Navigating Koh Samui’s party capital: Chaweng

Chaweng is Koh Samui’s undisputed party capital. When the sun goes down this nightlife hub goes crazy with activity. The main road runs parallel to the beach and each little soi has bars, restaurants and clubs to explore.

Head down one of the little sois for dinner and drinks to start the evening. If you’re up for international cuisine we love Gringo’s and Duomo. It’s best to carbo-load before a night like this, trust us.

These sois have every type of nightlife you can imagine (and then some). Nightclubs, dive bars and strip joints line the little lanes, and if you head down towards the beach you’ll find beach parties on the sand that rival Haad Rin, Koh Phangan’s famous party beach.

Start the night at Cha Cha Moon. It’s a little more sophisticated than the other bars on the Chaweng strip. You can count on the DJs here for quality house, techno and dance music. DJs from all around the world come to spin at this beach club. After some chill tunes and a couple drinks here, proceed to Ark Bar just down the beach.

Photo: Cha Cha Moon

Ark Bar is half hotel/hostel and half beach party. The weekly pool parties here overflow with people. Who needs Ibiza when Thailand has beach clubs like this? Start the party with pre-game beers on the beach watching fire shows and meeting other travelers. As the night goes on Ark Bar turns into a massive beach party with everyone dancing on the sand and holding their buckets high.

Ark Bar

Grab your group and head to the next bar. It’s time to hit up Soi Green Mango, the epicenter of Koh Samui’s frenzied nightlife. Pick up some drunken munchies beach snacks on your way over – there’ll be tons.

Soi Green Mango

As you enter the soi notice the massive strip club to your right (nope, those European girls are not exactly backpackers) and some dive bars to your left. Skip them both and head to Sweet Soul Cafe for live music and more dancing. This is the perfect place to stop for a beer before heading to Green Mango next door. The band is raucous and rowdy and the crowd is a great mix of young backpackers and tourists from all over the world – including groups of hip Thais from Bangkok.

Photo: Sweet Soul Cafe

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the final stop on the crawl, Koh Samui’s beloved Green Mango. This open-air club has music Top-40 hits blasting, booze flowing and crowds of suntanned revellers going nuts. Basically, everything you need for a wild night of island hedonism. But don’t forget to wake up early tomorrow, there’s a whole island to see.

Green Mango

Read more Party articles:

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Thailand’s most unique island nightlife

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