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Quiet and unassuming, Big Buddha Beach has its own festivals and local events....
Run by husband and wife team Mikko Vuori and Krista Stockberg, Sibelius is the place to come for Scandinavian treats such as "Lightly Salted Beef Carpaccio" with tomato & pepper salsa & wasabi sauce, Creamy Scandinavian Soup with homemade dark rye bread and Dijon & Garlic Marinated Lamb with red wine & mint sauce. The superlative dessert Deep Fried Camembert with raspberry coulis is particularly highly recommended. What's more it can be all be enjoyed in fully air-conditioned comfort, which probably helps make the restaurant feel just like home for visiting North Europeans. Nordic Complex, Big Buddha Beach.
As the name suggests, sunsets are pretty spectacular when viewed from this Big Buddha bar. Attached to the bargain priced Sunset 2 Bungalows, the bar is one of the last refuges of backpackers in the area and is a popular stop off point for those en route to, or returning from, Koh Phangan. The staff are very friendly, the atmosphere is very mellow and the music tends towards very chilled house.
Heart & Soul Bar and Grill is Samui's first venue dedicated to the smooth and groovy sounds of Northern Soul and Jazz. Owner Lee Hughes draws on his extensive CD collection to give patrons a taste of the music that laid the foundations for the UK's rave scene. If names like The Velvets, Mickie Champion, The Ojays, Gladys Knight or Sheila Ferguson don't mean anything to you, then Heart & Soul is a great place to discover them. The bar also serves a fine range of cocktails and a tasty selection of marinated steaks and kebabs fresh from the charcoal grill. Big Buddha Beach, Outside Sunset 2 Resort. Open 11am - 2am.
Situated right next to Wat Phra Yai, home of the big Buddha himself, the BBC is a perfect spot for a relaxing sundowner. The clientele tend to be older and there are more families than at most places in the area, which is reflected in the 60's and 70's tunes on their soundsystem. The BBC is also used as a base for Samui's small, but growing, yachting fraternity and even has its own catamaran for charter. Route 4169, Big Buddha Beach. Tel: 077 425 264.
Now entering its thirteenth year, the Secret Garden Festival's formula for success has changed little over the years: barbeque food, cheap beer and a succession of local and guest musicians performing blues and rock songs. The crowd is more or less evenly split between tourists and expats and it's all very relaxed and family-friendly. There's also accommodation available at the attached bungalows. 5pm every Sunday at Secret Garden Bungalows, Big Buddha Beach.
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