Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 19^th October – 25^th October 2020

Welcome to this new week and the Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 19th October – 25th October 2020.

After a few sunny days, this morning it's cloudy again and we had already a few raindrops. Current temperature at 10am is 28C

Last week saw a wet start and a sunny ending. The maximum temperature reached 33C The minimum temperature dropped one night shortly to 23C. In general it was a 24C during most days though. Last weekend was nice and sunny!

Covid19 keeps putting it's mark on Koh Samui, The biggest news last week was that a 57 year old French woman tested positive after her 14 days quarantine. Possibly she got infected at the gym in her ASQ hotel. She tested positive just a few days after her quarantine ended. Thus ending a stretch of well over 230 days that Koh Samui and Surat Thani were Covid free.

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 19^th October – 25^th October 2020

Another one bites the dust. One of the many restaurants/shops on the island that is up for sale. You can find this place in Bang Po. This morning, during my early morning run, another pick up truck, loaded with household items, was making it's way to the ferry. Still, on a daily base, many people decide to leave Koh Samui. Back to their home towns and provinces. The amount of empty shops and houses increases each day. 

The forecast for next week predicts mostly cloudy skies and daily showers. Pretty standard weather, this far in to the month.

Whilst you are here, do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and enjoy the beaches around the island or in front of your hotel or resort and get some well deserved rest and a break. That is, once the travel restrictions have been lifted.

There are plenty Thais and foreigners, Westerners or farangs who have a hard time dealing with no income and bills to pay. The financial situation is getting worse and worse by the week for many people. Including myself and my family. Unfortunately I'm no exception to this rule. If you like this blog, this is a good time to help out and make a donation. If you can, it's much appreciated! Ask me what options are available. Please do help if you can afford to do so! Much appreciated!

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 12^th October – 18^th October 2020

A day late, but nonetheless, here's the Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 12th October – 18th October 2020.

My excuse for being late, I was too tired yesterday. After I completed the first episode of the Samui Trail, I was beat and spent for the rest of the day. It was 'only' 14km but with some of the most difficult and technical courses I ever ran on. Well, running is maybe too much said. It was hardcore trail, slipping and sliding through the jungle. Fun, but hard. Below you can find a picture of me in action during the trail.

Today we actually had a nice and rather sunny day. It was warm for a change! It's already 8.30pm and it's still 29C. The maximum temperature today reached 33C

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 12^th October – 18^th October 2020

Some or many of you may remember this place in Chaweng. It's opposite the lake, behind the big building that holds a McDonalds. There used to be a food market here. A thriving food market, each night filled with tourists. Now it has been torn down, because there are no tourists anymore.

During most days of last week we had cloud cover and showers. The maximum temperature reached 31C. The minimum got stuck at 22C during one night, mid week. The rest of the week it dropped to around 23C.

In the meantime, Covid keeps making it's impact around the island. Not with infections! Mind you, the Thai government seems to be protecting the 80% of the Thai population that are not working in the tourist industry. That seems to work. However, having said that, the 20% that are relying on the tourist industry are being hit very hard. Most people are really running out of financial means. Businesses all around the island are closing down and/or are up for sale. More and more people are leaving Koh Samui to go back to their home provinces. Live is cheaper there, no rent, maybe they can grow some own food.

Even out neighborhood, Plai Laem, which is a residential area, experiences the impact of people leaving. The amount of empty houses, rooms, and the like, is staggering. Rows and rows of empty shop houses can be found all over the island. Really sad to see, how many of these business that did really well, have to shut down and go out of business.

December and January are the months that things will really get tight in Thailand. 

In the meantime, keep following the news about the demonstrations in Bangkok. Many people are out on the street. Let's hope this will all find a good and peaceful ending.

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 12^th October – 18^th October 2020

Myself in action during the Samui Trail #1 in Lipa Noi yesterday. I'm wading, climbing my way through and out of a waterfall. It was a fun race, but with the most technical route I've ever participated on. My pace was at 11'04 per minute. Most of the route you could only walk, going through the jungle, up hill. Slipping and sliding. Mountain high, river waterfall deep.

For this week, we may experience some rain, starting from Wednesday. From Thursday onward we may have some strong showers each day. We're getting closer to November, our rainy season. The weather forecasts are stating this as well.

Whilst you are here, do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and enjoy the beaches around the island or in front of your hotel or resort and get some well deserved rest and a break. That is, once the travel restrictions have been lifted.

There are plenty Thais and foreigners, Westerners or farangs who have a hard time dealing with no income and bills to pay. Unfortunately I'm no exception to this rule. If you like this blog, this is a good time to help out and make a donation. If you can, it's much appreciated! Ask me what options are available. It's getting harder each week! Please do help if you can afford to do so! Much appreciated!

Camille

The Art Club, vegan restaurant in Nathon

Last week I was invited to The Art Club, vegan restaurant in Nathon. First of all, trying out some food. Secondly, I'm interested in the vegan life style. 

