Lower Southern Gulf
LOWER SOUTHERN GULF 575 © Lonely Planet Publications Ko Pha-Ngan Ko Samui Province Khao Sok National Park Nakhon Si Thammarat Khao Sok Khao Sok ( p586 ), Nakhon Si Nakhon Si ( p586 ), Ko Samui’s ), Ko Samui’s p586 ( ( p626 ) ( p615 ) ( p582 ) Chaweng Beach Hat Bo Phut then indulging in an oceanside massage in an oceanside massage then indulging sun-kissed Moon party Full gorgeous star rising seashore in impressive rainforests year-old National Park beach along the coast of Province Thammarat Lazing the day away on Ko Samui’s Experiencing the legendary Ko Pha-Ngan on tranquil and Sleeping in a boutique hotel Tramping around lost waterfalls and million- Relishing the solitude on a picturesque
HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
Ko Samui is best for pampering, attracting a crowd of jetsetters, honeymooners, families Ko Samui is best for pampering, attracting a crowd of jetsetters, and dance till dawn will find their answer in of the world wanting to twirl firesticks Citizens certification open-water is cheap and the snorkelling where enjoy mellow Ko Tao Divers angle, head south along the mainland’s coast. Off the madly trod- different For an entirely Lower Southern Gulf Lower Southern Gulf prof- and Ko Tao shopping for penny-pinching paradises, Ko Samui, Pha-Ngan If you’re fabulous bang for your baht. apples in the Gulf of Thailand, Bobbing likefer plump, green Calm, the Samui archipelago epitomises an exotic Eden fantasy for a fraction of the price. on forever. stretch seas, warm as a bath and sparkling million shades of green, gin-clear you the choice of basking until of porcelain sand give Swaying palms and long stretches trashy romances or sipping juice from a coconut. When it comes to turning reading bronze, magicians. master these islands are into reality, beach dreams can come villas here The prostitutes. with Thai and, unfortunately, men searching for love Michelin-star worthy are sports plentiful. and water pools, restaurants are with private Not only is the backpacker Mecca legendary for throwing the planet’s best Full Ko Pha-Ngan. Moon parties, Singha’s at the bar. its ramshackle bungalows can go for less than three is the best in gulf. den ‘banana pancake trail’, the Deep South is crucible of Buddhist and Muslim cultures. dicey. to this region continued violence made travel Unfortunately, at the time of research, for more. p636 warning on See the travel LOWER SOUTHERN GULF reaching Pattani by1387andspreading as laysia duringthereign of Iskandar, Sultan in southernThailand. religious boundarythatpersists tothisday fell undertheinfluenceof Islam,creating a furthersouththe 13thcentury,whilethose inga andnearbystates adopted Buddhismin theStraitof through Melaka.traffic Tambral- hugely wealthy fromtollsextracted from 7th to13thcenturies.TheSrivijaya became southern ThailandandMalaysia fromthe confederation of maritimestates thatruled It becamepartof theSrivijayakingdom,a Thammarat, wasoneof themostnotable. Ligor onthesite of Si present-day Nakhon gulf. Tambralinga, at which haditscapital intheuppersouthern developed states decline. from AD478to514,andthenwentintorapid as anationunderJayavarman I,whoruled modern-day Pattani andYala. Funanpeaked ties alongtheMalay Peninsula, asfarsouth and hadactive tradewithagrariancommuni- andVietnam Cambodia of Thailand,Laos, Asia. Atitspeakthestate includedlarge parts kingdom of Funan, thefirst stateinSoutheast of incorporated intothe Thailandhadbeen showed uponsouthernshores, large parts traders whenChinese in thearea. By230BC, ism, which rapidlybecametheprincipalfaith andintroduced Hindu- land around600BC Indian traders first visited theGulfof Thai- 576 prehensively neglected bythe central govern- rest of provinces thecountry, these were com- Malaysia. Culturally quite different fromthe to theBritish, whowere then incontrolof to prevent Thaiterritory from beingceded V annexed themin anattempt when Rama apartofnot officially Thailanduntil1902, the Andamancoast province of Satun were the region. South andIslamreplaced Buddhism through Yawi became themainlanguage of theDeep The Malayfar northasSongkhla. dialectof History Songkhla, Pattani,Songkhla, Narathiwat, Yala and Islam cametosouthernThailandfrom Ma- ofFollowing thisdeclineaseries city- FAST FACTS
OE OTENGL • Hsoy LOWER SOUTHERNGULF••History Population Best Time toVisit 5.2million November toApril off, and from Octoberoff, to January (northeast (southwest monsoon) itcan rainon and February tolate June. From JulytoOctober from islands is duringthehotand dryseason, The best timetovisitthe Samuigroupof Climate thetravelgion, see warning on p636 . identified. specific grouphas been is linked toyoungerbutas yetno separatists, thatmuch Itisbelieved ofattacks. theviolence network washelpinglocalinsurgents stage the Al Jazeera that anAl-Qaeda-linked terrorist network groups, toldArabTV ern separatist leader of anumbrella organisation forsouth- Provinces indefinitely. all schools inYala, Pattani andNarathiwat vember 2006ledthe government toclose The increase inNo- interrorist brutality afewalthough foreigners were also killed. of thevictimswere innocentThaibystanders, the deathtollhadclimbedabove 1800.Most end of 2006thesituationremained dire and tists, bloodshed woulddecrease. Butatthe his hard-lineapproach withMuslimsepara- hoped withtheendof Thaksin’sregime and were peacefullyousted (see p40 ). Itwas coup, whenThaksinandhisgovernment in themonthleadingupto19September sumed itsactivities. became primeminister in2001 PULOre- butafter ThaksinShinawatra had diffused, movement theseparatist sided anditseemed and anamnestyforPULOmembers. cultural freedom andautonomyforthesouth presented apeacedealconsistingof greater began todeclineinthe1990s,whenBangkok the1970sand’80s.Themovementthroughout campaign of bombingsandarmedattacks Organisation (PULO),which launched a faction wasthePattani United Liberation insouthernThailand.Themainarmed state with theaimof creating Muslim aseparate initiated aguerrillawar point andseparatists ruling Buddhistgovernment reached boiling sentiments. growing separatist ofsystematic abuses power contributed to the region’s non-Malay administrators and and theYawi language were discouraged by ment over thenext50years. Islamictraditions On 22November WanKadir CheWan, Violence inthisregion increased markedly In 1957Muslimresentment againstthe For more onpoliticsandsafety inthisre- For awhilethesituationinsouthsub- lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com CHUMPHON Isthmus (30km) National Park To KhaoSok of Kra LOWER SOUTHERNGULF Krabi Lanta SURAT THANI Ko Ko Rawi Chumphon 4 A NDM 401 KRABI Chaiya 41 4 S EA Ao Chumphon Nam Phun Phin Pak Laem Riu Ko Li Bong Hat Arunothai 41 Ao BanDon Ko Adang TRANG Laem Sui Ko Samet 41 Thani Surat Tarutao Hin LatFalls Marine National Ko Mattara Ko Phaluai Thung Song LOWERSOUTHERNGULF Langkawi Trang Ko Ang Thong Pulau 401 Park Khao Luang National Park THAMMARAT Khao Luang NAKHON SI (1835m) 4 403 Don Sak 404 4015 Chumphon Pinnacles Sichon Lan Saka Phattalung SATUN PHATTALUNG 403 Khiriwong
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Kheuan 410 40miles 60km 0 0 PATTANI Yaring Hat TaloKapo 42 NARATHIWAT Hat Panare M A L AYSI Hat Khae Saiburi 42 Hat Wasukri 4 Narathiwat Sungai Kolok Hat TaloLaweng Tak Bai Ao Manao Ko Losin
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577 Losin LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF Travelling tothelowersouthern gulfisfairly Getting There&Away leopards totigers. home toavarietyof species,fromclouded walks, waterfalls andfruit orchards. Itisalso andforestknown foritsbeautifulmountain LuangNational Parkislands. Khao ( p630 ) is ning archipelago of 40smallpicture-perfect filmed onKoPhi-Phi Leh; p713 ), isastun- much(although of themovie wasactually the perfect beach inthemovie Ang Thong cliffs. and lazyrivers limestone flowingthrough glory landwithplentyof accommodation Sok( gion. Khao p582 ) isathickrainforest There parksinthisre- are notable several National Parks of Malaysia. some of theeastcoast therainthataffects and October. November tends toreceive weather (andfewer crowds)inSeptember manytravellersHowever, have reported fine monsoon) there are sometimesstrongwinds. 578 with little effort on your part. Beware of on your part.Beware thewith littleeffort which should get youto yourdestination bus ortrain andboatticket totheislands, travel agency youacombination can sell mostly takes placeovernight. Almostany is generally cheap, relatively and efficient Samui. Busand train travel fromBangkok andKo Bangkok also plytheskies between well asneighbouring Malaysia. Aeroplanes and numerousother Thaidestinations,as theAndaman coastislands fromBangkok, a busortrainand thencatch aferry tothe It’sextremelystraightforward. easytohopon the extra fewthe extra hundred baht. returned fromwhere you’re coughup goingbefore company. Otherwise choosingadirt-cheap in businesstolosemoney.It’salwaysbesthave achatwithothertravellers who’ve recently to unconsciousnessandrobbedrightintheirseats. charges added totheirfare.have transport extra Avery few have even reported beinggassed Sometravellers showupanddon’tgetthebustheywere expecting. Others the lightsare off). whileeveryone pockets through bags(whilethebusisenroute) isasleep(and and picking by, well,stealing fromtravellers. Ruseshave includedbuspersonnelgoingbelowandrifling agooddeal,right? 350B? Soundslike (or KoTao orKoSamui)andthepricesseemunbelievable:Bangkok toKoPha-Ngan straightfor You’re toKoPha-Ngan SaninBangkok,shoppingaroundforcombinationtickets onTh Khao ISLANDS FORCHEAP UA HN RVNE • ua hn SURAT ••SuratThani THANI PROVINCE We’re butremember notsayingthatthishappenswithcheapbus/boattickets, thatno-one’s theirprofitsSometimes itis…andsometimesit’snot.Someunscrupulousbuscompaniesmake
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, whose officeisnearthe , whose ( 0 77275060-2;www.seatranferry % . 0 77471151;DonSak) Phantip Travel Phantip ( % 0 7727 also on aboattotheislands. beforemake getting an onward reservation if youhave afixed return schedule youcan so in townmake advancetrainreservations, becomes available.seat Many travel agencies ifa ing roomonly’3rd-classticket andsee youcouldbuya‘stand- turned away–though justtobe to take abus tothetrainstation south. Trainsare often full,andit’sapain the buscanbeeasier,especiallyif heading trainsoutoflong-distance Phun Phin; taking an 11amtonoonlunch break) daily. ticket officeisopenfrom6amto6pm(with room thatcharges 20Baday.Theadvance you’ll arrivefrom Bangkok inthemorning. 12 hours, soifyoutake train anearlyevening 1179B in1st-class.Thetriptakes around11to and 568/748B inalower2nd-classsleeper, 498/658Binanupper2nd-classsleeper, seat, 227/297B in3rdclass, 368/478Bina2nd-class to Phun Phin. Fares forfan/air-con are: There are trainsfrom Bangkok several TRAIN Sokhotels.double astoutsforKhao better optionsincesomepushyminivandrivers Sok –a town andasktobeletoff atKhao fromthe two busterminals in bound buses 80B to100B. Youcanalsocatch Phuket- certain travel agencies andshouldcostnomore than Sok(twohours) Khao canbebooked through town; theyalsocost15B. loop). S town ratherthanouttoPhun a Phin (itdoes 10 minutes. Justmake sure it’sgoingbackinto orange localbus(15B),which comesbyevery in town.Toget intotownfromthere, take an lessfrequentlyit’s used thanthetwoterminals (on thewaytoPhun Phin but trainstation), they’rethough notalwayscheaper. to have more frequent departures thanbuses, taxis chargetaxis 200B. rates Other taxi are posted 6am to8pm(15B, 25 minutes). Forthis ride 10minutes to SuratThanievery from station at travel agencies. at your hotel.drop youoff tickets Purchase airport costaround 70Bperperson. They’ll Vans withair-con to/fromthe SuratThani Getting Around The train station hasa24-hourleft-luggage The trainstation Air-conditioned to andminibuses buses Orange buses run fromPhunOrange Phin buses train At certain busy times it’s difficult tobook busytimes it’s difficult At certain There’s abusterminal 2kmwestof town ǎ wngth ǎ ew are anotheroptioninto
581 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF a ‘spiritualtheatre’ andamuseum-library. side andfeatures hutsforupto70monks, is spread over 120hectares of woodedhill- Theravada schemata. Todaythehermitage Christian elements,aswellthetraditional Taoistcal innature, comprisingZen, and arguably Thailand’smostfamousmonk. was foundedbyAjahn Bhikkhu, Buddhadasa very calmandnonshowy modernforest wat,it centre renowned foritsmonthlyretreats. A 7743 1522) teashops. ful Chinese and smallstores orstopintooneof theplenti- in thisregion. thevibrantdaymarket Browse intosmall-townlifea glimpse notoften found Empire, itisacalmandfriendly spotoffering cities inThailand,datingbacktotheSrivijaya retreat.monthly meditation Oneof theoldest of SuratThani,topartake in anexcellent Most folksvisittiny Chaiya, 60kmnorth pop 12,500 w(pk Chaiya AROUND SURATTHANI about 150Bto200Bpertrip. s a ferry ticket. per person, butthisisincludedwhenyoubuy 442/24-5 ThTalat Mai) cost around500B; pedestrian bridge). just northof (atthemetal thetrainstation 582 ǎ amláw (three-wheeled vehicles) charge Buddhadasa’s philosophywasecumeni- Buddhadasa’s Mokkhaphalaram Suan Wat Around town,s Taxis fromSuratThanitoDonSakpier a long illness. greed. Buddhadasa diedinJuly1993 after capitalism, whichhesawas acatalystfor a communist becauseofhis critiquesof Thailand’s turbulent1970s hewasbranded ternative Thai toorthodox temples. During tion, butconceived ofSuanmokasanal- of WatPhra Boromathat,ahighdistinc- ecclesiastical society, hewasmadeabbot years ofsolitarymeditation. Returningto scriptures before retiring toaforest forsix old. Hespentmany yearsstudyingPali ordained asamonkwhenhewas21years Born inChaiya1906, Buddhadasa was A MOSTFAMOUS MONK UA HN RVNE • rudSrtTai SURAT ••AroundSuratThani THANI PROVINCE isafamousBuddhistmeditation runsfrequent vansfor60B ǎ Phantip Travel Travel Phantip wngth ǎ ew cost20B,while (Wat Suanmok; ( % 0 77272230; % 0 African regions. than theforests of theAmazon and central forest ecosystem thatismuch older andricher in facta remnant of a160-million-year-old and Gibbon Calls, author of informative thehighly to SuratThani.According toThomHenley, 401 aboutathird of thewayfromTakua Pa western partof Surat ThaniProvince, Rte off than 180speciesof bird. and Malayan sunbears, nottomentionmore dusky langurs and, ifyou’re really lucky,tigers banteng, gaur, wild elephants,leopards,serow, for theplethoraof wildlife theparkshelters – gnarled andancienttrees. Keep aneyeout browndirtandthe sunfiltersdeep through Enjoy thesolitudeasyourfeet squish through trails followrivers toanisland-studdedlake. ble over andhiking soaring limestonecliffs Here,and rugged mountains. waterfalls tum- 646sqkmofcompasses thicknative rainforest a goodbreak anden- fromdozinginthesand visit extraordinary of the Jungle You’ll feel asifyou’ve stepped intoa v=mpkocsj'(k^bg*kld KHAO SOKNATIONALPARK Chaiya’s mainstreet for50B anywherea motorcycletaxi along senger. aren’t Ifthose running,youcanhire for15Bperpas- Wat SuanMokkhaphalaram s is about 7km.Untillate afternoon there are From Chaiya,WatSuanMokkhaphalaram can get offatthesmallChaiyatrainstation. you to SuratThanibytrainfromBangkok, terminal 2.Alternatively, ifyou’re heading 45 minutes) fromSurat’sTalat Kaset bus Phin (10B,onehour)oras frequent 3rd-class localtrainsfrom Phun the first 10daysof each month). month tosignup(retreats are alwaysduring ofon theevening thelastdayof anygiven ing, foodandaccommodation.Justshow up by theresident monks. theleast–executedpainting –eclectictosay The interior wallsfeature modernBuddhist at Sanchi, Bharhut andAmaravati inIndia. outer wallsthatare facsimilesof sculptures This latter buildinghasbas-reliefs onthe 7739 5025; www.khaosok.com; admission200B) 7739 5025;www.khaosok.com; ǎ wngth The retreats cost1500Bfor10daysof teach- Established in 1980, Khao Sokliesin the in 1980,Khao Established To get toChaiyayoucancatch oneof the ǎ ew from Chaiya’s train station to ew fromChaiya’strainstation movie whenyoutake thetimeto the Khao Sokrainforest theKhao is Khao SokNational Khao ǎ wngth lonelyplanet.com Waterfalls ǎ
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( % 0 October toDecemberbudsburst forthfrom the rootsof theliana,ajunglevine. From of itsown;instead itlives parasiticallyinside in diameter. Theflowerhasnorootsorleaves Indonesia), mature specimenscanreach 80cm speciesarethe same present inMalaysia and cent wildlife (different sanctuary varietiesof Sokandanadja- world. FoundonlyinKhao (wild lotus),oneof thelargest flowers inthe rii floral rarityintheparkis with astem more than10cmindiameter. A including the filled withlianas,bamboo,ferns andrattan, A major watershed forthesouth,parkis around 4000sqkm–ontheThaipeninsula. form thelargest – contiguousnature preserve wildlife reserves Together, sanctuaries. these Nakha SaenandKhlong as welltheKhlong tional parks,Kaeng KrungandPhang-Nga, Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com arrange guided tours and hikes. in theareaor any guesthouse willhappily atthevisitors canbe obtained centre,sights mapshowing trailsand tinations. Arough (9km) and the waterfalls of Various trailsfrom thevisitors centre leadto Sights &Activities apply plentyof repellent also (see p778 ). whenhikingand shoes cautions –wearclosed of thepark,somake sure totake theusualpre- areas withouttrails. in mammals tend nearthereservoir tostay trail network.Duringdrymonths thelarger elephants, andperhaps tigers, even alongthe andwild ets, slowloris,wildboar,gaur,deer Malayanto see andAsiatic blackbears, civ- to November you’re wetseason more likely flooding. Ontheotherhand,during theJune camping safer duetothelowerriskof flash pery, river crossingseasierandriver-bank December toMay, whentrailsare lessslip- marker. are totheKm109 Rte 1.8kmoff 401,close The parkheadquarters and visitors centre Orientation &Information which attractspollinatinginsects. emits apotent stench resembling rotten meat, the budbloomsinJanuary andFebruary it the lianarootandswelltofootballsize. When Khao SokisconnectedKhao totwootherna- Leeches areLeeches areas quite commonincertain The besttimeof Sokis yeartovisitKhao Meijer , knowntotheThaisas Than Kloy Than w Sip-Et Chan ǎ i tàophráw (9km),among otherdes- (4km), (giant rattan) (giant rattan) Rafflesia ker- SURAT SokNationalPark ••Khao THANI PROVINCE Than bua phút
Sawan
