Tesco-Lotus Supermarket and Cinema, Chaweng Town, Koh Samui

The largest supermarket on Koh Samui island, Tesco-Lotus (Chaweng) is located on the island ring-road, just between the junctions which take you from Chaweng Town to Chaweng Beach. Please see location on our Koh Samui Map and Interactive Villa Guide. The supermarket has a large stock of food, clothing and electrical products and is one of the first stops for most holidaymakers on arrival to Koh Samui.

Tesco-Lotus as seen from the main island ring-road

Tesco-Lotus also offers a large food court with a good choice of both Thai and international menus, a cinema,  ten-pin bowling, restaurants, cafes, clothing stores, a pharmacy, children's play area and arcade and countless mobile phone shops offering cheap, local SIM cards.

Tesco-Lotus offers a major cineplex cinema

The food court has a cash-card system and you can purchase a card from the booth, adjacent to the children's play area. The court offers almost every Thai dish you could think of and a few European menus. The food is reasonably priced and reasonably tasty but not up to the same standards as other local Thai restaurants in the area.
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Tesco-Lotus food court

The cinema and ten-pin bowling are located towards the back of the compex, behind the food court. The cinema is modern with three screens and a snack-bar and plays both Thai movies (with Thai soundtracks) and Hollywood flicks with English soundtrack and Thai subtitles. For movie screening information please see the major cineplex listings for Tesco-Lotus, Koh Samui.

Restauarants and cafes on offer include favourite Thai franchise restaurants such as Fuji Japanese restaurant, MK (Korean) restaurant, Canyon Coffee, KFC and S&P Bakery.


Behind the cinema, the Homepro store offers all you could possibly need for those on a long vacation planning any DIY home improvement projects. Homepro also offers a large range of all electrical products including TVs, washing machines and kitchen appliances.

Tesco-Lotus is the perfect place to stock up your fridge and grab a bite to eat and is a good option to pass time and keep the kids busy on rainy afternoons.

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Koh Samui Aquarium and Tiger Show

The Samui Aquarium and Tiger Show is located on the southeastern coast of Koh Samui and offers an aquarium, tiger zoo and show, bird zoo and show, sea lion show and otter show.

Samui Aquarium and Tiger Show, Koh Samui Island, Thailand

The aquarium is open every day from 9am with bird and tiger shows starting each afternoon from 1.30pm, so make sure you arrive at least an hour before that to allow yourself time to get through the aquarium and take a look around the bird zoo. The aquarium itself has a reasonable selection of sea life to admire including some species of sharks and large sea turtles which you can feed. Though it is not a modern aquarium and certainly not up to the standards set by large, modern aquariums around the world, it is quite nice to see Thailand's indiginous sea-life up close and personal.

After lunch, the show is kicked off with a Bengal Tiger show. This involves the tigers jumping through burning hoops, walking across various obstacles and sitting nicely in formation. I have to admit that I thought the show was a little uncomfortable to watch as the tigers seem quite aggressive towards the trainers, the trainers looked extremely nervous and I just don't really like to see large, wild animals outside their natural environment. In saying that, my son, who was about 4 years old when he first saw the show enjoyed it tremendously.

Next the bird show, which I enjoyed a lot more than the tiger show. Parrots show off their intellect by riding bicycles and playing games, large eagles grab objects from the trainers' hands in mid-flight (or from volunteers' hands!). Both myself and the family really enjoyed the bird show, especially the kids. After the show is over, kids can go to the stage and have the birds sit on their heads or shoulders (take care as obviously the big bird's claws are large and sharp).


Once you have taken in the aquarium, tiger show and bird show you can have a look at the sea lion and otter shows or just take a stroll and admire the bird species which are kept in large cages in the gardens of the aquarium. You can also pay a fee to have your photo taken with a Bengal Tiger, though I would have to argue that both this and the Tiger Show step a bit over the line and I don't really agree with this practice.

All in all the show is reasonably entertaining for adults and very entertaining for children. If you don't like seeing big animals locked up or people taking pictures of themselves with baby tigers then this is definitely not the place for you. A visit to the Samui Aquarium and Tiger Show will take up about 3 hours of your day and is a good family day out.

Samui Aquarium and Tiger Show is situated next to the Samui Orchid Resort and ticket costs are 450 THB for children and 750THB for adults which gives you access to the aquarium and all shows.

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Coco Splash Waterpark, Koh Samui, Thailand

Coco Splash is a petite waterpark with several waterslides, a bar and a restaurant with child-friendly, shallow pools. Located in Lamai, on the eastern coast of Koh Samui, the waterpark has been opened since the start of 2011 and is already making a big splash with island locals and tourists alike.