The Art Club is a restaurant, bar and cafe. A space for people to get restoration, meet new and old friends and to feel inspired and open minded about what food and nourishment is to them. That should and can be you!

The Art Club has mainly plant based food. Which is good and healthy! Noteworthy, it's also yummy. At least here at the Art Club. 

On a regular there will be art exhibitions as well. You can find more info on their Facebook page here.

The Art Club, vegan restaurant in Nathon

So, what does vegan actually mean? Just in case you don't know! You will be able to find a few definitions on your friend Google. However, it kind of boils down to this; Vegans are individuals who avoid animal products for ethical, health or environmental reasons. Or a combination of the three. Instead, they eat various plant foods. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and products made from these foods.

My Thai wife and our kids are not really that interested to give up their meat. On the other side, you don't have to be a vegan or vegetarian, in order to enjoy vegan food. 
Occasionally I do cook vegan or vegetarian at home. I do enjoy vegan food, although I'm more a flexitarian than a vegan or vegetarian.

The Interior at the Art Club in Nathon

Co owner and chef Ollie is from the UK. He has been a vegetarian all of his life. Although, he jumped off the wagon for a few years and ate meat. However, after that he became a vegan. He is married to Khun Rapheephan. Some of you might know her as she's one of the few gynecologists on the island. Our two youngest children where born under her care. She is the other co owner.

The restaurant is located behind her Obstetrics & Gynaecology Clinic. This is near the Nathon government hospital. Currently the restaurant is located behind the clinic.

The Art Club, vegan restaurant in Nathon

Let's talk about the food. The current menu has a nice variety of options. The menu changes occasionally. Once the current 'under construction' front part of the restaurant at the road is completed, there will be a new menu once more. This should include more options. The new room will also be air conditioned. 

Since I love spinach, I could make my choice easily. Spinach quesadilla with vegan feta cheese. My drink was the 'Gemini'. A smoothie with frozen fruit, mango, turmeric, passion fruit and banana.

The quesadilla was near perfect for me. Good texture and great taste. The presentation and service were also very good. The Gemini drink was great. Super healthy and a perfect combination. Well worth trying out and it makes me curious to check out more of their menu.

The current menu at the Art Club in Nathon

Don't be shy and go and visit. The menu is varied and not expensive. All the cheeses and meats are vegan. This means that they are plant based. It's very interesting how Ollie manages to get the tastes right, although he uses plants, bans and/or legumes as meat substitutes.

Ollie, Joel and myself in the kitchen. The masters at work!

I can highly recommend the Art Cafe. As already mentioned, you don't need to be a vegan in order to enjoy vegan food. Go and find out for yourself. 

It's good to see that the Art Club is busy and doing well in these hard times. Go and support them and enjoy their lovely food.

Whilst you are here, do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and enjoy the beaches around the island or in front of your hotel or resort and get some well deserved rest and a break. That is, once the travel restrictions have been lifted.

There are plenty Thais and foreigners, Westerners or farangs who have a hard time dealing with no income and bills to pay. Unfortunately I'm no exception to this rule. If you like this blog, this is a good time to help out and make a donation. If you can, it's much appreciated! There's a donation button on top of this page or ask me for other options. 

Camille

Goodbye to April 2020

Goodbye to April 2020

Here we are, a the end of this month and it's a goodbye to April 2020. It comes as no surprise that this month is remembered as a Songkran free April. A very rare and unique situation for Thailand.  Not celebrating the Thai New Year doesn't happen that often. However, due to the Covid19 situation, no surprise there either. It was a good decision

This morning at 10.30am it's cloudy and a cool 27C. Very enjoyable indeed!

On this wet Thursday morning, let's have a look at the weather this month. April is usually one of the or the hottest month of the year. However, it's also the start most years, of a mild wet season. This year has been no different. The first two weeks of the year were nice and hot. Very hot at times! However, the second part of the month saw a lot of showers and cloudy days. That's a good thing. Koh Samui's ground water levels and dams need to be filled up again. It's also nice that it's cool with the rain and not so very hot. Most certainly it helps to reduce my heat rashes I usually get in April!

It most certainly looks like we had a little bit more rain this year compared to other years. As I already mentioned, no big deal. No tourists around and it makes for a comfortable and agreeable second part of the month.

Goodbye to April 2020

Central Samui in Chaweng has a big sign stating that food is only take away. Like all restaurants on Koh Samui and around Thailand. Only take away is allowed. We started to sell BBQ fish in front of our house, during the later afternoon and early evening. Pla pow. It helps to cover our daily costs for food. Take away only!

The big news this months was that there was no Songkran, nationwide! Other news is that after Koh Samui had 7 cases of Covid19, they now all have been released from hospital. Since 18 days running, the province of Surat Thani and Koh Samui did not have any new cases.

