Joanna James
Samui is a great location for shopping, with best shops and market places located near resorts on the island. Here's a look at some of the top shopping venues with great bargains.
All major cities on the island have their own 'walking street' market, but the Lamai walking street is honestly one of the best. Held every Sunday near Lamai Beach Road, it attracts hundreds of visitors every week. The road is closed off to traffic so visitors can leisurely stroll along the street, browsing through the many stalls that sell everything from handicrafts and clothes to yummy street food. The items on sale make great trinkets, but of course, it's the street food that's the highlight of the market. The food is delicious and prepared right in front of you, so you know it's fresh. Lamai walking street is a relaxing way to spend a Sunday evening on the island.
A treasure trove of ornaments, trinkets, baubles and delicate scarves, a walk though Mr Samui's should not be missed. A cross between an antique store and an art gallery, the shop has dozens of beautiful earrings, rings, bracelets, anklets and more, made out of precious gems of different types of metal. You can choose from one of the many beautiful pieces in the display cases or even have your own piece of jewellery designed. There's a small café area with internet connection so chill here as well.
One of the largest shopping complexes on the island, Central Festival Samui contains three-stories of over 90,000sqm of retail space! Located close to Chaweng's Beach Road, a short drive away from many a Samui Resort in the area such as Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort, the shopping complex is a shopaholics dream. The mall is divided into 4 sections with some unique features such as an open atrium as well as a playground, numerous restaurants and landscaped gardens, ideal for resting in between shopping.
While not as large as other walking streets, the Mae Nam walking street still has lots to offer in terms of stalls, street food and best of all mobile cocktail bars! Held every Thursday evening, it's a popular area for families and groups of friends catching up. It can get rather noisy here, but if you can ignore it the buzzing, do take the time to explore. Toward the end of the street is a beautiful Chinese temple that makes for great photo opportunities.
A trendy combination between a mall and outdoor market, the Wharf Samui is an open-air space with over 100 stores selling a high-quality products and services. The Wharf extends from Beach Road all the way to Koh Samui ring road, however most of that space is given over to a car park. The plaza like are is near the beachfront along with a section of good restaurants that serve tasty international food as well as Thai cuisine.
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