Hua Thanon Beach

Hua Thanon is a village at the head of the road on the south coast. It is home to a busy Muslim community with a fishing village feeling. You can find a lively market and a couple of restaurants, but probably not more than that. In a sense, the village offers just local and authentic ways of life. Hua Thanon is the best place to buy superb fresh seafood at reasonable prices. You are pretty much guaranteed that seafood here is better than anywhere else on the island. One can take a songtaew from anywhere on the island as they run to almost every nook and corner of Samui at a price of about 150-200 baht, depending on the distance.

Hua Thanon, which starts just beyond Hin Tin & Hin Yai, is similarly quiet and is home to a few long-stay backpacker resorts as well as one of Samui's last remaining traditional fishing fleets. The Muslim village has a charming atmosphere and is well worth a visit for a glimpse into island life before mass tourism. The fishermen's elegantly painted kor lae boats are very photogenic, as is the village's fish market. There are a few decent seafood restaurants by the side of the sea, which give you a taste of true Samui cuisine at bargain basement prices.