tions are on thehighway. February. Thefollowing accommodationop- fromaboutNovember season in thehigh to rooms withair-con parts.Pricesrise inthese rants. Allhave roomswithfans;there are no andtheir restau-private, simpleguesthouses centre anddownadirtsideroadare several Along theroadfromHwy401to visitors Sleeping &Eating warm water. stepping outof yourbedroomandintothe optional activitieslike hiking.Thebestbitis option. Thepriceincludesthree mealsand person 2500B) her down. (800B). Afterwards helpthemahoutwash ating, trailridesinrainforest nearthepark but shetakes guestsonshort, butinvigor- There isonlyoneelephant,40-year-old Linda, king This wouldbeagoodspottotry at 350B–visititswebsite foranentire list. riety of tours inandaroundtheparkstarting Resortrunsava- SokRainforest scious Khao alongthelakeshore.sacs explore thecoves, canals,caves andcul-de- You canrent boatsfromlocalfishermen to foot fromthesouthwestern shore of thelake. 1975 and1982.Thecaves canbereached on a hideoutbycommunistinsurgents between features fourconverging as passagewaysused and subterranean streams, while Thalu Phang-Nga area. Acave knownas three thantheformationsin timeshigher from thelake reach of aheight 960m,over Limestoneoutcropsprotruding Chiaw Lan). orKheuan Ratchaprapha aprapha (Kheuan 700m-long,shale-claydam ofhigh, Ratch- point. Itwascreated in1982bythe95m- big on conservation andoffers slidelecturebig on conservation for cooling down on hotafternoons. It’s ontheriver,sort isright which isperfect There- on stilts andtreehuts high houses. betweenmany resemble ultracool crosses appalling coloured polyester bedspreads, but reside, bungalowshave these somerather Blending easilyinto thejunglewhere they www.krabidir.com/khaosokrainforest; bungalows400-600B) is thevast Khao Sok Rainforest Resort SokRainforest Khao on a Spending anight The recommended, con- environmentally An hour’sdrive eastof thevisitors centre , asthecompanyhasaholisticreputation. contains strikinglimestoneformations contains Chiaw LanLake intheriver isanotherpopular , 165kmatitslongest floating lodge
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LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF way, 1.8kmfrom the visitors centre. Ifguest- hour, ninedaily)dropyouoff on thehigh- fromTakuaBuses Pa tothepark(25B,one bus, butyou’llhave togoTakua Pa first. You canalsocomefromthewest coastby destination (tell Sok’). thebusdriver ‘Khao you’ll begetting offwellbefore hitting this you cancatch abusgoingtowardsTakua Pa – fromtheSurat Thaniareaplace. Otherwise, atthat and willtrytoconvinceyoustay panies workwithspecificbungalow outfitters Surat, butbeaware thatsomeminivancom- be arranged mosttravel through agents in Thani (80B,onehour,atleasttwice daily)can Transport totheparkbyminivanfrom Surat Sokisabout 100kmfromSurat Thani. Khao Getting There&Around macaques fromtheriverside restaurant. Youcanwatchtranquil andlush wild setting. and hammocks,allare inabeautiful, nets. Themore expensive oneshave verandas bungalows 350-550B) withlotsof Thaibuffet nightly fresh fruit. Western andThaifood,includinga serves junglelike paths alongariver. Therestaurant on set withsimpledécorandoillights houses offers avarietyof riverside bungalowsandtree run placeisanotherecotourismventure. It thisAustralian- across fromalimestonecliff, asia.com; bungalows400-600B) ing off thehighway. floors andverandas. built concrete and brickbungalowswithtiled well- IIhasbright, House Resort, Bamboo the othersideof theriver fromtheRainforest projects. also runsrehabilitation andforest-restoration programmes andtipsonlow-impacthiking.It 584 transport would beto joinatour, which any to the lake. Thebest option without private Takum,bus ittoBan thenhope tohitch aride you don’t have you’llhave your ownwheels, to Takum.Ban It’sanother 14km tothelake. If theKm 52andKm53markers, between off at 401 fromthevisitors centre andtake theturn- to 2km). (from 50m guesthouse walk toyourchosen you,you’llhave toutsdon’tmeet house to simple, solidandairyroomswithmosquito To arrive at Chiaw Lan Lake, goeaston Rte Lake, To arrive atChiawLan JungleLodge Riverview Art’s The followingare onthedirtsideroadlead- Our JungleHouse Bamboo HouseII UA HN RVNE • oSmi SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE Art’s has a pleasant range Art’shasapleasant of
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( % 0 77395009; On ern bars dish upburgers and chips and pump dirt roadsand ramshackle huts. West- rough andstretchesshirts and Guccisunglasses, of after store featuring knock-off VonDutch T- McDonald’s andstorestrips with Starbucks, class restaurants, crowdedmodern shopping video. There are cheap andtop- food stalls air-con cottages andcheck outthelatest MTV game andyoucan escapethesuninsimple areserenity andseclusion thenameof the Thereon clearseas. are isolated spotswhere clad tourists,and jet skischurn upwhitewash tooil-slicked,coconuts andmangoes bikini- crowded beaches where young boyspeddle offers somethingforeveryone. There are lavish pools. rooms, crispwhite sheets, lush gardensand properties boastingbeautifullydecorated is midrange andtop-endoptions,beachfront to comebythisdecade. Mostaccommodation andthecheapever, fanbungalowsare hard that ithasheldforthepastquarter century. the legendary amongAsian status backpackers in Thailand.Butit’salsomanaged toretain darling of Samui,ifnotanybeach destination Bo Phut hasbecometheromanticboutique popular asPhuket, andattimesastrendy – comforts fromhome. remembers toprovide thebestof thecreature that its reputation asahippyislandparadise places like Samuihaspolished GoaandBali, toting LouisVuitton.Onthemapalongside fire-twirling backpackers astoflashpackers most enigmaticchameleon –asattractive to islands, hasbecometheAsian travel markets’ and thearchipelago thatincludes80smaller hewn hutwentuponKoSamui,theisland woodenstructures.rough green hillsandbrownroadsinterspersed with It wasapicture-perfect backgroundof lush sparklinginthesunlight. and cleargreen seas beachessand withpalmsblowinginthewind –white- andstumbleduponparadise Bangkok third-largest islandviaacoconutboatfrom In 1971twotouristsarrived onThailand’s pop 39,000 gdktl}=p KO SAMUI 2500B withanovernight stay). canarrangeguesthouse for1000B(2000Bto Despite itsupmarket trend, KoSamuistill The KoSamuiof todayischanging how- In thelastfive years, Samuihasbecomeas More than30years after thefirst rough- lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com From Julyto October it canberaining on and fromFebruaryand dry season, to late June. decide whether it’sworth staying. tiful place. You’llhave to tovisitfor yourself noonecandeny KoSamuiisabeau- however, and more rubbish.Whatever youropinion, more people meansmore more traffic, noise come withoutaprice– Popularity doesn’t ‘it’s done’, andmovelook around,say on. three months later are stillentranced.Others the keyboards atlate-night internet cafés. side alleys,whiledrunken Westerners pound outcustomers in skirtsseek andtight sandals andbeautifulgirlsinstrappy Lady-boys night. classic tunesfromgiantspeakers late intothe (76km) Surat Thani (35km); Khanom (30km); To DonSak Park (31km) Marine National To AngThong KO SAMUI Pha-Ngan The best timetovisitis during thehot Some travellers and aweek plantostay (25km) To Ko Ao ThongYang Ao TalingNgam (Emerald Cove) Khram Laem Ao Phangkha Chon Hat Ang Thong Laem Yai Ban Taling Ao Chon Hospital Khom Laem Khram Hin Samui Ngam SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE Thong Yang 4169 Ao BangPo 4174 Ko Taen Na Thon Buffalo Fighting Bang Po Ban Saket Immigration 4170 Ban Stadium Ao Thong Pha-Ngan Krut Ban LipaNoi Chong 4172 Buffalo Fighting Khao Khwang Ban Thong (410m) Hin Lat 4169 Krut Wat Na Stadium Fighting Buffalo Stadium Falls Highlands Phalan To KoMat Sum (5km) Laem Saw Samui Ban Tai Saw Wat Laem Ban MaeNam 467m Ban Bang Safari Park Phra Lan Laem Na Namuang Thurian Koh MatSum Kao Ban Ao BangKao Na Muang 465m 4173 Falls Nam Hat Mae To KoPha-Ngan(15km); Khao Thaleh Khunaram Khao Pom (630m) (100m) Wat Ko Tao(62km) Samret Buffalo Fighting Ban BoPhut Wat Ban Hua Thanon Khao Phlu Laem Laem Sai Set whatever theweather. this time. PricessoarfromDecember toJuly, theeastcoastofthat alsoaffects Malaysia at ber. November tends toget some of therain andOcto- (and fewer crowds)inSeptember many travellers have reported fine weather sometimes heavy winds.Ontheotherhand, andfromOctoberoff, toJanuary there are tination, with someof thecoolest lodging intoan upmarketdeveloping boutique des- eastern sideof theisland. BoPhut isquickly beaches bothonthe are Chaweng andLamai, small bays allthetime. Themostcrowded with bungalows popping uparoundmore Samui hasplenty of beaches from, tochoose Orientation (565m) Stadium Stadium Fighting Buffalo Hin AngWang & TigerZoo Monkey Samui Aquarium Centre 4169 Samui Thian Hat Na Hat Bo Ao NaKhai Phut Ao BangNamCheut Lamai Ban See HatChawengMap(p590) Ko Fan Chaweng Ban Wat Phra Airport 4169 Yai Ko Som Hat Lamai (Big BuddhaBeach) Hat BangRak 3miles 5km 0 0 Hat Chaweng Causeway Central Hat ChawengNoi T HAILND G ULFO Hat ChawengNorth Coral Cove Ao ThongTaKhian Ao Samrong Hat ChoengMon Ao ThongSai Ko MatLang Yai Ko Fan
585 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF on theisland.Otherlesscrowded beaches 586 not travelling ona combination ticket, you’ll ferries from thepiers in SuratThani. If you’re rival point forexpress passenger andnight Samui you’ll findNaThon, which is the ar- isolation. Onthenorthwestern sideof Ko themoutifyouareseeking lookingfortotal coves in littleout-of-the-way set –it’sworth the islandnowhas manybungalowsthatare moreis even The southernpartof secluded. Ao ThongYang, on theisland’swestern side, on theisland’snorthern endnearthepier. ers) (Big Buddha Beach) andHat Rak Bang include Mae Nam(popularwithbackpack- places before deciding. acommissionifyoubookroom),socheckfew tosee(theymake asyou’dlike many resorts you’ve arrived atlooksappealing,yourdriver shouldbemore youtoas thanwillingtotake about throbbingdiscos,crowdsandin-your-face hawkers. water isn’tasclearhere asitisinotherplaces,butwhocares whenyounever have toworry linethebeachabout2km westofthefishermen’svillage. resorts Thespot. Mainlyboutique-style anymore. World’sawayfromtheclutter ofChawengand Lamai,BoPhut isaquietandromantic Our favourite beachontheisland,HatBoPhut uptheSamuiyoudidn’tthinkexisted serves skf[jvz=f Hat BoPhut are alsogoodexpatwatering holesandhigh-qualityrestaurant andaccommodationoptions. bars onthemainroad.They’re notnecessarily offensive, variety.That justofthegirlie-bar saidthere asmanyhawkers.Chaweng, itdoesn’tattract Lamai’sdrawbackistherathersleazystrip ofbeer plentyofgigglingexplicit naturalformationsattract Thai tourists. Slightlyquieter andsmallerthan boulders. Southoftownare theinteresting GrandfatherandGrandmotherrockformations. These swim year-round here –headtothebeach’ssouthernend,whichisstuddedwithelegantgranite Some saySamui’ssecondmostpopularbeachiseven more beautifulthanChaweng. Youcan skf]tw} Lamai Hat overwhelmingly claustrophobic. beach, andtheconstantonslaughtoftouts,vendors theplacefeel and othertouristscanmake your bestbetformeetingotherfolks. It’salsobyfarSamui’smostcongested andcommercialised ortravellingthose insearchoftop-notchpampering. solo,it’sprobably toparty, Ifyou’re looking everyone andshoppingoptions,attracts to frombackpackers of sleeping,eating,drinking pineapples, andadrenalin-pumping abound.Chawenghastheisland’swidestrange water sports most popularbeach.Free beachchairslinethe6kmstripwhere plyanklets,drinksand hawkers water, coralreefsClear blue-green andplentyofnightlife greet youatKoSamui’slongestand skfgC;' Chaweng Hat other; ifyou’re notsatisfiedwithone,simplycatchas enough togive youamajorheadache. Don’tdespair. Mostbeachesare relatively neareach by hotel touts,thrustingbrochure after brochure intoyourface. The choicesare mind-boggling, So you’ve juststepped offtheferry (ormaybeyou’re stillonit)andsuddenlyyou’re surrounded BEACH? WHICH UA HN RVNE • oSmi SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE bookstore, whichhas branches aroundSamui. 3908) Stock upon Englishnovels andespresso at this Book Corner &CoffeeWorld BOOKSHOPS Information theboxedto offer, see text, above . Na Thon. land atThongYang, about10km southof the nextferry. Thon onyourwayinand/orout,waiting for probably endupspendingsometimeinNa Car ferries from DonSakandKhanom Car For descriptionsof placeshave whatthese ǎ wngth ǎ ew to the next. Ifthebeachew tothenext. (Map (Map p590 ; lonelyplanet.com % 0 7741 1069; 2km south ofNaThon. visas by30days (500B).It’s about tourist holidays) Extends lonelyplanet.com Ko Samui IMMIGRATION OFFICES police Tourist EMERGENCY Saai Bookshop zines in several languages. zines inseveral small bookstore sellingnewandusedbooks, maga- Na Thon. emergency 077421281) Locatedatthesouthernendof for swimming. toAprilthewater FromOctober maybecome too shallow toparty. travellers orthoseseeking and galleries. The Mediterranean placehasadistinctly feel, but doesn’t offer muchforsolo shophouses, manyofwhichhave bars,restaurants, beenconverted intoupmarket guesthouses growing numberoftouristsfromallnationalities. The villageisacharmingstripofoldChinese this beach. outtwoofthe islandsbetterearly planetocatchorare budgetbets-bothlocated seeking on to beingarunner-up forSamui'smostpretty beach.However, itisconvenient ifyou've gotan Very (BigBuddhaBeach)isn'teven andthe mainpierHatBangRak close closetotheairport skfritBsPj Hat BangRak beach infrontofWatNaPhalan isundeveloped; pleaseavoidgoingtoplesshere. toApril.Thestunning asatChawengandcanbecometooshallowforswimmingfromOctober home toseveral resorts. five-star The beachisratherquietandsecluded,butthewater isn’t as Still agoodchoiceforbudgetaccommodation,withlongstripofcheap bungalows, it’salso skfc}joµk Hat Mae Nam shophouses, cafés and a colourful daymarket. shophouses, cafésandacolourful afewmostly justaferry oldteak point.Ifyouwanttolookarounditsports departure Chinese The andthere’s beach issmellyandotherwisepierlike, really noreason tostayhere. The townis sohkmvo Thon Na nightlife andaplethora ofrestaurants (easily foundatnearbyHatChaweng)tosurvive. Clean andquiet,thislarge cove andbeachisrecommended forfamiliesorthosewhodon’tneed vjk;mhv'mikp!skfg(b'}o Ao Thong Sai& Hat ChoengMon everything frommeditationtotarotcardreading (seep593). featuringThis andswimming,twonew-ageresorts secluded,quietbayhasfairsnorkelling vjk;[k'[jv Ao BangPo h Bo Phut hasbeenpopularwiththeFrench a forthelastdecade,butit’snowattracting 8.30am-noon & 1-4.30pm Mon-Fri, closed public 8.30am-noon &1-4.30pmMon-Fri,
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587 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF Muang KulaypanHotel. Muang able 24hoursandcredit cardsare accepted.Oppositethe isavail- dental problem.Emergencyambulanceservice 0781, 077422272;www.sih.co.th) Foranymedicalor Chaweng or Lamai, where several banks (with where banks(with several Chaweng orLamai, Changing moneyisn’taproblem inNaThon, MONEY Hospital Samui International chamber Hyperbaric pregnancyknees, tests andearaches. nursing-care scraped unitsforstubbedtoes, There ontheislandand are hospitals several MEDICAL SERVICES neath aheapof ads. and suggestions of thingstodo–buriedbe- free andhave listingsof hotels, restaurants pocket-sized (free). Thai, English and paper witharticlesinGerman, A locallyproduced,tourist-oriented news- MEDIA 588 (Big BuddhaBeach). chamberontheislandisinHatBangRak only hyperbaric (34km) Ko Pha-Ngan Ferry to (76km) Surat Thani Ferry to 1 3 2 NA THON T HAILND UA HN RVNE • oSmi SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE G ULFO Samui Welcome Samui What’s onSamui, Ko Pha-Ngan Speedboat to (34km) AC
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About Art&Craft...... Nathon Residence...... TAT Office...... Siam CommercialBank(ATM)...... Siam CityBank(ATM)...... Main PostOffice...... Krung ThaiBank(ATM)...... Kasikornbank (ATM)...... CAT Office...... (see4) Asia Travel...... S†wngth†ew to MaeNam,BoPhut, Buses toSurat Thani&Other B1 Coffee Island...... % h (Map (Map p588 ; 0 77420504; 7am-10pm) Providesinternational h h 8.30am-4.30pm Mon- lonelyplanet.com 8.30am-4.30pm) D 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 B2 B1 B2 B2 B2 B2 B1 B2 B2 B1 B1 C3 B1 spoken includeEnglish,Spanish,French andThai. spoken ings, accommodationandvisaarrangements. Languages book- It canhelpwithinternationaltravelplans,transport andreliable, it’sonChawengbeach. hotmail.com) Efficient with airlinetickets. as manyquestionspossiblewhenbooking can dotoavoid this,exceptmake sure toask money back.Unfortunately there islittleyou left usbitingournailsandscreaming forour minibus ridefromPhuket toSuratThanithat our lastresearch tripincludedaharrowing have combos,and hadtroublewithbuses/boat one expected Wetoo orotherhasslesdevelop. all, thebusturnsouttobefarinferior tothe sometimesaren’tbookings. These madeat to take care whenmakingtrain,busandair travellersSeveral have written towarnothers Dangers &Annoyances Solutions Travel Travel Asia TRAVEL AGENCIES lonelyplanet.com a boat triparound this picture-perfect archi- themost popularactivity in Samuiis Easily v=mpkocsj'(k^bs})jgdktvjk'mv' ANG THONG MARINE NATIONAL PARK sages onthebeach (soundsterrible…). few optionsifyoutire of bronzingandmas- life upwithawhirlonthejetski. There are a beaches, snorkel initsazure water orchurn Most peoplecometo Samuitolazeonthe Sights swimming atthebeach. onexcursionswhile off aroundtheislandor iting yourvaluables withthemanagement inabeachstaying bungalow,considerdepos- driving. andappropriate clothingwhenmet, shoes torcycle, protect yourself bywearingahel- with them.Ifyoufeel youmustrent amo- whohavecan belethaltothose dealt never winding roads,straydogsandcoconut trucks rent motorcyclesonlytofindoutthat Samui’s mainly tothelarge numberof touristswho from roadaccidentsisquite This isdue high. out tobeeconomyclass. ticket –atbusiness-class prices–thatturns thecustomeranair able; theagent thensells fully booked andonlybusinessclassisavail- customers thateconomyclassonplanesis tickets. Airscamsincludetravel agents telling Theft isn’tunknownontheisland. Ifyou’re As onPhuket, therate of onSamui fatalities (Map (Map p588 ; (Map p590 ; SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE % 0 77236120)Dealsespecially % 0 77230203;ttsolutions@ DIVING &SNORKELLING two-person boat. 20 minutes, dependingifyouwantaone-or around 450B. Jet skiscost700Bor800Bper charter ajunkandsoon. Parasailing costs hire acatamaran, godiving,sail sailboards, Water sportsare bigonHat Chaweng; youcan Activities andsporting a pairofpose sunglasses. sittinginameditative ispreserved his corpse dead overDaeng, hasbeen twodecadesbut HuaThanon. Themonk,LuangPhawBan south of Thurianand RteBan 4169between mummified monkatWatKhunaram, ghostly Samui’s strangest attractionbyfaristhe MONK MUMMIFIED you gowithatour. themunless you maynotbeable toreserve on KoWatTa there are Lap, bungalows,but able. Atthe about 1700B. tours are Overnight alsoavail- of sunscreen anddrinkingwater. Tours cost withgoodtraction,ahat,plenty Bring shoes itshould beincludedinyour tour.though ficially a200Badmissionfee forforeigners, other tours kayaking.There’s offer sea of- lotus-shapedcavecontaining formations,and group; sometours visit top of a240mhilltoviewthewholeisland ling are included,alongwithaclimbtothe of qualityanditineraries.Lunch andsnorkel- which alloffer nearlyidenticaltripsinterms as bookingagents forthetourcompanies, from yourhotel. Travel agencies simplyact Ang Thong,andtours usuallyincludepick-up environments. sq kmof islands,plus84sqkmof marine northwest of 18 KoSamuiandencompasses to thecosmeticbeauty.Theparklies31km vegetationhidden lagoonsanddense alladd beaches, white-sand Sheer limestonecliffs, from boatsrange from 3500B to5000B, and but then again there’s very Dives little tosee. island is at Hat Rak. Bang groups as well.Thehyperbaric chamber onthe may tryharder–and somegooutwithsmaller known shops are often good,butsmallershops of dive tripsfromSamui endupthere. Better- The bestdiving isintheKoTao area andplenty pelago madeupof around40smallislands. Any travel agency canbookadaytripto Beach dives costaslittle as800Bperdive, Beach park headquarters Tham BuaBok Tham