Tomorrow more about May. Many things are bound to happen next month, in relation with Covid19. Stay tuned and come back tomorrow for an update and a welcome to May 2020.

Please do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and enjoy the beaches around the island or in front of your hotel or resort and get some well deserved rest and a break. That is, once the travel restrictions have been lifted.

As already mentioned in my Facebook page, there are many initiatives around the island for helping Thai and Burmese people with food and other donations.
There are however also plenty of foreigners or farangs who have a hard time dealing with no income and bills to pay. If you like this blog, this is a good time to help out and make a donation. If you can, much appreciated! There's a donation button on top of this page.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 16th December – 22nd December 2019

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 16th December – 22nd December 2019

It's Sunday morning, 10am and time for the Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 16th December – 22nd December 2019. It's nice and sunny this morning and my long slow distance run is already in the can for today.

At 10am we have a partially clouded sky but the sun is peeking out. Current temperature is 28C. Nice and cool, just the way I like it. No guarantee there will be no rain. Possibly before or around lunch time we may have a shower or two.

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 16th December – 22nd December 2019

The back wall of a restaurant, the Riangthong Bakery, in Nathon. Conveniently turned into a home shrine. Many shop owners of Chinese ascendancy have similar shrines in their shops or homes.

Last week started out nice, with a sunny Monday and Tuesday. However, from Wednesday until yesterday, we had clear early morning skies. Come lunch time or just before, the dark wet clouds moved. Heavy with rain. We had a few strong showers. However, mostly it was drizzle for a few hours on an end. Nothing too serious, but good to raise the ground water levels. It seemed more of a rainy season the last 4 days compared to all of November and the first 2 weeks of December combined. 

Maximum temperature reached 33C on Tuesday. The minimum temperature was fairly consistent at 24C all week long. Except for yesterday when 23C was reached a few times.

The forecast for next week, the Christmas week, is looking good. Rudolph and his fellow reindeer are not supposed to meet a lot of rain next week. The sun should be back out again and the unusual good and favorable rainy season pf 2019 continues.

Enjoy this busy period on the island. Happy holidays to you all.

Please do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and enjoy the beaches around the island or in front of your hotel or resort and get some well deserved rest and a break. 

If you're done resting or need something else to do, there's plenty of things on offer on and around Koh Samui, you can go snorkeling or diving or take a dive course. 

Join me in a private dive trip with yours sincerely! 

You can also enjoy some of the trips I recommend, like a half day gourmet lunch and snorkeling trip at the Southern part of Koh Samui or a photography trip where you get to see the most photo genetic spots on the island or go for a drinks tasting tour if you like a tipple or two. 

You may also opt for a very special dinner experience at The Thai Experience. Behind closed doors, reservation only and a very enjoyable and well worthwhile way of spending an evening on Samui. Authentic Thai food and a great atmosphere. Can highly recommend this experience. 

Contact me for more detailed information on any of the options mentioned. 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 5th November – 11th November 2018

Sunday afternoon at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok but time for the Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 5th November – 11th November 2018!
It's been a hell of a week with a bona fide seeing off at the end.

Currently it's 30C on Koh Samui at 5pm and it was dry and partially sunny again today. A nice break from earlier this week. There was a run around the island with many join/exit points today and my wife joined the event. I would have run a part of it but ended up being in Bangkok this weekend.

My time in Bangkok was spent training for, on and with a timing result company at sport events. Yesterday I spent a day in the office getting familiar with the timing system and all the hardware. This was followed by staffing with the timing crew at a half marathon and 10km event. It was strange to be on the other side of the fence this time!

It's a quarter past five in the afternoon at Suvarnabhumi where I am waiting for my flight back home. Current temperature here at the airport is 35C. It was a very dry weekend in Bangkok.

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 5th November – 11th November 2018; Flooding in front of Big C, one of the hot spots around the island. Picture by Yunona Rozhdestvenskaya.

The first half of the week was really nice with sunshine and slightly cooler weather. The previous two days however, Friday and Saturday had it in them. Hard to moderate rain all day long. Possibly due to a having been thunderstruck, a teak house in Bang Rak burned down and flash floods were at many points around the northern part of the island.

The drainage system can't deal with lots of rain in a short time frame but it's good to see that once the rain stops the floods disappear rather quickly.

Temperatures last week ranged between 33 and 24C

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 5th November – 11th November 2018; Burger King Bangkok style. A fairly newly opened outlet at Surawongse road, in typical Old Thai style. This outlet received a lot of attention in social media in Thailand.

The forecast for next week is looking good for this time of the year. No more torrential rains and subsequent floods should be part of next week. Instead it may be partially cloudy at best with an occasional shower throughout the day or night. Good stuff for this time of the year and month. 

Enjoy your stay on the island!

Please do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and enjoy the beaches around the island or in front of your hotel or resort and get some well deserved rest and a break. 

