Gaggan Trip, Bangkok and Koh Samui, Thailand

When I was in Cannes, France, I met some of my brother’s closest friends. One of his friends is a big foodie and over the course of a few nights, I managed to convince him to visit Bangkok to explore its exploding food scene. I’d mentioned that I wanted to try Gaggan but had never been able to secure a reservation. I wasn’t willing to participate in silly antics like bidding on someone else’s reservation so even though I’d visited Bangkok many times, I hadn’t yet experienced Asia’s #1 restaurant. To my surprise, my friend somehow managed to get a reservation for us in early February, so I planned a trip to Thailand around that one meal.

Gaggan Anand Bangkok

I won’t give too much information on the Gaggan experience because it really is more about the experience than the food. The food overall was very good, but perhaps a bit too much. If I recall correctly, our night had 25 courses. There were courses from various parts of the world, including the primary source, India. I don’t want to say too much, but I should share that if you choose to dine here, you’re going for the show more than anything else. Go into it with an open mind and you’ll have a lot of fun; if you’re looking for a romantic dinner with your loved one and want to chat, this is not the right restaurant for you.

With Michelin rated restaurants, the first time dining experience is unique and exciting, but I often find myself having no desire to visit a second or third time. I feel the same about Gaggan; it was a great and fun experience, but one time is enough. Perhaps this is why Gaggan is changing things up and bringing new concepts to the marketplace. Perhaps everyone that could afford that experience has already done so and now it’s time for something new. Depending on what that new thing is, I’d consider giving Gaggan another try, but I’d arrive with a completely empty stomach this time.

The Library Samui

There are so many beautiful hotels in Ko Samui, but somehow, we always gravitate back to The Library. Its idyllic location, amazingly friendly team and enormous villas keep pulling us back in. This time, our experience was no different, we were greeted by the same team we’ve seen there for years. The manager came out to welcome us back and the familiar faces at breakfast the next morning also took the time to recognize our multiple stays. According to the card in the room, this was our 7th chapter written at The Library!

During the Covid period, the hotel industry in Samui got destroyed. Many hotels went bankrupt or had to forgo maintenance. That left many once beautiful hotels in disarray. The Library managed to survive Covid, but had become a bit rough around the edges. Fortunately, we saw evidence of large investments being made to update the hotel to the latest luxury standards. The new welcome centre was the very first thing we noticed, along with new wooden decking on the hotel side of the site.

The Chapters remain very good value, but our hearts always reach for the Secret Villas. Being completely enclosed in our own little house on the beach is so compelling. The space is perhaps far too large for two people, but having a private pool, sofas and a dining table makes for a very comfortable experience.

Because The Library is situated on the east coast of Samui, sunrises are where it’s at, but sunsets also have a great vibe. The hotel puts on excellent music at night and hosts a happy hour from 5-7PM. It’s Buy-One-Get-One during that time and the cocktails are full fledged, with no skimping on the alcohol! One big advantage of having an east facing beach is that you get golden hour sunlight on your face with your back to the sea; this makes for stunning portraits with that perfect lighting and background.

Central Samui

No trip to Samui is complete without visiting the island’s main shopping mall, Central Samui. In this little mall, one can find anything they need, from great food and drinks, to souvenirs, to clothing and electronics. I particularly like the grocery store which stocks excellent wines, fresh fruit and anything you’d need to bring back to your villa. Samui hotels are very chill about this and don’t frown upon people bringing their own wine back to their rooms.

Coco Tam’s

Every trip to Samui must also include a visit to Coco Tam’s, and based on their rapid expansion, it appears this is a must visit on many people’s itineraries. It’s remarkable how much they’ve grown, now taking up three plots of land on the beach in Fisherman’s Village. The vibe is always excellent, packed to the rafters with locals and tourists alike, and with great food and drinks across the menu.

My favourite time to come for sunset and then stay for the fireshows. Please note that if you come too late, there’s often a table minimum spend, especially for the best tables overlooking the beach.

Izzy’s Coffee

One of our good friends is an architect commissioning a few hotel projects in Samui. He lived on the island for a few years and recommended a few unknown places to us. The first was Izzy’s Coffee, operated out of a shipping container. Their speciality is dirty coffee and their coated nuts. Both were delicious, especially the nuts. More importantly, the two owners are super friendly and welcoming, and they have a super cute dog that you can play with too! I recommend sitting out front and enjoy watching Samui folks walk by.

Sorte Pizzeria

Right next to Izzy’s Coffee is another place our architect friend recommended, Sorte Pizzeria. He’s travelled the world and spent long durations in Italy and he said this is the best Naples pizza he’s had anywhere outside of Italy. I thought that he was exaggerating until I put that lucious and creamy pizza in my mouth. It instantly transported me back a few years when I was eating a pizza in a car park in Naples, Italy.

Further research into how this pizza found its way to an island in Thailand. The restaurant is Accademia Pizza DOC certified to be a Neapolitan pizzeria. Dhanat, the founder, learned his craft in Naples and earned an Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana Olympics 2022 first runner-up. Both Dhanat and his co-founder, Kasira competed in Naples at the Caputo Cup in 2024 and 2025. These folks are the real deal and it comes across in their food! I heard they’ve opened a new location in Lamai given how busy their Fisherman’s Village location had become. I wish them all the success in the world!

Cape Fahn

After my recent experience in Tanzania, where we jetted out to a private island for some drinks, I now seek out similar experiences elsewhere. A friend had recommended we visit Cape Fahn, a small island near Samui that’s accessible via a jeep-boat. The restaurant at the island hotel has a set menu and arranges the jeep-boat pickup and dropoff. Needless to say, it was an unforgettable experience with great Thai food and stunning views. The experience of driving across the sea in the jeep-boat was also something special (although I wouldn’t recommend it for people that easily get sea sick).

Conclusion

That wraps up the short trip to Bangkok and Ko Samui. I can’t leave this post without mentioning something that I felt very strongly on this trip, and something that I felt again on a more recent visit to Thailand. It appears Thailand is getting tired of tourists and are starting to change from the “Land of Smiles” to something less welcoming. While we didn’t have any issues, we could see other tourists being treated with eye-rolls and impatience. I can’t blame the Thai people though as Bangkok truly has become over-touristed with the visa-free rules recently introduced.

I really hope that Thailand reconsiders this rule and targets tourists that appreciate and value Thai culture and Thai people. It was staggering seeing the behaviour of some tourists in Thailand. I would have run out of fingers to count the number of foreigners shirtless in places where shirts are always worn around the world. In how many airports would a person arrive shirtless in the USA or Europe? How about in luxury shopping malls? It’s sadly far too common to see shirtless foreigners in those places and sometimes trying to enter temples too; it must make the locals livid.

I’m not sure what the solution is to these issues. It seems like the world has stopped learning, or caring. Nobody says anything to the people doing the wrong things. I wonder if governments should be doing more to educate visitors to their country by having an “Etiquette Card” provided to all arrivals to the country. I recall Laos doing this and I thought it was insightful as I had forgotten some of their cultural rules. If you’re going to a new country, please take a few minutes to ask AI for cultural taboos in the country you’re about to visit. Ask it how you can be a good tourist and it will likely reach you some key words in the local language that can make all the difference.