Chaweng beach
Chaweng is the Samui’s most popular resort area and not only boasts the longest beach, but also the biggest shopping and entertainment zone on the island. In many ways it is just like any other major tourist hot spot with hundreds of hotels, restaurants and bars scattered along and behind its fine white sand. You can choose to stay in five-star luxury or search out one of the few remaining budget bungalows, and when it comes to food there’s everything from top-end French fare to burgers and pizza, with a few Thai options thrown in for good measure.
Despite a recent upgrade, Chaweng still remains party central and has the highest density and widest selection of clubs, bars and restaurants on the island. If you’re looking to get away from it all this is perhaps not the beach for you, but if you want a fun packed beach holiday with options to suit all tastes and temptations, Chaweng is certainly an experience not to be missed.
Over the last few years, Chaweng beach has developed into three main sections. North Chaweng beach is perhaps the quietest part and also the chosen location for several boutique resorts, spas and up-market dining options. The water is very shallow at this end of the beach so most places have their own pool, but despite the up-market development it’s still a very picturesque spot with a beautiful sandy headland at the northern end and a shallow channel separating the main beach from a small, attractive island known as Koh Matlang. Places worth treating yourself to here include Olivio’s Italian restaurant on the waterfront at the Baan Haad Ngam Beach Resort and the indulgent spa at Chaba Cabana resort.
The central part of Chaweng beach is the most densely populated in terms of sunbathers, accommodation and nightlife. The beach here is packed with sun loungers during the day and beach sellers meander through the crowds selling fruit and soft drinks. There are also jet skis for rent and all kinds of other beach antics to join in with. At night, some of the bars put cushions out for revellers to enjoy the beach between drinks and dancing, while many of the larger resorts offer live but gentle music and Thai dancing performances during dinner. The Ark Bar is a perennial favourite for the beach party crowd, while resorts like the Blue Lagoon Resort offer a more tranquil, family setting. By night this area is a popular place for eating and drinking in impromptu restaurants set out with cushions on the sand, providing a fun atmosphere.
South Chaweng beach, like the north, is becoming more high-end and exclusive. The beach is wide at this end but during the winter months from November to March the waves can be fearsome and a few people have drowned in the strong currents. The island’s largest hotel, The Central Samui Beach Resort, dominates the southern scene and is also the venue for some of the island’s larger events such as the annual Samui Regatta. Other beachside venues include Poppies, which is famed for its fine food, while even further south smaller resorts vie for beachfront space in a labyrinth of accommodation, food and services that stretches back to the road.
In some ways, Chaweng’s main road feels like a different part of the island from the beach it serves, sometimes even a different island altogether. The five-kilometre strip is lined with shops and stalls selling every known holiday accessory interspersed with bars, supermarkets, tailor’s shops, pharmacies, opticians and of course fast food restaurants. Like the beach, each section is quite distinctive from the next, with the smart Iyara Shopping plaza dominating the north end, along with popular venues like the Co Co Blues bar, clusters of smaller family run shops around the centre and more up-market boutique style outlets further south. Major landmarks for taxis and meeting points include Starbucks, Tropical Murphy’s Irish pub and the aforementioned CSBR.
Chaweng is many different things to many different visitors. If it’s top end cuisine in a sophisticated western style eatery you are after, there are plenty to choose from. But if you prefer a Thai street snack, there are stalls to suit you, too. The Green Mango Club packs them in every night and down the same street, which is lined with bars and clubs, international DJs rub shoulders with bar girls and football fans in a cacophony of entertainment that only Thailand seems able to conjure successfully. It’s manic, it’s chaotic but it can be fun too.
- See a list of hotel and resort rooms on Chaweng Beach and book
- Find this beach on the Samui map
