If youre staying in Samuis nightlife center, you probably came to party, since after 8:30 pm you cant escape the scene. In-your-face girlie bars are scattered around, with a heavy concentration in the soi Green Mango ("Soi" means "lane" in Thai.) But you can escape them if thats not your scene. If you dont want to be accosted with cries of "Hello welcoooome, come inside please!!" everywhere you go, it helps not to make eye contact with the "greeters." Admittedly however, this can be pretty hard. Some of them are awfully persuasive, not to mention charming.

And its not that you wont have fun! We dont have any specific recommendations, since "hostess" bars are all pretty much of a muchness. Like at Phukets Patong Beach, Bangkoks Patpong and Nana Plaza and Pattaya, girls are employed to play counter top games with the customers, pour drinks, and for those who would like to "rent-a-date" for the evening, go out on the town and more. Of course you must pay the "bar fine" that wins them their night off from hostessing duties. This is usually about 200 baht.

Many of these bars are owned by foreign men and their Thai wives or girlfriends who act as "mamasan", (madam.) If you find a bar that has an ambience you like, winsome staff and maybe a propreitor that you hit it off with, it may well become your evening hangout of choice, and this goes for couples as well as singles! They can be great fun, whether you choose to avail yourselves of the extracurricular options or not.

Thirsty sports lovers are not deprived on Samui. Satelllite television has become ubiquitous in recent years, and the first acquisition any barkeep makes after the stereo, is the dish and decoder. International events, movies on DVD, and pretty much all the shows visitors are accustomed to seeing at home, are available everywhere. English football (soccer) is hugely popular in Thailand and bars showing it are easy to find, or hard to escape from, depending on your point of view.

If youre planning a big night out, those familiar with Thailands long world-famous night time entertainment scene who havent been here in a couple of years, will be in for an adjustment. The government decided in 2002, that 2:00 am was a reasonable bedtime hour for anyone and everyone. With few exceptions, lights must now go up at 2:00 am sharp, and that includes the world class discos that have helped put Samui on the party map of the world.

Oddly however, the earlier closing times havent changed habits much. The Reggae Pub and The Green Mango still dont start heating up until after midnight, leaving just 2 hours to get your groove on before closing. If you want to keep drinking after that, you can always join the crowd sitting on the steps of the nearest 7-11 convenience store, where you can buy beer 24 hours a day.

There are a few places in Chaweng worth noting for warming up. Packed in high season, newly opened Tropical Murphys on the main road has quickly become popular with people watchers and those with a yen for a draught beer and a meal that reminds them of home.

With more than a little help from many Internet downloads, the proprietor of the Barefoot Bar near the Central Samui Beach Resort has collected and plays a mix of music that is possibly unrivaled in Chaweng. Better still, he serves generously mixed cocktails that make casual passers by, into regulars in no time.

Or just walk up and down the strip. You could spend each night of your holiday bar hopping all evening long, and you still wouldnt scratch the surface.

Heres a tip: If you dont want to get ripped off by the drivers of the red public taxis, prepare exact change ahead of time. The price should be 20 baht per person to go anywhere in Chaweng. On the other hand if you wait until closing time you might not have much negotiating power. Price gouging at that hour seems to have been agreed upon by drivers as a group, and youre pretty much at their mercy.

If your interested in watching Thai boxers try to punch and kick the living daylights out of each other in what has been billed as one of the worlds most violent sports, theres a proper stadium near the Reggae Pub that has been built for twice weekly events. If you miss the publicity in their print ads, their roving sound truck will soon put you in the loop.

For those who want to be seen, the Full Circle Bar is just a stones throw from the soi Green Mango. Popular with Thais as well as foreigners, a live rock band does covers nightly and loudly. Theres a disco in the back that seems to cater mostly to locals.

Some of the best sound in Chaweng can be heard at Sweet Soul Café which is just across the street from the Green Mango at the end of the soi. The DJ plays a mix of hip hop and dance remixes of old classics, and the equipment is first class. In high season after midnight the dancing crowd spills out into the street and the ambience is second to none.

Bars And Clubs

There are plenty of bars and clubs to choose from for the real deal party goers, and here are to mention a few...