lit by an atmospheric LED lighting system with a full colour spectrum. You can chill in the pub-like part and even sit outside in a beer garden if you wish to smoke. A unique and worthwhile experience.

Opening Hours: 16:00 – 21:30 Happy Hour with two-for-one cocktails.
Location: On the road heading out of northern Chaweng to the Ring Road. A ten-minute walk from Central Chaweng

Q Bar

Overlooking Chaweng from its northern end, Q Bar stands regal on a hillside. Along the same lines of its Bangkok counterpart (though less snobby), you simply can't miss the huge neon 'Q' up the road from Bar Ice and this place is bopping later on in the evening and in the early hours. International DJ's spin into the night and punters can choose between the music-filled interior or the ultra-cool exterior with those groovy views. Q Bar also holds special parties and fashion events. This is truly a place to see and be seen in. Be careful heading back down the hill, though.

Location: On the hillside above northern Chaweng.

Springer Pub

Unusual, eclectic or just plain wacky? Springer Pub is based in a garage outlet and has auto parts strewn around in places where there shouldn't be places. With a funky interior sporting seats made out of car parts, a bonnet and headlamps emerging from the wall above the stage, live music past 22:30 and a loosely fitting biker's atmosphere Springer Pub is a welcome relief from the highly charged and sometimes mercenary atmosphere of Central Chaweng.

Location: Beach Road heading south out of Chaweng towards the Ring Road.