If you're done resting or need something else to do, there's plenty of things on offer on and around Koh Samui, you can go snorkeling or diving or take a dive course. 

You can also enjoy some of the trips I recommend, like a half day gourmet lunch and snorkeling trip at the Southern part of Koh Samui or a photography trip where you get to see the most photo genetic spots on the island or go for a drinks tasting tour if you like a tipple or two. 

You may also opt for a very special dinner experience at The Thai Experience. Behind closed doors, reservation only and a very enjoyable and well worthwhile way of spending an evening on Samui. Authentic Thai food and a great atmosphere. Can highly recommend this experience. 

Contact me for more detailed information on any of the options mentioned. 

If you like to donate to this blog, use this secure link PayPal.Me/CamilleLemmens. 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 22nd October – 28th October 2018

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 22^nd October – 28^th October 2018 

It's Sunday evening and time for the Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 22nd October – 28th October 2018. It's been a very long with getting up very early, travel from Khao Lak where I am to Phuket. Run a very hard hill race, drive back to Khao Lak. Start to work and teach a PADI IDC upon arrival back in Khao Lak. Before you know it the evening is gone.

However, first things first. The Koh Samui weather today. Maximum temperature reached 32C but it felt a lot warmer. It was hot and humid. For late October a nice day.

In Khao Lak we had a typical day, like almost every day last week. Nice and sunny in the morning and rain during the afternoon. The evening is dry again. maximum temperature here also reached 32C. It is however a lot cooler during the night and early morning, down to 22-24C.

This morning I drove to Chalong in Phuket, at around 3.30am. I participated in a very steep hill run race. 6km up and 6km down. It all went well but it was a very hard race considering it was such a relative short distance to cover.

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 22nd October – 28th October 2018; This is a picture of an Isaan restaurant almost opposite the Bangkok-Samui hospital on the ring road in Chaweng. The small 'sala's', the place where you sit, are very typical for these kind of restaurants.

Last week the weather on Koh Samui was a real nice mixed bag. Some days were sunny. One day was rain all day and most days had a nice mix. Relatively nice for this time of the year. Next month the rainy season can be expected and we may have rain all day long. Every bit of sun we can catch now is nice! 

Maximum temperature last week reached 33C and the minimum was 24C.

Koh Samui, Thailand weekly weather update; 22nd October – 28th October 2018; Sunset in Khao Lak this evening, in front of my hotel Srichada. The sun sets over the ocean but unfortunately you can't see the water. It had just stopped raining and the clouds were breaking up.

Next week is looking good. Plenty of sunshine is predicted with just an occasional shower on Wednesday and Saturday. Come Sunday there may be more clouds and more rain.
Enjoy next week, it looks like a nice week ahead of us.

Please do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and enjoy the beaches around the island or in front of your hotel or resort and get some well deserved rest and a break. 

If you're done resting or need something else to do, there's plenty of things on offer on and around Koh Samui, you can go snorkeling or diving or take a dive course. 

You can also enjoy some of the trips I recommend, like a half day gourmet lunch and snorkeling trip at the Southern part of Koh Samui or a photography trip where you get to see the most photo genetic spots on the island or go for a drinks tasting tour if you like a tipple or two. 

You may also opt for a very special dinner experience at The Thai Experience. Behind closed doors, reservation only and a very enjoyable and well worthwhile way of spending an evening on Samui. Authentic Thai food and a great atmosphere. Can highly recommend this experience. 

Contact me for more detailed information on any of the options mentioned. 

If you like to donate to this blog, use this secure link PayPal.Me/CamilleLemmens. 

Camille

The Thai Experience, the second coming

The Thai Experience, the second coming

Here we are again, with a visit to The Thai Experience, the second coming in our agenda! Earlier this week I couldn't resist an invitation to visit again, after my first Thai Experience dating back to February 2015.

The concept is still the same, one dining room with a big table and everybody seats at the same table, behind closed doors, reservation only!

Over the next 3 to 4 hours, 15 dishes will come your way to be enjoyed and eaten! The Thai Experience can also cater to all kinds of dietary wishes, just let them know in advance.

The Thai Experience, the second coming; The host is the most. Joe will look after you during the Koh Samui Thai experience and will guide and talk you through the evening in an interesting and entertaining way

Everything start with a transfer from your hotel or resort to Lamai, where the dining room is located. Once inside and everyone is present, the fun starts.

Joe, your Samui guide for the evening, will take you through the evening with explanations and origins of the food you're about to eat. You will even get to prepare and have a hand in making some of your own dressings,

The Thai Experience, the second coming; Cocktails to break the ice. You can try three different cocktails and the chosen one has a free flow for the rest of the evening. Or local beer in case cocktails aren't your thing. As a non alcoholic drinker, I was served 3 different mocktails and enjoyed the same free flow option

The cocktails and the alcohol are real ice breakers and in no time a room full of potential strangers are mingling and talking to each other.

