The Bars of Koh Lipe - Where to Drink in Tropical Paradise?
Tropical paradise islands tend to breed a certain kind of bar, if you're unlucky then it'll be the “resorty” kind of bar. Soulless, copy pastable and feeling as though you've not left the airport lounge. However, if you're lucky, you'll get the ramshackle, the lean to, the thrown together… the quintessential beach bar!
Luckily for Koh Lipe we found several of the latter. Here's our guide to our favourite bars whilst drinking on this beautiful Thai island.
Let's just put it straight out there, that not all of these bars are on the beach, however this is Koh Lipe and the beaches are never that far away. Also this list is entirely subjective to the taste of Jellie (maybe you really like airport bars?)!
It is also worth pointing out that you won’t see a massive difference in prices for beer here. We predominantly drink beer and the price seemed to be pretty much standard across the island. There are a couple of exceptions, but you’ll have to read on to find out more!
We spent over a week on this beautiful island. To find out what we got up to (that wasn’t bar based) read our guide here.
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The Beach Bars
Zodiac Bar - Map Link
Set at the end of a white sand peninsula, the Zodiac bar appears to be the premier beach bar of Koh Lipe.
Sitting at the end of Sunrise Beach and facing Koh Lipe's mountainous neighbour Koh Adang, Zodiac sprawls across the sands. A central bar feeds out to bean bags, driftwood furniture, fire pits and other cosy lounging spots. There's a laid back vibe during the day and a party scene at night (the island's Full Moon parties are usually held here). You could easily spend a full day here using this bar as a base for swimming, sun lounging and even (despite its location on Sunrise beach) watching the sunset!
Jellie beer price index 1 x small bottle of Chang cost 100 baht (£2.17 or $2.70)
Pro tip - for a slightly more cost efficient beverage, head into the restaurant on the left (still part of Zodiac) where you can buy large bottles of Chang for 160 baht (£3.48 or $4.32)
This bar is expensive, but given the location and beach vibes you can see why!
If you’re looking for a luxurious stay, Zodiac also has a lovely looking high-end resort the Zodiac Seesun. Located just behind the bar, you could easily roll back to your room after a night on the sand!
Sea La Vie Bar - Map Link
Also located on Sunrise Beach, is the much smaller Sea La Vie bar.
The bar is set on a raised wooden platform and at high tide, the sea practically brushes against it. With driftwood furniture, pallet tables and comfy cushions scattered around, this place is a relaxed bar just begging for you to come in for a sundowner drink.
There is a happy hour in the early evening where you can buy 5 beers (standard Thai selection - Chang, Leo or Singha) and get 1 free bottle.
It's worth pointing out that if you go here and stay for high tide, the view is lovely with the bar ending and the sea beginning almost immediately. However it does mean that when it is time to leave you will get your feet wet.
Jellie beer price index - 100 baht for a small bottle of Chang (£2.17 or $2.70) or 500 baht for six bottles during happy hour (£10.86 or $13.51).
Again standard price for a beer on the island, but the happy hour is a good saving!
Pattaya Song - Map Link
Located at the very end of Pattaya Beach, this resort has a sprawling bar next to the cliffs and beach. Not only does this bar have the cheapest beer we found on the island but also boasts very nice iced coffees.
Jellie beer price index - one small bottle of Chang cost 60 baht (£1.30 or $1.62) and a large bottle of Chang cost 120 baht (£2.61 or $3.24).
A good deal, but a little walk up the beach. Also worth bearing in mind that as the bar is at the base of a cliff, the bar itself can be quite well shaded.
Lipe Bar - Map Link
If you’re looking for after dark beach drinks, the Lipe Bar serves you well. For the complete nighttime Thailand beach experience, this bar has beanbags, fire shows and music. Serving all manner of drinks, cocktails and non alcoholic bevvies, this bar is located on Pattaya Beach conveniently near to the entrance of Walking Street.
Jellie beer price index - one small bottle of Chang cost 100 baht (£2.17 or $2.70).
Again standard island price, but you do get a show with your drink (although you should probably tip the fire guy).
Happy Mojito - Map Link
The only bar serving Sunset Beach, Happy Mojito sits against the cliffside on wooden stilts with a view across the beach and out to sea.
The bar is attached to the nearby Bayview Sunset Resort and is one of the more luxurious on this list. During low tides it has sun loungers and deck chairs on the beach and during the high tide you can retreat to the high platform.
