Koh Samui was our first stop on our honeymoon! The island was a lot larger than what I was expecting and the perfect place to wind down in. It was a slice of paradise with crystal clear waters, white beaches and plenty of fresh coconuts. I do however think Koh Samui is for the less adventurous traveller compared to its neighbouring islands of Koh Tao (my fave) and Koh Phangnan. I almost feel like Koh Samui is a bit stuck in its way and slightly old school compared to the other islands and other parts of Asia – I will go into more detail in my next blog!
Anyways, as much as we loved diving into the local cuisine every night by eating an array of curries, soups, noodles and deep-fried dishes. I thought I would hunt down some fresh alternatives for lunch so we wouldn’t get sick of Thai food and to create some sort of balance in our diet.
If you are going to Koh Samui, go check out some of the below cafes!
Green Light Café
A beautiful little restaurant in the heart of Fishermans Village. I thoroughly enjoyed lunch here on more than one occasion. The menu is packed full of delicious options which are all vegan, vegetarian and paleo friendly! With so much variety there is something to suit everyone! I tried the pad thai bowl, spicy chicken bowl, sweet potato fries (which are baked), grilled salmon salad and washed it down with a kombucha or ‘bio fiz’ every time! You can also build your own Buddha bowl which is a great touch however their combination of salads were always so good, I never got round to it. Another benefit is that all of their chicken is free range and hormone free, their produce is all natural with no MSG and there are no preservatives in site!
Eating lots of local delicacies like fried rice, curries, fried food by night, I rather enjoyed the balance of having a nutritious meal which was packed full of flavour and made with love at lunch time. I left feeling nourished and satisfied each time! A must if you are traveling to Koh Samui.
Art Café by June
Art Café by June is a little café just out of Fishermans village. It is not on the beach, it isn’t fancy, in fact it is located on the main road however it is absolutely brilliant. Simple, guilt free tasty food! Art Cafe caters for everyone with a variety of food options and an extensive menu. It has a real local feel about it, very rustic and welcoming! The staff are friendly and the food is delicious and cheap too!
Eating healthy really doesn’t have to be hard and it really doesn’t have to be boring however when you are on Koh Samui there isn’t much in the way of healthy food so finding this superb café was like winning the lottery. We ate here on several occasions (obviously) – and enjoyed the following dishes; rice paper rolls, salmon and avocado rolls, hummus dip and homemade fresh bread, the tofu scramble wrap, the chicken and veg brown fried rice…. Art café is unassuming, the food is wholesome and the staff are friendly… Another must go to if you like to nourish your body from the inside out!
Sweet Sister Café
I unfortunately only managed to visit Sweet Sisters Café once on my trip due to it being on the South part of the Island. We stopped off here on our road trip after visiting the waterfalls. We enjoyed a Bio Fizz each, fresh vegetarian spring rolls and the Thai chicken wrap which was to die for. The menu was large featuring lots of healthy Thai & Burmese dishes as well as healthy takes on the western classics, raw desserts, free from treats and an amazing drink menu!
Sweet sisters café also has the additional bonus of a health food shop attached to it, which has shelves galore packed full of super foods, supplements, snacks, natural beauty products and more! I bought a sachet of Thai Green Chicken Curry paste to take home with me so I can re-create my favourite dish with the authentic spices when the holiday blues sink in! I really loved this café as it had a lovely charm about it, I only wished it was closer to where I was staying so I could have visited it on more than one occasion….
Fishermans House Café/ Coffee Lab
Fishermans House Café is a quaint little place in Fishermans Village which is also a coffee lab. I have never seen a coffee menu quite like it, you name it they have it! Nitro coffee, hot and cold drip, espresso, cold brew along with all sorts of alcoholic coffee beverages I have never seen before! They also serve a wide variety of teas including my favourite Matcha lattes served with coconut milk. As you can tell by the picture, the presentation and effort they put into serving their specialities was perfect! We had an amazing buffet breakfast at the resort we were staying at so we didn’t get to eat at Fishermans House Café however as I was sipping away on my coffee the food coming out the kitchen looked absolutely delicious, clearly a very popular breakfast spot on the island too!
It’s your nature shop – Health food shop
Minding my own business on the back of the scooter, I spotted this sign and ordered Mr T to turn around immediately so I could have a little gander through this health food shop. I love traveling to different countries and going to local health food shops to see what they have on offer – I find Asia has some amazing ingredients I have never even heard of. If you are looking for supplements, detox remedies, healthy juices, kombuchas and all sorts of elixirs this is the place to go. I only purchased a coco-biotic juice which was packed full of delicious enzymes, probiotics and utter goodness!