Around 2000 bamboo straws have just been ordered and every guest will take them home with them as their permanent straw. A great initiative!

The Thai Experience, the second coming; Starters for starters. Three of them. Very tasty.

The starters are fab, all three of them, the laab muu being my personal favorite. These three starters are followed by two amazing Thai street food dishes. Two separate skewers, one with pork and sticky rice and my absolute fave, a skewer variation on the chicken cashew nut dish. An absolute winner.

Just go easy though, the mains have still to make their grand entrance!

The Thai Experience, the second coming; Four meaty mains. All of them delicious! My fave was the Penang pork curry, closely followed by the prawn curry with chaploo leaves and this was closely followed by the slow cooked pork. It really was a photo finish!

The mains are served in a the so called 'phin to', 3 to 4 containers on top of each other, each container with a different dish in it. All four dishes prepared very well, tasty and presented in a very unique and authentic way. Especially the sweet pork is a dish well worth trying out, since it's a hard to get dish if you're only on the island as a tourist.

The Thai Experience, the second coming; A close up of the slow cooked pork in a black pepper sauce (moo hong)

There's even a second set of mains, white snapper prepared in three different ways. Make sure you have some room in your stomach left by now since you don't want to miss out on the papillote, the pan fired or the Singha beer battered fish balls.

Tasty, well presented and getting you there of being stuffed to the max. Oh wait, there are still three deserts coming your way as well. 

Just go with the flow and enjoy another treat of the chefs!

The Thai Experience, the second coming; Group picture after a wonderful evening.

By now, around 10.30-11.00pm the evening is coming to an end and the mini van is waiting outside to bring you back to your resort.

It's an entertaining and delicious event that is well worth your time and gives you a great and fun insight into the Thai cuisine. Hence 'The Thai Experience'. They have my thumbs up!

The whole group enjoyed the evening and pictures and social media contacts were shared by each other.

Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday they're open for business but other days of the week are open to availability. For groups a shorter version is available upon request.

The current price is 2,490.-THB per person and includes around 15 dishes, free drinks and transfers.

Follow this link and book directly a place at the communal table. Just do it and enjoy!

The Thai Experience also donates money to a local Samui animal aid charity, see the qoute below;
"I have one regular sponsor, the Thai experience, which contributes every month for the past three years to help feed the dogs.
With the help from the Thai experience I am able to feed up to 30 dogs. To give you an idea one 25kg bag of food costs 25 euro/ 23 GBP. There is an area in Ban Taling nam pier where locals and expats abandon their dogs especially puppies. Most of the puppies that end up here do not survive as this area is riddled with distemper and parvovirus. With funding from the Thai Experience they have helped in the purchase of vaccinations including test kits to see if the dogs have a disease"

Please visit their Facebook page.

Please do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and enjoy the beaches around the island or in front of your hotel or resort and get some well deserved rest and a break. If you're done resting or need something else to do, there's plenty of things on offer on and around Koh Samui, you can go snorkeling or diving or take a dive course. You can also enjoy some of the trips I recommend, like a half day gourmet lunch and snorkeling trip at the Southern part of Koh Samui or a photography trip where you get to see the most photo genetic spots on the island or go for a drinks tasting tour if you like a tipple or two. 

Contact me for more detailed information on any of the options mentioned. 

If you like to donate to this blog, use this secure link PayPal.Me/CamilleLemmens. 

Camille

Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Nathon

Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Nathon

Just about two weeks ago, Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Nathon opened it's doors and last weekend we visited for the first time. The menu is the same as in Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Maenam and the quality is at the same high level. We enjoyed all the food that was served during the evening and it was a lot, since we were with a relatively big group, 5 adults and 7 children.

Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Nathon; The entrance to the newly opened Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Nathon at the Nathon boulevard

The location is very good, at the beginning of the one way boulevard in Nathon, with a great view over the ocean with spectacular sunsets during the last afternoon or early evening.

Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Nathon; View from the outside, where you can find tables for an outside dining or lunch experience, whilst inside everything is airconditioned.

It was surprisingly busy and I think that many people living in Nathon and nearby are checking out this new restaurant option in their neigborhood. I'm sure that many of them already heard from word of mouth about the quality of the Maenam restaurant.

Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Nathon; Inside in one of the two connected rooms, but seperated by a door. Everything is nicely decorated, simple yet very effective and enjoyable.

We ordered lots of food, being with a fairly big group and some of our favorites came along again, like the sashime, as pictured below but also a Tepnyaki set and a avocado salad with s slightly spicy wasabi sauce or how about a ramen pork soup? Anybody for a California roll or other assorted sushi? Some tofu agedisha? As you see, we had our fun and it was all very good tasting, as we are used to by now from Kobori. there's a reason why it's one of our fave restaurants on the island.

Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Nathon; A medium sized sashimi set, one of the many differetn dishes we had during the evening, very tasty indeed

We really enjoyed our stay and will go back in a heartbeat. It was busy, so maybe a good idea to make a reservation on 093-575-1567 or for Maenam on 083-174-6530

Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Nathon; View over Nathon boulevard and the ocean behind it, with spectacular sunsets during the later afternoons and early evenings

There's a different vibe in the Nathon restaurant compared to the Maenam restaurant but the food is definately of the same quality. From where we live, it's a lot easier to visit the Maenam restaurant but it seems that plenty of friends prefer the view of the Nathon place. For most of us it's little further out of the way but well worth the extra time and effort. Do find out for yourself and pay them a visit.

Hope you enjoyed this review and please let us know what you find of Kobori, Japanese restaurant in Maenam and Nathon!

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 14th September, 2016

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 14^th September, 2016

Today's weather;

It's fairly sunny over Koh Samui this morning, in contrast tot he previous two days. It should stay like this for most of the day and it should stay dry so prepare for a warm day. Current temp at 7am is 28C

Bangkok, Hanoi and Saigon and now soon to be in Chaweng; El Gaucho, Argentinian steakhouse. Under construction. A logical order of cities?

Yesterday saw a cloudy start of the day with some sunshine coming through at times but by 3.30pm we had a shower as well and it stayed cloudy again. Max temp reached 33C

The forecast hasn't changed that much, mostly cloudy but with chances of sunshine, a fair bit of wind and a lot less rain is now expected over the next en days, besides an occasional tropical shower.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 3rd July, 2016

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 3rd July, 2016

Today's weather;

During my very early morning run it was partially cloudy and we witnessed a nice sunrise, but come 7am it's cloudy over Koh Samui and we even had a few rain drops and it cooled down a bit. Current temp at 7.30am is 28C

Raad na and 100 sateh sticks with peanut sauce and marinated cucumbers with chillis, a real treat at Dcheed 2 at the Chaweng ring road, between the post office and the footsal stadium. We haven't been there for a while but we sure found out quickly again what we missed out on! Real good and delicious food at a very good price, well worth a visit

Yesterday saw a partially sunny sky during the morning but come noon it was covered with clouds again and although the sun tried hard to peak through, it wasn't very successful. It remined dry though and max temp reached 32C

The forecast predicts partially cloudy skies until Wednesday when the wind and rain is supposed to kick in. Wind for the nest seven days and rain for a day or three. Next weekend should be dry again but with a good breeze.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 29th April, 2016

Today's weather;

It's cloudy over Koh Samui and there are just a few openings in the cloud cover to let the sun shine through. It should be another warm day again though with possibly a very isolated shower. Current temp at 7am is 30C

We are here in Surat Thani at the last leg of a weeks long travelling and ready to head for the ferry soon. Home at last again. The sky over Surat Thani is also heavily covered by clouds with just a few blue openings. Current temp at 7m is 26C
This morning we visited the Pirate Park, a water park near the center of town.

Fisherman's boats in Bang Rak bay, this picture is taken from the Seatran pier

Yesterday saw once more a very warm day around Koh Samui with a max temp of 34C

A Chinese temple opposite the pier in Surat Thani, where the night boats for Koh Tao and Koh Phangan leave. During the evening there's a small street restaurant in front of the temple. Next to the pier is small night market with food/restaurants and fruit stalls. There's also one vendor that sells Thai sweets who is so popular that people queue each night in order to buy the sweets.

The forecast predicts a light breeze for the next ten days with some cloud cover, some days heavier, some days lighter. It will still remain warm over the island.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Jok Bangkok restaurant in Nathon

Jok Bangkok restaurant in Nathon

The Jok Bangkok restaurant in Nathon is a breakfast restaurant, open between 6am and noon-ish. It's open since about five years and the last two to three years the 'Dim Sum'option has been added and it proofed to be very popular.

Jok Bangkok restaurant in Nathon; the front view

It's located in Nathon's main one way street, just a hundred meters short of the T-junction where you can take a right to the beach boulevard and it's an original old Chinese style house, or to be even more precise, Hainan style (check the link to see a picture of the same building back in 2008).

Jok Bangkok restaurant in Nathon; A variety of dim sum

Visitors are mostly Thais but you're more than welcome if you'e a Westerner and the menu is very simple and easy and straightforward. The dim sum, as shown above in the picture, you only have to go and point at the small plates you want and a staff member will have them steamed for you and brought over to your table once they're done.

Jok Bangkok restaurant in Nathon; Dim sum steaming away

The dim sum is fairly healthy and also has plenty of vegetarian options, besides  fish and meat options. The plates are really small but also cheap.

We had a total of eight to nine dim sums, 2 jok dishes and two times eggs sunny side up and a few things as carry out and it totaled around 400.-THB.

