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| There are many places to buy some wonderful Thai souvenirs in Koh Samui |
When it comes to Koh Samui shopping, the opportunities at Chaweng Beach are on a par with anywhere else on the island. Most of the best shops are located along Beach Road and in the immediate area. It seems as if many of the shops/vendors are compartmentalized, divided into beachwear, sports shops, jewelry shops, etc, while there is a long thread of mis-mash shops selling everything from DVDs to clothes and fake watches running down the length of the street.
Beach Road in Chaweng is actually six km long, and so this particular Koh Samui shopping haven will take quite some time to explore.
Street Shopping
Some of the best places to find cheap goods are on the actual street itself. As you make your way down the street, you’ll no doubt come across many different stalls selling everything from t-shirts and shorts, DVDs, computer games and cheap jewelry to fake ‘designer’ clothes, perfumes and bags. You’ll also come across all the essential beach items you need, making your Koh Samui shopping experience very easy indeed, including towels, swimming costumes, flip flops, shades and dozens of other knick knacks that you probably won’t need, but will probably end up buying anyway! Street vendors typically open up for business around 11am and will continue trading until the early hours of the morning.
Khun Chaweng Shopping Centre
Located slap bang in the middle of beach road, this shopping mall makes a most welcome respite from the scorching hit sunshine that’s impossible to escape from when doing your Koh Samui shopping outside. As well as numerous western stores like Boots, Saville Row, Guy Laroche and Alain Delon, you’ll also find the obligatory KFC, McDonalds etc.
Tailor Shops
Koh Samui shopping wouldn’t be complete without a few tailor shops thrown into the mix, and you’ll find that in actual fact it has more than its fair share of them. Most of the tailor shops along Beach Road are run by Indians or Nepalis, and you’ll instantly know where they are because every time you walk past one a tout will no doubt try to get your attention. If you have the time and the inclination, feel free to take a look around and see what they offer. Although many get tourists frustrated with being constantly asked if they want to buy a suit, for those interested in buying one, it’s possible to get very high quality suits made up for less than $100, so long as you know how to bargain them down from their astronomical starting prices!
Supermarkets
In case you decide to do a bit of grocery shopping, you won’t have to do very far. Chaweng Beach actually has two very large shopping malls in Tesco Lotus and Big C. You’ll need to jump in a tuk tuk to get there most likely, but the offerings are worth it. As well as all the groceries you could possibly want, you’ll find a number of restaurants and coffee shops to relax in, as well as shops selling sportswear, clothes, fashion items, kid’s toys, medicines, cosmetics and more.
Big C and Tesco Lotus both also have a number of banks and money changing booths, and there’s even a cinema in Tesco Lotus that shows the latest movies in English. Truly, your Koh Samui shopping experience here will be complete.