( % 0 77286025) , acavern 589
, LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF 590 4 6 1 3 2 5 HAT CHAWENG Chaweng UA HN RVNE • a hwn SURAT ••HatChaweng THANI PROVINCE 36 47 Ban To BoPhut International 45 6 (4km) Hospital Bandon AC 2 Ao ThongTaKhian(3km); 4169 8 To CoralCove(2km); 37 31 41 Hat Lamai(4.5km) 50 3 0 0
35 38 Soi 4 Soi 48 17 39 Phra Yai (5.5km) To Wat 27 7 33 30 49 18 9 20 42 5 44 26 15 B Hat Chaweng 29 34 4 1 0.3 miles 21 500 m 28 22 14 Noi 13 46 10 40 16 32 43 12 To Airport Hat Chaweng SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Papillon Resort...... Resort...... Muang Kulay Pan Hotel.. Montien House...... Lucky Mother...... Garden Beach Resort...... Coral BayResort...... MandalayResotel...... Chaweng BuriResort...... Chaweng BeachHotel..... Resort...... Banana FanSeaSamui..... Baan SamuiResort...... Amari PalmReefResort... Silent Divers...... CulinaryArts...... Dive Indeep...... Calypso Diving...... Blue StarsKayaking...... Travel Solutions...... (see18) Siam Bank(ATM)...... School...... (see43) Samui InternationalDiving Saai Bookshop...... Post Office...... Money Exchange...... World...... SLEEPING Palm IslandHotel & A6 Coconut GroveSamui Chaweng GardensBeach.. Central SamuiBeach Samui InstituteofThai Book Corner&Coffee (3km) See Enlargement Central International Hospital Samui 0 0 24 11 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 23 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 D1 C2 C2 B6 B6 B6 D1 B6 B3 B5 B4 B3 B3 C2 B5 B4 A6 B4 A6 B6 B6 A2 A6 B3 Will WaitRestaurant& Will WaitRestaurant& Will WaitRestaurant& Chaweng KhaosanRestaurant Bangkok Airways...... Reggae Pub...... Legends...... Green Mango...... Deck...... (see 36) Coco Blues...... Christy's CabaretBar.....(see 38) Black JackPub...... Ark Bar...... (see 20) Zico's...... Bakery...... Bakery...... Bakery...... Tropical Murphy's...... Starbucks...... Poppies...... (see 26) Islander...... Gringos Cantina...... Deck...... &Bakery...... Captain Kirk...... Betelnut Restaurant...... The WaveSamui...... The Club...... Samui CoralResort...... Relax Resort...... Princess Village...... PP SamuiResort...... Poppies Samui...... TRANSPORT DRINKING EATING Hat Chaweng T HAILND G ULFO North Matlang 19 lonelyplanet.com Koh 25 D Laem Son 0.5 miles 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 1 km A4 B3 A6 A6 B5 A6 B3 B3 B5 A6 B3 A6 A6 A6 A6 A6 B3 B4 B3 A6 B6 B6 B3 B6 B4 deep.com; -diving.com; HatChaweng) lonelyplanet.com free fromyour hotel. pick-ups and drop-offs tours bay (4750B). There toa spectacular are Park (1990B)as wellastwo-day overnight tripsin AngThongNational Marinesea-kayak .gallerylafayette.com/bluestars; Hat Chaweng) tour.to bookasea-kayak Any travel agency should beable worth itssalt KAYAKING Silent Divers DivingSchool Samui International Indeep Dive Diving Calypso lowing centres: is atHat Chaweng. Werecommend the fol- tion, canbedoneforabout4000B to 5000B. to KoTao, including foodandaccommoda- from 8600Bto14,000B. Anovernight dive trip two- tofour-day certificationcourses cost Hat Lamai (SIDS; Map p590 ; .silentdivers.com; HatChaweng) Blue StarsKayaking concentrationofThe highest dive shops bamboo poles–notavery nicewayforthepooranimalstodie. control throughannualpoisoning,whichisadministered through byblowingpoison-tippeddarts and canendupthreatening humans. Thais have thedogpopulationunder beentryingto keep environment, however, leadstodiseaseandinjuries,whichfester easilyinthetropicalclimate abundance ofstraydogsonKoSamuiandPha-Ngan. The stress oflivinginanoverpopulated islands), aninfluxofanimal-loving touristsandtheresulting excessoffoodscrapshave ledtoan nightlystreet brawls withothermutts.start As isthecasethroughoutThailand (especially onthe They wanderfromrestaurant toyouonthebeachor forscraps,chill next torestaurant looking If you’ve beenontheislandsforawhile,youcan’thelpbutnoticeroving packsofdogs. FIDO FOR CARING Pha-Ngan AnimalCare Pete forthelow-down. The Wave Samui( p596 ofthedogrescue;) inChawengissupersupportive askownersDave or more thanoneolderdogacrossafewto adoptandtransport oceanswhenwewere intown. adopt oneoftheislandstrays,thiscanalsobearranged–European womanhadarranged friends are 100%rabiesfree! The rescue centre isalwaysinneedofdonations. Ifyouwantto also vaccinated thousandsofdogsagainstrabies,andSamui isnowproudtoclaimitscanine dog populationdownthroughanaggressive spayingandneutering programme. The centre has free accommodationandabasicwage. sterilisation procedures. Nurseswhocanstayandworkhere foratleastthree monthsare offered government torefrain fromtheannualstray-dogexecutions aslongitcontinuestoperform been sterilised. Perhaps theorganisation hasmanagedtoconvincetheisland mostimportantly, Shevaun GallweyinSeptember 2001.Sincethenalmost 20% oftheisland’sfemale dogshave .samuidog.org) Thanks tothesponsorshipofDogRescueCentre SamuiandtheAnimalsAsia Foundation, The dogrescue centre, appropriately called ( % Hat Chaweng) (Map (Map p590 ; 0 77232069;www.planet-tec.net) Mp p590; (Map (Map p590 ; % , istheoriginal organisation andhasplayedanintegral theisland’s roleinkeeping SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE 0 77242386;www.planet-tec.net);
(Map p590; (Map % % % 0 77230155;www.divein 0 77422729/30;www
(PAC; 0 77422437;www.calypso % %
Hat Chaweng 0 77413231;www offers guided 0 98757513;www.pacthailand.org)
Dog Rescue Centre Samui geous place features adippooltucked against ence, try ‘clean meout’fastingprogramme. destination, andisstillknownforits original .spasamui.com) at around800B. start and massages they are atthehotel. notstaying Treatments if andmostacceptclients even spas attached, unavoidable. Nearlyalltheposhhotels have relaxation tanks, to salt-water floatation is suites withlotus-filled Jacuzzis builtfortwo offering from private everything treatment spa renaissance. Witharound25classyspas, When itcomestopamperingSamui isina MASSAGES, SPAS &YOGA yoga and‘life training’ for6000B to 30,000B. ish massage, aromatherapy, reiki, meditation, courses andcertification inThai andSwed- quiet north shore, offers one-toeight-day especially forcouples. Tamarind offers plentyof packages designed with waterfalls, canalsandwooden walkways. limestone boulders, filled inanatural setting For auniqueand trulyspecialexperi- The The Health Oasis Resort Health Oasis Resort Spa SamuiVillage Tamarind Springs wasopenedbyveterinary surgeon wastheisland’soriginalhealth
( ( p593 ) onthe island’s %
( ( p598 ). Thisgor- % 0 18939443;www 0 77230976;www
591 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF local specialities. fers afineplacetotryyourhandatcooking days,andSamuiof- cook Thaicuisinethese wantstolearnhow asifeveryone It seems COOKING for prices. in advance,justshow up.Checkthewebsite There’s toreserve yin yogaclasses. noneed .absoluteyogasamui.com) and check out yoga, headtotheBoPhut Fisherman’s Village integral partof up Thaimassage. Forstraight the ancientartof stretching andtoningisan cures andpedicures (100Bforboth). massage for250Bperhour,alongwithmani- There are alsoplentyof beautyshopsoffering sage canbejustasbeneficialthefancyspas. and ifyouget therapistaThaimas- theright only costaround250Bto300Bforonehour, on Hat Chaweng(amongotherspots).These platformoverlookingon araised theaction get amore onamattress informalmassage spaguide.com. (released fourtimesayear)orvisitwww.siam check outthefree andphysicalwellbeing. mental coloncleansing,andThaimassagefor deep features dayrejuvenation packages, including adjusted tosuittheindividual. Theplacealso The lengthandtuitionof allcourses canbe 592 Many spasincorporate yogaintoregimens – At theotherendof thespectrum,youcan For up-to-date infoonthelatest hotspas or air-con. offer Mostoperationsinthesepricebrackets both. or individualhotel websites forlowerpromotionalrates. hotels.We listhigh-seasonrackrates agencies formidrangeandtop-end Searchonlinebooking WHAT INKOSAMUI TOEXPECT
Topend(over 1200B) –Placesinthisprice rangecomewith allthemodconsand willgener- are (800B to1200B)–Sleepingoptionsinthis bracket larger Midrange thanthebudgethuts muchinthelowendof thispricerange. Budget(under800B)–Don’t expect From100Bto UA HN RVNE • oSmi SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE The difference betweenbudgetandmidrangeplaces onSamuiiswhethertheplacehasafan international standards. bigswimmingpools, tastefulfacility on site. furnishings and room service, You canexpect ally have ofluxury-oriented restaurant, anupmarket spa and Thai-massage bar, and somesort all have air-con andmanyhave on-site swimming pools,spasandrestaurants. and usuallycomewith real beds,nicerfurnishings andlessclaustrophobicbathrooms. Nearly out noise. air-con,to expect private bathroomwithhot-water showerandwallsthickenough toblock will chasethehotair aroundtheroom.Onceyoustep uptothe400Brange,youshould start 300B, you’llgetabed andfourwalls. You’ll share abathroom(no hotwater) fan andarickety Absolute Yoga Absolute Samui HealthSamui &SpaGuide , which offers hot,flowand
( % 0 77430290;www
Chaweng) p590; work our way clockwise aroundKoSamui. work ourwayclockwise from thenicestplaceonisland) andthen point of entryformosttravellers far (although when thegoingisslow. prices, butthenyoucanfindsome good deals operators have knowntotripletheir been the timeof yearanddemand.Atpeaktimes under 700B. the optionof renting smallerfanroomsfor Most midrange offer placesdo,however, top-end joints.Hat isalsochanging. Lamai pretty much thedomainof midrange and nonexistent nowonHat Chaweng,which is roofs andwallsof localmaterials are nearly offering simplebungalowswiththatched is bynomeansexhaustive. Budget places options onKoSamui,andthefollowinglist There isamind-boggling arrayof sleeping Sleeping athome. practise ing instructionare alsoavailable soyoucan along forthemeal.DVDswithThai-cook- inviteto eatyourwork,andeven afriend are 2000B(fourcourses). youget Ofcourse, 1600B (three courses), whiledinnerclasses cost floral designs.Quicklunchtime classes fruitsandvegetables intointricate carving well ascourses inthearistocraticThaiartof Prices ontheislandfluctuate dependingon In this section, we start withNaThon,the westart In thissection, Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts Culinary ofThai Samui Institute % offers as dailyThai-cookingclasses, 0 7741 3434; www.sitca.net; 46/6 Soi Colibri, Hat 0 77413434;www.sitca.net; 46/6SoiColibri, Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com
(SITCA; Map hang outinaminiature teak-wooden palace, their priceshave creeping been up. places resisting theurge toupgrade–though small enclave of charming andisolated budget fair snorkelling and swimming.There’s a This bay,withitsmaintownof Tai, Ban has AO BANGPO rooms allcomewithsatellite TV. as welladownstairs caféandgreat The staff. bet. There are big,sparklingtiledroomshere town are onthedrab side,butthisisyourbest r500B; Thawi Ratchaphakdi; following. for somereason youfeel compelled,trythe There’s really noreason here, tostay butif by theferry pierandisnotmuch tolookat. isdominated The island’smainsettlement NA THON see p586 . To get anideaaboutwhich beach offers what, Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com scattered arounda verdant garden. ing shade. The basic concrete bungalows lie punctuated bymassive twistingtrees provid- roofs reach fortheskyand thediningarea is abounds,Thai lobby polishedteak pointed then thisisyour chance. Inthetraditional far. should keep youfrom having tostray too a coupleof bars and restaurants here that spreads tracks.There inlandalongsand are occupy the bestbeach intownanddoesn’t cheap andbackpacker-esque, it although Nam’s accommodationisstillrefreshingly HatWhen itcomestoSamuistandards, Mae HAT MAE NAM Sunbeam Ban Tai Moon on site (of course). sunshine. There’s alsoavegetarian restaurant bungalows aswellplentyof greenery and variety).Theremental are modern bright, towards cleansing(bothof thephysicaland is alltherage here andthisresort isgeared probably give thisplaceamiss. New Age ‘Vortex Astrology’ scares you,youshould bungalows675-4000B; oasisresort.com; galows 800-1200B; Nathon Residence Nathon Residence Health Oasis Resort Health OasisResort Harry’s Also recommended: ( % ( % (
( 0 77447129;bungalows250-800B) % % 0 98747357;bungalows350-450B) 0 77420600;bungalows500-800B) 0 77425447;www.harrys-samui.com; bun- as (Map p588; (Map
( ) a If you ever wanted Ifyouever to % ) 0 77420124;www.health Most placesinthis % a 0 77236058;Th ) Iftheterm SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE and someof thebestintheirclassonSamui. which make themfarfromclaustrophobic box, but theyhave windowsontwosides, a the ocean. butnoair-con. ManyTV have porches facing Themostexpensivecomfortable’. hutshave described theplaceas‘primitive butplenty galows are cheap andpopular. Onetraveller with hulksof oldmotorboats,butthebun- The yardhere isswampylookingandlittered looking thesea. beach, orgrab amassage onaplatformover- You canrent kayaksandkite-boards onthe perfect oraromanticdinner. foracocktail range of shophouses wonderfuloldChinese the charming fisherman’s village, hometoa rants attached,oryoucanwanderdownto the beach. Mostresorts have snazzyrestau- side of theroad/village, justafew steps from of thecentralvillage area, andontheinland commodation off themainroadandwest than Samui’seastcoastbeaches, lookforac- from each other. More relaxed andisolated most bungalowsinThailand,actuallydiffer with fabulousboutiquehotels that,unlike Now isthetimetovisitBoPhut, alovely beach HAT BOPHUT restaurant. seaside dive centre, allsortsof water sportsanda a Jacuzzi, achildren’s playground, anon-site Thereden setting. are twoswimmingpools, rooms withprivate balconiesinatropical gar- Resort features Thai-stylebungalows and classy, child-friendly place,Paradise Beach .samuiparadisebeach.com; r5500-12,000B; pool hasasmallkid’sarea. Thebeautifulbeachsidea fineplacetostay. ways, withcolourfulfloraabounding, thisis wood bungalowsconnected bywoodenwalk- 3300B; book-recycle area at the restaurant serving book-recycle area at therestaurant serving ing special. We liked the loungypillows and have real comforters, are butotherwise noth- toilet. The air-con roomsare andbeds biggish with norot andashower fromthe separated the pricebaths are positively spacious, form covered byamozzie net. Considering and thebedisjust amattress plat- onaraised The floors are madefromsimple woodplanks Free House Free Paradise BeachResort FanSea Chalet Villa ) Yes, thefan roomsare thesizeof ashoe- as ( % ) Offering huge Offering luxury thatch and
0 7742 5204; www.seafanresort.com; r2400- 0 77425204;www.seafanresort.com; ( ( % % 0 77427516;bungalows400-1200B; 08 95917340;bungalows400-600B)
( % 0 77247727-32;www as 593 ) A
LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF restaurant, abarwithcabaret shows, andan cured grounds, multipleswimmingpools, a ranean-style place haswhite villas onmani- clude a billiard-table pavilion, swimming pool pavilion,clude abilliard-table swimming pool are given in- onbedsof silk.Other highlights spa inthemiddleof alagoon,where massages ulous attention Weloved todetail. theopen-air and beautifulpainted. Publicspacesfeature fab- orated, abodesare multilevel trimmedinwood and stillvery The28artisticallydec- affordable. 3500B; beach are best. of bungalowsishuge tothe –theonesclosest attheon-site restaurant.a week Theselection APhilippinelooking thesea. bandplaystwice lovely andyoucanpartake inamassage over- thin.Theswimmingpoolis tend tobeatad anupgradeandthe walls rooms coulduse are very bath- spaciousandclean,although thick mattresses They andnonscratchy sheets. are old-styleSamui,withrattan-woven walls, we founditquite peaceful.Thebungalows World Resortisastep downinluxury,but .com; bungalowsinclbreakfast 1500-3500B; inlowseason. place ispopulareven The publicareas are andthe wellmaintained come withnicetouches like artonthewalls. bungalows are and farfromcrummy,however, nicer baths, bedsandsheets. Even thesmallest the mostexpensive placesare quite roomywith bungalows have mattresses, while thesaggiest what youpayforistrueatSandy’s.Thefan lows 800-2600B; before youarrive.ervations gorgeous gardenwithapool.Reconfirmres- has 12spaciousandcreative rooms,anda tional find.Anotherboutique-styleplace,it bungalows 800-1600B; Samui Palm Beach. lots of curries.Lookforittotheeastof the 594 theme. It’s popular withEuropeans. Abodes are luxurious andhave amaritime email or watch amovie ontheflatscreen TV. icy-cold lounge where you cancheck your suspicious, andat timessurly,staff. worldcuisine.sented Theonlydowner was and arestaurant knownforexcellentlypre- 6500-24,000B; sibly ourfavourite boutiquehotel inThailand village isanabsolute area,stunner,pos- Zazen Zazen World Resort Sandy Resort Eden Samui Palm Beach Resort Samui Palm BeachResort SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE as
(
% ( % ais 0 77427645;www.sawadee.com/samui/eden; ) Off the main road and west of the themain roadandwestof Off the asi 0 7742 5085; www.samuizazen.com; r from 0 77425085;www.samuizazen.com;rfrom
