Maenam is the right area to get away from it all in Samui: its five kilometres long beach is a haven for a peaceful tropical holiday. Regarding tourism-oriented shopping, Maenam does not play in the same league as the prime destination in Samui – Chaweng. Most of the stores located along Samui Ring Road are specialised in heavy duty (building construction) yet a few interesting shopping opportunities are available.
The best shopping options in Maenam feature the weekly well-attended Maenam Walking Street, an outdoor fair-like market held on the two main roads to the pier, as well as a few shops dedicated to handcrafted souvenirs, eco-friendly furnishings, and finely crafted jewellery. Maenam may not be a shopping haven but there are still enough boutiques here to satisfy the toughest shopaholic.
Maenam Walking Street is an extremely popular weekly event held on two streets leading to the beach in the central part of Maenam. Every Thursday from 17:00 onward, these two streets are filled in with stalls selling an eclectic choice of items from clothing to accessories to handcrafted souvenirs as well as local street food (chicken satay, deep-fried insects, fruits and pancakes) and drinks (there is even a stall selling excellent cocktails at a fraction of the price of those sold in neighbouring restaurants and resorts’ bars). This lively event is a great opportunity to mingle with the locals in a friendly and light-hearted atmosphere, and a good occasion to shop for items that you could not find easily otherwise. Read More...
- Opening Hours: Thursdays from 17:00 onwards
- Location: Maenam centre
Samui Coconut Beads
Samui Coconut Beads is a charming Thai arts & craft boutique located toward the entrance of Maenam Centre (the main street where the Walking Street is held). This well-stocked store is dressed in a warm sienna colour and presents an astonishing choice of small jewellery and decorative items and accessories from necklaces to belts to broaches to dress bangles to earrings, all of them handcrafted with semi-precious stones, coloured glass, leather, and seashells. Samui Coconut Beads also has custom-made and wholesale availability.
- Opening Hours: 09:00 – 21:00
- Location: Entrance of Pier Road, Maenam
- Tel: 077 427 476
Samui Lapidary
Opened since 1988, Samui Lapidary is a long-established Samui jewellery supplier located on Samui Ring Road at the western end of Maenam opposite The Farmer Restaurant. Owned and run by Khun Lek, this rather large and chic store is the prime venue in Samui Island regarding finely crafted jewellery. From classic to modern designs, all styles of necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings are available at Samui Lapidary; the genuineness and quality of metals (gold, white gold) and of stones (semi-precious and precious) are indubitable. The stones – blue sapphire, orange sapphire, black diamond, red ruby, oyster pearls, topaz, amethyst, and more come from various origins including Thailand, Myanmar, Tahiti, South Africa, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka.
- Opening Hours: 09:00 – 18:00
- Location: Ring Road Maenam
- Tel: 077 247 845-6
Benjavadee
Benjavadee is the largest handicraft shop located in the area of Maenam in the northwestern part of Samui Island. Set in a two-storey building, Benjavadee presents an impressive stock of Buddha statues, Asian and Thai style decorative elements, homeware (rattan mats, China tea service) and furnishing (beds, dining tables); the store can organise the shipping of the largest items. Most of the objects sold at Benjavadee come from North Thailand (Chiang Mai region). If you are looking for quality handcrafted souvenirs in Samui, Benjavadee is just the right place to go.
- Opening Hours: 10:00 – 19:00
- Location: Ring Road, Maenam
- Tel: 077 447 198
Beautiful World
Beautiful World is a large two-storey store specialised in top quality Asian furniture made of teak, polyrattan (synthetic material without PVC) and parawood (rubber wood), located along Samui Ring Road, this eco-friendly brand is very engaged in the environmental preservation and work only with manufacturers who share their commitment. Their furniture design has different Asian influences reflected in the collections they have on display in their store: Balinese, Javanese, Chinese, Thai, and Hong Kongese, each piece is refined and built with sustainability in mind. Beautiful World is a large company which has branches all around Asia; the shipment all around the world of the large items that they sell can hassle-free be organised by the store.
- Opening Hours: 10:30 – 19:00
- Location: Ring Road – right-hand side heading towards Nathon
- Tel: 077 332 379