Jok Bangkok restaurant in Nathon; the jok corner

A very popular Thai breakfast dish 'jok' which is rice porridge, but you can have plenty of different ingredients added to it, so it never becomes a boring dish. especially here at Jok Bangkok restaurant in Nathon, there are plenty of different options available, ranging from just your regular minced meat to the pink or '100 year old' fermented eggs, just to name a few.

Jok Bangkok restaurant in Nathon; the kitchen

If you find yourself in Nathon before noon, have a look if you can find Jok Bangkok, it's not hard to find and well worth a visit. It's a very local experience and don't worry, the food is not spicy!

According to my wife there are a few similar restaurants around the island, one supposedly in Bophud, so more research needs to be done here!

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 5th February, 2016

Today's weather;

This morning we have a partially cloudy sky over Koh Samui with blue spots peaking through the clouds. I expect it to remain fairly cloudy today. Current temp at 7am is 28C

Yesterday evening I had a Thai buffet dinner with my son, who won a dinner voucher at a lucky draw at the recent Care for Cancer run in Nathon, at the Koh Thai Bar and Restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Samui. This is the deserts bar. The buffet was outstanding and can be highly recommended, but I was glad that we didn't have to pay, at 3,000.-THB per person

Yesterday saw a nice day with some sunshine until the late afternoon when dark clouds packed together and we had a short shower. Max temp reached 32C

The forecast predicts a very strong wind with storm like conditions come Sunday morning, by Tuesday morning the wind should have petered out. From Wednesday onward we may expect the sun back again.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 4th February, 2016

Today's weather;

A blue-ish sky is shaping up this morning over Koh Samui, it was a bit hazy during the early morning and there are a few clouds right now but it looks good for the rest of the day during which I expect the sun to battle it out with some cloud formations. Current temp at 7am is 27C

The desert table, including a chocolate fountain, at Coast at Centara Grand Beach in Chaweng during yesterday evenings monthly Skal meeting/dinner. The dinner buffet was outstanding and I can highly recommend Coast for a visit and specifically it's Sunday brunch special

Yesterday saw a partially cloudy sky with plenty of sunshine peeking through the clouds and in some parts of the island there may have been some light rain. Max temp reached 33C

The forecast is looking fair. Hardly any rain is predicted for the next ten days, but plenty of cloudy skies. Over the weekend we may have a storm like wind passing over Koh Samui, culminating on Sunday morning and waning out over Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday and the second weekend of February may see some sunny skies.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 6th January, 2016

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 6th January, 2016

Today's weather;

Blue skies have returned over Koh Samui, although they are still laced with some clouds. It should stay like this for the whole day. Current temp at 7am is 28C

A Hainan style restuarant in Hua Thanon, next to the Guan Yu shrine. The first visitors and inhabitants of Koh Samui, most likely came frem the island Hainan and many houses around the island, especially in Hua Thanon, are build in Hainan style

Yesterday saw all day long a cloudy sky with the sun breaking through during the late afternoon. There may have been a shower at some parts of the island. Max temp reached 31C

The forecast is still looking good for the next ten days, mostly sunny to partially cloudy skies with an occasional tropical shower being an option.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille

Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa in Bophud

This weekend we are enjoying a sat at Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa in Bophud. It's not our first visit here, here you can read a review of a visit to their restaurant back in 2007, one of my very first reviews on this blog, during one of the very first months since I started the blog. We have been back a few times and enjoyed the restaurant, but we never stayed here before. Now, Alexander and Ti, the owners and managing directors, were so kind to invite us for this weekend's stay.

As it happened to be, last week my wife and me also celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary, so the invitation couldn't have come at a better time.

The reception

Immediately upon arriving you feel at ease and are taken care of by the very friendly staff at reception. There are two separate lounges where you can wait for all the check in procedures to be taken care. A welcoming drink is offered and everything went very smoothly and before you know it, the friendly staff (did I mention this already?) shows you the way to your room, with the suitcases following within moments and you get a tour of the resort and the restaurant. Very efficient and very friendly.

The bed in our Garden Villa, very welcoming with a few nice little touches like a welcome note and the towel folded as an elephant

There we were in our Garden Villa, a 65 square meters big villa, with two extra beds for the children an a baby cot for our two year old baby girl. Today we had the baby cot taken out, since our baby girl sleeps with us in our big bed. This is in typical Thai style and it makes you wonder how we managed ending up with 3 children. Although, that's a different story.

A Garden Villa from the outside

Our Garden Villa is lovely, the picture shows the big king size bed with lots of pillows to chill out. There's a very inviting and relaxing Moroccan Lounge with a large day bed (which now was turned into a bed for one of our older children), making you slow down and enjoy your stay at this Boutique Resort.