( ( % % as 0 77425355;www.samuiworldresort 0 77423534;fax5325;bunga- ) Thisswanky,Mediter- ) Theoldadage, youget ) Edenisanexcep- ( % 0 77425494;rfrom asi ) shops andforeign-exchange booths. Despite marts, film-processing labs, tailors, souvenir bars (including thegirlie kind),discos,mini- is hometo plentyof video-playing restaurants, out, afew remain hidden inthemasses. budget placeshave squeezed longsince been in Samui.Snazzy resorts rule. Whilemostreal Hat Chawengistheeyeof thetouriststorm Packed end-to-end withhotels andbungalows, HAT CHAWENG gorgeous place. andprivate spaareastaurant –it’ssimplya garden paths andthere’s anelegantpool,res- and flowers. Water-filled urnsdotthelush bed,andonarrivalthereevery are fresh fruit andpeakedwooden details roofs. Duvets top areHouse artisticallydecorated withcreative way, beautifullyappointed roomsat theWhite .com; r4500-7000B; text, p595. boasts afew luxuryresorts theboxed –see known asHat Mon.Thisarea Choeng also names, butthebeach isgenerallyhas several The largest cove followingAoThongSai AO THONGSAI&HAT CHOENGMON rest of thetime. scene onweekends, butit’sfairlysubduedthe the bestvalue. There’s live musicandaparty as themuch pricierair-con roomsandoffer lows are asnicelyfinished inwoodtrimmings A-frame bungalows.Thecheaper fanbunga- a great bigrestaurant andbaraswelllovely Gardenhas Secret English-run establishment, .secretgarden.co.th; bungalows500-1800B; hippyfeel toit. ambience hasaslightly galows are androomy,thespiritual bright sundeck. Thegroundsare spacious,thebun- andahipbeachsidecushion seating wooden run place,Shambala hasplentyof communal .com; bungalows500-1000B) to Samuibyacauseway. nearby islandof KoFan, which isconnected Buddha thatactsasoverlord fromthesmall The moniker comesfromthehuge golden is fortwoparticularlygoodbudget resorts. rather uglyandtheonlyreason here tosleep area aroundoneof Samui’smainferry piers is this knownasBigBuddhaBeach, Otherwise HAT BANGRAK Central HatCentral Chawengisan urbanstripthat House White Bungalows Garden Secret Shambala Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com
(
% ( % as 0 77425330;www.samui-shambala 0 77245315;info@samuidreamholiday ) Perfect foracosygeta- Alaid-back, English-
( % 0 77245255;www a ) Another A luxurious,ultratastefully decorated resort, r&bungalowsfrom5500B; www.amari.com; Resort Palm Reef Amari North luxurious kind. Hat ChawengNoi,which offers respite of the weng, there isafetching littlearea knownas around aheadlandsouthof centralHat Cha- along thestillleafybeachfront. Meanwhile, mostly midrange totop-endresortshouses totheaction,and enough butstillclose noise, from street sounds. areand manyplacestostay wellprotected beautiful stretch of beach (about400maway) the havoc andchaos onthemainroad, Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com North Chaweng is far enough fromtheNorth Chawengisfarenough 220, boatsteUS$270; SAMUI’S TOPFIVETOP-END RESORTS and uniqueplace. areas andapatiooneachbow.There’s alsoaboat-shaped swimmingpool.It’sasophisticated two-storeyfree-standing, bungalowsmadefromteak ricebarges complete withseparate lounge mightbeforyou. resorts following listofuniquetop-end prices quoted inUSdollartriplefigures doesn’tgive attack,thenthe youraccountantaheart There’s ofplacesonSamuiwillingtohelpyoulive therock-star noshortage lifestyle. Ifhearing sea viewsandbalconies. andfourrestaurants.library, fitnessroom,outstandingservice Allthehotel-style roomshave bath comesfilledwitharomatherapy bitsandbobs,there are childcare facilities,aspa, ternationally rated four-plus The starresort. green palm-studdedgardenrollsintothesea,your villas US$180-800; ferry transfers are alsoprovided. and airport guestsbackandforth; transports As it’snotrightonthebeach,ashuttleservice hereaccommodation containscustom-made Thai-style isimpeccable. furnishingsandtheservice anddiving. Luxuriously windsurfing appointed guest forkayaking, equipment andinstructors twoswimmingpools,afitnesscentrehill. Itboaststennis andafullcomplementof courts, bayfromitsperchatopasteepLe endofthisshallowcurving Meridiendominates thenorthern asi fresh-water spaandthree pools,atennis restaurants. court, stunning views,large terraces andcreatively placedtubs (you’llsee).Facilities includesalt- and zoom guestsaround. Alltheswankysuites have day-bedrest areas, gorgeous romantic décor, are buildings here employedtowith hillygrounds make asmallvillage,and golfcarts looklike For seriouspampering, headtothissecluded,luxuriousplace. Expansive, impeccably maintained to get wetatyour own speed. Fish-filled property. canals runaround thefoliage-heavy beachthat allowsyoutowalk downaninclined entrancetothewater –allowingyouan artificial andgracefully appointed The andinclude original pool isfabulouswith awaterfall works ofart. Indonesian influencesthatare Sleekvillasare fusedinan unassuming butvery elegant look. r US$188-1000; Central Samui Beach Resort Muang KulayPan Hotel Le RoyalMeridien BaanTaling Ngam Imperial BoatHouseHotel Tongsai Bay ) This hasadistinctive resort style;it’sdesignedwithminimalistJapanese, Thai and asi
ais ( % as
0 77245480-5500;www.tongsaibay.co.th; HatChoengMon;ste11,000-30,000B; Mp p590; (Map ) One of Samui’s best, this place has what you would expect atan in- OneofSamui’sbest,thisplacehaswhat youwouldexpect ) ) The onSamuiandarguably finestresort oneofthebestinThailand, This placeissomethingelse. Ithasathree-storey hotel aswell
Mp p590; (Map
% (
% Mp p590; (Map SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE ais 0 77422015; 0 7742 5041-52; www.imperialhotels.com; HatChoengMon;rUS$160- 0 77425041-52;www.imperialhotels.com; %
0 7723 0849-51; www.kulaypan.com; HatChaweng;r12,000B; 0 77230849-51;www.kulaypan.com; % ( % )
0 7723 0500; www.centralhotelsresorts.com; HatChaweng; 0 77230500;www.centralhotelsresorts.com; 0 7634 0480; www.lemeridien.com; Ao Taling0 76340480;www.lemeridien.com; Ngam;r& you’ll findroomslarger thanexpected. Beds climb afew stairs toreach it,butonceyoudo onthebeach andlessnoisy.Youhaveright to than manyof thecheap bungalowoperations is thisvery good-value hotel –much better the opposite sideof theroadfrombeach r800-1200B; [email protected]; haute couture such agooddealconsideringitsamenitiesand it’s The placefillsquickly,probably because andrecycleduses grey water forlandscaping. island, usingfiltered water formostfirst sea consciousluxuryresortvironmentally onthe feature silk-pillowdaybeds.It’sthemosten- roomsandpublicloungecomfortable areas this placehasagorgeous poolarea, spacious, Chaweng BeachHotel style.
Mp p590; (Map % as as 0 77422747; ) 595 On )
LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF 1200B, villas3500B; tious back-to-nature designandashare of the in thisFrench-Thai–run placehave unpreten- a loadof theawesomeviews.Thebungalows worthwhileonceyougetgetaway istotally shod dirtroadtothisisolated mountain friends hangingaround. plentyof four-leggedRescue, soyou’llsee owners are huge supporters of theSamuiDog beers, solidfoodandlively ambiance. The player. Thebarandrestaurant offers cheap withaDVD a private rooftop deckandaTV (1650B) thatisareal steal;four,has itsleeps fairly priced.There isasingletwo-storey suite and fridge. Air-concable TV roomsare also baths(although are shared), andcomewith they are alldecentsizedandfreshly painted rooms are someof thebestonisland; new placerunbytwofriendlyBrits.Thefan backpackers onSamui,theWave isarelatively .thewavesamui.com; rfrom350-850B; Samui Wave The Central den, beautifulrestaurant andatinypool. elegant décorandlofts, alongwithalush gar- place offers imaginative, roomswith two-level illonsamui.com; r&bungalows1600-5500B; movies. and anoverhead projector showingnewsand ing restaurant. Otherfacilitiesincludeaspa ingly designedpoolarea withanoverlook- hilly andmeandering,there’s anentic- in spacioussurroundings.Gardensare lush, natural materials anduniquewoodendetails .coralbay.net; r&bungalows4000-7000B; showerseparate stalls. have firmmattresses andbathroomsfeature 596 considering Samui’s serious lackofconsidering Samui’s serious budget the air-con ones are similar onlylarger –but walls, broken fansandgrimy bathrooms,and bungalows go–thecheapest oneshave rotting the Wave are isfull.These pretty badas faras galows leftonthis beach –an alternative if cheapest, andsmallest,rickety old Samuibun- value onthisbeach. ahead forapick-up. Thisiseasilythebest pool andFrench restaurant, andyoucan call There’smagnificent vistas. agreat horizon commodation here isfabulous,sporting 400-600B; Papillon Resort The Club The Coral BayResort Lucky Mother SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE a Mp p590; (Map ) LuckyMotheroffers someof the
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Mp p590; (Map ) Thedrive uptherough- % 0 18942327;bungalows450- % % % 0 77230931;bungalows % a 0 77231169;www.pap 0 77230803;www 0 77422223;www ) Theonlytrue as as ) ) This Ac- often fullybooked. where tosleep it makes you party.It’s sense is alsowildly popularwith backpackers, and Thebar andrestaurant though. onthesand in themiddle of the beach, ispretty killer cheap brownfurniture. Thelocation,right overpriced andfarfromspecial, featuring crowd. Thecement bungalowsare small, Resort isahuge hitwiththe20-something we’rethough notsure why,theGarden Beach www.ark-bar.com; bungalows rfrom1200B; off thebeachright isaplus. the chipped furnishings. Thetwo-tiered pool black-leather studdeddog-collar accent to taste,be toeveryone’s andlendsasort of of channels inEnglish. Thedécormaynot witha widerange and aTV table for anight tomovebig enough have in,theyeven space this partof Chaweng.Roomsare notjust a 3140; www.palmislandsamui.com;bungalows from1100B; the pooliscleanandbigger thanmost. attracts plentyof bar inthesand people;plus fronting thebeach isfarfromattractive, butthe windows andmore space. Thecementexterior whitewashed modern bungalowshave bigglass sinktoobad.Further back,two-storey doesn’t but they’re astidycanbeandthemattress the floors andweathered woven walls, rattan dark woodenstiltboxes withslatsmissing from as bungalows inclbreakfast 800-1500B; .samuicoralresort.com; arebeach, asthese quieter andnicer. bungalow awayfromthebaranddown place canbereally –askfora loudatnight bar andrestaurant isvery popularandthe of butthey’re light large Theon-site enough. mattresses onthefloor. Theydon’tletinalot and cosy woodenbungalowswithsatellite TV value foritscentrallocation,thisplacehas % garden paths. creative They’re details. intheback,alongnice architecture (somehave wonderfullofts) and con are gorgeous andcharming, withattractive 2113; r600-1200B; backpacking crowdandcanfullybookout. accommodation theyremain popularwiththe way. Ontheotherhand,roomswithair- with fansinanappallinglocationoff adrive- Garden BeachResort Garden Resotel SamuiMandalay Coconut Grove Resort Relax Palm Island Hotel &Resort Palm IslandHotel Samui CoralResort ) 0 77231157;bungalows800-1000B; It’sfarfromspecial,butagooddeal for ) The bungalows closest tothebeach Thebungalowsclosest are Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com (Map (Map p590 ; a ) Theresort hasnicerooms
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% Mp p590; (Map ) Good 0 7741 ) Al- bungalows 600-2200B; www.chawengburi.com; bungalows 4500B; www.chawengburi.com; piessamui.com; r7200B; becue forabout 350B. bar- aseafood dine underthestars anddoes duvets. TheMoonDancerestaurant letsyou colours,bright Navajo rugsandcleanwhite Deco. Theroomscontinuethethemewith MiamiArt The décorissouthwestUSAmeets can’t missthispinkadobejointwithbluetrim. or amajor eyesore, onethingisforsure –you Samuieccentricallycharmingconsider Baan .see2sea.com; rfrom4500B; perfect forhoneymooners. is hushedwithsilence. It’savery specialplace, structed anddecorated, andthewholeplace getaway. Thebungalowsare beautifullycon- of greenponds andasea inthisromantic Ayuthaya-period Thaistilthomeslieamong bungalows4100-6000B; .samuiprincess.com; Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com dation atthe northeastern endof thebeach hostess attractive bars. Generally, accommo- go-go dancers ‘polish poles’inthe open-air the boatload todownbuckets of booze while attracting touristsby Samui’s most tawdry, nightlife is more spots.TheLamai secluded lookingforsolitudehavethose moved onto popularity today – justlookaroundmeans thanks toanoffshore reef. its However, location, which boastssuper calmwaters lers started toturnupthismuch mellower After Chawengbecametoocrowded, travel- HAT LAMAI Resort Chaweng Buri Banana Fan Samui Sea Montien House PP SamuiResort Beach Chaweng Gardens long-time Samuifavourite forjet-setters. and therestaurant a istop-notch. Ithasbeen able. Boulders edge thesmallswimmingpool while thecottages are luxuriouslycomfort- at Poppiescomeswithabubblingstream, place withabeautifulpoolbythebeach. r&bungalows 1700B)Aspecial [email protected]; Romantic atmosphere andgreat grounds. style rooms. as www.bananafansea.com; r&bungalows4000-14,000B; 7742 2324;r1050-2500B; Baan SamuiResort Village Princess Poppies Samui Also recommended: ) Appealing upmarket option; wonderful Thai- option;wonderful ) Appealingupmarket (Map (Map p590 ; (Map (Map p590 ;
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(Map (Map p590 ; Mp p590; (Map a (Map (Map p590 ; ) Along-timeestablishment. (Map (Map p590 ; as % ) ) The gorgeous garden % % 0 77422169; % 0 77422540;fax 0 77422419;www.pop % % ) Whetheryou % 0 77422216;www 0 77422415;www % a 0 77422466; 0 77413483-6; as SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE ) 0 77422265; Stunning ) international cuisinewhilesitting underthe cal gardens.Dine onfresh Thaior seafood, rooms withterraces overlooking exotictropi- cottages orfancier air-con teak-appointed galows from500B; ditional livingspacewithnewerbathrooms. fridge; therenovated however, unitshave ad- ormini- accommodation. Don’texpectaTV Putsimply,it’sa gooddealonno-frills the sea. a frontporch andare to withinwalking distance thatched-roof perched onstilts.All have houses the olderstructures resemble tinywooden a cheapest accommodationshares bathrooms. The a welcomingrestaurant and helpfulstaff. onthebeachfront), lows (thebestonesright situated shadybunga- hasclosely House Beers Popular andfriendly,withanold-school feel, ahead, have andrelax. extraSingha’s those andeconomicalarefortable thetenets, sogo neglected andshare com- bathrooms.Basic, air-con, rather whilethedirt-cheap onesseem dated and onthebeach. roomsinclude B-level expensive bungalowsatAmityare large, up- upward-movinga constantly market, themost lows 350-1200B; air-con expecttopayatleast600B. options foranylengthof butifyouneed stay, on Hat meanthere’s noshortage of Lamai Heaps of cheap fanbungalowsscattered about Budget and Grandfatherrocks. inspiring formationscalledtheGrandmother isfamousforitssuggestive, giggle- Lamai, here. Hinyai,atthesouthernendof Hinta and provisions exist usual traveller services less claustrophobic andbetter value. Allthe optionstendChaweng, andsleeping tobe Thevibehere ismoreLamai. laid-back than the water deeper. Theactioncentres onBan thebeachand isabitrougher though season, changes very quickly here. but check out afew quality places because Midrange options are plentifulonHat Lamai, Midrange scenery go. and here sea is Samui’sbestasfarsand, restaurant.stars atthein-house Thebeach is quieter andmoderately pricedinthelow Magic Resort Magic Amity Utopia Beers House ) The teal bungalows are newlypainted while
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( % ( % ) Another welcomecheapie in ) Sleep infan-onlyThai-style Sleep 0 77230467;bungalows350-6000B) 0 7742 4229; bungalows 400-1200B; 0 77424229;bungalows400-1200B;
597 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF expansive grounds.Take yourpickof mod- modation are offered here amidbeautiful set road andeasytofind,twotypes of accom- r&bungalows1470-4800B; -resort.com; dulge beach attheweekly barbecue. pamper yourself withaspatreatment, orin- tentedly undercoconutpalmcanopiesthen at thenewlyrenovated con- Laze SandSea. comfort andconvenience iswhattoexpect upmarket Thaifurnishings, unpretentious .com; bungalows1000-4700B; bedposts madefromlocaltimber. with handcrafted features like funkyspiralling wicker bedsandfurniture toplatformbeds, and poolareas. Accommodationranges from the blossomingovergrown garden,Jacuzzi als andtextures mixfreely, complementing r &bungalowsfrom1000B; reasons whywelike it. areful vicinityandfriendly,attentive all staff luxury,apeace- tropical landscape. Affordable brick pathwaysspanningover three acres of situated thatched-roof bungalowsalongside theLongIslandfeaturesestablishment, nicely bungalows750-3000B; resort.com; asit’softenis advised fullybooked. aplaceaheadof time(emailisbest) Reserving yogaandcookingclasses. chi), meditation, (tai are alsoavailable. Activitiesinclude sive programmes(minimumthree-night stay) herbal massage, cleansingfastsandmore inten- available forguestsandnonguestsalike. Thai body wraps,clayfacials,andcoloncleansingare holistic treatments like packages, herbalsauna priced rusticbeach bungalows.NewAge and more upscaleof late, bargain- itstillmaintains lows 500-3000B; 598 rough around the edges.rough theycan bealittle although and comfortable, resort. Thecheaper ones are clean, adequate are featured inthe mostlavish roomsat this tubs and beautifullypresented interior décor as .com/galaxy; r&bungalows inclbreakfast 1500-3800B; while thebarsits on thebeach. The restaurant overlooks thecentralgarden, some withglassfronts thatget heaps of light. or bungalowssurrounded bycoconuttrees, building, ern hotel rooms insidealow-rise Galaxy Resort Galaxy Golden Sand Resort Sand Sea Bill Resort Spa Resort Long IslandResort SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE ) Thai-stylearchitecture, huge bath-
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0 77424031/2;www.goldensand ( as % 0 77424441;www.samui-hotels 0 77231127;www.samuisandsea as 0 77424202;www.longisland as ) Colourfulmateri- a ) Contemporary ) ) Awell-liked On themain taijiquan
