Where to eat

Offering the best coffee in town, About Arts & Crafts on the seafront south of Nathon Pier  is a shop serving excellent vegetarian breakfasts, muffins and health shakes, though the Spa Resort's veggie menu is incomparable. For New York deli-style eating, Angela's Bakery & Cafe Bophut village impresses with fresh breads, cakes, pies, salads and sandwiches. A chilled atmosphere, funky decor and an eclectic menu rule at Eddy's in Bophut taking in multiple influences (notably Middle Eastern) with bargain set lunches.

Cheap and cheerful curry house Shabash - Bangrak, spans Indonesian, Indian, Singaporean and kosher food. Service is slow, but on the whole the grub's worth waiting for. Expect low-key alfresco dining with a dash of Gallic élan at the Mangrove

Among hotel selections, fine French and Asian fusion cuisine is balanced by a superb wine list, excellent service and a romantic beachside setting at Poppies There's also good but pricey Thai food and unobtrusive live music most nights. Sumptuous, expensive bungalows nestle in its tropical garden. Intricately presented, delicately spiced Royal Thai cuisine, brought by fawning waitresses, prevails at Sala Thai at Santiburi Dusit Resort. A well-considered vegetarian selection, great wines and herb ice-creams are further highlights at this, one of Samui s smartest resorts.
Central Samui Beach Resort is a behemoth housing a warren of well-maintained rooms and top-level dining: immaculate Japanese fare is offered at authentically formal Hagi, while the Modern European menu by Fabian Strutz at Palm Grove excels in imaginative flavour combos.

Where to drink

Capturing the original backpacker spirit, Dragon Bay in the middle of Chaweng beach  is a mat-and-cushion operation on the sand, with a mellow mood and an ambient playlist. Barefoot Bar offers authentic cocktails, good tunes, a relaxed vibe, friendly management and no bar girls: a unique combination on Beach Road.

The music tends towards banging house and trance at Gecko Village where the high decibels are a warm-up for big beach parties. Families, couples and fans of TV sport prefer Tropical Murphy's . Its bustle and size create an authentic Irish pub feel.

Nightlife
Samui's weekly Glastonbury, the Secret Garden Festival (Big Buddha Beach) has offered a family-friendly mix of food, drink, stalls and live Thai and Western rock since 1992, attracting the occasional big name. Every August, Bophut's Fisherman's Village Festival is similar. Chaweng's three big clubs (all free) - Green Mango, Full Circle and the Reggae Pub draw large crowds nightly. Full Circle is streets ahead of the other two (both pick-up joints that play tragic Euro house) and has a large Thai following, which moves on to dark and half-moon parties.  To escape the 'sound clash' check out the air-conditioned Mint bar for a more varied selection of dance music featuring  regular visits from top dj talent from the US & Europe. If clubbing is your thing, don't miss Bar solo's regular party nights.

Not wanting to risk having too little of a good thing, the beach party scene includes Black Moon (Rocky Bay, near Choeng Mon on Samui), Ritual Beach and Freedom Beach (both Rocky Bay) and Half Moon (Ko Som, off Big Buddha Beach on Samui). None of the Samui parties have Had Rin's captive audience, so it's easy to grab cheap (sometimes free) songthaews there and back. Smaller parties also rock Krabi

Note: Beach parties may not be running , closing times for bars and disco's may vary. Check online travel forums before you travel for the most up to date information

Shopping

Most of Samui s shops and stalls are to be found among Chaweng's array of tailors, carving shops and places selling copied CDs, DVDs and games. You'll find similar stuff in Lamai and in Nathon. Thai Craft Village in Chaweng is a good one-stop emporium. The Farn Shop (beside Wat Phra Yai, Bangrak) has imaginative handmade silverware and jewellery. Sawang Optical in Chaweng bulges with cheap designer glasses and shades, while Nathon Books has the best selection of second-hand books.

Travel Solutions (Chaweng Beach, 0 7723 0203, 10am-9pm daily) is a friendly, efficient, British-run agent offering worldwide ticketing, Samui activities and accommodation. Give them a call or drop by - www.travelsolutions.co.th