ARKbar Beach Club

ARKbar is a beach club and resort right on Chaweng Beach, with sunbeds and sofas on the sand, an adult pool with a swim-up bar and a separate kids' pool with a slide. Entry to the beach club is free every day, and food runs all day from breakfast to late night between the beach club and the HIP restaurant.

The best-known sessions are the pool parties on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2pm to 7pm, when DJs and performers take over the pool deck. After dark the beach party runs from 8pm to 2am, with fire shows on the sand most of the evening. New Year's Eve is a big ticketed night and is adults only.

It is lively, sociable and good value by Samui standards, so it suits groups and a party crowd; families do best earlier in the day around the kids' pool. Tables can be booked online, and resort rooms sit just behind the beach.