Our story
A boat shed, a borrowed grill and a view nobody wanted to leave. Then the monsoon came, and we went looking for the sun.
It started with one fish
Summervibes began when two friends bought a seer fish straight off a boat, grilled it on the sand and ended up feeding half the beach. The shed behind them was empty, so they asked the owner for the keys.
The first monsoon shut the beach for six months, so the team packed the grill into a van and drove to the other side of the island, where the season was just beginning. We have made that trip twice a year ever since.
Two beaches, one kitchen. Buy what is best that morning, cook it simply, and serve it where you can hear the waves. Come barefoot. Stay as long as you like.
Where the food comes from
On either coast, almost everything on the plate travels less than an hour to reach it.
- The morning boats
- Tuna, seer, prawns and calamari, bought on the beach at first light and on the grill by lunch.
- Paddy co-operatives
- Heirloom red and suwandel rice from small farms a short drive inland of each beach.
- Hill-country roasters
- Arabica grown above 1,200 metres and roasted every week for our espresso.
- Spice gardens
- True cinnamon, pepper and cardamom, picked and dried on the island, never imported.
Visit us
One of the two is always open. Here is where each one stands today.
