Bophut is a beach village located
on the northern coast of Ko
Samui, Thailand. Confusingly, Bophut is also
a large administrative and postal district (Amphong),
even encompassing Chaweng. A Bophut address therefore,
is no guarantee that it is located in or around
the village.
One of the few places on Samui that
retains some of the island's original Thai-Chinese
atmosphere, Bophut has recently experiencing a boom
with new hotels and guesthouses sprouting up at
a frantic pace. The traditional core of Bophut,
known as the Fisherman's Village, is on the east
side of the beach while the new developments are
to the west. However, unlike in Chaweng to the south,
there has been a conscious effort to dissuade the
more commercial elements of Thai nightlife from
setting up shop and instead aiming for couples and
young families.
Although there is some new construction, the beach
road, which runs through the village retains much
of its charm. Old Chinese shop-houses crowd the
narrow street, many with sympathetic conversions
to modern use as restaurants and caf?s. The beach
itself encompasses some 2km of white sandy shoreline
fringed by coconut palms and the calm waters of
the bay make this a popular spot for playing or
relaxing.
How to get here Bophut is just 5 minutes away from the airport
by bus or taxi. Many ferries from Ko Pha Ngan and
Ko Tao dock at the small pier in eastern Bophut.
See & Do
Activities on Bophut are pretty much limited to
the beach, which is quite narrow and drops off rapidly.
Bophut is famed for its sunsets, fine restaurants,
numerous pubs and complete absence of girly bars.
Eat
Bophut has a reputation for being one of the best
places to eat on Samui. The village boasts many fine
restaurants offering a wide choice of specialty cuisines
in addition to a wealth of Thai dishes. French, Italian,
BBQ, Indian and seafood outlets predominate, but there
are several pubs and two bakeries offering standard
European style snacks and typical British and Australian
pub grub. Currently some 30 bars and restaurants are
located in little more than 700m of village street.
All the places below are clustered in the Fisherman's
Village within easy walking distance of each other.
Villa Bianca, tel.
077 245 041. Generally regarded as the best Italian
restaurant on the island. True to the name, it's
decorated with a stark white color scheme that stands
out from the crowd, but the beachside tables are
popular (book in advance!). Fairly pricy, figure
on B500 per head with a glass of wine.
La Sirene, 65/1 Moo
1, tel. 077 425 301. A French-Thai restaurant with
good seafood. Same price range as Villa Bianca.
Happy Elephant, in
the Village, is a popular Thai seafood joint with
an extensive menu. You can pick and choose your
dinner and the cooking style from today's catch.
Most fish B50 per 100 grams, so figure on a few
hundred baht per head to stuff yourself. Live music
some evenings.
Starfish and Coffee.
Despite the odd name, this is an almost exaggeratedly
romantic beachside restaurant with reclining divans,
flickering oil lamps and yards of red plush. Unfortunately
the rather dull food isn't quite up to the same
standards, so you might just want to pop in for
a drink instead.
Drink
Frog & Gecko (tel. 077
425 248), next to The Lodge, is a relaxed beachside
Anglo-American pub with cold beer and great BLTs.
Musically stuck in the 70s, but packed on Wednesdays
for their quiz night.
The Pub is on the main road,
beach side, between the Frog & Gecko and The
Beatles bar, a little closer to the Beatles. A
nice place to grab a pint and watch some football
or cricket unless there is Rugby being shown as
that takes precedence here! A good place to find
folks from the UK. Only serves food during lunch,
but offers some imports at a good price.
Billabong is close to The
Pub, on the beach side on they way to Frog &
Gecko, this is an Australian pub, also a nice
place to watch football or cricket. Good food,
but not for vegetarians.
Beatles Bar On the main drag,
close to the pier. An old teak shophouse, tastefully
and comfortably renovated. Music as you would
expect from the name, plus some cool jazz, cocktails
quite cheap plus good snack food. Staff charming
and very friendly.
Koh Samui Beaches
Clockwise from Nathon
on the west coast, the main beaches are:
Nathon - Samui's port and administrative
center, but with little to attract the tourist
Mae
Nam - a quiet and beautiful beach on the
northern coast
Bophut
- known for its Fisherman's Village, laid-back
but growing fast
About Bophut, Koh Samui Thailand
