Concentrating on Quality Nightlife at Bar Solo on Samui

We catch up with Simon from Solo Bar in the lively area of Chaweng on our big sister island of Koh Samui...

What is your Koh Samui story?
I arrived in Koh Samui back in 2001 - I partied every night in 'The Club' and took a flight home, left my job and packed every up including my record collection and moved here. I wanted a year away from London and my job and Koh Samui seemed an excellent place to start. I started DJing in 'The Club' within the first week of my return.

Tell us how Bar Solo began….
A change in Government meant late night venues couldn't operate their usual hours so I spent some time on Koh Phangan DJing on Haad Rin Beach. I was informed after about 6 months that 'The Club' was going to re open in a smaller venue next to the original and would be named Solo Bar (an anagram of a popular rock group at the time Loso), and I was asked back to be part of the team.

We immediately became very popular once again. Our location was at the end of the street, which we expanded into and also opened up the old Club as a second room. In low season we were seeing nearly 2000 people through the doors, I wouldn't like to guess how busy it was during high season.

At the other end of the street a 2 floor restaurant had closed down and we opened Solo Bar for people to come and taste the Solo style party early, for cocktails etc. This actually lead to a bit of confusion because the were now 2 Solo Bar's - We change the late night venue to Solo Club and the new venue became Solo Bar.

And what is the overall concept?
At Solo Bar we always wanted to concentrate on quality. Drinks, Music, Experience. We had big name DJ's and acts passing through and this was an excellent venue to put them on. We introduced sax and percussion residents as part of the team, and we were always at the forefront with ideas to make Chaweng an excellent nightlife destination.

What kind of events do you do and are you planning anything different?
This summer we are looking at having big name local and western DJ's as residents. We already have some excellent DJ's on our roster and are actively looking to add to those. There will be plenty of exciting DJ's and acts passing through as always.

At the moment Koh Samui is in transition. 15-20 years ago it was a backpacker and party haven, now there are beautiful resorts, spas and beach clubs to enjoy. The island is changing for the better and it's a great time to visit.

We here at Solo Bar hope you call by relax, enjoy some cocktails and spend the evening with us.

You can catch Simon at Solo Bar and booking on www.kohsamuievents.com