A guide to the places for shopping in Koh Samui
A vacation to Koh Samui might not be complete unless it includes spending some time shopping for souvenirs in one of the local stores or along the island’s busy streets. Koh Samui, the 2nd largest island in Thailand, allows visitors to take home some typical souvenirs as well as the memory of a joyful shopping experience when they leave Thailand.
There are many shops and stalls selling a wide range of goods, including well-known international brands and regionally produced goods. Although most prices are fixed, there is some room for bargaining if you go shopping in the streets or at local tourist shops.
So, here come five of the most interesting places for shopping in Koh Samui.
Central Festival Samui
Central Festival Samui is the biggest shopping mall on Koh Samui, and it’s a beautiful site to visit even for those who don’t like shopping malls. It is a beautifully designed open space with natural ventilation and lots of green. It has a wide variety of shops and restaurants and invites you for a relaxed stroll. The Samui Islands’ largest mall is conveniently located on the island’s east coast. In addition to an abundance of stores and restaurants, there is also a children’s playground.
You also might want to bring something home to your friends and relatives back of your time on Samui. So it’s a good place to shop for souvenirs. If you’re looking for something a little more unique, you might check out the jewelry or apparel shops for a unique souvenir. Shopping malls like Central Festival and markets with lower-priced clothing.
Chaweng Port, the primary gateway, is home to a variety of pubs and restaurants. There are around 20 large high-end fashion stores in this area. Branded accessories and clothing are abundant here. A big gaming arcade and a large open-air dining arena are found in the last section known as Beach Town Market.
Lamai Walking Street
Although Thailand is famous for its various walking streets, Lamai Walking Street is considered one of the most exciting ones. Two streets that run perpendicular to one another are blocked to traffic; one of the streets is used for booths selling clothing, trinkets, and other goods, and the other street is used for booths selling food and beverages. It gets especially crowded on Sunday afternoons when there is a traditional tourist market.
This market has a lot of fun things to explore, and the event attracts tourists from abroad and people from the surrounding community. When you are done shopping, you will find two stages at the end of the road. Local entertainers will astonish you on these stages with music and fire shows. The stages are located at the first Lamai Beach gate on the Chaweng side.
Local fashion designers
Many independent designers have started boutiques selling high-quality clothing in the last few years. The island’s colorful reputation is matched by high-quality designer swag in addition to the traditional holiday clothing designs.
There are hundreds of shops on Koh Samui to cater to fashionistas, and Samui Hot Club is a good example because it sells good quality clothes at an affordable price. It is filled with rows upon rows of tee shirts, shorts, swimsuits, and sarongs in a variety of colors. Samui Hot Club has strict rules about purchasing like you can not try a dress and they do not have any refund policy. There are three different branches of Samui Hot Club and all are worth visiting. Their one branch is located in Nathon and the 2nd and 3rd are located in Lipa Noi and downtown Lamai respectively.
The Wharf Samui
If you are someone who enjoys shopping, you are going to adore the Wharf Samui, which is a trendy hybrid between the traditional Thai markets and a high-end retail mall. This one is great for shopping in Koh Samui. This open-air market has over 120 stalls that offer a wide selection of high-quality goods for sale. This comparatively new market opened its doors to the general public for the first time in 2014. It provides services such as a sizable parking lot for patrons’ vehicles.
The Wharf reaches from the well-known Beach road to the most westerly point of the Bophut Fisherman community. It is located in the middle of the island. Even though this shopping area does not offer any big brands, many small shops specialize in trendy items and lovely souvenirs like Thai handicrafts, Kalamae, and Thai fisherman pants that can be brought back to the home country. A food court on the premises offers authentic Thai cuisine at reasonable prices.
Mae Nam Walking Street
Every Thursday, the Mae Nam Walking Street in the city’s center opens to the public and has street food vendors selling affordable, locally sourced fare. It’s one of the best spots in Koh Samui to shop.
After a quick delightful meal, you can peruse the locally-produced goods, which include some aromatic oil, handmade jewelry, sunglasses, T-shirts, denim, Thai silk goods, etc. If you’re lucky, you might catch some live music at this Koh Samui market, sure to put a smile on your face.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the best 5 best locations to do some shopping on Koh Samui. The island offers something for all tastes and preferences. You need to remember that the shopping atmosphere in Samui is very different from Bangkok. It varies between high-end fashion and modern technology products at the modern mall and exclusive boutiques to local produce and souvenirs in rustique stalls on crowded street markets.
