I think 2024 needs to slow down… where is the time going? Did anyone else just blink and March was over? We have definitely been busy and I always think when we have visitors that time seems to run away with us, so let’s just put it down to our guests. There’s a lot to catch up on, so let’s get going…
What we’ve been doing
We met some Instagram friends, it’s always weird meeting people that you’ve followed for so long, you feel like you know them and have already built a connection but we still always get a little bit nervous as you never know whether they’ll like you or you’ll like them I suppose. Thankfully we’ve never met online friends we didn’t like, so meet Josie & Kim (@josieandkim on Instagram). They are a super cute, very fun and down to earth Norweigan couple who were on their way home after a long backpacking trip and joined us in Samui for a few nights. Just. a little public announcement to say – meet your Instagram friends in real life, the travel community is amazing and we had so much to talk about, it’s also nice to meet people who understand why you’ve decided to live out of a suitcase.
We also did our very last border run to Malaysia, thankfully without any issues, unlike our 1st January mission – if you haven’t read about it head to our January blog for a good laugh at our expense.
AND, we also had a visitor, my long suffering BFF. She’s been to Samui three times now, she always seems to arrive just when I’m crazy busy with work, so we don’t tend to go on any mad trips, just a visit or two to a beach… or two, lots of delicious food and of course, too many beers. We did celebrate her birthday though with a trip to a beach club and a seafood dinner on the beach. Oh and took her to play Bingo at Jolly’s with the host with the most, Carl… obviously.
Safe to say it was a lovely, but busy month.
What we’ve been eating
Having our friends in Koh Samui means we end up going for lunch and dinner… a lot! So rather than just telling you what we’ve been eating, this month I’m going to recommend some of our favourite foodie spots in Koh Samui and some of our top recommendations from each of the menus… there’s a lot here, so grab a cuppa and notebook… let’s go…
1. Kohinoor – we’ve mentioned this great little Indian restaurant previously, we probably eat here at least once or twice a month. Based in Fisherman’s Village, it’s the most authentic Indian food we’ve eaten since being in Samui. Highly recommend the chana masala, tarka dhal and butter rotis.
2. Gusto Italiano – a very nice Italian restaurant in Fisherman’s Village, think wood-fired pizzas, creamy pastas, lots of grilled local fish and seafood and of course, an Italian meal wouldn’t be complete without tiramisu and a shot of limoncello.
3. The Shakespeare – our go-to for Sunday roast, The Shakespeare is a tradition British pub, tucked away in the hills of Samui. Remember that scene in Wizard of Oz where Dorothy’s house gets blown away and she lands in a different world… that’s The Shakespeare, this mock tudor building, filled with Toby jugs, a red phone box and portraits of William Shakespeare really has no business being in Samui, but we adore it… sadly we missed our usual roast dinner as we arrived after 5pm, but the pie and sausage and mash were both a 10/10.
4. The Hut – another regular feature, this cute little Thai restaurant is about a 2 minute walk from our house, so you’ll find us there at least once or twice a week, enjoying all the fresh and delicious Thai food. Can highly recommend the pineapple fried rice, morning glory and tofu & veggies in curry powder. Most Thai dishes are under ฿150 (£3.25).
5. Pico Samui – this family-run beachside bungalow resort has a wonderful kitchen with Thai and western dishes. The menu is massive, but then most Thai menus are like this. We’ll often chose a fried rice or noodle dish, with a side of spicy papaya salad or morning glory – my fave!
6. Charm – this cute little restaurant in the east of Fisherman’s village (turn right at the boat – I promise there are bars and restaurants this way) has only been open for a few months but it’s already making a reputation for itself as having the world’s best Pornstar Martinis. We’ve eaten here a few times but I have to say some of my favourites were the chicken in pandan leaves and the blackened miso snapper with crunchy Asian veg – 10’s across the board!
7. The Deck – our favourite local beach club, it’s super chilled out and always has a great vibe. The food here is impressive, a range of breakfast and brunch options, including eggs bene, avo toasts, smoothie bowls and more. For lunch or dinner, there’s everything you could want an more, steak, Thai green curry, salad bowls, rich and creamy pasta, grilled octopus, burgers… you name it, they’ve probably got it.
8. La Brisa – we love this little beachside restaurant, we recommend it to everyone. If you enjoy fish & seafood we highly, highly recommend you take a trip to see the guys here. You can grab yourself a seafood platter for two including king prawns, crab (or squid), local fish prepared as you like plus rice, fries and salad for under £25. The team here are wonderful and if you arrive early enough you might even bag yourself a table on the beach.
