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Also running a popular restaurant and bar with bamboo tables set up on the sand, the chilled-out staff rents out bungalows made entirely of bamboo apart from thatch roofs and tile floors in the ensuite wet bathrooms with Western-style flush toilets and hot-water showers. Thick mattresses are set on bamboo frames over bamboo floors that bend as you step, cooled by fans mounted on woven bamboo walls.

Simple beach living. Photo: David Luekens

Bamboo benches are built into large bamboo porches, though only the front row bungalows have sea views due to a design that packs quite a few rooms into a small area. We were told that all bungalows are identical, and they’re surprisingly equipped with small flatscreen TVs and mini-fridges. A lack of mosquito nets is questionable given the open-air windows propped open by thick bamboo rods. Shoestring budget travellers can go for a beachfront tent with sleeping mat and blanket while using shared bathrooms.

An advantage of King Busch -- as compared to other north-coast backpacker options like By Beach Resort, Moonhut and The Treehouse Silent Beach -- is a location that puts a great string of beachside restaurants and bars at your fingertips. Stroll to the east for five minutes to try delicious 40-baht sticky rice noodles with curry at Khanom Jeen Pla Khiao, and continue for another five minutes to hit Bang Por Seafood Tahko, one of the best options on Samui for real local-style seafood.

The narrow beach fronting King Busch is picturesque, but the ring road runs directly behind it so you will hear some traffic through those thin bamboo walls.