Ao Hin Khok

Eat and meet

Ao Hin Khok

With tables set in the sand under a massive casuarina tree lit with lanterns, Jep's is one of the most alluring spots to eat on Ko Samet. Ao Hin Khok is home to a couple of fine places -- so popular that backpackers often wander in from surrounding beaches in the evenings.

The huge menu at Jep's has Thai and Western standards, but also offers Indian, Mexican and Japanese dishes. Delicious pastries and cakes are also on display. Such treats also mean it's busy for breakfasts and afternoon coffees. At night, their barbecue excels, with a range of Indian and Korean dishes in addition to the standard beef, chicken and seafood kebabs. Service is usually slow and sometimes haphazard, so expect a leisurely meal.

Surrounded by painted concrete picnic tables and tall palm trees, Tok's has a good, subdued atmosphere for early evening, enhanced by the efforts of an experimental DJ. Keng, the tiny bartender with a Cockney accent, has been running the place for years and loves to chat about football. There is always a game of some sort happening here -- cards, chess, football, Frisbee... there are also the fire twirlers at night. Tok's still runs the coin toss drink specials (call it right and you get a free drink).

Set on the hill overlooking Hin Khok, Naga Bar, with its long list of cocktails, impressive selection of beers and great drinks specials, is a good place to get the party rolling. Buckets sell for 300B and Jell-O shots are just 20B. While the music is typical of any Thai tourist bar, its pool table, small dance floor, several picnic tables and a few hammocks scattered about on the sand make Naga a good place to meet other travellers. Should you not like your new friends, a muay thai ring opens in the early evenings for spectators or wannabe fighters. Fire shows start around 22:00 in the small dirt lane behind the bar. One disadvantage of Naga is the lack of a bathroom in the near vicinity -- you'll have to climb the hill to the restaurant out back.