It can be tricky trying to decide where to take the kids on holiday. Some people may think that once they have kids their days of long distance travelling and seeing the world are over but that needn’t be the case.

Koh Samui is a great place for children with its sandy beaches and numerous activities to keep them occupied.

Family on Beach

A luxury villa on the beach is perfect for families, especially those with young children as it eliminates the need to pack up everything you would need for a day at the beach. Since Koh Samui beaches have very low tides in the summer months, many of the beaches have great amounts of space where you can play beach games like football, volleyball or cricket. The younger children will also have a great time exploring the rock pools and finding beautiful tropical seashells.

Many villas also come complete with babysitting facilities which means that you can enjoy some quiet time and soak up the relaxing surroundings, get a massage or go out for a delicious dinner with your partner. The local people in Koh Samui are also very friendly towards young children and will always make you feel welcome.

When it comes to food and drink there are plenty of options for eating out with kids, alternatively it can be an added bonus to know that you can plan meal times at the villa. Many villas even come with an in-house chef who can cook for you which gives the experience of eating out without having to worry about leaving the villa with smaller children. If you do intend on eating out, it is a good idea to invest in a portable high chair for the little ones because most Thai restaurants will not provide child seating. It is possible to purchase small chairs that screw onto the table top and will fit nicely inside the baby bag.

Taking the young children on holiday doesn’t have to be stressful. A luxury villa in Koh Samui will provide the perfect base for you and your children in a safe and comfortable environment with the added bonus of having the sea just a few metres away as well as plenty of space to keep the little ones entertained.

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Many villas come with the option of an in-house chef who will take away the stress of cooking during your stay. The villas come with a menu from which you can choose your meals throughout your holiday. Villas do also offer self-catering options if you would prefer to cook your own meals. Prior to your arrival it is also possible to have the villa pre-stocked with all your favourite bites.

However, if part of the lure of visiting Samui is to explore the island and taste the local cuisine then there are many places on the island to do so. There are a whole range of different restaurants and eateries to suit any mood. The food is not exclusively Thai and most restaurants will offer alternatives to traditional Thai cuisine. There are also a whole host of different restaurants including, French, Mexican, Italian, English, Brazilian and Indian.

One of the reasons that food on Samui is so special is because of the great range of fresh ingredients that are available. The fishing village of Hua Thanon is known for providing the island with some of the best and most reasonable fresh fish and seafood on the island. Add to this a delicious selection of meats and poultry, a mouth-watering selection of tropical fruits and vegetables and distinctive herbs and spices and you have yourself a recipe for a lifelong love affair with Thai cuisine.

There are many comprehensive guides available as to where the very best restaurants are and what you can expect from them, and there are places to eat that the whole family will enjoy.

Many people recommend exploring the local cuisine by finding places to eat off the beaten track or by sampling the delights of the local food markets. A great way to find a great place to eat is to look for the places where the locals are eating rather than the place that looks the fanciest. The locals know the area and where to get great food at great places so use this to your advantage and trust them, especially when you are looking for traditional Thai food.

The biggest selection of restaurants and places to eat are based in Chaweng and Lamai which are the more central beachside locations, but no matter where you are on the island a great meal is never far away and often you won’t even need to leave the villa.

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Ooooh … spooky!  But how does he cope when all who have visited Koh Samui start cooking Thai-style as soon as they get home?  Thai cuisine is one of the tastiest in the world, and mastering some of the basics will set you up for quick family suppers or sumptuous dinner party fare.

And here’s a very quick and easy one for a summer lunch or supper:

Thai Waterfall Beef Salad
Ingredients for 2 people:
2-3 steaks – sirloin, or fillet – depending on their size and how much meat you want
Salad greens – rocket, lambs ear, cos, romaine, little gem: whatever you like – torn to bite size
Bean sprouts – one packet
1 cup fresh papaya, cut into small cubes
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
A few leaves of basil

The marinade:
2 Tbs oyster sauce
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs lime or lemon juice
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 cup fresh coriander, stalks removed, chopped

Dressing:
2 Tbs fish sauce (can be omitted if you can’t find it in your supermarket / Asian store.  It adds some saltiness to the salad)
3 Tbs lime or lemon juice
1.5 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs ground peanuts
1 Tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tsp brown sugar

