Banyan Tree Samui resort has opened what might be the quirkiest if not the cutest bar in Thailand — a cocktail caravan remodeled from a classic 1960s tuk-tuk.
The MP4 Midget is virtually unseen on the streets of Thailand these days. But once upon a time, the “frogs”, as they were commonly nicknamed, were everywhere. Thousands of these 12 HP 350cc three-wheelers were manufactured by Japan’s Daihatsu company and exported to Thailand starting in 1959 to form a fleet of taxis nationwide.
This particular frog was discovered last year in the southern Thai port town of Trang by Banyan Tree Samui’s head chef Rainer Roersch, who says he sensed immediately that a novelty tuk-tuk would make for an ideal art installation on the Koh Samui beachfront.
Revived from retirement, and now dubbed the Froggy Sea Breeze Beach Bar, the emerald-green van today serves up cocktails, beers and spirits to Banyan Tree guests and non-guests alike in a quiet cove in the southeast of the island between the popular beaches of Chaweng and Lamai.
The Froggy Sea Breeze Beach bar is open from 5pm till 11pm every evening. Highly recommended is the sweet n’ sour Froggy Melon, garnished in mint leaves, or The Botanical, a gin and absinthe-infused cocktail guaranteed to kick-start any engine.
Villas at Banyan Tree Samui, each with infinity pool, start from US$550 per night.
