Honda Brio 

B399,900
B64,000 rebate
Just 97hp means you won’t overtake anyone on the highway, but the ridiculous amount of storage space makes this worth a second look.

Honda Jazz

B590,000
B100,000 rebate
Don’t be fooled by sport seats and paddle shifters into thinking this car doesn’t have good fuel efficiency—it gets sixteen kilometers per liter. 

Toyota Vios

B514,00
B100,000 rebate
Even though the Vios comes with a killer sound system, you’ll always have to crank it up because it’s known for its poor soundproofing.

Toyota Yaris

B539,000
B100,000 rebate
The amount of technology, like seamless iPod integration, bluetooth and smart keys, make up for the bland styling of this hot hatch.

Nissan March

B375,000
B54,000 rebate
Aside from the low price, there is little to attract buyers to this bug-eyed subcompact—unless bug-eyed is your idea of cute.

Ford Fiesta

B549,000
B100,000 rebate
The new Fiesta is nothing like its predecessors. It’s newly designed facade is the best looking of the budget bunch, and it’s the most peppy engine.

Mazda 2

B535,000
B100,000 rebate
Sharing the same DNA as the new Ford Fiesta, its good looks make it a huge hit with first jobbers and hi-so university students.

Sports Car Expo at Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

Khun Kampon, the owner of the famed Nong Nooch Gardens, also happens to be an avid sports car collector. His collection is comprised of some of the rarest cars in the world, let alone Thailand. He shows them all at his multi level garage located on the Nong Nooch garden property.
34/1 Moo 7 Na Jomtien, Sattahip, Chonburi, 038-709-358-62. Open Daily 8-6pm. www.nongnoochgarden.com

Jesada Technik Museum

A lover of all things mechanical, airline mogul Jesada has amassed quite a collection of classic cars. He specializes in micro cars, and three wheeled cars of the 1960s. There are also a few airliners and boats on display as well. A great place for retro car lovers.
100 Moo 2, Tummason Rd., Nakhonpathom. www.jesadatechnikmusuem.com 02-819-4000. Open Tue-Sun 9-5pm.

Ratchada Night Market

This dek naew haunt is known for all things retro, including cars. Old hippie-themed VW “type 2” camper vans line Ratchada’s curbs and inside the market you’ll find restored motorcycles for sale. It’s a popular place for motorcycle clubs and vintage car clubs to meet up and grab a drink. You can be sure you’ll see some flower power from the 60s and brute muscle from the 70s.
Open every Saturday 6:30pm-2am, BTS Ladprao. Between Ladprao Criminal Court and MRT Underground Car Park.

What are the most important factors when making fried fish?
There are three important factors. One is using only wild-caught fish, preferably cold ocean species. Two is not to overuse the cooking oil; make sure you change it regularly. And third, cook for a short time at a high temperature, sealing in the juice (and blocking out the excess fats).

What is the biggest mistake bad fish and chips places make?
Using old dirty oil with cheap, fresh water fish that don’t have clean flavor, and sometimes even have a muddy taste.

Why do some recipes add ingredients like beer or milk? What’s the difference?
Beer is used for its carbonation rather than its flavor. It helps make a light batter. As for milk, people use it to remove the fishy flavor and help tenderize the fish. But it usually turns out soggy and bland. However, good fresh fish doesn’t need either.

Are there any fish that would be bad choices?
Intensely farmed fresh water fish which are grown using antibiotics, growth stimulants, antifungal agents, and food made with ingredients of dubious quality. You are what you eat, right?

What would you recommend drinking with fish and chips?
I would recommend eating fish & chips with any good lager beer or a Sauvignon Blanc, although the beauty of fish and chips is that it goes well with pretty much anything, even a glass of cold milk—my favorite when I was a kid.

“Dirty Girl isn’t. Sorry, but it’s just faux grime, a thin layer of bad behaviour that wipes clean with a two-ply tissue to reveal the real movie beneath—all shiny sentimentality.” Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

“Dirty Girl is much more fun when Danielle is behaving badly. Unfortunately, that only lasts about 20 minutes.” Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media

“Social satire, heartbreaking family drama and a lot of toe-tapping 1980s music attempt to exist in the same space. Watching this movie is like eating a hot fudge sundae and lasagna in alternating bites.” Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

“Dirty Girl is a bad movie with no insights that is broadly drawn and genuinely plagued by filthy dialogue. You don’t laugh. You just wince, and wonder how the whole thing ever got financed.” Rex Reed, New York Observer

“With luck, Temple will be able to get this movie expunged from her filmography, like a juvenile offense that is wiped from one’s record when she comes of age.” Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine

“If you can’t quite get behind a defiant diva and her queer companion, you’ll find every moment of this motion picture a chore.” Bill Gibron, Filmcritic.com

Eat

Sabeinglae

438/82 Moo 1, Maret, 077-233-082, 081-538-7045. Open daily 10am-10pm. www.sabeinglae.9nha.com
Sabeinglae offers a long list of authentic local dishes like gaeng kua hed lhoob (mushroom curry), wai kua (squid simmered in coconut milk), and gang som pla grabog yod mapraw (sour curry with fish and young coconut). Also try the fresh oysters with deep-fried garlic (B40 each). The kluay buad shi (bananas in sweet coconut milk) can’t be missed for dessert. Unlike other seafood restaurants in Samui, the bill is affordable and might come in under B1,000 for two.