9. Ran Khang Non – I’m always raving our the khao soi here, but don’t miss out on the mango sticky rice for pud, if you can’t manage a large one they do these teeny tiny ones for 50 THB, about £1. Super sweet and absolutely delicious. The number one dessert in Thailand… don’t know if this is actually true, but it certainly is in my eyes.
10. Swell – a relatively new addition to Bangpor beach, Swell is owned by a beautiful and brilliant American couple who have recently made Samui their home. They serve the best margaritas in town and if you love tacos and Tex-Mex then you want to get yourself down there pronto! The veggie bean burger and sweetcorn ribs were 10/10!
11. Cafe de Pier – we are usually team pasta, almost always actually, but we were craving a really delicious wood fired pizza and this place has just the thing. The toppings here are plentiful and the prices are pretty good too. My fave is the roasted veggie pizza but Carl likes some of the meaty numbers. Beautiful seaviews are just the cherry on top.
12. Krua Baan Khaow – I went on a BFF date when my friend stayed and as we’d already had a huge meal earlier in the day I opted for a spicy manago salad, which was utterly delicious and my go-to and all time favourite, stir-fried morning glory. This seems to be a really popular spot in Fisherman’s Village, I think it’s because the prices are relatively low for the village, I can’t say I was massively impressed with the service but the food was amazing.
What we’ve been watching
One Day
Easily one of the best things I’ve seen in ages. It’s so heartwarming… and heartbreaking, all at the same time. I loved every moment from start to finish and if you haven’t watched it, you absolutely should!
The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping
This was an interesting docu-series created by a group of people who attended some very ‘interesting’ schools. All the kids were labelled as ‘troubled’ by teachers or parents and were sold a solution, which turned out to be torture… quite literally. And it wasn’t just happening to them, it was a global group who had set up these ‘schools’ around the world. A sad but interesting watch.
The Lost City
Seen it before and needed a fun and lighthearted movie for a Sunday whilst Carl was at work, it’s a super silly adventure-comedy with a very special guest appearance from Brad Pitt. It’s essentially about a romance novelist who gets kidnapped because Harry Potter thinks she knows how to find some buried treasure, then her goofy cover model comes to the rescue… that goofy cover model being Channing Tatum. It’s a very easy, fun watch and a great lazy day movie.
Have you seen any of these? What did you think?
What we’ve been struggling with
Quality time together
What with my social media business and virtual assistant businesses being fully booked out, I am chocker and Carl has been working four nights a week at the pub, mostly weekends… which is when I have a little more time. It’s a shame as we’re not getting to spend that quality time together, when we are free we’re usually hanging out with other people. We’re going to make it a priority to spend lunchtimes together next month before I head off to Europe so we can a moment, pause and enjoy each others company.
What we’ve been celebrating
Good food & good company
From meeting our ‘Instagram fam’ to my UK bestie coming to visit we’ve had a lot to celebrate. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs over the past six months so we’ve just been trying to enjoy Samui as much as we can, the food, the cheap beer and the beautiful beaches. Sometimes you don’t realise how lucky you are, especially when you’re working until 10pm or having to dedicate all your weekends to working at the pub. Safe to say it’s been a month of celebrating the incredible food culture we have and enjoying company of wonderful friends, both old and new…. the friendships are old… not the friends 😉
What we’re looking forward to for April
A visit home to the UK
I’ve really been missing my Mum and dog recently so have managed to tie in a trip home with a conference I’m attending in France. As a virtual assistant I often only meet clients through a little screen, but this conference will allow me to network, build up some more business and meet my existing clients. Plus the fee covers my very expensive flights home (£1300) and I get to spend some time with my Mum, hopefully enjoying some sunshine and catching up with friends in Wales, Brighton and London. Looking forward to it!
Well that was it, a brief look at what we’ve been up to, if I’m completely honest this was written on 15th May… and I’m yet to start April’s travel diaries, which is mostly why it was brief, but it is important to me to keep up our monthly posts so we can look back on everything we’ve been doing and celebrating and watching… and eating! So anyway, tell me, how was your March and what are you most looking forward to for the month ahead?
It would be great to connect over on Instagram or on Twitter, we love building our little community of fellow travellers and travel lovers, or if you want to follow along on our travel adventures why not subscribe, we aim to post something new every week.
Until next time…
travel eat sleep repeat 