Time travel into the past is an exciting concept. At the touch of a button you’re immediately transported back to a different era of your choice. To a time and a place long since lost to the ravages of ‘progress’. A location where peace and tranquility reigns and life is lived at a slower pace. And when you step inside the ‘village walls’ of Chaweng’s hottest new Thai restaurant – Spirit House – you really do feel that you’ve just emerged from a time machine after traveling back 100 years.

Head south down the busy Chaweng Beach Road and take the last side street on the right before you reach the central Laem Din crossroads. And just 50 metres along at the end on the right you’ll arrive at Spirit House Spa Resort & Restaurant (to give it its full name) in all its resplendent glory. Tall trees festooned with red hanging lanterns, intricate miniature brickwork ‘ruined’ walls, a small chedi to the right and the Ancient Ayutthaya-styled Temple Restaurant & Bar to your left. The whole place looks gorgeous from the outside, but it’s when you actually enter this magical wonderland that all thoughts (and sounds) of the outside 21st century world disappear and an overwhelming ethereal beauty radiates forth.

Once inside, you’ll automatically find yourself slowing down. You’ll be vaguely aware of background aromas of incense combined with unmistakable Thai cuisine cooking. You’ll hear the calming melodic sounds of traditional Thai instruments. And you’ll see all manner of beautiful murals depicting ancient deities and long-gone civilisations.

And although the main focus of Spirit House is the ornate two-storey Temple Restaurant & Bar (that’s been painstakingly recreated by artisans especially brought down from Chiang Mai using the original materials, as with everything else here), the grounds are huge and offer many other dining locations. Take a walk around this incredible ‘village’ complete with its own spice farm, mini lake, small spa and several chedis all within the perimeter ‘ruined’ rampart walls and you find tables and chairs set up here and there (there’s total seating for approx. 90 people here, including a Thai cushion-styled seating room and private ‘rooms’ for two and 20). Everywhere you turn, you’ll find something else that’ll capture your imagination and further immerse you in the true spirit of the real Thailand. And at night, when the grounds are illuminated by hanging red lanterns and literally hundreds of candles and flaming torches, the already magical atmosphere becomes totally spellbinding.

Lovely waitresses adorned with traditional jewellery and wearing beautiful Thai silk uniforms are at hand to present you with the silk-bound menus. Within which you’ll find an extensive range of traditional Thai dishes (plus a few Western ones to keep the occasional non-Thai cuisine lover in a group happy!), including soups, salads, stir-fries and curries. A popular choice is the Kantoke set meal,which incorporates several favourite Thai dishes. And from the appetiser section, both the Golden Egg Nets – a delicate lacey egg wrap filled with chicken, peanuts, bean sprouts and sweet vinegar sauce, and the Seafood Noodle Balls – minced prawn and squid with garlic, coriander, ginger and a spicy cucumber relish and sweet chili sauce, are great examples of Thai cuisine at its very best.

“… and at night, the already magical atmosphere becomes totally spellbinding.”

Main courses at Spirit House are equally authentic (and delicious!) and the Red Duck Curry with lychees, grapes and queen tomatoes is a house speciality, for very good reasons. The homemade Massaman Curry with potatoes and peanuts is not only another house speciality, it’s also one of the few dishes served here that doesn’t stick 100% to the original ingredients, as it utilises imported char-grilled tender fillet steak instead of the tough local buffalo – but I’m sure no-one complains about this minor inconsistency!

You can round off the meal with local Thai desserts, too, which don’t come better than either the Lady Fingers Bananas in rum syrup with coconut ice-cream or the Mangoes with Sticky Rice also served with coconut ice-cream.

All-in-all, eating at Spirit House is not only one of Samui’s top Thai dining experiences, it’s also as near as you’re going to get to a totally authentic journey of amazement and discovery of a world long gone by – unless you've got a time machine, that is!

Spirit House is open from 2:00 pm until 10:30 pm (kitchen).
For reservations, free transport within the Chaweng area, and further information, telephone 0 7741 4101.