The Fisherman’s village is an area in the eastern side of Bophut beach features fine restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops and pubs. On Fridays, it also offers a lively pedestrian zone with a bubbly market that attracts many visitors.

This place is strongly linked to Ko Samui’s history, as hundreds of years ago, a group of fishermen whose origin is in China, came to the island and built their homes there. They settled in Bophut beach where the built wooden residence houses and shops, along with a pier for their fishermen boats.

Over the years, the island has developed considerably, and was known then for its many coconut plantations. In the last decades, it became a popular tourist destination for worldwide visitors. The Fisherman’s village also changed into one of the most popular Ko Samui attractions; its wooden houses – from both sides of the narrow alley that was once an authentic village – were renovated and transformed into modern restaurants, pubs and boutiques. However, a part of the past remains in the atmosphere, which makes the place unique and attracts many visitors from across the island.

Most of the structures on the beach side are open wide, enabling a beach view and overlooking the neighboring island of Ko Phangan. Most restaurants serve Thai food, fish and seafood alongside diverse western food, and some of them offer tables on the beach which adds to the pleasant atmosphere.

Here I should mention two popular locations in the Fisherman’s village – Coco Tam’s open beach bar with its beanbags, mats and evening fire shows, and its newer ‘sibling’ Coco Tam’s X Peppina – a designed Italian restaurant right next to the open bar. You’ll find both just when you enter the Fisherman’s village, very close to small shopping center – The Warf.

On Fridays, the Ko Samui The Fisherman’s Village also offers a lively pedestrian zone featuring Ko Samuis traveling market, and the place turns into a big, colorful celebration of shopping and food stalls that fill the narrow alley and neighboring streets – so don’t miss it!