Coco Splash Waterpark and Restaurant Grill

The largest, yellow slide and the kid's slide

There are three different slides in the park; the largest yellow slide, a small blue kid's slide and an intermediate slide towards the rear of the park. The largest slide might not look like much in the photo but it definitely gets your heart pounding as you pick up speed and slam into the shallow pool at the bottom! The kid's slide is very slow and good for young kids and the curving intermediate slide is good fun for older children.

Sun-beds and covered bamboo salahs with table and chairs

Coco Splash Waterpark, Koh Samui Island, Thailand

The restaurant offers snacks and meals at reasonable prices and free wifi is available. Coco Splash has an entrance fee of 200 THB per person. Entry is free if you don't want to use the pools and slides.

I would highly recommend Coco Splash. My son (7 year old) loved it and didn't stop for the whole afternoon we were there The park has life guards on the larger pools but please remember to supervise your children at all times, especially young children.

To get to Coco Splash, turn from the island ring road at Lamai onto the McDonald's road (see McD sign at junction). Follow the road for about 300 meters and then take the sharp right at the small bridge. The waterpark is 100 meters along this road.





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Loy Kratong Festival, November (annual Thai Festival)

The Loy Kratong Festival occurs during the full moon of the twelfth lunar month and falls in November each year (but on a different calender date each year). The festival is thought to be Brahmin (which forms part of Hinduism) in origin and the purpose of the festival if to thank the water Gods and to float away any problems or bad luck you may have and start afresh  'Loy' is the Thai word for float and 'kratong' is the name for the float itself which is constructed from banana plant stalk and leaves.

Kratongs are made from banana stalk and leaves with flowers, candles and joss sticks

The kratongs are decorated with flowers, delicately folded banana leaves, candles and joss sticks with some coins for good luck. In the south of Thailand people also often add tufts of their hair or pieces of fingernails to the kratong though this practice is unheard of in the rest of Thailand.

When the moon is full, hundreds of thousands of people all over the country float their kratongs on ponds, rivers, canals and beaches (but check the tides as they may cause the kratong to come back which is not good luck!). Loy Kratong is traditionally a time of quiet contemplation and reflection for Thai people to think about the past year and look to the future.

Popular places on Koh Samui to float your kratong are Plai Laem temple and Chaweng lakeside.



Samui Holiday Villa Rental is your portal to Samui luxury villas, Offering Koh Samui beach villas, seaview villas, garden villas, villa resorts and apartments. Owners and managers of Peerapat Villa, a 4 bedroom, sea view, Samui luxury villa for rent in Bangrak on Koh Samui island's busy North-East coast.

Bangrak, Koh Samui - A Tourist Guide to Bangrak Beach and Town

Bangrak Beach and Town lies on the busy, northeastern coastline of the beautiful, tropical island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand.  The town is about 5 minutes' drive to popular Fisherman's Village in Bophut, 5-10 minutes' drive to idyllic Cheong Mon Beach and 10-15 minutes' drive to the bright lights of Chaweng, Koh Samui's most popular and busy beach area.

Bangrak is relatively quiet compared to it's neighbouring town of Chaweng though the area has been becoming steadily more popular in recent times. Bangrak's magnificent sea views, towards the neighbouring island of Koh Phan Ngan, and convenience of location has made it a popular area for holiday rental properties and there is a wide choice of rental properties and villas dotted around the hillsides and the beach. The town also offers several low to medium-budget hotels and several beach front, luxury Spa resorts.

Bangrak Bay and town, Koh Samui, Thailand

Bangrak Beach has fantastic sea views towards the neighbouring island of Koh han Ngan, Koh Samui, Thailand

Bangrak Town, Koh Samui, Thailand

Bangrak Beach, Koh Samui Island, Thailand

The beach itself is quiet and picturesque with the best swimming spots towards the east of the bay as the wetern end is quite rocky. Towards the eastern end of the beach is a choice of small beach front resorts, bars and restaurants. Some of the beach resorts and spas, such as Samui Pier and Saboey,  offer sunbeds on the beach.

There are a number of rickety, wooden piers along the eastern end of the beach where you can catch speedboats to Koh Phan Ngan Island. These piers are very busy during the monthly Full-Moon parties on Koh Phan Ngan when speedboat taxis run throughout the night. The far eastern end of the beach is where you will find the large, concrete pier which has ferry services to neighbouring islands.

Bangrak has a good choice of bars and restaurants offering both Thai and International cuisine. Bars stay open to 1am, but during busy periods they may stay open later as long as there are enough paying customers. The most popular bars are M & M's, Cosmic Bar and The Premiere Sports Bar. There are no nightclubs in Bangrak but if you want nighlife, Chaweng is only 10 minutes away.