for less, need we say more? wesay for less,need Roomsare tidy, though the boutique cottages seem commu- the boutique cottages seem though ellers’ privacy and pampering whims. Even Chalet-chic Pavilion caters exclusively totrav- .com; r&bungalows inclbreakfast from9500B; wellinadvance.booked, soreserve andpackages. It’sregularly fully usual services dayspathathas allthe Springs istheattached round-trip transfer andbreakfast. Tamarind includingfree airportduring peakseason, nights seven is afive-night minimumstay, priately named‘Rock‘nWood’ suite. There open-air bathroomsinthevein of theappro- walls andfloors, private pondsorinventive tinctive theme. Someintegrate boulders into and crafted holidayhomes–each withadis- oasis, Tamarind offers gorgeously designed maybepossible. stays Ifbusinessisslow,shorter tropical paradises. is abeachside restaurant andthegardensare of Thai character andWestern comfort. There residences nearthebeach, combiningthebest so) withfullyfurnished, roomyandstriking caters tolonger-term or guests(twoweeks per day; .starbay-beach.com; 1-&2-bedroomhousesfromUS$50 manyof thespa-resortLamai, variety. There on Hat are top-endplacestostay several Top End tiled poolthatoverlooks thebeach. greatest isthewonderfullytropical,blue- asset natural beautyjustoutsideyourdoor. The furnishings anddonotlive uptotheamazing Sadly, theroomsare very plainwithmodest swathe youinidyllictranquillityatAloha. water, coconuttrees andserene forested hills lows from2000B; lent choice. bar situated alongside,make thisanexcel- pool nearthebeach, witharestaurant and of exclusivity.Abrilliantamoeba-shaped atmosphere coupledwithanintimate sense foliage aboundscreatingLeafy aninviting andattractivelywell maintained decorated. rinclbreakfast 1500-4800B; -park.com; the islandwilllikely lodgings.It enjoythese on small groupslookingforextended stays as 4221; www.tamarindretreat.com; r&villasfrom 3200B; Star BayBeach&Garden Aloha Jungle Park Hotel Pavilion Resort Tamarind Retreat Resort Resort Tamarind Retreat as ) Restingagainstaforested hillside
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southern endof Samui’swest,isalittlebay have view. eitheragardenorsea a mixed Thaiandforeign clientele. Cottages village haswell-designedgrounds,apooland wooden walkwaysover arockylandscape. The chic, modernwoodencottages are linked by bungalows4500-5500B; hotelsresorts.com; spa. Thai restaurant, aswellafull-service minor artgalleryonthepremises andagood surrounded byatropicalgarden,ithas bungalows 1200-15,950B; morelogical sensitivity thanforamenities. youpayfortheatmosphere andeco- Lamai, of tranquillity. azure rivuletsof water create an atmosphere tricklingand theturtlestatuette fountains The spaciouspoolmirrors, theskyoverhead ally cosy,handsomeandairyinterior feel. nally heaped,theystillendowanexception- Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com lows have views. either partialor fullsea with coconut palms.The well-spaced bunga- garden Ngam, this placesitsamid apleasant bungalows 500-1500B; premises. of the eastcoast.There’s arestaurant onthe bliss after spendingtimein the rush-hour is slimbutenticing, andtheisolationcanbe are fancieraffair. aslightly Thebeach here Simple Life, perky-coloured these littlehuts .com; bungalows400-1200B; to KoTaen for1000B perboat. anywhere. Theownercanarrange daytrips a flora-filled pathare farfrompretty much The reasonable, bare-bones around roomsset Life Bungalows,which delivers onitspromise. called EmeraldCover. Here you’llfindSimple 300-800B; reason here. tostay Taling box Ngam(see text, p595 ), there islittle most exclusive resort, RoyalMeridien Le Baan beach fans.Withtheexceptionof Samui’s sothey’rehowever, notvery popularwith beaches here turnto mudflatsduringlowtide, ferriesthe DonSakandKhanom dock.The includingThongYang,places tostay, where baysalongSamui’swestern sidehaveSeveral WEST COAST connected by stairways andwaterways,connected bystairways and Laem Set Inn Laem Set Simple LifeBungalow Central SamuiVillage Central In thefollowingplaces,justsouthof Hat Wiesenthal Coconut Villa a ) Around Laem Hin Khon, onthe HinKhon, AroundLaem
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( ( Located onAo Taling % as % 0 77424020;www.central ) 0 77334191;bungalows A secluded place Asecluded ) Notfarfrom as SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE ) These These Aussie restaurant that serves giantportions of Aussie restaurant thatserves lage; dishesfrom100B; restaurants. west alongthebeach alsoboastafew great the surroundingslook.Resortsfurther tothe foodthattastes asgood serving taurants Village ishosttoanumberof trendy res- The romantic Fisherman’s it isforsleeping. Hat BoPhut isaswonderful foreatingas HAT BOPHUT chaintaurant inNaThon. and curry.It’srunbytheRuangThong res- suchThai andWestern assandwiches staples menu offers baked goods,fullbreakfasts, and has cures queasytummies,thehuge tosettle real espresso towake up.Coffee Islandalso arrive a atthepierearlymorningandneed dishes 30-190B; atmosphere here –surprisingforNaThon. food andjuices.There isapeaceful,spiritual delicious organic andsugar-free vegetarian withi; dishes20-120B; street backfromtheharbour. ket are thethird onThThawiRatchaphakdi, ferry. Agiantsupermarket andadaymar- quickly withtravellers waitingforthenight watering holesinNaThon,manyof which fill There are goodrestaurants several and NA THON name favourites. the islandchange sofrequently to it’sdifficult and management of variouslodgingsaround own restaurant, theownership butbecause Nearly allbungalowoperationshave their combined. else rants outnumbereverything restau- Italian-owned weng, where itseems will notbedisappointed, especiallyonCha- Samui isoverwhelming. Fans of food Italian The numberof on eatingestablishments Eating Californian cuisine anda lengthy wine list. Californian at this restaurantintimate settings featuring presented in flame-grilled dishes are served lage; dishes from 200B; flows late intothenight. and, forsomereason, Indiancurries.Thebeer with burgers, barsnacks,Aussie-rules football steaks, barbecueribsandlamb chops, along is a jewellery and art gallery that also serves is ajewelleryandartgallerythatalsoserves Coffee Island &Craft About Art The ShackBar& Grill The Billabong Surf Club Billabong Surf h
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An 599 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF lage; dishes150-500B; food served inastunning, romanticlocation food served a fabulous fusionof Mediterranean andThai restaurant atthiscoolboutique hotel offers menu. Weliked thepizzahere somuch we andMediterraneanand scopeoutthe Italian overlookingGrab awoodentable thewater the momentyoustep intoitsairy,environs. 300B; experience. Jazz andbluesmusiccomplement thedining 600 s on thebeach orunder aprivateright Thai ping sauce. with adelicioushotpepperdip- and isserved ordered slice – ithasathincrust asecond ǎ alaa Baia Zazem Restaurant Restaurant Zazem ting foramemorablenight. tables, elegantlyattired conscientiousstaffandunobtrusive live set- musicprovides the perfect relaxed butcordialbeachsideatmosphere inChaweng. The romanticambiencewithitscandlelit institution, Poppiescreates theultimate inspired balance:delectable, cuisinepresented ina creations. Beloware ourfavourite five. of thebestchefs intheworldplyingtheirtradeanddelightinggastronomeswithinspired andtheambience, before decidingwhatandwherefood, theservice toeat.KoSamuihassome When diningoptionsare plentifulandvaried,onehastoconsidertheoverall experience:the SAMUI’S TOPFIVEEATS dance floor. It’sonthebeachroadatsouthernendofChaweng. visitinginitselfandforthechanceofjoiningonescantilycladsambagirls ontheworth guestsnightly. A genuineBraziliansambabandanddancersentertain The cocktailbar iswell ofeverybearing ladenskewers varietyofmeatconceivabledoingasteady roundofthetables. plants. Itssignature barbecue,withpassadors dishisthecarnivorouschurrasqueriagaucho-style and hasconcealedromanticalcoves, loveseats, under-lit glassterrazzo, waterfalls, andloadsof sleekly modernrestaurant, Zico’sgleamsintheBraziliannationalcoloursofgreen andyellow, twists. Reservations recommended.twists. Reservations a highlyinnovative menufusingCalifornian, European andChinesestyleswithdistinctive Thai chops atPoppiesbefore goingitalone,andtheisland’sfoodiesremain loyalthroughout.Imagine of Samui’stopreputations forseriouslyfinedining,Betelnut owner-chef Jeffrey Lordhonedhis in the kitchens oftheRoyalPalace. inhighseasonishighlyrecommended.in thekitchens ahead Reserving his souschefs prepare afinemedleyofclassicThai dishes,manyofwhichwere originally conceived European seafoodand meatdishesentwiningflavoursandingredients withenviabletalent,while memorable culinarytreat. French Chlaustre ofdelicious chefMichel producesabrilliantselection beach andcombineselegantnatural surroundings with1st-class Dining here Thai service. isa LaiThai overlooks endofidyllicMaeNamintheNapasiResort, aromanticshelterednorthern in atraditionalThai woodenthatched menuchangesdailyandmealsare onSamui.The alwaysservedestablished boutiqueresorts short dining featuring classicalThai cuisine,aswellcreative Pacific fare Rim atoneofthemost well-
h UA HN RVNE • oSmi SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE The LaiThai Restaurant Zico’s Betelnut Restaurant Laem Set Inn Poppies (an open-sided, covered space) meeting
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This placeoffers upscale dinner) Acontemporary and Serving classic Italian classic Italian Serving Along-timeSamui h dinner) Located onthe lonelyplanet.com Withone Foran Five Eats ( Five Eats opposite ). to check outtheboxed text onSamui’sTop are literally hundreds more. Also make sure more relaxed. background soundtrack,youcan’tget much Withthewaves atnight. lights providing the andhave onthesand up tables glittery fairy the beach where manybungalowoperators set the bestambienceget off thestripandheadto cheap andMcDonald’s.For ThaitoStarbucks of foodare accountedserving forfromstalls places outnumbertherest, butmanytypes Western cuisine. Italian and cafésserving onthe‘strip’areBack dozens of restaurants HAT CHAWENG recommended islimited. asseating of are French highly cuisine. Reservations kitchen andcooksupanever-changing menu Anex-Poppieschefby acauseway). runsthe lonelyplanet.com world isonthe diverse menu – which has presented, fresh food from Thailand andthe for itsfood. Amixture of quality,well- high Kirk’s is as popularforits ambianceasit is restaurant intheheartof Chaweng, Captain 140-400B; inLosAngeles orLondon. Samui asitdoes inKo and blueberryscone thattastes the same toregroupyou justneed over avanillalatte global corporate conglomerate, butsometimes phàt thai, fried breakfast vaguelyof tasting lastnight’s feeling homesickandcan’tstomach another 60-185B; tobefilled. the morningandalwaysseems shows moviesbigbreakfasts does in atnight, It cakes baguettes andseafood. topizza,pasta, craving andthensome–fromsavoury pan- youcouldbe Thais. Themenuhaseverything as popularwith airy withacongenial atmosphere, itseems dishes from60B; in southandcentralChaweng. decent Western breakfasts atthree locations pizza,Thaifoodand and pastries,itserves on Chaweng’smainstrip.Inadditiontocakes eating market. Theeatery hasafew locations popularity, whichalotinSamui’sfickle says loses andnever aroundforeverbeen itseems, 7742 2613;dishes50-200B; The followingplacesare –there onlyastart Captain Kirk Captain &Bakery Restaurant Chaweng Khaosan &Bakery Will WaitRestaurant Starbucks h h come home to Starbucks. Sure, comehometoStarbucks. it’sa breakfast, lunch & dinner)
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Mp p590; (Map Bigand Mp p590; (Map % It’s 0 day or night. The brekkies are served allday Thebrekkiesday ornight. are served tially alfresco jointoff thebusybeach road 145-230B; comes toeating.Dining inyourhotel’s restau- hasless varietythanChaweng whenit Lamai HAT LAMAI tion andlive musicfourtimesperweek. steaming outside. There isagreat brew selec- pub; fanskeep when it’s theinsidecooleven Thedécor isdarkold-world stew anddesserts. kidney pie,fish andchips, lambchops, Irish lar with fairly similartotheIslanderandjust aspopu- 150-350B; isslow. options. Service pizza, Thaiandlotsof and veggie Britstaples, around theworldandincludequesadillas, booze morningfuel.Otherchoices take you are at135B,these agoodsop-up-the- Starting long andincludecoffee andlotsof meats. h burgers aswell. ers. ithastherequisite Ofcourse, pizzasand margaritas, piñacoladasandtequila shoot- and burritosthatare bestwasheddownwith cocina other dishes.Thebarispopularatnight. burgers, among andsalad, souvlaki,pasta At lunch anddinneritcooksupThaifood, friedtoast,baconandFrenchfried eggs, fries). ding thisisthename,anditincludesCoke, toast andjuice)tounhealthy(we’re notkid- with andyoghurt from healthy(fruit,salad allday andisagooddeal–choose is served Thethree-coursestreet 170Bbreakfast traffic. thesidewalk,soyoucancheckoff outthe h chairs. linger over onbamboocushioned cocktails more than80different choices. After dinner fast, lunch &dinner) ing baht. localflavoursmeans for sampling whilesav- in the centralbeachfood stalls are asuperb localThai several nearly ubiquitous. However, andpubgrub is walk. Fresh Italian seafood, to gooutforameal iswellworththeshort rant isagreeable forsome,butendeavouring style, withloadsof cushions,ordownstairs Deck Rising Sun Rising Tropical Murphy’s Islander Cantina Gringos breakfast, lunch&dinner) breakfast, lunch&dinner) serving quesadillas, tacos, tostadas tacos, quesadillas, serving
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LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF cooking, but it also does savouryThaidishes cooking, butitalsodoes Bo Phut’s nightlife sceneismellow.Thatsaid, Quiet andcompletely lackingingirlybars, HAT BOPHUT bars. over theisland have small-tomedium-sized nightlife, butmanybungalowsandhotels all Hat Chawengand Hat have themost Lamai Drinking &Entertainment thai relaxing. Ifinterested, youcanwatch and thatisstraightforward courtyard seating and hasagelataria. Ithasappealingopen perfect forthemorningafter out. abignight hangover cure calledthe‘IrishFry-up’that's awonderful breakfast Itdoes special/ Lamai. Shamrock isyourticket in forentertainment system,stage andlighting theever-hip Samui turing live anew musicfive aweek, nights itdownwithaGuinness.Fea-while quaffing up ongenerous, heartyportionsof Irish fare Then headtotheSamuiShamrock andfill Wednesdayat7pm. barbecue every with Thaispecialitiesandanall-you-can-eat ish restaurant blendsinternational cuisine crossroads, thispopular,inexpensive Swed- h and EuropeanThaifood. cludes burgers, munchies, sandwiches, salads, woody behemoth,theregular carte dujourin- h coffees anddrinks. respectabledoes burgers, steaks, veggie stuff, andchairs,open-air, informaltables thisplace 602 pub grub (100B to200B). great onthe island. Italsodoes coldest beer the andthepubclaims toserve pool table shown on thebigscreen. There isaslate-bed ofselection music. Live are sporting events PubQuiz’competitionsandits wide Night Samui institution, famousforits‘Wednesday cal Britishwatering holehas becomeabitof a as restaurants. and intheFisherman’s Village. Mostdouble with afew great pubsalongitswaterfront the placeishardlylackinginentertainment, & dinner) h The Frog & Gecko Pub Frog&Gecko The Eldorado Bauhaus Bistro Il Tempio Samui Shamrock breakfast, lunch&dinner) breakfast, lunch&dinner) breakfast, lunch&dinner) (Thaiboxing) actionacross thestreet. UA HN RVNE • oSmi SURAT ••KoSamui THANI PROVINCE IlTempio’s area of isItalian expertise
( (www.eldoradolamai.com; dishes120-210B; % 0 77232307;dishes130-230B;
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( 0 77418797;dishes80-350B; % 0 15978572;dishes120-500B; Thai-erd of Insidethisintricate Westof thecentral 0 77425248) This tropi- phàt thai h muay lunch ? in nightly crowdstowatchin nightly sportsatthelong forever. AvirtualBob Marley shrine, itpacks ahitforseemingly open buildinghasbeen bar line-up,thistwo-storey, tastefully done, like agorgeous monster attheendof agirlie- cushions on the sand, whiskeycushions on the sand, buckets, and lit up withpaper lanterns There atnight. are most popular of thebeach bars, the Arkis the Quarterdeck. smaller related pubdirectly opposite called and more loungingplatforms.There isalsoa refurbishedbeen tohave more even terraces street scenebelow. Thisplacehasrecently ing platforms,the deckhasgoodviewsof the multiterraced loung- barwithcomfortable pretty keen onsomebeachfront property. company–afterEstate afew drinkswewere motional vehicle forthenearbyCocoReal if they’re touring. Thisplaceisactuallyapro- tional players canbefoundhere night) (every Some of Samui’sbestlive andinterna- talent bodies swayingtodancemusic. expensive of drinksandmasses sweaty TV, Green Mango socceron hasblazinglights, it iscavernous, very loudandvery after it!AnotherSamuipower drinkinghouse, place issopopularithasawhole soi named played onthestage. of placestosit,great lake viewsandlive music bars orshootagameof pool.There are plenty what’saround. see toHenry’sgaroo Bar Africa;take awanderto this strip,fromtheLondonInntoKan- could drinkyourwayaroundtheworldon and packupshop. At thetimeof research you month theowners often justcuttheirlosses workinthefirst land ifabusinessdoesn’t change toconstantly names–inThai- seem watering holes, somesleazierthanothers, concentrated ononelongalleyway.Allthe pumping nightlife scene,withloadsof bars Soi Green Mango istheheartof Chaweng’s HAT CHAWENG sport. Of course, thetelly isalwaystunedtothe rant ( p599 ) andbarapopulardrinking spot. Aussie sportsmemorabilia make thisrestau- across toKoPha-Ngan, aswellplentyof Ark Bar Deck Coco Blues Mango Green Club Billabong Surf Reggae Pub Reggae
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and cosy with sports TV and two pool tables, andtwopooltables, and cosywithsportsTV strip hasagreat bar,alarge dancefloor,live Pattaya-styleseedy hostess bars, butthere townsareTouristy seaside infamousfortheir HAT LAMAI show’s notgreat, butit’ssomethingdifferent. sexes. Inside,themusic’soutdated andthe andattractsamixednightly clientele of both time 11pm) access isfree from5pmto11pm. the BlackJack isrunbyanexpat.Internet area.seating and sportontheTV. Ithas acasualoutdoor Long IslandIcedTea toknockyoursocksoff) in fistfulsof and afree at4pm. barbecuestarting dancepartieswithliveWednesday night DJs lonelyplanet.com Rak piers andtake from 20minutes toone Rak either fromthe NaThong, Mae Nam orBang Samui and KoPha-Ngan. leavetween These counter. money-exchange outlet andhotel-reservations tive open-airairport hasanicebar,restaurant, The attrac- domestic andinternational flights. necting flights. are alsocommon,soplanaccordingly forcon- Surat Thanifirst, aboat.Delays thentaking areSamui flights tryflying to full,youmight inadvance, so planaccordingly.If six weeks may bebooked flights out season ing high include Phuket, Pattaya andChiangMai. Dur- 20 minutes. OtherdestinationsfromSamui takes aboutonehourand Theflight Bangkok. KoSamuiand about 16timesdailybetween Airways Bangkok AIR Getting There&Away ties onFridays. and throwshugely popularfoamdancepar- some sortof bacchanal resort initsownright favourite Bistro( Bauhaus opposite ) lookslike out ambience. Nextdoor,thelong-time andheapsofmusic five aweek chilled- nights The SamuiShamrock ning toleanawayfromthatsceneinareas. isbegin- ing inmore Lamai tasteful settings. other avenues eatingandparty- formeeting, this barisrunbyafriendlyexpatanddraws The Samuiairport departure is500Bfor tax Christy’s Cabaret Bar Cabaret Christy’s Black JackPub Legends There are almost10daily departures be- Thisbaroffers transvestite cabaret Mp p590) (Map faràng
