Chaweng Beach (Hat Chaweng)
 On
the east coast of Samui Island lays Chaweng Beach, a classic
tropical beach in all respects. Chaweng Beach is the longest
strip on the island. Stretching for 6 kilometers, Chaweng
is most popular and offers a wide range of facilities from
the luxurious to the very basic at varying prices.
The strip splits naturally into three sections, with the  resort
town located in the central area. In recent years it has blossomed
into the island's second largest town. It is a magnet for
visitors from all over the island. All the attractions are
easily accessed by the road which runs parallel to the beach.
Chaweng
is considered as the center of tourist activities. It is the
most developed area, too. You can find some of the island's
best hotels, together with an endless number of bungalows,
beach bars, restaurants, discos and shops. You can just sit
and lie on a deckchair in the shining sun - it's quite common
for most people here. Relaxing for lazy hours on the beach
here is the one way to escape from the sophisticated, frustrating
world. If you wish to find something more active, there are
ample things to do.
If
you stroll along Chaweng road you can find myriad shops  and
stalls offering something for everyone including shopping
enthusiasts, Internet addicts, book lovers and food hunters.
Food lovers can find just about anything, whether it's Thai
or western, and there are also some very good seafood restaurants.
For a quieter evening there are plenty of bars and restaurants
right on the beach, offering a dreamy view of the Gulf. You
may find that the prices of Thai food here are more expensive
than other places on the island, but the taste is worth it.
If windsurfing, catamaran dingy, jet skiing, water skiing
and parasailing are what you are looking for, many resorts
and hotels offer quite reasonable equipment rental rates.
 Nightlife
at Chaweng is reaching legendary status, so it is rather noisy
and crowded. Central Chaweng Beach has the greatest concentration
of venues. Most of the nightlife attractions are located there.
A good choice of music venues ranges from traditional Thai
to jazz, rock to reggae. There are nightclubs, outdoor theaters,
cabaret shows, beach bars, girlie bars, pool bars, snooker
halls, video shops, British, American, and European style
pubs and clubs. Many of them stay open until the first gleam
of daylight so that you can enjoy the nocturnal life from
dusk till dawn.
 Chaweng
has the greatest number of dive shops on Samui, many of which
organize day and night dives at the long reef just off Chaweng
beach. A number of companies operate one-day trips from Chaweng
beach to Angthong, Sail Rock, Ko Tao and other sites.
Despite
all the activity, however, Chaweng still maintains the classic
image of a palm-fringed tropical beach. The beach both in
Chaweng Noi and Chaweng Yai is a really lively nature paradise.
Generally, you can say that for beach-lovers, and sun-seekers,
Samui's palm-fringed, sandy beaches and warm waters are just
the very paradise on earth they are searching for.
One
can get a songtaew or "two row" truck to reach Chaweng.
They run all over the island and the price from Nathon to
Chaweng is 30 baht. After arriving on the island, you can
hire a taxi from the airport to Chaweng for 150-200 baht for
a more private and comfortable ride.
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