Bangrak's Big Buddha statue, Koh Samui Island, Thailand

At the far eastern end of the Bay you will find Bangrak's largest landmark,  the Big Buddha statue. This  huge, golden Buddha statue is built within the grounds of a temple and toursits are more than welcome to take a look around (polite clothes should be worn). There is a plethora of shops around the base of the statue and you can climb the steps to the statue to see great views. Locals believe that walking around the staute, ringing the bells, will bring good luck.A few hundred metres east of the Big Buddha ststue you will find Plai Laem Temple, with its own impressive statues and beautiful temple buildings

Bangrak's Fresh Market is found next to the Big Buddha Statue and here you will find fresh seafood straight from the fishermen's boats as well as meat, fresh fruit and vegetables.



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Koh Samui Beach Villas - Luxury Beach Villa Rental on Koh Samui Island, Thailand

The emerald-green, tropical island of Koh Samui is surrounded by the crystal-clear, cobalt-blue waters of Thailand's Gulf and has become a first choice destination for the private jet-setting elite seeking fully staffed, luxurious, opulent beach villas with modern, contemporary architectural flair. In recent times, the island has become a shining beacon in South-East Asian villa architecture and offers some of the best modern examples of contemporary beach villas to be found anywhere in the world.
Koh Samui also offers some of the best beaches to be found in South-East Asia with fantastic views over golden sands to the contrasting shades of the Gulf of Thailand and tropical, jungle-covered limestone islands beyond.
The layout of most recently built Koh Samui beach villas is generally quite similar. The villas are arranged in separate pavilions with a larger pavilion, often built on two floors to maximize the beach and sea view, towards the rear of the property. Several smaller pavilions, built on one floor, are then placed between the main pavilion and the beach creating a U-shape with the central focus of the property being a terrace area with large, infinity-edged swimming pool which literally flows onto the beach.
The majority of beach villas are located in the quieter areas of the island, towards the northwest, west and south. Of course there is also a large choice of beach villas in the more populated northeast of Koh Samui but generally rental rates increase the nearer the villa is to this part of the island. If you are looking for lower rental rates in a convenient location, check out beach villas in Bang Por, on Koh Samui's northwest coastline. Bang Por beach is a very clean, quiet beach with soft, golden sands and good swimming but only 25 minutes drive to the popular northeast of the island.
An important tip when booking a beach property is to ask the booking agent about the quality of the beach, depth of the water and if the waters, directly in front of the villa, offer good swimming. At certain times of the year, water depth can be very low in some places around the island and some beaches don't really offer good swimming at these times. However, in my experience, the majority of beach villa renters don't often venture onto the beach, except for an evening stroll. Instead, they enjoy the beach views from the luxury and comfort of their chosen villa.

By Bob Robert Johnston

Bob Johnston is a leading content writer on Koh Samui and Koh Samui luxury villas. He is also General Manager of a Koh Samui beach villas holiday rental company.
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Koh Samui Marathon - The Princess Cup

September 18th, 2011 saw the return of Koh Samui's annual Marathon, The Princess' Cup. Several thousand runners joined a multitude of races including a full marathon, half and quarter marathons, childrens' marathon and fun run. The object of this annual event, which began in 2010, is to promote tourism on beautiful Koh Samui island.

The marathon started in Nathon, on Samui's western coast and was offered a multitude of cash and other prizes. Marathon results can be seen here. Well done to all!

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Paradise Park Farm

I have visited Paradise Farm several times over the past few years and thoroughly enjoyed every visit. Of all the day trips to be reommended on Koh Samui, this is definitely up in the top 3 of the best Koh Samui family days out.

Exceptional views from the Farm's mountain-top infinity pool

Paradise Park Farm is arranged on about 18 acres of mountain-top land, deep in the mountainous interior of Koh Samui and is one of the highest points on Samui at about 600 meters above sea-level. The Park contains many different species of animals including rabbits, Gibbon monkeys, deer, emu, parrots and cockatoos to name but a few. Paradise Park is very well maintained and the animals appear to be looked after very well by the large number of very friendly and helpful staff.

Mountainous jungle Views

As you enter the park, you will be greeted by the Gibbons who are extremely friendly and curious. Soon they will be up on your shoulder or lying down for a tickle. The hardest part of the day is saying goodbye to them as you will want to take them home with you!

Parrots and many more large, colourful birds. Be careful, some of them bite!

Next to the Farm's restaurant you will find many large, colourful birds inlcuding parrots and cockatoos. The staff will let you know which birds to stay away from as some of them do bite!

The Farm's deer

The fenced interior of the park contains deer, emus, goats and avaries containing many species of birds.

Gibbons have got to be the cutest of all monkeys!

After all the hard work and walking around you can relax in the park's restaurant and bar or at the mountain-top infinity-edged swimming pool which must have the best sea views in all of Koh Samui. Paradise Park Farm is a must for all visiting families to Koh Samui. Absoutely fantastic.

For more info, photos and directions click this link to visit the Paradise Park Farm homepage.




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