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one beingat7.30am. departures foranygiven destination, thefirst Thailand andthere are atleastthree daily Surat Thanitravel agency no profit canbemadeatsuch lowprices.The ascamas Samui forless,itisalmostcertainly Sanclaimstobeablegeton ThKhao youto than onthemore expensive Ifanagency buses. andtheftoccurssubstandard more frequently is nation tickets foraslittle280B, butservice it’spossibletoget bus/ferryin Bangkok combi- and includetheferry fare. San FromThKhao kok charge journey around 450Bforthesame class/2nd class. fromBang- Mostprivate buses ferry. are These 900/700/500BforVIP/1st Southern busterminal includethecostof the way to(andfrom)KoSamui. ferry combinationtickets thattake youallthe It canbecheaper andlessstressful toget bus/ BUS Na Thon. land atThongYang, about10kmsouthof to 550B. Tao. take 1¼to2½hours These andcost345B six dailydepartures SamuiandKo between piers,From thesame there are alsoaround ing Hat Rin,andtheotherboatsThongSala. servic- the boatsdepartingfromHat Rak Bang though you reallythough don’t save much money – combination tickets saves yousome hassle, Buying these toSamuifrom Bangkok. through You can buy train/bus/ferry tickets straight TRAIN are twopiers (Hat Rin andThongSala),with hour (130Bto250B).OnKoPha-Ngan there 7742 1221) From NaThon,air-con fanoutover buses The government-bus fares fromBangkok’s ferries fromDonSakandKhanom Car ua hn 180B 360B Trang 400-450B 400B Surat Thani 350-380B Ranong 350-380B Phuket Penang 650-800B Krabi 270-380B Sok Khao Hat Yai Bangkok 400-875B Destination Price BUSES FROMNATHON has offices inNaThon. has offices Phantip Travel Phantip
( % 603
0 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF 25B forafive-minute ride. hoursdaylight only. changed. S third partyforcurrent have these rates, incase Mon (70B).S (70B),Chaweng(70B) andChoeng Lamai (30B), BoPhut (50B), (50B),Hat Rak Bang Fares fromNaThonincludeMae Nam S agencies. around 1500Bperdayfromvarioustravel with occasionalvigour. cidents onSamui.Ahelmetlawisenforced die orare injured seriously inmotorcycleac- easy onthebikes; yearseveral every periods trytonegotiate abetter rate. Take it day forasmallmotorcycle,butlonger around theisland.Thegoingrate is150Bper aswellfromvariousbungalows and Lamai, places inNaThon,Chaweng from several You canrent motorcycles(andbicycles) CAR &MOTORCYCLE s (200Bto250B).Cheapestare the and Lamai Mae Nam(200B),Na Thon(200Bto250B) (80B),BoPhut (100B),Chaweng(200B), Rak prices:Bang the run.Destinationsandrough and NaThon(400Bto500B).Minivansalsodo (400B) lows: Chaweng(300Bto400B),Lamai Private fares taxi fromtheairportare asfol- TO/FROM THEAIRPORT Getting Around ontraintravel, tion. Fordetails see p581 . especially ifyouincludegetting tothetrainsta- 604 young revellers can slurp their booze buckets Moon parties. Thisis the kind of place where for itsno-worries attitude andfamousFull backpackers like nootherplace inThailand Ko Samui’s rebellious little sister attracts twopalms. in ahammockstrung between inasimplereedto sleep woven bungalowor string wanderers –thekindof folkshappy attracting acrowd of nature lovers andshoe- Ko Pha-Ngan isfamousfor itsability toparty, pop 10,500 gdktr'yo KO PHA-NGAN to overcharge you,soit’salwaysbesttoaska Mae Nam(100B)andNaThon(150B). ǎ Ǎ wngth A rough rate isaround A rough formotorcycletaxis canbehired jeeps for Suzuki Caribbean WNGTH UA HN RVNE • oPaNa SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE ǎ ew: Chaweng (100B), Lamai (100B), (100B), ew: Chaweng(100B),Lamai Ǎ ǎ wngth EW ǎ wngth ǎ ew runregularly during ǎ ew drivers love totry faràng off theprettyoff beaches. Theeastern sidehas too shops and discos crowd the smallstreets Pha-Ngan. Travel agencies, minimarts, tat- is officially themostpopular placeonKo along both itswestern andeastern sides–this southeastern tipof theislandand hasbeaches and general stores. rants, travel agencies, banks, clothingshops a taking-care-of-business town,withrestau- Ko Tao, SuratThaiandKoSamui dock.It’s Sala. This iswhere theferries toandfrom lives inandaroundthesmallportof Thong Samui and100kmfromSuratThai. Ko Pha-Ngan isapproximately 20km fromKo Orientation whisky onaregular basis. clad revellers partyonbuckets of cheap Thai music –nightlife ishuge here, andscantily and pumpupthetrancemats onthesand toget outthefireexcuse upthe sticks,set of anyphase themoonisan days itseems beach nowa- partyintheworld.Although Full Moonparties(see p615 ), thebiggest are, headtoHat Rin,homeof thelegendary ing toparty,asmanycomingKoPha-Ngan make-your-own-fun fashion.Ifyou’re look- are inacommodation andnights passed beaches, where simplehutsare theonlyac- find itonmanyof theisland’ssecluded foraremote searching canThose paradise backpackers stilldominate thetouristtrade. with asortof hippyfun-loving vibe,where daily basis, KoPha-Ngan isacasual island or ornate furnishings. in-room satellite TV you’ll have tolooklongandhardfindan there are air-conditioned comfortable places, swimmers inthecleargreen water. Andwhile beach bars. boatsfloatalongsidelazy Long-tail shackle bungalowsandcolourfullypainted beach, Hat Rin,yieldsrowsof ratherram- shop. Theviewfromtheisland’smostpopular ing andonetop-endresort hasalready up set theislandischang- although development, good roadshave spared itfrompackage-tour The lackof anairportandrelative of absence scenery foundonKoSamui,minustheglitz. Ko Pha-Ngan stupendous boaststhesame hot sand. terrible hangovers whilesnoozing onwhite without interruption untildawn,thennurse A half-hour boatridenorth,193-sq-km A half-hour The long cape of Laem HatThe longcapeof Laem Rinisatthe About halfof KoPha-Ngan’s population Despite thethrongsthatflockhere ona lonelyplanet.com ing toparty).Thenortherndestinationsof you’re lookingfor,butnotifyou’re expect- spots tobevery remote (perfect ifthisiswhat youwillfindmany on theisland,although ern coastof KoSamui. boatsfromthenortheast- Hat RinNaiserves tion overflow ifHat RinNokisfull.Apieron asanaccommoda- more isolated andserves of is thecape,Hat Beach), RinNai(Sunset monthly FullMoonparties.Thewestern side a littlerisky.Hat RinNokisfamousforits October andMarchbetween thesurfcanbe ern beach. Thesnorkelling here isgood,but but there’s more thanatthewest- boat traffic striplinedwithcoconutpalms, a long,sandy the bestbeach, Hat Beach), RinNok(Sunrise lonelyplanet.com To NaThon (110km) Surat Thani (34km); (Ko Samui) (13.5km); KoTao(58km) To HinBai(SailRock) KO PHA-NGAN Ko Tae Hat Chaophao There are plentyof otherplacestostay Nok Laem Son Ban SiThanu Hat Yao Thanu Ao HatSalat Ao Si Hat Salat Ko TaeNai (Horse Island) Ao HinKong Ao MaeHat Ao WokTum SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE Ao NaiWok Ko Ma Thong Lang Pier Kong Ban Hin Ao Hat Ko Pha-Ngan (Paradise Falls) Ban Mae Hospital Hat Wang Sai Nam Tok Hat ThongLang Ban Wang Ta Khian Thong Sala Ta Luang Ban Wok (476m) Ao Bang Khao Tum Charu Chalok Lam Ao Ban Chalok Khom Lam Ban Madeua Hat Bo Phut (KoSamui)(15km) Phaeng Wan Falls Tham To BangRak(15km); Khao Wat Khao Ra 498m (620m) are alsonumerousATMs towithdrawbaht. 2B perminute, witha20Bminimum.There should have are access. Rates generally 1Bto beachnet activity,butevery withdevelopment Thong SalaandHat Rinare centres forinter- Information beaches. between and boatservices improving uptaxi asenterprising Thaisset thesituationisconstantly a hassle,although placescanbeabitofso transportbetween the mostremote. while thebeaches ontheisland’seastcoastare ‘toobusy’andisolated’,options between Pan/Yai are goodifyou’re lookingforbeach andAoThongNai Hat (BottleBeach) Khuat Kin Non (440m) Ban Tai Khao There are few paved roadson Pha-Ngan, Ban FaiMai Ban Nok Kung Yai Than Prawet Laem Thong Falls Nang (Bottle Beach) Ban Hat Khuat 3miles 5km 0 0 Hat RinNai(Sunset Beach) Ban Khai Ban Thong Nai Pan Than Sadet Falls 525m 378m Ao ThongNaiPanYai Pang Bon Nai PanNoi Ao Thong Than Prapat Hat ThongNaiPanNoi Nai PanYai Hat Thong Ban Nam T HAILND G ULFO Tok Falls (Sunrise Beach) Hat RinNok Hat Rin Than Sadet Ko Kong Laem Hat Yuan Ao Thong Hat Sadet To HatMaeNam Hat Yao Hat Yang Hat Thian Hat Wai Reng Klang Laem Nam (Ko Samui)
(35km)
605 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF Backpacker’s Information Centre Backpacker’s 606 Police station Hospital Ko Pha-Ngan Clinic Inter Haad Rin emergencies). Lookfor the clinicnearpier. (althoughheadto the hospitalforlife-threatening service It’sexpanded andnowhas24-hour scrape) inHatRin. spot tofixyour‘KoPha-Ngan tattoo’(motorcycleaccident h until Bangkok should,where medical facilitiesare better. Anything thatcanwait it offers 24-hour emergencyservices. ofThongSalaoffthe roadtoChalokLam, About 2.5km north Thong Sala. Ko Pha-Nganandintherest ofThailand. butalsofillyouinonallthere istodoon sell youaticket, ownerwhowill notonly UK-born, ex-backpacker friendly, Stands outforits HatRin) www.backpackersthailand.com; 4 1 3 2 HAT RIN 24hr) Formerly‘Sang’sClinic’, thishaslongbeenthe UA HN RVNE • oPaNa SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Top HillResort...... Sun CliffResort...... Serenity HillBungalows...... Seaview HaadrinResort...... Sea BreezeBungalow...... Same Lodge&Restaurant...... Rin BeachResort...... Rin BayView...... Pha-Ngan BayshoreResort...... Paradise Bungalows...... Palita Lodge...... Neptune’s Villa...... Natural Home...... Mellow MountainBungalows...... Drop InClubResort&Spa...... Cocohut Village...... Bongo...... Baan Talay...... Thai CookingSchool...... (see20) Siam Spa-Ya...... Reggae MagicBoatTrip...... Phangan Divers...... (see3) Jungle Gym&ThaiBoxing...... Chakra TraditionalThaiMassage...... Post Office...... Haad RinInterClinic...... Backpacker's InformationCentre...... ad...... B1 Sandy...... T HAILND G ULFO AC ( % 0 7737 7114) About 2km north of 0 7737 7114)About 2kmnorth (Map (Map p606 ; ( % 0 77375103; % (Sunset Beach) 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 21 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9 8 ( Hat RinNai % 0 77375342; D3 B2 C1 C1 C2 C2 D1 D1 C1 C2 C1 B2 D3 C1 B2 D3 C2 D1 D1 C2 D1 C2 D1 D1 C2 h 0 77375535; B Bamboozle...... Al Colosseo...... Shell...... Palita Restaurant...... (see15) Outback Bar...... Nira's Bakery...... TRsarn...... D1 BT Restaurant...... EATING 24hr) 24hr) See Enlargement 14 11 25 32 at Hat Rin Nai on the road to Hat Rin Nok. Nok. Nai ontheroadtoHatRin at HatRin Sat) There isapostofficesouthofThongSala,andanother has caused anumber ofhas caused travellers to pay an genic plant, newly exploited onthe island, organic buzzshould take note: ahallucino- or other abundantly available hallucinogens. lers who freak outonmagicmushrooms, acid moon periodstohandle thenumberof travel- duringfull- Thai hastotake onextrastaff (Garden of Joys) psychiatricinSurat hospital thepastfive yearsward. Over SuanSaranrom other thingsitcould landyouinthemental Doing drugsin Thailandisrisky.Among Dangers &Annoyances Post offices 28 35 22 30 Those who come specifically seeking an whocomespecifically seeking Those 9 1 15 20 23 6 17 27 16 12 33 34 32 31 30 29 28 27 4 ( 24 C2 C2 C2 D1 C2 h (Sunrise Beach) Hat RinNok 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, (Sunset Beach) S†wngth†ew toThongSala...... Drop-In Bar...... TRANSPORT DRINKING ats...... C2 Cactus...... Hat RinNai 0.3miles 500m 0 0 Pier 0.1miles 0 0 18 3 13 10 26 29 5 19 lonelyplanet.com 2 7 D 31 Lighthouse 200 m 35 34 33 8 C2 C2 fore tohappen. starts anythingeven your paperworkcreeps itswaytothetopbe- You’ll probably have towaitinthecelluntil briberytogetyour daddyoreven youout. beable tocountonyourembassy, necessarily halfajoint.Onceinjail,youwon’t possessing jail formore thanjustafew daysforeven There isagoodchance thatyoucouldgoto joke, andthepolicetake it where tocheck. who somehowknowexactly,who,whenand then beingpromptlybusted bypoliceofficers drugs byrestaurant orbungalow owners, and being offered andsoldmarijuanaother scary. There are reports constant of travellers completely outof itforacoupleof days. part of somepeopletobe the plantcauses any toxic highly family.Eating nightshade is possiblyrelated todatura,amemberof the Called pital. unscheduled visittothelocalpsychiatric hos- lonelyplanet.com process) isby joiningone of Magic the ‘Reggae (and get to knowsome other travellers inthe Ao Thong NaiPan. while in anarea thatcanbereached byroadorboat, Prapat Falls the centre of theisland.Athird waterfall, almost in ChalokLam, Thong SalaandBan made 18tripshere 1888 and1909. between Vliked thisislandsomuch thatheRama Than Sadetintheeastern partof theisland. SadetFallsThan whom have visited thefalls,canbefoundat IX,allof VIIandRama V,Rama of Rama withtheroyalinsignia ones. Boulders carved round waterfalls andanumberof seasonal In theinterior of this islandare fouryear- WATERFALLS Sights are hilly,narrowandunpaved inportions. cles inKoPha-Ngan canbedangerous. Roads allyourgear.and search checkpolice lookinthefueltank, thetyres checks either;ifyou’re onamotorcycle,the Moon partyonHat aren’t Rin.These cursory leadinguptotheFull especially intheweek and Hat Rinare becoming more common, Sampling thelocalherbcouldturnequally A funway toget toexperience thefalls As elsewhere inThailand,ridingmotorcy- ThongSalaPolice roadblocksbetween The Thaigovernment’s warondrugsisno Phaeng FallsPhaeng Than Prawet FallsThan , issituated neartheeastern shore ton lamphong is off the main road between isoff themainroad between , which cascades along Khlong , which cascadesalongKhlong SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE isinthe northeast near extremely inThai,theplant seriously. seriously. Than Than ditions are bestfromApriltoOctober,when called‘TheChimney’.Con- cal swim-through of 10mto30mandthere’s aninteresting verti- pinnacle called on theeastern sideof theisland. ling. There are alsosomerock reefs of interest northwestern tipandare forsnorkel- suitable The better bay-reef spotsare attheisland’s mittently atvarious points aroundtheisland. As atKoSamui,coralreefs canbefoundinter- DIVING &SNORKELLING Activities has information. retreat. Abulletinboard atthetemple also the teachers before beingaccepted forthe one under25years of age with musttalk .watkowtahm.org) Check outthewebsite of andNovember.September Thecostis2900B. no retreats between duringtherainyseason the latter halfof mostmonths – there are American-Australian coupleare runduring for atemple toreach watstatus). ments, aquorumof five monksisnecessary and anuninresidence (amongotherrequire- wat, sincethere are onlyacoupleof monks overlooking apalmfieldbelow.It’snottrue a decadeandhisashesare interred onacliff American monklived inthistemple forover of ahillnearthelittlevillage of Tai. Ban An This cave temple isbeautifullysituated ontop ;yfg*k$µk THAM KHAO WAT when peopleare interested. if youwanttobook,asthetripsonlydepart and snorkel gear are provided. Cactus Contact and stopsforsnorkelling. Food,refreshments thefalls includesanopportunitytosee cruise cruise 500B; Boat Trips’offered by runs at11,500B to13,500B. ofon the distance thedives. Full certification near the pier atHat RinNai. Itspricedepends .com; 2dives incllunch2000-3000B) latter adds4kmto5kmthe trip. Tao, fromthe theboating distance although or more. canalsobereached HinBai fromKo divers sometimesenjoyvisibility of upto 20m corals and tropical fish can be seen atdepthscorals andtropicalfish canbeseen 13.5km northof theisland.Anabundance of An outstanding siteAn outstanding forscubadivers, a Phangan Divers Phangan Ten-day retreats meditation byan taught h departs noon) departs formore information. Any- Hin Bai Hin
( % 0 77375117; www.phangandivers , abarinHat Rin.The (Sail Rock)liesabout Cactus Cactus Wat Khao Tham Wat Khao has its main office hasitsmain office ( % 0 77375308;
(www 607 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF trips tothewaterfalls mentionedabove) are to workontheircraft. December whileitsinstructors travel toIndia The centre isoften to fromSeptember closed day andlonger workshops are alsoavailable. at 250Bper yoga. Fulldayprogrammesstart its holisticapproach tothestudyof tantric rave reviews fromLonelyPlanetreaders for ( The yogaretreat onHat Chaophao, YOGA &MASSAGE National Park per triporyoucancontact Falls can bearranged atthevillage for500B water. Guidesforthistrek andtothePhaeng bring plentyof high-energy foodanddrinking at thevillage of Madeua Ban Wan;besure to Tao. trailbegins Thislong,sometimessteep Ko –onacleardayyoucansee spectacular along theway,andviewsfromtopare spot wildcrocodiles,monkeys, andboar deer ably wellmarked. witheagle-eyeswill Those are theisland’sbiggest mountain, reason- Ra, in abigway–thetrailsupto620mKhao Jungle trekking on off istaking Ko Pha-Ngan TREKKING very popularwithbackpackers. onthebeach atHatlar barCactus, Rin,itis tripsitalwayshas.Partlong-tail of thepopu- island tourcompany,andoffers thesame 500B) Club;trips Cactus and wet,you’llget afullrefund. you’ve booked aheadonlytofindit’swindy around 6pm,unlesstheweatherisbad.If company departsdailyatnoonandreturns include lunch andequipment.Thefollowing stopping atthebestsnorkelling spots,and popular. circumnavigate These theisland, 608 kite-boarding, water-skiing, sea-kayaking, hand atwater sports, including jet-skiing, There are loadsof opportunities totryyour OTHER ACTIVITIES and are adept atrealigning chakras. practice reflexology, acupressure andreiki, also tissue techniques.as welldeep Staff monk andisadept attraditionalThaimassage sage. Yan, theproprietor,studiedmassage asa near thepieratHat RinNai,offers expertmas- 7737 5401;1/2hr200/300B) % Reggae Magic BoatTrip Magic Reggae Snorkelling daytrips(which often include Chakra Traditional Thai Massage Chakra TraditionalThai 0 92330217;www.agamayoga.com; BovyResort) UA HN RVNE • oPaNa SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE
( % 0 77238275) istheoriginalaround-the- , located onasidestreet