Its namesake, the Happy Mojito is on special offer in the late afternoon/early evening for 100 baht (£2.17 or $2.70). This may have been our only non beer alcoholic beverage on Koh Lipe and so we can’t compare and contrast to other cocktails in other bars, but it was very tasty!
The bar is beautiful during the day, but for the best of sunset you will have to leave it and go a little way up the beach.
The bar also serves food and other soft drinks. One of the days we had a very tasty banana smoothie, we would highly recommend it!
Jellie beer price index - 70 baht for a small can of Chang (£1.52 or $1.89).
Not the cheapest, but totally worth it for the beachside ambiance.
The Bars of Walking Street and Beyond
Time to Chill Bar - Map Link
Located in the very heart of Walking Street, the Time to Chill bar is a little garden oasis set off the busy street.
With seating sprawled in a square around an open central garden, Time to Chill lives up to its name. With comfy lounging cushions, and laidback live music most nights, this softly lit bar drew us in time after time.
Decorated in the usual beach/reggae vibes, this bar became a firm favourite for when we wanted a chilled out quiet drink. Every night we visited in the evening there was an acoustic singer covering songs from all eras and genres.
Jellie beer price index - 100 baht for a small bottle of Chang (£2.17 or $2.70).
Corner Bar - Map Link
The ever popular Corner Bar sits at guess what, a corner of Walking Street.
A small bar with low seating, this friendly place provides a good stopping point for weary Walking Street wanderers. This is certainly helped by its prices being slightly less than its nearest neighbours.
Jellie beer price index - one small bottle of Chang cost 80 baht (£1.74 or $2.16).
Hallidej Bar - no Google map listing
Another good option for slightly cheaper Walking Street beers, is the Hallidej bar. Set in between restaurants, it is one of the first bars you’ll encounter if you walk up Walking Street from Pattaya Beach.
We visited during happy hour (which runs till 9pm) where beers and cocktails were reduced.
Jellie beer price index - during happy hour one small bottle of Chang cost 80 baht (£1.74 or $2.16).
Passion Gastro Bar - Map Link
A stylish bar set in the middle of Walking Street, Passion Gastro bar serves small plates and cold beers.
Again like a lot of the bars on the island, there is a happy hour running until 8pm with reduced beer costs and buy one get one free on selected cocktails. Being thrifty backpackers we only visited during the happy hour, but loved the ambiance. Our favourite seats were the bar stools looking directly out onto Walking Street where you could watch the ever changing tide of backpackers, tourists and locals flow by.
Jellie beer price index - during happy hour one small bottle of Chang cost 70 baht (£1.52 or $1.89).
OMG Sports Bar - Map Link
Set a little way away from the busiest areas of Walking Street, this large bar was clearly a backpacker favourite.
Run by a friendly couple, the large bar has a pool table, a good drinks selection and tasty bar snacks. The bar is also home to two extremely pampered pooches. The dogs couldn’t be more different with one being a tiny scuttling Chihuahua and the other being a massive friendly English Bull Terrier.
We made a beeline to this bar during the World Cup to watch England lose at football again. Despite the extremely late kick off, the bar was packed and there was a great atmosphere with the football shown on multiple screens.
Jellie beer price index - one small bottle of Chang cost 100 baht (£2.17 or $2.70).
Forget Me Not Bar - Map Link
How on earth do we go about describing this bar, or the chaotic brilliant nights within. You enter through what looks like the ruins of a bar, to be greeted by ramshackled decor of driftwood, couches, pillows and even a massive bed/chair made out of mattresses.
This bar was everything we had hoped to find on a Thai island. Super friendly and instantly welcoming, as soon as you enter the bar you’ll always be dragged into the conversations or otherwise involved with what's going on in the bar. If we didn’t have to pay at the end of the night, you’d think you had just stumbled into your friend's house party.
We spent more than a few nights here and loved the great music, hilarious bar owners and altogether fun vibe.
Jellie beer price index - one small bottle of Chang cost 80 baht (£1.74 or $2.16).
Koh Lipe has so many bars there's no way our livers would have allowed us to review them all. The ones listed above are just some of our favourites.
From the above list, these are the ones we recommend depending on the vibe you're searching for.
Best all rounder - Forget Me Not Bar
Best to relax - Time to Chill Bar
Best for watching sports or playing pool - OMG Sports Bar
Best beach bar - Sea La Vie
Best blow out/party bar - Zodiac Beach Bar
Chok dee all!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
Our other Koh Lipe guides:
To read more about what we got up to on Koh Lipe when we weren’t drinking click here!
If you’re looking to make the most out of a backpacking budget, check out our guide to living cheaply on Koh Lipe here!
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