Lotus's Samui

This is where you go when the vacation admin piles up. Sunscreen, a phone charger, bulk water at prices that undercut the beach shops, a T-shirt to replace the one you ruined. The supermarket floor is the main event, big and well stocked, but the complex around it does a lot more, with HomePro, a DIY shop, phone and electronics outlets, clothing stores, pastry stalls, massage chairs and a cinema. Families get a kids' play area and rides, which buys you twenty minutes of peace.

The food court is the reason to linger. Reviewers mention chicken rice that's generous with the meat, and green curry with rice at 135 baht. Portions are big, prices are low, and on a rainy afternoon it's a perfectly decent place to kill a couple of hours. Service at the tills can be flat, so don't expect warmth with your receipt. Wide aisles, clean floors, easy to compare prices.