The island, the trends, the must-do list.

The White Lotus Hotel

The main filming location of the show. Walk-ins for lunch or sunset cocktails are the best way to experience it without staying.

Inside the Four Seasons

A wood-panelled spirits library with 200+ rare rums. Master mixologists curate bespoke tastings — one of 2025's most buzzed-about luxury experiences.

Filming location

Eight private salas suspended inside a 120-year-old tree. 8-course tasting menu paired from a 170-vintage cellar — featured in HBO's restaurant scenes.

Filming location

Additional resort scenes were shot here. Stop in for sunset cocktails on the lawn.

The 12-metre golden seated Buddha that's been Samui's defining landmark since 1972. Climb the Naga-serpent staircase at sunset.

A serene Thai-Chinese temple complex with an 18-armed Guanyin goddess rising from a lotus lake — and a vast Laughing Buddha across the water.

Restored Sino-Portuguese shophouses lining the waterfront. The Friday Walking Street market is the best in Samui.

Twin jungle waterfalls with a natural swimming pool. Tier 1 is an easy walk; Tier 2 rewards a 30-minute hike.

Eighty-plus mythological statues hidden in jungle hilltops — hand-built over decades by a local fruit farmer.

The famously cheeky sea-eroded rock formations at the southern end of Lamai Beach. A Samui classic.

Bophut

The island's most iconic beach bar — beanbags on the sand, bar swings, inventive cocktails and a nightly fire show that's become legendary.

Bangrak

A 25-metre saltwater infinity pool, swim-up bar, cinema under the stars and DJs. The Salted Caramel Espresso Martinis are a thing.

Chaweng

Samui's current 'it' beach club — international DJs, spectacular fire shows, seamless day-to-night flow.

Lipa Noi · West Coast

The original luxury beach-club brand, planted on Samui's sunset coast. Worth the drive for the Sunday brunch alone.

Chaweng

A newer 'casual luxury' club with a real events calendar — Afro Fridays, themed sunset parties and resident DJs through 2026.

Chaweng

The original Samui party beach — 20+ years of nightly fire shows and beach parties. Still one of the busiest spots on the island.

Six Senses · NE Coast

Ten cliffside verandahs with 270° Gulf of Thailand views. Seasonal farm-to-table menus — Samui's single most celebrated dining experience and practically next door.

Cape Fahn Hotel · Choeng Mon

Celebrity chef David Thompson (of Bangkok's Nahm) curates sublime Southern Thai cuisine on a private-island setting. A World's 50 Best pick.

Anantara Lawana · Chaweng

Eight private salas suspended in a 120-year-old tree. 8-course tasting, 170-vintage cellar. A White Lotus filming location.

The Wharf · Bophut

Intimate room, open kitchen, fresh seafood. Consistently named among Samui's top fine-dining tables.

Hilltop · above Chaweng

Panoramic Thai-Mediterranean fusion: lobster bisque, crispy sea bass with hoisin. Reservations essential.

Local gem

Bold Southern Thai flavours — fresh lobster dressed in kapi (shrimp paste) and sator beans, squid in its own ink.

Closed 20 Oct – 20 Dec

42 jungle-covered islands rising from turquoise sea. Snorkel hidden reefs, kayak limestone lagoons and hike to the famous Wua Ta Lap viewpoint. Samui's signature day trip.

Two hours north by ferry, Koh Tao is one of the world's most celebrated dive sites — visibility up to 30m, whale sharks and reef sharks.

The legendary monthly beach rave at Haad Rin — 30,000+ revellers, fire shows, international DJs. Easy ferry from Bangrak Pier.

Ethical

Walk-with-elephants in the jungle, hand-feed and observe — no riding, no bathing. Certified for animal welfare.

Quad-bike to hidden waterfalls or fly 1,500m through the rainforest canopy with views back across the gulf.

Pick produce from organic gardens then cook three or four classic dishes with a local chef. The Nature Samui near the Elephant Sanctuary is the buzzy 2025/26 choice.

Choeng Mon

A Moroccan-inspired adults-only wellness resort — drop-in yoga, Pilates reformer, Muay Thai, detox and reset programmes. Practically a neighbour.

South Coast

Consistently ranked among the world's top wellness retreats. Built around a Buddhist monks' cave. The 2025 Cognitive Wellness Program is the new headliner.

Lamai

An open-air spa hidden among granite boulders and jungle, with herbal steam caves and outdoor treatment salas. One of Asia's most atmospheric spas.

NE Coast

Clifftop treatment salas with Ayurvedic and fusion therapies — right next to Dining on the Rocks.

Bophut · Fri (also Mon/Wed) 5–11pm

The best night-market atmosphere on the island — fire shows, boutique stalls, fresh seafood, live music.

Maenam · Sat evenings

Authentic local street food, crafts and live performances. Far fewer tourists than Bophut.

Lamai · daily 3pm–midnight

Budget street food, BBQ, mango sticky rice and live music. A great low-key local evening.