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% Mp p606; (Map Agama Yoga Agama 08 10859137; , gets % 0 you may besurrounded byhotel touts push- Sala. Remember, when youjump off the boat directionin aclockwise withThong starting real décor are also present. range optionswithair-con, hotshowers and Mecca, quite afew more than decentmid- bracket stillpredominates onthisbackpacker likely tochange thebudget soon.Although of the calibre foundonKoSamui, butthat’s Pha-Nganstay. has justonetop-endresort Hat Rin,butthere are manyotherplacesto especially onthesouthernendof theislandat to thenorthandsoutheastof ThongSalaand operations areBeach-bungalow concentrated Sleeping at 1pm). beginning classes Thai meal(800B;half-day You canalsolearnhowtocookamulticourse courses over five cost4500B. or10days.These 5563) 2500/4200B respectively. has one-/three-/five-day courses for900/ p606; (Map Same Lodge runsa Courses or give themaringforrates. of training–fromnovice toprefight. Stopby more years thaneight nowandoffer alllevels have teaching been andtrainingfighters for sonal fitnesstraining.Thegym’sinstructors yoga (one-tothree-day workshops) andper- andcardioequipment,alongwith weights Sala. Thegymoffers dayvisitors arange of which has facilitiesinHat RinandThong Boxing Jungle Gym&Thai or workupasweatontheStairmaster,headto ers andhasbothThaiWestern staff. bar thatplaysarange of tunesover thespeak- play atonce. Afterwards chill outattheon-site 500B toplayallday,andup12folkscan try tocapture theotherteams flag.Itcosts always popularcapture theflag–where you Sala) paintball. Hat Rin) Centre atthe The friendlystaff vehicles (ATVs) orquad-bikes, andelephants. native modesof transportincludeall-terrain onland,alter- Back wind-surfing andsailing. The following sleeping options areThe following sleeping listed The island’snewesthigh-calibre activityis If youwanttotryyourfootatkickboxing offers sixvarietiesof games,includingthe runs 30-hourThaimassage certification canhelpyouarrange anyof these. ( % % Paintball Warfare 0 7737 5535; www.backpackersthailand.com; 0 77375535;www.backpackersthailand.com; Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com 0 77375200;www.same-same.com)
Backpacker’s Information Backpacker’s Mp p606; (Map Siam Spa-Ya
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upscale, modern bungalows inawell-tended decorated andthere’s apopularrestaurant showers. Thefive roomsare cleanandnicely withawesomeexpat, thisisaguesthouse your head. this piertownhasmanymore placestorest we’ve listed ourfave optionbelow,although making anultraearlyboat.Ifthisisthecase, you don’tfeel like having toworry about There really isnoreason here tostay unless SALA THONG head toHat Rin. eating optionsorthechance topartyhard, looking forlotsof othertravellers, multiple and youcouldfeel quite isolated. Ifyou’re some maylackelectricityorrunningwater, bungalows willbeonvery remote beaches, all over manyof theisland.However, these ing small(andsometimeslarger) operations Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com as a few bars and minimarts scattered along at the southern endof Hat Chaophao as well south of thisbeach. There’s a charming lagoon headlands southof Hat Yao; AoSiThanu sits coast, Hat Chaophaois aroundedbeach two One of themore tranquilbeaches onthis HAT CHAOPHAO & AO SITHANU uptofourpeople.bungalows sleeping garden. Thetoprooms here are air-con family lows 400-1000B; larger woodenones. smaller, olderconcrete bungalowsandnewer, of thebigdraws.Thefriendlyowneroffers collection of shacks andbungalowsisone 250B) is notonlyillegalbutbadfortheecosystem. respectand coralsfromthebay,please thisasit arrival times.Asignwarnsnottotake seashells themonlyatferry departurebut you’llsee and don’t have air-con. S Bungalowsareist development. cheap; most Thong Salaandhasrelatively subduedtour- two names)–isjustafew kilometres northof by astream (hencethe thatfeeds intothesea This longbay–sometimesdividedintwo AO HINKONG& AO WOKTUM aheadof100m straight thepier. of thefirst mainintersection intown,about side downstairs. Theinnisontheright-hand r 550-700B; Sea Scene Sea Woktum Cabana Bua Kao Inn Bua Kao The bitof atthefrontof sand thisdiverse a ( % ) a Fastidiously byan maintained
( % 0 77377516;www.seascene.com;bunga- ) Thisplaceisbeautiful with
0 7737 7226; [email protected]; 0 77377226;[email protected]; ( % ǎ wngth 0 77377430;bungalows150- ǎ ew here cost 30B, SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE for familiesandthepoolhasawading area. larger, beautifulair-con bungalows.It’sgood the beach, withadequate fanbungalowsand and thechilled restaurant thatplaysmovies ers, of mostlybecause theappealinggarden and basic,butits popularwithbackpack- bungalows 150-1200B; and aminimartiswithinreach. for 3500B. andmassagesare possible, Laundry There’s afive-person thatcanberented house 2660B; plenty of tree shadeandsoothingmusic. rant andbeautifulviewsover thebay,aswell to thebeach. IthasagoodFrench-Thai restau- butit’sabitofthis placeisfantastic atrek down hotmail.com; bungalows450-500B; the beaches but,asyet,no7-Eleven. a few ATMs divingoutfitsandseveral along the islandsbestswimmingbeaches. There are with areasonable thatmakes drop-off itoneof gets paved. Hat Yao isavery long,pretty beach more astheroadfromThongSala developed The coral-fringed beaches here are getting YAO HAT beach –it’sareal treat forrainydays. ies adayandattractspeoplefromaroundthe restaurant isjustOK,butitshows twomov- the beach. Outdoorbathroomsare cute. The villa-style bungalowsare linedupinlandfrom bungalows 300-1200B; of pillows. restaurant hasdecentmusicandlots seaside and there’s adefinite backpacker feel. The some withhammocks.Mostare onthebeach places have bungalows, smallbutpassable ern endof two AoSiThanuproper,these Son,atthenorth- pine-studded capeof Laem .com; AoSiThanu;bungalows200-400B) Mae Hat but there isn’t fantastic, isabit of a few bungalow resorts. The beach at Ao MaeBan Hat isa small fishing village with LANG AO MAE HAT, KO MA &AOHAT THONG available withhotwater andair-con. but there are alsopricierbrickbungalows Thecheapienightly. fanroomsare alltherage, like water orbeer. the road,soyou’re farfromessentials never Ibiza Long BayResort Tantawan Bungalows Cabana Pha-Ngan Laem SonI&II ais
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0 77349057;bungalows700- ( % 0 19580182;HatChaophao; ) s 0 19560700;yup_pat@ These sturdy,tidy These Ontherounded, ) On a hillside, Onahillside,
609 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF rounding beaches, such asHat The Khuat. eager boatmenhappytotake touriststosur- coast. There are acoupleof piers here and a laid-back littlefishing village onthenorth Ko Pha-Ngan’s second-largest is settlement AO CHALOK LAM good snorkelling below. rooms comewithDVDplayers, andthere’s panoramas.All to windowswithgrandsea haveexcellent andsomeeven bathtubsnext –theviewsfromroomsare Thong Lang overlooking atop a cliff bungalows high Hat as .phanganutopia.com; HatThongLang;bungalows1000-1500B; tion here offers instructionandguidedtrips. the huts,downonbeach, andadive opera- open-air restaurant issituated wellawayfrom dependonpositiontheslope. An Rates bridge. Allhave viewsof thebeach andbay. and agarden,thebeach isover thefoot- are thetrademarkshere. There are boulders with more solidbungalows,somewithair-con, galows 200-1000B; satellite dive-shop operation. There’s excellentsnorkelling here aswella other timesasmallboatcanferry youacross. ing lowtideyoucanwalktothislittleisle;at perfect ifyou’re intorusticisolation. Dur- Pha-Ngan varietyhere –it’s andnotmuch else There are somebungalowsof thestandard the smallislandof KoMa, opposite thebeach. galows 200-300B) cost30B. ChalokLam Ban one midrange operation.S ofquiet anddevoid exceptfor development isexceptionally is nearby.AoThongLang Tok WangSai,alsoknownasParadise Falls, coral offshore andgood snorkelling. Nam 610 300-400B) galows 200-500B) Sala for50Bperperson. S internet cafés andmotorbike-rental places. of amenities, like grocery stores, laundry, options,goodrestaurantssleeping andplenty island’s best,but there’s acoupleof decent beach isfairlyshallow andnotoneof the there’s agoodtravellers vibe. take upafairchunk of beach frontage, and ǎ wngth North Beach Bungalows North Fanta Resort Utopia Pha-Ngan Resort KoMa Divers Pha-Ngan Wang SaiResort SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE ) Recentlyupgraded,thisplacehasneat
These cute beachside These cabanas have ( ǎ % ew plytheroute fromhere toThong 0 7737 4132; [email protected]; bun- 0 77374132;[email protected]; This is the only place to stay on Thisistheonlyplacetostay The several rowsof Theseveral hutshere a
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( % 0 77374093;www 0 18924835;bun- ǎ ew to/from these guys offerthese aren’t the bestdeal intown, 350-850B) good-looking concrete affairs. is yourmain objective, buttheyare farfrom air-con bungalowsare cheap ifkeeping cool are roomier thanthelow-pricedhuts.The floors are madefrompolished woodand they theydon’thavevalue: although air-con, the 350-700B; ally amiable. aremanicured exception- dailyandthestaff some. lookslike Thebeach gardensetting its have roomtoswingtwocatsandthen enough lows 200-450B) forfreevegetarian pick-up. food.Call site restaurant hasasplendiddeckandserves decorated bungalowswithbalconies.Theon- shared bathroomtolarge, ritzyandcreatively great views.Theyrange frombasichutswith this friendlyplaceoffers 30comelyabodes with hour). Hat toHat Khom (approximately Khuat one heavy rains.Youcanalsohike the2.5kmfrom itcangetroad –though alittletrickyafter should beable tonegotiate thehard,sandy about 20minutes Motorcycles ortake ataxi. 150B). YoucanalsowalktoHat in Khom boats toHat andHat Khom (50Bto Khuat electricity atnight. around thepoints,andsomeplacesonlyhave action. Bothbeaches offer decentsnorkelling Hat Rinistoobuiltup,butstillcraves alittle mostly backpackers –thetypethat thinks destination.Theclientele isstill lar sleeping Rin they’re mostpopu- probably thesecond bothfillfast.Infact, after Hat season high look forinanislandgetaway. Duringthe relative isolationisexactlywhatmanypeople bays are backed bylush,thickjungleandthe calm waters andlow-key atmosphere. These tracting touristsfortheirgorgeous beaches, are becomingmore popularbythehour,at- isstillquite Both thebeautyqueen. Khom more stunningof Hat thetwobays,although isthe Hat (alsoknownasBottleBeach) Khuat HAT KHUAT &HAT KHOM views, soyounolonger have totake turns. two hammocksoneach porch withperfect sea Hat Khom; bungalows200-450B) Hat Khom; Bottle Beach III Resort Ocean View Bottle BeachI Coral BayBungalows there areIn ChalokLam regular long-tail Also knownas BB3,the cheapie huts a ) Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com
Midrange roomshere are thebest The bestroomsare stillbasicbut (
% ( % ( 0 7744 7572; Hat Khuat; bungalows 0 77447572;HatKhuat; % 0 7744 5127; Hat Khuat; bungalows 0 77445127; HatKhuat; ( % 0 7737 7231; Hat Khom; bunga- 0 77377231;HatKhom; Upontheheadland, 0 77374245,815970421; Otherwise, there’sOtherwise, alwaystheold,ramshackle the swankiestplacesonislandare here. offer some luxuriousair-con choices –twoof ers. Many placeshave recently upgradedand ofand agoodset rocksforadvancedclimb- beach. ThongNaiPan Yai hasarelaxed vibe The latter isthebestall-roundswimming Ao ThongNaiPan Noi( Ao ThongNaiPan Yai ( This bayisreally madeupof twosmallerbays, AO THONGNAIPAN YAI &NOI into thebay. the beach oralongthesmallriver thatfeeds They’re alllinedupinneatrowseitheralong aqua/dark brownornaturalnipa/darkbrown. plain hutscomeincolourcombinationsof 150-350B) Bottle BeachII are lovely andcomewithwindowsgalore. but theirdeluxe woodenbungalows two-level Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com All the plush andcomfy small homes come thing thisposh onthis shabby-chic island. cove –it’sstillkindof some- shocking tosee into thelush environsand sitaroundascenic thevillasandbungalows blend though even is themostdecadent placeonKoPha-Ngan – ais iya.com; AoThongNai Pan Nai;bungalowsrfrom10,000B; from ThongSala. and there’s service ataxi Rooms have balconiesandelegantfurniture, terlaced withbrickpaths andaspaonsite. accommodation onhilly,lush groundsin- optionwithfine other ultrafancysleeping rating thetwobays,thisisKoPha-Ngan’s ais .com; AoThongNaiPan Noi;r&bungalows2500-15,000B; rant thatoffers sometraveller services. There’s areasonably priced,popularrestau- more expensive, better versions withair-con. ple thatched hutswithshared bathroomto lows 200-1800B; cute. Allsitonlovely grounds. ranging fromsmallandrusticto larger and restaurant onthebeach and12bungalows galows 150-400B) resurfaced.been easier thanitoncewassincethedirtroadhas Pan cost100B. here Getting bymotorbike is fan-room varietyforbudgetarians. Panviman Resort Star Hut S Santhiya Resort &Spa Santhiya Resort AD View ǎ wngth isthemostrusticof thethree; its ) )
Sittingontopof theheadlandsepa- ( Thissparklingnew luxuryresort ( % ǎ % ew fromThongSalatoNai a 0 77445085;AoThongNaiPan Noi;bunga- ( This placehasavery relaxed 0 77445047;AoThongNaiPan Yai; bun- % ) Optionshere gofromsim-
0 7744 5156; Hat Khuat; bungalows 0 77445156;HatKhuat; ( % 0 77445101-9;www.panviman
( % yai noi 0 77238333;www.santh means‘big’)and means‘little’). SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE Hat Thian sporting excellentviews. sporting slightly off smellsandmattresses off slightly onthefloor. offer basicbungalowswithpaper-thin walls, Bothof theplaces below season. ing thehigh but basicaccommodationcanbefound dur- travellers thewaterfalls, onlycomehere tosee visited bymanyofbeen Thailand’skings.Most ing, intimate beach thatistouted ashaving The pretty coastof AoThongRenghasastrik- Pen Rai Mai Grookoo share bathrooms. tic getaway. Allthebottom-rungoptionshere placesmakesthese themperfect foraroman- modestly simpleplaces–theremoteness of reasonable snorkelling. Here liesastring of a large butrelaxed beach cove thathassome Hat Sadetsitspastarockyheadlandandis Hat Sadet and read long. allday(andnight) there’s nothingtodobutsitinthehammock moteness, others gocrazywhentheyrealise here; somepeoplecan’tget of enough there- isolation youreally wantbefore headingout and ThanSadetFalls. Thinkabout howmuch Rin before NamTok headinginlandtoBan by motorcycle)runsalongthecoastfromHat dirt track(traversable onfootbutonlypartially by motorcycle;it’sbesttotake aboat.Another partially paved andonlypartiallytraversable Nam Tokis The roadfromThongSalatoBan to get places,butthat’snotdifficult. tothese For themostpart,you’llhave tohire aboat if you’re tryingtoavoid thebigpartyscene. Ngan thatare which still undeveloped, isgreat There are areas of theeastcoast of KoPha- EAST COAST BEACHES to theresort. to transfer youdirectly fromtheferry pier sort’s private beach. Arrange foraspeedboat viewsanddirectwith sea accesstothere- trail it’s a1½-hour hike. Boatsfrom Hatto stay. Rin cost80B; byrough quiet beach withacouple of very goodplaces Around a headland, Hat Thianisa small, SadetResort Than Resort Reng Thong Dingy butcheap. Ao Thong Reng bungalows 300-700B) (bungalows150-500B)Hashillsidebungalows ( % 0 77445090;www.thansadet.com; (bungalows150-250B) (bungalows100-300B)
611 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF 3614; www.thesanctuary-kpg.com; dm70B,bungalows3614; www.thesanctuary-kpg.com; Ht Yuan Hat outovertheocean. mocks andbigbaywindowslooking bungalows 300-500B)Charmingwoodenhutswithham- woodandbamboo bungalows. 350B) Beautifulpeaked lows andcoconutpalms,isbusy with bay linedwithbunga- side, isalongasandy especially crowdedoncloudydays. lery stores. It’sanexcitinglittlescenethat’s bars, retro clothingshops anduniquejewel- with travel agencies, internet cafés,funky small shoppingandeatingdistrictjam-packed is madeupof twobeaches, bya separated Pha-Ngan. Theisland’s mostpopulararea onKo andbeseen This istheplacetosee HAT RIN(NOK &NAI) the bay. and chill-space –ithasawesomeviewsof ing isthehuge, recently renovated restaurant its gardenbungalows.Idealforendlessloung- means crowdsare increasing. This beach israpidlybecomingcool,which &Bungalows Beam Restaurant Haad Tien Resort programmes. colonic irrigation,aswellbodycleansing full spatreatments, includingfastingand Onoffer areand seafood. dailyyogaand wonderfulvegetarian dishesrant thatserves them. There’s alsoacreatively builtrestau- and hasasmalllibrarynestledabove oneof pressive massive boulders intoitsstructure ing here. incorporates Themainoffice im- 350-3000B) 612 bungalow operations. It’sonly afive-minute when thewind blows. Italsohas anumber of ing, but the beach tends tocollect rubbish much lessactivityand amore isolated feel- Hat relaxed, Rin Nokandpleasantly with the pierislocated. It’sa straighter beach than side, hasaless-enticing beach, andiswhere forget onpartynights. about sleeping hairy. Thisisthe FullMoonpartybeach, so October andMarch the surfcanbealittle and thesnorkelling here isgood,butbetween It’s thebetter ofboat traffic. thetwobeaches, end, ithasascenicatmosphere surrounding aboveHigh therocksatbeach’s northern onthewesternHat Beach), RinNai(Sunset &WellnessCentre Sanctuary The on the east Hat Beach), RinNok(Sunrise Bamboo Hut Also recommended: SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE There’s agreat communityfeel-
( % ( % 0 77375139;bungalows350-400B) 0 77377231;bungalows100- ( % 0 79272854;
( % 0 1271 the beach onthe top of avery long dirt road The moniker fits here; this place isway off also run from here. meatballs). AThaicooking school ( p608 ) is thing from every- commodation, and therestaurant serves couple runthepeach-coloured, modernac- onwhich towatch videos.AThai-Danish TV full of comfypillows,abookexchange anda friendly backpacker hang-outwitha lounge newcomer isoften fullybooked. Itis a busy, r350-700B; www.same-same.com; in manypriceranges. They borderafertile gardenstripandcome bungalows are simplebutwellmaintained. a and soothingtunes.Checkitoutat sunset. cushions, hammocks,deliciousmilkshakes a grassyhill.Thebarispretty cool–loadsof bungalows are andsiton decentlymaintained hip vibeandalsohostsFullMoonparties. The Hill, Mellow hassimilarviews,a Mountain 5347; bungalows300-600B) are ratherratty.ItthrowsFullMoonparties. out atmosphere. Thebungalowsthemselves stilts. Itoffers viewsandachilled- awesomesea is therestaurant-bar perched precariously on on therocksatfarnorthernendof Hat Rin bungalows 200-350B) repellent Insect isamust. in lowseason. beach fromthe restaurant. Itmaybedeserted There are great viewsof andmain thesunrise fromthemainbeach. towards thelighthouse shady hillasTopHill,andisabitof ahike and sparse budget. onthesame Ittooishigh rooms –perfect forsolotravellers onaserious 350B) Natural Home Budget evening. show movies theafternoon and throughout erations have bars andrestaurants, which expensive accommodation.Almostallop- many placesoffer bothcheaper andmore budgettween andmidrange isair-con, and price categories; often theonlydifference be- really matter whichon. sideyoustay thetwobeaches, soitdoesn’t walk between Top Hill Resort Top Hill MountainBungalows Mellow We’ve dividedthefollowingplacesinto Same Same Lodge & Restaurant Same Lodge&Restaurant BayView Rin Bungalows Hill Serenity ) Agreat locationmeansit’soften full.The Thisplaceisuniqueinthatitoffers dorm Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com phàt thai
