Eat and meet

Ko Bulon Lae

Nearly all the bungalow operations and resorts on Ko Bulon have a restaurant, but their menus seem to be clones of each other -- fried rice, phad thai noodles, seafood, and Western breakfasts. The prices of the meals reflect the price of the accommodations, with the beach-side resort restaurants charging significantly more for similar dishes. The restaurant at Bulon Marina Resort has a chilled-out vibe and serves cheap beer and fruit shakes, making it a popular hang-out spot at all hours of the day. The food is good too -- try the sizzling stir-fry plates or one of the curries which are big enough to share. The cheerful cook at Chao Le Food hand-pounds all her curry pastes and is justifiably proud of her food. Seafood portions are particularly generous and prices are more reasonable than at the resorts. They stay open late, and many guests stick around long after they're finished eating to drink beer and play cards.

After sunset, Ban Sulaida restaurant glows with colorful fairy-lights and serves the freshest seafood on the island, although the other menu items are a bit bland. The staff are attentive but can only speak a bit of English, so any special requests to your order will get a nod from the staff even if they are not understood. Close to Sulaida's is one of the few stand-alone eateries -- the Garden Restaurant. Here you can enjoy a big pancake with coffee or a home-made Thai meal (nothing's from a seasoning mix) in a tranquil gazebo setting. During the peak season there is often fresh baking -- on a recent visit there was pie and focaccia bread. All of the restaurants serve beer, but the only true drinking establishment on the island is the Rock Bar at Bulon View Point Resort. It's location -- up a steep hill, then down a steep hill, is less than ideal after a few whiskeys.