Gay Koh Samui
Although Koh Samui has always been extremely welcoming towards the gay crowd, until a short while ago it couldn’t compete at all with places like Pattaya and Bangkok. Nowadays, the island has its own gay scene, although it’s very different from the sleazy ones in places like Pattaya. There’s no ‘Boyztown’ here. Instead, many gay visitors prefer a more laid-back approach rather than the jaded and seedy scene that can be found elsewhere in Thailand.
The Three Gems Project (tel: +66 (0) 77 413 837, info@threegemsthailand.comopened its doors only a while ago and provides a more sophisticated angle to nightlife on Samui, with a beautiful restaurant, Sapphire Blue Restaurant Café, and the separate upstairs bar, ‘Ruby Red’ which is one of the most charming on the island.
Emerald Green is a new Men Only Spa. Owners Bruce and Mark are a goldmine of information about the gay scene on the island, and are extremely friendly and helpful. Not only do they produce their own gay map of Koh Samui, but also run the very efficient www.gaykohsamui.net.
An equally sophisticated, mixed place to go is Le Consul (tel: +66 (0) 77 418 892), a piano bar and nightclub situated just outside Chaweng, as you drive north along the beach road. It’s a quiet venue and good for chatting over a long drink. Friday and Saturday nights are busier than other nights and there are monthly performances of all kinds.
Two Ladyboy cabarets worth catching are at Christie’s (tel: +66 (0) 77 413 244) and Star Club Cabaret (tel: +66 (0) 77 414 218), both in Chaweng.
There is a scattering of gay bars in Chaweng, though currently a large number of them seem to be closing. K Club Bar (tel: +66 (0) 81 326 8560, K-Club@thaiboy.net) is a rent boy place in Soi Starbucks. Sweet Soul Café Dance is a mixed venue, but there are plenty of gay souls too, as there are at the Green Mango Dance Club (tel: +66 (0) 77 422 661, gmango@greenmangogroup.com). “The gay guys will find you,” as Bruce from The Three Gems Project puts it. And almost certainly they will if you go to Samui’s gay beach, which is situated approximately 1.5 kilometres north of Chaweng, as you continue along the beach road.
Gay life on Samui tends to revolve around Chaweng, but there are equally popular places outside. Head up to Fisherman’s Village, Bophut, where you will find the unforgettable and amazing Siam Classic Dance, a restaurant with a small stage on which there are performances of classic Thai dances. The clothing is spectacular, as is the dancing, which is in the hands of a professional choreographer. Nearby is Restaurant 56, newly opened but already with a reputation for serving wonderful food in a romantic setting.
Gay-run accommodation includes Kaewjun Resort in Ban Taling Ngam (150/3 Moo 1, Taling Ngam, tel: +66 (0) 89 983 0521, kaewjumresort@yahoo.com), and though this is far away from busy Chaweng, the scenery and tranquility more than make up for it. There’s also Little Palace Residence (64/20 Moo 3, South Chaweng, tel: +66 (0) 89 587 8774, info@littleplace.org), off the main road in the south of Chaweng and Mana’s Home (Chaweng Tropical Sea View Residence, 42/26 Moo 6, Bo Phut, tel: +66 (0) 81 899 1767, manahome@wanadoo.fr), located in the hills above Chaweng.
Full details on all hospitality venues mentioned here can be found in our Hospitality section in the appropriate pages.