The view from our room

The Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa in Bophud is truly Boutique! This can be found back in many different ways and loads of small details that make your stay here extra memorable and enjoyable. How about a silk dressing gown with silk indoor slippers in the room and there's a also a chess game for you in the room and I'm writing this review with the help of the very fast wifi throughout the resort and this all comes besides the usual amenities you would expect, like a very well stocked fridge, a 32" flat screen TV with 30 channels, an electricity adapter, hair dryer, safe, a private balcony with sun-beds and table, an open-air outdoor Balinese bathroom with hot tropical rain and hand showers and lots more.

The only thing that we miss in our rooms, is the bidet sprayer or shower in the bathrooms, a very typical Thai institution when it comes down to bathroom utilities. We're so used to this as a Thai family and we find it surprising that they're not available. Western visitors to the resort probably would not miss this utensil at all, unless they lived for prolonged times in South East Asia. It's however a minor inconvenience which we will surely and easily survive!

It's all there and presented with an eye for detail and to really make your stay memorable and enjoyable and so far we're having a great time.

Besides the Garden Villa's there are also 5 Beachfront Deluxe Bungalows and 10 Garden Deluxe Bungalows. As I said before, with only a 25 luxury Villa's and Bungalows, it's indeed 'Boutique' and a quiet getaway.

Zazen restaurant with 'Le Salon de Ti' on the second floor

Near the beach you can find the 'heart' of the resort, the restaurant area, with upstairs 'Le Salon de Ti' for an afternoon high tea or to enjoy the Dilmah Tea Bar with a choice of 23 hand-picked fine tea varieties but also a whole new range of amazing tea-based cocktails. Dilmah is a world renowned tea brand from Sri Lanka.

Zazen Restaurant is famous throughout Samui island for its deep, romantic atmosphere and delectable East Meets West cuisine from master chef, Matthias. A dinner review will follow soon.

In this area you can also find the 'Rouge Lounge & Bar' with a view over the ocean and the beach for pre and post dinner drinks with a huge selection of 30 wines by the glass and an extensive wine list numbering over three hundred wines, on display in a freshly created glass cellar and cocktails from a range including exclusive surprises and many specialties.

The Wine cellar of Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa in Bophud is located under ground with the ceiling fo the cellar made out of glass, which gives you the opportunity to look into the cellar from above. The cellar holds 900 bottles of wine with another 200 bottles of white wine and rosés being kept in fridges. For more interesting facts about wine tastings, their range of corkscrews, the wine list and more, please follow this link.

If you're a cigar aficionado. there's also a humidor which offers one of the biggest selections of cigars on the island with over 60 different cigars ranging from Cubans over Dominicans to Honduran fine quality cigars, well stored and taken care of.

Thai cooking classes can also be followed here and are a lot of fun with a very practical learning curve!

Something that also caught our eye, is another small detail that makes a stay here so enjoyable is the grooming and friendliness of the staff. All the female staff was absolutely taken with our 2 year old daughter, which was a pleasure to experience.

Le Spa Zen, the entrance

Alex and Ti also invited us to a Thai massage in their 'Le Spa Zen' and I love a good Thai massage and the masseuses at 'La Spa Zen' definitely know how to to give you a proper and relaxing Thai massage. You have the choice of eleven different traditional massages and treatments, five different body scrubs, four different body wraps, four different facials and eight different hand and foot care treatments. This alone can keep you busy for the duration of your stay.

Before the massage you are asked to fill out a short questionnaire that will help the masseuses to give you a massage or treatment the way you like and prefer it, light, medium or strong but it also inquires about any special preferences or body parts that need extra attention. Our massage was excellent and an hour flew by, it could have gone on for another hour at least! Right now, once this post has been completed, me and my wife are actually off for another Thai massage and one more hour of pure relaxation. 'Le Spa Zen' is a very important part of the resort and it's concept and once here, you better not miss out on one of their treatments! Check out the menu here.

Part of the breakfast buffet

We had dinner last night at the restaurant and it was delicious. A write up will follow soon and this morning we were back in the restaurant for breakfast. Still full from yesterday's dinner, it was hard to choose from all the inviting breakfast offerings. The Zazen  breakfast buffet ranks easily among my top breakfasts I had the privilege of enjoying so far. As already mentioned before, more eye for detail and small surprises make me already look forward to tomorrow morning. How about dried dates, figs, cranberries and apricots, walnuts, almonds and pumpkin and sunflower seeds, home made rye bread, sparkling wine, a wide range of eggs in almost any style you wish, Asian food options, Belgian waffles, Parma ham and Emmental cheese and yogurt with various different cereals, home made jams. The list goes on. Simply delicious and very enjoyable and tasty.

The beach front early in the monring

As you can see, we're having a very hard time indeed! It's time to get ready for another Thai massage treatment. It's a dirty job but somebody's gotta do it and I am volunteering for this one!

By far Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa in Bophud is the best family-run boutique resort on the island and we can highly and warmly recommend it.

Please check the links below to book your own stay at Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa in Bophud;

Book Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa in Bophud with Agoda

Book Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa in Bophud with Hotels Combined

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks! 

Camille