1.     Make the marinade first: mix all the ingredients together making sure the sugar is dissolved.  Then put the marinade and the steaks in a new plastic bag or tight seal container, seal, give it a shake, leave in the fridge.
2.     Then make the dressing: as with the marinade, mix all the ingredients together, making sure the sugar is dissolved, leave in a bowl or clean, small salad-dressing bottle.
3.     Get the salad ready.
4.     Grill or griddle the steaks, turning just once.  The steaks should be well sealed to keep their juices in, but still pink in the middle.
5.     When done, slice very thinly.
6.     Place salad on plates with the steak on top.

If you eat this in a Thai restaurant, the salad will already be dressed.  I prefer to leave it for people to add themselves.

And why is it called Waterfall Beef Salad?  Because of the noise of the meat juices hitting the hot grill.  Of course, if you do the grilling inside your oven, you may just have to imagine that!

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If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

You’ve done Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and a few other places in between.  You’ve eaten at Anna’s, CatCanDoo, Starfish and Coffee, Khun Nai Dern Sai, the Karma Sutra, and – heaven help you – the delightful Cabbages and Condoms.  You’ve lapped up the curries, the fragrant rice, the spicy calamari, but now you are home, and you want to eat like that again!

So here’s a basic Thai Green Curry recipe that might just get you searching for more Thai culinary delights with which to regale your friends and family.

As always, it’s important to use fresh ingredients.  Don’t use huge pieces of chicken, as this will increase the cooking time: you want this one to cook fairly quickly.  This particular Thai curry should combine all four flavours of sweet and sour, salt and spice.  As they say in many places these days: Enjoy!

THAI GREEN CURRY

This recipe will take about 30 minutes to prepare, and 20 minutes to cook on the top of your oven.  You’ll need a food processor to make the paste and a deepish skillet or wok for stir-frying it all.

Ingredients for 2 or 3 people:

For the paste you will need:
4 small green Thai chillies
¼ cup of shallots or diced red onion
1 stalk of lemongrass (discard any tough outer leaves), sliced very thinly OR
3 tbs pre-bought frozen lemongrass
4 cloves of garlic, skinned and minced or chopped very finely
1 walnut-sized chunk of ginger, grated
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 cup fresh coriander, chopped
3 tbs Thai fish sauce, OR light soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbs lime juice

The other bits:
2 tbs good stir-fry cooking oil
Enough boneless chicken (thigh or breast) cut into pieces, for 2-3 people
4 kaffir lime leaves (or grated zest of a small lime)
1 can of coconut milk, or similar quantity made from dried coconut milk powder
following the instructions

You can also add some vegetables to this curry to round out the nutrition it provides: any 2 of the following -
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into pieces
1 zucchini, sliced lengthways then cut into pieces
A big handful of thin green beans, topped, tailed and cut into 1” strips.

Method:
1.    First of all make the paste by putting all the ingredients into a food processor and whizzing for a few seconds.  If it seems a little thick, to help blend it all add a few drops of the coconut milk.
2.    If you are using the lime leaves, remove them from their stem and cut them into thin strips and set aside.
3.    Heat the stir-fry oil in the wok or skillet over a medium heat.
4.    Add the green curry paste and stir fry for about a minute.
5.    Add ¾ of the coconut milk.  The rest will be used when serving.
6.    Now add the chicken pieces and stir well.
7.    Allow the sauce to come to the boil, then reduce the heat to allow it to simmer gently.
8.    Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Check that the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
9.    Add any vegetables that you want to incorporate, and the lime leaf strips.  Stir in.
10.    Simmer for further 2 minutes. Check that the vegetables are slightly softened – but not too much: they should still retain their shape and colour and be firm to the bite.
11.    Taste it!  Add a touch more brown sugar to sweeten: add a little more lime juice if it is too salty.  And if it is too spicy, add more coconut milk.

Serve with: Jasmine rice.

Topping: handful of fresh basil on top of the rice, drizzled with a little of the leftover coconut milk.

Go to www.samuiislandvillas.com for more…….

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