Today we chose Hug Samui, which sits by the beach in Bang Por on the North of the island with views across the straits to Koh Phangan, home of the famous full-moon parties. We had company in the form of Kwan, son of the wife's best friend, who lived with us for eight years in Bangkok, and Champagne, daughter of our best friends, who were staying with us for a couple of weeks during their school holidays.
Hug Samui has a laid-back vibe and no cover charge, which is unusual for a venue by the beach with its own pool and facilities. There are a number of resorts such as this dotted about the island where you can hang out for the day, eat and drink whilst enjoying the day, swimming in the pool or the sea and avail of their showers and toilets. With no cover charge, the standard restaurant pricing is a little over the norm, but not enough to invoke shivers down the spine when the bill is due to arrive.
The food menu has plenty of choices of both Thai and Western food without overwhelming you with too many choices. Alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks and cocktails are served, as is coffee and tea, and whether there for a meal, drinks or the whole day, you're not going to worry about finding something to suit the whole family.
The best time of day, of course, is sunset, and we just spent a wonderful couple of hours in the golden light as the sun dropped into the ocean once more.
We arrived at just the right time to bag the best seat in the house, which is on the narrow veranda, perched above the beach. It's still the quiet season here, so there are very few places that you need to fight for the best spot.
A significant advantage of this beach is that the numerous eating and drinking establishments that line it work diligently to keep the beach looking clean and tidy. Essential when the weather is poor and the sea washes up its flotsam and jetsam with each change of the tide.
There is also indoor seating, and as you can see, shades over the loungers which will keep the sun off, or the rain during our current season of inclement weather.
For me, whether in a big city or by the beach, the real magic happens when the sun goes down!
Being directly North, you don't get to see the sun actually drop into the ocean, but you still get some amazing colours as the sun bounces its rays back into the clouds.
That's it from me once more. Thank you so much for dropping by. 
Have a great week