Janhom

7/3 Bang Por Beach, 077-236-458. Open daily 10am-10pm
If you want authentic, then test your tongue with Janhom’s fiery Southern dishes like the nam prik goong sod (vegetables with shrimp relish, B120) and wipe your tears away with the kua gling moo (stir fried pork with spicy herbs, B150) at this popular no-frills eatery.

Kanomjeen Pa Maitree

217/2, Maenam Beach Soi 4, 077-247-075. Open daily 8:30am-3:30pm
A not-to-be-missed spot for its local food. Situated close to Maenam Intersection, Kanomjeen Pa Maitree offers various soups from nam ya (coconut soups) to green curry, or gaeng tai pla (a spicy Southern soup) to eat with rice noodles. Prices start from just B30.

Namcha

Fisherman’s Village, Bophut Beach, 077-427-115. Open daily 9:30am-1 pm. www.namchasamui.com
Run by a Filipino family with a tea obsession, this teahouse sits just at the entrance of Fisherman’s Village and is one of the most charming buildings in the area. Like almost everywhere in Samui, the place offers an open-air vibe, but here there are four sections with Japanese, Chinese, African, and English tea room styles. Their offerings range from English breakfast and Jasmine, to chai tea imported from around the world. Prices start at B120 per pot.

Le Salon de Ti / Zazen Restaurant

Zazen Boutique Hotel and Spa, 177 Moo 1, Bophut, 077-425-085, www.samuizazen.com
Created by couple Alex and Ti, Le Salon de Ti serves desserts, cocktails and 23 kinds of Dilmah tea, served hot or cold. The open-air space on the 2/F of the teak building is decked out in vintage-style French furniture and is perfect for afternoon high tea (from B590 for two people). Downstairs, Zazen Restaurant is a casual oceanfront joint serving tapas and Thai cuisine by day, after which it turns into a candlelit, intimate outlet for French Executive Chef Cyrille Keyser’s fine Mediterranean cuisine. Zazen also has the only underground wine cellar on the island—it’s blissfully cool.

Drink

9 Gems

141/190 Moo 6, Bophut, 077-256-125, 080-692-0520. Open Tue-Thu 4pm-midnight, Fri-Sun 4pm-2am. www.9gemssamui.com
Hidden away on one of the island’s many hilltops, 9 Gems combines fine dining with breathtaking views of Pru Chaweng (Chaweng Lagoon) and Chaweng town center below. The menu offers fusion food, tapas, desserts, cocktails and bubbly. Request to be seated on one of their beds on the rooftop to enjoy the 360-degree view. Settling yourself in just before sunset is highly recommended.

Green Mango & Sweet Soul

Soi Green Mango, Chaweng Beach Rd. Open daily 9pm till late. www.thegreenmangoclub.com
This has long been one of the most popular nightclubs in Samui. With a gigantic open-air space that contains several bars, pool tables, and huge dance floors, all you need is a plastic bucket of Sangsom mixed with Red Bull and some straws. To warm up, stop by at Sweet Soul, the sister club of Green Mango (located right in front).

Sound Club

Soi Green Mango, Chaweng Beach Rd., Open daily 11pm-6am. www.soundclubsamui.com
Sound Club has both open-air and indoor spaces, and the DJs are usually the same ones who do the Full Moon parties on nearby Koh Pha Ngan.

TOP SUNDAY BRUNCHES

Beach Republic

Elegant and sexy with its red hot decor, Beach Republic boasts two infinity pools, regular DJs and live performances. The Ultimate Sunday Brunch Club features a buffet offering myriad international options like meat carving stations, seafood, Thai dishes, sushi, cold cuts, and crepes suzette. Outside those hours, entry into the club for outside guests is B500, but that does turn into F&B credits. There are also 39 rooms available from B3,900 per night.
176/34 Moo 4, Maret, 077-458-100. Sunday brunch B1,400, 11:30am-3:30pm. www.beachrepublic.com

Nikki Beach

Laze on their throw pillows, daybeds, plush champagne beds and Nikki’s signature teepees. The highlight of the week is the “Amazing Sunday Brunch,” offering over 40 dishes including seafood, sushi, meat carvings, and desserts. The brunch includes one free mimosa or bellini. Annual membership (approximately B7,500) gets you entry into the club for a year, but won’t include special events like Sunday brunch. Private bungalows available, starting from B4,600.
96/3 Moo 2, Lipa Noi, 077-914-500. Sunday brunch B950, 11am-4pm. www.nikkibeach.com

Going somewhere else? Check out Thailand's Best Restaurants and Bars.