Ko Maak

Ko Maak

The easiest option is to eat at your bungalow or resort, as they each have restaurants of varying quality, but there are some great-value eateries around if you do decide to venture out. Ko Maak goes to bed early, with virtually all of the restaurants closing by 21:00 or 22:00. There are three areas for eating outside of the resorts; at the north and south ends of Ao Kao Beach, and on the main road leading to the main pier in the south east.

Opposite the Makathanee Resort in Ao Kao are 3 outlets, of which Aimmy Food is by far the most popular. The menu consists of all the local favourites as well as some western specials. In high season they operate a very popular BBQ with fish, steaks, shrimps and kebabs. Prices are competitive, a bit cheaper than the resorts, though recent years have seen price hikes so don't expect bargain basement.. The neighbouring Baan Sabaii also offers decent food and has an internet service with wireless. On this strip you'll also find Havana Bar, a strange blend of Thai wooden bar meets retro 80's coloured décor, perhaps what you'd expect to find on an island where Vivienne Westwood is stranded with Robinson Crusoe. They serve a few decent cocktails, but the main attraction is the menu, loaded with delicious Thai food which is presented beautifully and tastes as good as it looks. Try the Penang Curry with a roti, you wont be let down, or if you like something different have a look at the spring rolls, with some alternative filings such as cheese and ham.

Also worth a look in this area is Tubb Talay Bar, opposite the entrance to Monkey Island resort, which has a cool chill out deck for lazing away the day, and a good spot for a cold beer in the evening.

Another newcomer to check out is Food Garden, oddly enough a large expanse of garden where they sell food. 2009 saw huge success for this new venture, with seafood BBQ, great thai food, an Isaan grill and live football on the weekends; if you want to meet locals, this is where you'll find them. The owner however has just sold the lease, so it's yet to be seen whether the new management can perform such a good job.

At the southern end of Ao Kao beach, up behind Island Hut, Palm Beach, Ao Kao and Lazy Days is a small strip that's fast developing into the 'villlage'. There's a supermarket, a salon, an Ice cream parlour and a small clothes boutique, 'the Island Shop'.

Entertainment wise look no further than Cafe Del Mak. This funky bar cum coffee shop usually opens up mid afternoon and goes on until you go home. There's a nightly happy hour, and with a menu loaded with strong and cheap cocktails it's become the place to hang out in the evenings. Espresso and Cappuccino here gets a huge thumbs up. There's officially no food served, but somehow from somewhere the staff are able to rustle up cheese burgers.

The neighbouring Noodle Stop! serves undoubtedly the best noodle soup on the island, as well as the tastiest and most affordable cuisine on the island. Don't be put off by the basic look to the place. Its run by Mon, an extremely capable chef who cooks, serves and clears all on her own; and some nights she'll have more than 20 customers happily munching away out of her single wok! The average dish costs just 40 baht! The curries are highly recommended, as is the Chicken cashew nut.

A few stops down is Swiss Sawasdee, which also has some excellent Thai food complemented by a small Swiss-German selection, though a touch more expensive.

Over on Ao Nid, you'll find one of the best on the island, Koh Mak Seafood -- a seaside seafood restaurant which has been an integral part of the island's culinary scene for years. Freshly-caught seafood is of course the specialty, and recommended is the king prawn dish with chillies and ginger. Dining tables and mats are loosely spread out over a series of jetties and pavilions over the water, making for quite an atmospheric setting after dusk.

Just next to the main pier, Mr Ball Cafe is the perfect place for those needing a caffeine injection whilst checking the emails. The cafe has a good range of expresso coffees and a few cakes and biscuits to keep you going. The internet access is reasonable at 2B/min, and there's a big selection of old Thai Esquire magazines to browse through. Mr Ball can organise passage to the other islands or back to Trat.

On the main road through Ao Nid, you'll find Piaw Restaurant -- a little old lady named Bell whose tiny eatery seems to supply half the local inhabitants, particularly in the low season when she's pretty much the only place open. Serving no nonsense fast food like fried rice or pad krapow you cant really go wrong here, though if you don't like chilli be sure to ask for 'mai pet' as otherwise you're inducing a firestorm. The pick of the dishes here is Lad Na, a gravy like dish with vegetables and wide noodles, a bargain for 30B.