Philipp Meier

Phuket has an unusually varied weekend ahead: South African amapiano at BOA x Banjuka, Chus & Ceballos bringing Spanish tech-house to Café del Mar, Madagascan couture and a six-course dinner at The Slate and poolside Pilates at FIRA Recovery Club. If you would rather slow things down, Aqua Bar at COMO Point Yamu has sunset drinks overlooking Phang Nga Bay. Here are the five Phuket events worth planning around from September 17-20.

For a gentler evening, Aqua Bar at COMO Point Yamu looks across Phang-Nga Bay as the sun sinks behind a sea of limestone islets. The five-star resort’s poolside lounge is all cool whites, clean lines and open sky, with cocktails, smoothies, healthy juices and ice-cold beer on the menu. Take a seat beside the infinity pool before dusk and let the view do the work. Sep 17-20 (daily). Free entry. Aqua Bar, COMO Point Yamu. 9am-midnight

If tribal percussion, Latin grooves and soulful rhythms are your thing, head to Café del Mar this Friday. Spanish DJ duo Chus & Ceballos bring their Iberican sound to Phuket after a five-year hiatus, with their Reunion Tour and comeback single ‘Somos Uno’. The founders of Stereo Productions and pioneers of tech-house have a career spanning almost three decades, including official remixes for Madonna and residencies at clubs such as Pacha, Space Miami and Cielo New York. Expect a late-night run through their signature house and techno. Sep 18. B300. Chus & Ceballos, Café del Mar. 10pm-late

FIRA Recovery Club takes Pilates out of the studio and into the hills above Kata Noi Beach. Pilates & Plunge starts with a low-impact floor session, then shifts to KIPO Steakhouse for brunch before an afternoon by the pool. Expect steak, drinks, sunshine and a dip – a rather civilised Sunday reset. Sep 20. B500-B790. Pilates & Plunge, FIRA Recovery Club. Typically from 10am

Fashion and food share the bill at Madagascar Dreams, part of The Slate’s BOLD series, across two very different evenings. On Friday, Madagascar-born, Siem Reap-based designer Éric Raisina presents a couture runway alongside a chef-led six-course dinner at industrial-chic Rivet & Rebar. Madagascar’s vanilla, wild pepper, cacao, seafood and tropical fruit shape the menu, with strings, jazz and afro-acoustic music setting the pace. Raisina’s work combines Cambodian textile heritage with African colour, intricate crochet and sculptural silhouettes, drawing inspiration from designers including Yves Saint Laurent. Saturday moves to the sultrier, Chinese-inspired Coolies Club, where Madagascan bar bites, sharing plates and lychee- and vanilla-flavoured drinks accompany another couture show. Sep 18. B2,500++ food only or B3,500++ with wine pairing. Madagascar Dreams at Rivet & Rebar, The Slate. 6.30pm-10.30pm Sep 19. B2,000+ including food, cocktail pairing and show. Dance with Madagascar at Coolies Club. 6.30pm-10.30pm

BOA x Banjuka leans into South African sound this Friday, with NIBZ and Matt Davies leading a night of house, tech and amapiano. NIBZ specialises in private school amapiano, the jazz- and deep house-influenced strand of the genre – expect mellow grooves, lush chords and live instrumentation rather than blunt club beats. Fellow South African DJ Matt Davies brings melodic Afro house, singing live and playing saxophone during his sets. Listen out for ‘Hold On’, his recent collaboration with Drega, and ‘Shakin’ In My Shoes’. Sep 18. B300. NIBZ and Matt Davies at BOA x Banjuka. 9pm-2am

Valencia-born DJ-producer Edu Imbernón has held residencies at Space Ibiza, played Tomorrowland and released music through Bedrock, Anjunadeep and Last Night on Earth. More recently, he has moved into live-band collaborations, composing with pianist and film composer Nico Casal, who scored the Oscar-winning short Stutterer. At Café del Mar, expect an emotive mix of melodic house, indie dance and techno, with live instruments and vocals layered over electronics and synths.  Sep 11. B300. Edu Imbernón, Café del Mar. 10pm-3am

Brazil’s beloved picanha is a triangular cut from the top of the rump, also known as rump cap or sirloin cap, prized for its thick fat cap and deep beefy flavour. At Kipo Steakhouse inside Fira Beach Club, 100-day grain-fed picanha is fire-grilled and served with chips, house salad and peppercorn sauce. You have 90 minutes to eat as much as you can, so arrive hungry. Sep 11. B899 (B1,399 with free-flow drinks). All-you-can-eat steak at Kipo Steakhouse, Fira Beach Club. 6pm-11pm

CLC Phuket mines Leonardo DiCaprio’s filmography for Come Leo Come, a dinner show spanning the electricity of The Wolf of Wall Street, the glamour of The Great Gatsby, the escapes of Catch Me If You Can, the tropical fantasy of The Beach and the skies of The Aviator. Dinner and music run from 6pm-7pm before immersive visuals, live performances and theatrical storytelling begin at 8pm. Around 90 minutes later, guests are invited on stage to recreate the mayhem of The Wolf of Wall Street. The dress code leans black tie, with men encouraged to wear a tuxedo and bow tie – plus enough freedom of movement for the promised pop-and-lock finale. Sep 12. From B2,000. Come Leo Come, CLC Phuket. 8pm-late

Men’s health is the focus, though all genders are welcome. Work Brand brings its personal-care line to FIRA Recovery Club’s seaside facilities for a one-day programme combining active movement, cold plunges, saunas, infrared and steam rooms, massage and hot soaks, followed by clean refuelling with nutritious food. Sep 12. B500. Work Brand x Fira: Men’s Reset, FIRA Recovery Club. Time TBC

Toronto-born and Bali-based, Brodie Nero pairs the warmer side of electronic music with deep, hypnotic melodies and Latin-tech rhythms. After ignoring advice to treat music as a hobby and releasing independently following label rejections, he broke through with Beatport chart-topper ‘Away’. His event CV includes Yorkville, Hotel X and Honeycomb Hospitality. At Café del Mar, expect Afro and Latin house, melodic techno and indie dance. Sep 12. B300. Brodie Nero, Café del Mar. 10pm-3am

As the name suggests, Breathe’s Thursday Ladies Day is made for women who need to hit pause. Men can join too, although complimentary entry is reserved for the ladies. Even so, the B650 admission looks fair value given the facilities: steam rooms, pools and private recovery rooms with cold-plunge set-ups chilled to 3°C. This daytime wellness retreat offers an antidote to city burnout; once you’ve lingered over coffee and fresh juices by the pool, a guest DJ eases the venue into evening mode. A generous four-hour happy-hour runs from 4pm to 8pm.  Sep 3. Free entry for women; B650 for men. Thursday Ladies Day, Breathe Phuket. 10am-11pm

No, Janis Joplin hasn’t risen from the dead - JOPLYN’s voice bears little resemblance to her famous rasp. Yet the Berlin-based house and techno artist’s fragile, airy vocals carry plenty of emotional power. Unlike bog-standard DJs who simply spin records, JOPLYN uses keyboards, synths, a vocoder and Ableton Push to manipulate beats live while singing her own lyrics. Releases on Defected and Crosstown Rebels, plus appearances at Coachella and Hï Ibiza, add heft to her CV. If slow builds, deep hypnotic beats and melodic choruses are your thing, make for Café del Mar this Friday.   Sept 4. B300 (entry only). JOPLYN at Café del Mar. 10pm-3am