Samui Profile
The following is an extract of an interview between Steven Willeboordse of the Samui Traveller and Rebecca Cheung, owner of Secret Garden Resort and Sea Breeze Restaurant in Bang Rak.
Samui Traveller:
Can you give some background information about yourself?
Rebecca:
I was born in mainland China in Canton Province. At the age of 10, I moved with my family to Hong Kong and then after graduation I went to Vancouver – Canada for 2 years. Back in Hong Kong I started working in the cosmetics industry as an operations manager for an international cosmetic company, providing products and staff for our shops and outlets in department stores. I did this for nearly 18 years.
Samui Traveller:
What happened after that?
Rebecca:
I met my husband JJ in Hong Kong and within 2 years we got married. Because of the recession in Hong Kong at that time JJ decided it was better to relocate and look for a new business somewhere in Asia. Our choices, because of holiday trips, were either Thailand or the Philippines. Our choice became Thailand with Hua Hin, Phuket and Samui being our options. The final choice ended up being Samui, simply because we liked coming here on holiday and very important as well, we found a business opportunity here to take over.
Samui Traveller:
Which business opportunity was that?
Rebecca:
Well, there was actually more than one business opportunity to step into, but Secret Garden was on the market and because JJ always wanted to run a beach bar or beach resort so we decided that this should be the business to go for. After a couple of months of negotiating we finally made the deal and we took over Secret Garden on the 1st of December 2002. Funnily enough, this was a Sunday and Secret Garden being famous at that time for its Sunday Live Music we fell straight into it we thought! But unfortunately it rained all day pretty heavily which forced us to cancel it for that first day. Nobody wants to get soaking wet; the whole atmosphere of the Sunday Live Music with BBQ is all about that tropical island beach feel.
Samui Traveller:
Have there been many changes over the last five years?
Rebecca:
Oh yes, many things have changed, it's a necessary part of life. Samui has developed itself big time and actually still is developing. Just think of the new resorts, hotels and property development. If you don't go with the flow you won't survive. Samui used to be a backpacker's island and Secret Garden was part of it of course. But with the standards going up all the time, you have to adapt. Before, the Sundays with live music were more or less jam sessions with musician friends of Steve, who owned Secret Garden for 15 years. When we stepped into it, we maintained the live music every Sunday by booking bands and trying to improve the quality of every aspect that Secret Garden had to offer. After a couple of years, we had a better understanding of the business and were also able to see where the island was going. With more and more entertainment venues appearing on Samui, it was obvious that we could no longer rely on a live music event that happened just once a week. We decided then that we wanted to change the business profile and concentrate on the resort and also on our restaurant.
Samui Traveller:
How is Secret Garden different?
Rebecca:
Two years ago, we rebuilt and extended the restaurant. Certainly with Samui turning into a boutique island with the best cuisines from around the world, we knew we had to focus on our restaurant Sea Breeze and promote it. After all who doesn't want beach front dining with stunning sunsets? Being on the right side of the island Sea Breeze is a great place to enjoy the sunset while having a cocktail followed by a wonderful meal.
In 2006 we upgraded the resort and all of the bungalows as well as adding 3 more rooms. Finally, last year, we stopped the regular Sunday music event but from time to time we still hold great private parties for weddings, birthdays and company functions.
Samui Traveller:
So what kind of cuisine does Sea Breeze serve?
Rebecca:
The interesting thing about the Sea Breeze menu is its diversity of flavours and ingredients. Some of the dishes are interesting combinations of Thai and Chinese cuisine with western touches. Both cuisines have a lot in common, especially the stir-fried dishes. To name a few dishes; "Gaeng Masaman Gek", "Pla Nung Si Yiu (whole sea bass in a spring onion, ginger and soy sauce)", "Duck Rolls with hoisin sauce" and "Dancing Prawns (grilled king prawns topped with aromatic flavors of fresh lemon grass, tomato, cashew nuts in a sweet chili sauce)".
Samui Traveller:
Mmm, sounds delicious. Any more plans for the future?
Rebecca:
At the moment nothing constructive. Samui is in a period of transition, going up to the high end. So we have to see what changes we will have to make in the future to adapt. Certainly the local authorities have to make sure that the island's facilities are well maintained and that the island is attractive to visitors. Tourism is very important to Samui and we all have to work hard to keep the island looking good. There are so many great destinations in Asia that we cannot assume that people will keep coming to Samui unless we continue to improve.
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