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five minutes southof thepier. a different designanddécor. Toget here walk variety of nicelyappointed bungalows,each of huge boulders andlotsof vegetation. Itoffers a overlooks raysamid andcatches sunset thesea 250-1500B; Sun CliffResort Midrange repellent; themozziesare vicious. are thefloor. goingtofallthrough Bringinsect clear–attimesitfeelsshould steer asifyou afraidof porches. sea-facing Those heights edge andhave of acliff hammocksontheir unique stonebaths onstiltsatthe sithigh The large andrickety log-polebungalowswith most wonderfulviewsandpeacequiet. whomakeThose itare rewarded withthe another 10minutes andyou’llfindTopHill). you feel you’ve gonetoofar,keep goingfor (basically walkuphillfromHat RinNokuntil Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com parts). Try for the bungalow closest to Sun- parts). Tryfor thebungalow closest duvets onthe beds(a rarity around these lovely andlarge – withhardwoodfloors and the more expensive bungalowshere are quite from thebeach, grassy grounds, justseconds 5227; bungalows500-3000B; rooms assomeare much nicerthanothers. a few blocksfromthebeach. Checkoutafew in apeaceful,shadygarden tresses, butit’sset simple andthecheaper oneshave lumpymat- .com; bungalows500-1200B; to stay. complete withwhirlpool,isanotherreason from theirpatios.Thenewswimming pool, hutshavethese dramaticviewsof thesunset on thehilloverlooking Hat RinNai,manyof Strategically strewn aboutthethickjungle onstilts.cluded bungalows,somebuilthigh a romanticfeel created bywell-spaced,se- is ourchoice inthispricebracket. There’s good report cardfromothertravellers, and bungalows 500-1000B; expensive onesare nicer). themoreramshackle bungalows(although are unattractive groundsandsomeseriously pastthefancyentrancesignpeal, because of alltheaction).Maybe ap- it’sthenostalgia onthebeachpopular (it’sright atthecentre andtheplaceremainsMoon partiesstarted, bungalows 400-800B; Pha-Ngan Bayshore Resort Bayshore Pha-Ngan Bungalow Breeze Sea Paradise Bungalows Bongo
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This placegets a 0 7737 5134; bungalows 0 77375134;bungalows Set onspacious Set Mp p606; (Map % % SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE 0 77375244; 0 77375162; % 0 7737 .cocohut.com; r600B,bungalows1200-3500B; Neptune’s Villa BeachResort Rin Sandy Resort Haadrin Seaview and allhave similarfacilities. nice touch are andemployees eager toplease. bungalows withcheery interiors. Thepoolisa in ahotel-style buildingaswellbeachside young coupleonhoneymoon.There are rooms fromgrandmaandthe family tothe everyone, commodation diverse toaccommodate enough well-designed gardenresort offers arange of ac- Located onadazzlingstretch of beach, this foodandscreens uptasty movies. serves ratherthanlush,andtherestaurant is sparse dark, butcleanwithniceporches. Thegarden air-con andcheap fanbungalowsare kindof Theregular tosoothyousleep. ling fountains floor-to-ceiling windows,modernartandtrick- skylights, suave furnishingslike giantTVs, renovated andvery comewith posh–these bungalows,someoftained which are newly friendly placewithagoodrange of well-main- lodge.com; bungalowswithbreakfast 800-3000B; quiet. Thelackof minifridge isabummer. the roomicecold,andplacewasrelatively job andafew decorations.Theair-con gets anewpaint claustrophobic. Wallscoulduse and are tonotfeel intheleastbit bigenough mattresses, andblue-tiledfloors, cleansheets in amotel blocksportsoft, butnotlumpy, tion intown(itisnotonthebeach). Rooms totheac- not toofarfromthepierbutclose tion ifyoujustwantanair-con placetocrash, windows andagiantporch. Resort–ithastwosidesofrise floor-to-ceiling Thai décor throughout, aswell asallthe usual Thai décorthroughout, luxury bungalows with teak furnishings and resort istastefully laid-out andfeatures 46 trend towards swankieraccommodation. The This newish the island’sslow place started [email protected]; bungalowsfrom2500B; &Spa Drop InClubResort .info/baantalay; bungalows800-1000B; Top End lows 850-1500B; bungalows 250-1500B; 1500B; lows 500-2500B; The followingplacesare alsorecommended Cocohut Village Palita Lodge Baan Talay (Map (Map p606 ; a ) Mp p606; (Map a a
(Map (Map p606 ; Mp p606; (Map % (Map (Map p606 ; ) ) Mp p606; (Map a 0 77375138;bungalows300- % ) (Map (Map p606 ;
% Mp p606; (Map % 0 77375083;www.phangan % 0 77375172;www.palita % 0 77375251;bunga- 0 77375112;bunga- a 0 77375368;www % % ) Asolidop- 0 77375160; 0 77375444; as as a 613 ) A
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LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF town waitingfortheferry, itoffers everything place tospendafew hours ifyou’re stuckin 40-170B; A’s CoffeeShopandRestaurant THONG SALA of eateries. forHatbeeline Rinforthebiggest selection scene scattered aroundtheisland.Make a attached, butthere isaburgeoning eating Many bungalowsoperators have restaurants Eating keep youfromhaving tostray. friendly, andtheon-site restaurant andbar centre, It’svery andpooltables. sauna family great beach. Weliked thepool,junglefitness ited, despites itsremote locationonanotso Itwaspopularwhenwevis- deciding tostay. and overpriced. Justcheck outafew before cramped and mosquitonets,butothers seem ful withwelcometouches, bamboobedframes deal, someof thebungalowsare really beauti- South African–Thaiventure canbeagreat .com; bungalowsfrom1500B; entertained. here pickaplacewithamenitiestokeep you and quite remote, tostay soifyouchoose areThese notthebestbeaches ontheisland, Thong Salacosts30Bperperson tothisarea. As small andhardtosee. placescanbe main road,thesignstothese well-spaced bungalowoperations.Fromthe of beachesis aseries withquite sandy afew thevillages of Tai Ban Between Khai andBan BAN TAI & BAN KHAI on thebeach. facilities. Theonlydrawbackisit’snotright bar. There’s arestaurant, alovely poolandspa safe, mini- upmarket amenities–satellite TV, 614 munchies. anyone’s morning to satisfy menu isenough teak structure. Its ‘buildyourown breakfast’ cellent Thai andWestern fare inatwo-storey ex- Green, thisplaceserves informative Ben h Green Village The HAT CHAOPHAO menu aretail anaddedbonus. good measure. Strongcoffee andalongcock- for and salads pasta throws insandwiches, from homemadebreads tobigbreakfasts, and Milky BayResort Milky breakfast, lunch & dinner) SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE h breakfast & lunchMon-Sat)
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% ( % 0 77349217;dishes60-200B; Runbytheludicrously ais 0 77238566;www.milkybay
( ǎ % wngth 0 77377336;dishes Theperfect ) Thisnewer ǎ ew from on alofty platform. as chilli ner) .palitalodge.com; dishes60-200B; seo preparesseo food. Order authentic Italian environs orout onthe porch, whileAl Colos- 400B; itcanget however, night, hot andcramped. At watching amovie orfootyonthe big TVs. sun forafew hours, andspendtheafternoon walls andfatcushions onthefloor. Escapethe It’s anambientplace, withmodernartonthe thedayandnight. party footage throughout tion of beer. Itplays movies andFullMoon and shepherd’s pie,followedbyagood selec- lambchops, Swedishmeatballs salad, Caesar Western foodisreasonably authentic–order run eatery, which meansthe inthiscase ponds. It’s inanopen,peacefularea beyondthelily along withgelato, coffees. tiramisuandItalian ian foodsuch asgnocchi, ravioli andpizza, zas 140-220B; dinner) we stoppedby. here.meals are Itwaspacked when served specialities aswellbarbecuesandset-price dishes 60-200B) soups andspaghetti. loadsof salads, to 200B),anditalsoserves range fromAmericantoIsraelidishes (100B Itsbreakfastsbilliard andping-pongtables. breeze. Thegroundsare abitmessy,butithas backfromthebeach andcatchesIt isset a playingallthelatest pirated blockbusters.TV rant attheresort namehasagiant bythesame though. some improvement, coulduse The service andThaidishes. pizza, Israelidishes, salads quiches,and includessandwiches, donuts, double espresso (60B).Thefoodisalsogood fancy coffees such asicedmocha (70B)and is avery popularbreakfast spot,brewing up 200B; food restaurants intheHat Rinarea. There’s noshortage of Thai,Western orsea- HAT RIN(NOK&NAI) 220B; Shell Al Colosseo Bamboozle Restaurant BT Outback Bar Palita Restaurant Nira’s Bakery Onaprimespotonthebeach, therestau- h h h Take yourpickof Mexican foodsuch
24hr) Mp p606; (Map lunch &dinner) breakfast, lunch&dinner) rellenos, h Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Thisbakery andrestaurant combo TheusualThaiandWestern
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Mp p606; (Map Sit inthe air-con, indoor 0 77375149;dishes90-130B,piz- % % % h % 0 78838569; dishes200- Serves goodItal- Serves 0 77375126;dishes120- 0 77375109;dishes25- Thisisanexpat- % breakfast, lunch&din- 0 1797 8815; Hat Rin; 0 17978815;HatRin; 0 77375172;www h lunch & lonelyplanet.com bonfires of tocelebrate any phase themoon. fire stick, and there are frequent partieswith bibe, someone isalwaysthrowing around a withcheapthe sand buckets of whiskytoim- dude. There arethe Rasta plenty of matsin isdifferent’, night and trance–‘every says Tunes runfromrock tohiphop,pop,house ladas, kamikazes and LongIslandicedteas. eclectic andthedrinks listincludespiñaco- strangelyThe wallsare colourful,thestaff foraparty. kind of any excuse placethatuses the island’soriginal beach bar,Drop-In isthe place where there’s really abarscene. there’s Hat booze, although Rinisthe only For themostpart,where there’s bungalows, Drinking equally delicious.There are dailyspecials. orfresh –theyarepizza, pasta seafood all Drop-In Bar moon parties forevery phase.moon parties BanTai has .phangan.info/, isalsoagoodresource. earlier –accommodationbooksoutfully,especiallyduringthepeakmonths. arrive400B onewayor550Breturn. afew Ifyouchoosetostayontheislandforparty, days fromvariouspointsinKoSamui.Tickets viaoneoftheall-nightshuttlesdeparting costthe party are inmostcasestobefullysecure), simplytoorickety somuchthatmanyfolksare visiting finally over. ellers, cometogethertocleanthebeachofsubstantialmorning-after is litter whentheparty And thesesameproprietors,alongwithsomeofthemoreHat Rin. conscientiousforeign trav- been attributed todruguseatthisparty. a pumped-uppolicepresence (bothuniformedandundercover). More thanafew deathshave able thesedays,thoughthemore have hardcore moved partakers ontootherbeachesdue can guess,it’sapretty wildandhazytimeforeveryone. goerspeaksataround2amto3am(thelastDJsdon’tshutdowntill11am).As youparty of eachotheronthebeach.Fire dancingandfireworks lightupthenightandnumberof Rock, Drop-InBar( below ), Vinyl, ZoomBarandCactus ( below ) –allare withinstumblingdistance drum‘n’bass –eachrepresents adifferent genre. Popularvenues includeParadise Bungalows,The with more than10majorsoundsystems onthebeachplayingeverything frompsy-tranceto usedtobecasualaffairs,thesedaystheyare quiteparties impressively planned extravaganzas, to-February thenightaway.Althoughmoon peakseason–turnupto dance,drinkandsmoke largest monthlyrave. Some3000 to8000ravers –sometimesover 30,000duringtheDecember- fullmoon,andthusbeganatraditionthathassinceturnedintotheworld’sagain forthenext took placeattheParadise Bungalows. turnedoutsowellthegangdecidedtomeetup The party one canquite It remember –althoughitwasmeanttobeacelebrationofsomeone’sbirthday. According tolegend,KoPha-Ngan’s first Full tookplaceineither1987or1988–no- Moonparty FULL MOONING month, withlotsofpsychedelictunes andqualitytrance. Ko Pha-Ngan hasdoneagoodjobofcashinginonitsFull Moonfameandthere are now Check yourlunarcalendarforupcomingFull dates. Moonparty The website, www.fullmoon Theft hasbeenaproblematFull inrecent years(thebungalowsinKoPha-Ngan Moonparties The wholeevent iswellorganised byThai residents whorunthebungalowsandbarsalong bewithoutdrugs?Yes,And whatwouldtheworld’sbiggestbeachparty they’re stillavail- (Map (Map p606 ; Hat Rin) SURAT ••KoPha-Ngan THANI PROVINCE Claiming tobe Half MoonFestival cool placetoveg outandwatch amovie ona and hasloadsof cushionsforjustchilling. food fromaroundtheglobe lish man,itserves giant projector screen. RunbyafriendlyEng- forlounging. sand DJ musicfordancingandmore matsinthe pounding hasnightly of andbeer, cocktails arange the Drop-In,thispopularplaceserves sound system and host moon-set parties. sound system and hostmoon-set men overboard. guys have These animmense you’realmost believe –watch outfor out atsea youcan sitting on thedeckand tideishigh of Whenyou’re apirate shipbuiltintothe cliffs. wacky drinkery atHat Chaophao,itisareplica andOutlawBar.Bar Nai Pan Rasta Noi,includingthe Jungle Bar, There are alsoabunch of bars atAoThong Cactus Lazy House The Pirates Bar Pirates The
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615 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF unpaved toAoThongNai Pan midsection can you’re very goodonamotorcycle. Also,the but very hillyroad;don’tattempt thisunless andHat Khai Ban tween Rin,which isa paved The worst placeformotorcycleridingisbe- accidentsandmore ones. speed high-speed rate, which willnodoubtmeanfewer low- Roads ontheislandare being paved atarapid Getting Around thedayfrom 8.30amto1pm. throughout boats leaveto 350B,one1½hours). These Ko Pha-Ngan’s ThongSalaandKoTao (180B save thecostof accommodation. anight’s andyou’ll morning, butthiscanbepleasant remember thatyou’llarrive leave yourbagsunattended ontheboatand month. As ferry withthenight toSamui,don’t ride–Novembercan bearough istheworst hours). ferry Thenight 11pm (200B,seven to Pha-Ngan DoninSuratat fromThBan thedayfrom7amto10pm. throughout 2½ hours). boatsleave These from ThongSala Ko Pha-Ngan andSuratThani(250Bto380B, your preferences whilebuyingyourticket. Ko Samui.Ifthefinallocationmatters, state pieron Na Thon,Mae Rak NamortheBang Hat RinonKoPha-Ngan andarrive eitherin to anhour. Allleave fromeitherThongSalaor from 7amto4pmandtake from30minutes boatsleave250B). These theday throughout KoPha-Ngantween andKoSamui(180Bto comfortable. faster onesare more expensive andmore boats tend tobenofrillsandcheaper, while Slower termined bytheweatherandseason. The exact numberof boatdepartures isde- GettingThere&Away 616 a heavy pack. recommended forwalking ifyou’re wearing mind that theycanbeovergrown andare not eastern coast.Ifyou dofindtrails,bear in such asHat of andsomesections the Khuat around 1300Baday. able forrent rentals are for100Baday.Car or steep roads.Bicycles are sometimesavail- especially ifyou’re ondirt goingtobetaking land forabout 250Bperday. Wearahelmet, get pretty rough. There are dailydepartures several between There are over sixdailydepartures between You can also take a slow night ferryYou canalsotake aslownight direct There are almost10dailydepartures be- Some placescan be reached onlybyboat, You canrent motorcyclesallover theis- UA HN RVNE • oTo SURAT ••KoTao THANI PROVINCE very earlyinthe the beauty found onbig sisters Ko Samui and back, it’sbecome ahaven seeking forthose Small (it measures just21sqkm) and laid- with nondivers asitiswith scuba enthusiasts. days KoTaotion, these is nearlyaspopular Ko Phi Phi ( p705 ). Islands ( p655 thefishywaters) oreven of off can’t compete withthe world-famous Similan comes totrulyawesome dive sites, theisland vertised asThailand’s divingMecca, whenit note, thatwhileKo Tao however, maybead- divers Experienced to swimthrough. should of reefs spectacular withplentifulmarinelife anoutfitter,Once youchoose there are dozens can’t walk100mwithouttrippingover ashop. andonitsbusiestareasisland’s mainstay, you certificates each year. Divingisdefinitely the inAustralia issues moreCairns PADI diving get youropen-water dive certification–only world’s cheapest andmostpopularplacesto for beginners toexplore; it’salsoisoneof the water andtrippycoralreefs shallowenough chio-coloured clear withcrystal islandblessed learn howtodive. Notonlyisthislush, pista- Scuba virgins fromallover flockto Ko Tao to pop 5500 gdktg^jk KO TAO about 200Bper15minutes of travel. charter aboatridefrombeach tobeach for boatexpecttopayaround250B.tail Youcan Hat RintoAoThongNaiPan Yai bylong- boatsrunning.From people towarrantthese thereweather only),though are rarely enough person fromJanuary (incalm toSeptember and Hat Yao orHat Rincostabout150Bper ThongSala the wholething.Boatsbetween it’s350Btocharterleast sixpeople;otherwise Hat costaround50Bper person withat Khuat are people. notenough charter thewholes destinations. Atothertimesyoumayhave to boats swarmintomove peopletotheirfinal and otherislandsarrive ands s move aroundtheisland,whetherbyboator ticularly expensive Thebesttimeto thatweek. orifpetrolhappenstobe par-jump atsunset except forAoThongNaiPan (100B).Rates 50B perperson toanywhere ontheisland the majority of theboatsfromSuratThani ǎ wngth Once considered exclusively adive destina- to boatsfromAoChalokLam Long-tail To andfromThongSala,s ǎ ew, isaroundmidday.Thiswhen ǎ wngth ǎ ew orboatifthere ǎ ǎ lonelyplanet.com wngth wngth ǎ ǎ ew cost ew and where are nights usuallyinvolv- casualaffairs, interior. AllinallKoTao isaromanticplace, thelushandrugged bikingthrough mountain ment –fromloungingonpristinebeaches to once youarrive there’s plentyof entertain- quent ferries make travel toKoTao easy,and Ko Pha-Ngan withoutthechaos. Fast andfre- lonelyplanet.com office in Ban Mae inBan office Hat. Watch outfor private of Mae Hat. There’s apost andtelephone changers canalsobefound aroundtown. ATMsnear the pier, andseveral andmoney- havemercial Bank amoneyexchange window bookshopsaresecond-hand here aswell. harbour aswell fromtravel agencies. Two bythe atabookingoffice can bepurchased boutiques andmotorcycle rentals. Boattickets dive shops,restaurants, internet cafés,shops, cial centre. Here you’llfindtravel agencies, island’s western side andisthemaincommer- busy pier,iswhere theboatsdock.Itison parts, providing youget anearlystart. is only21sqkm,it’spossibletowalk tomost Thani andpartof theSamuiarchipelago. As it Ko Tao isabout 60kmof thecoastof Surat Orientation &Information only about75%of theisland. and 24-hourelectricityblanketingor boat, much of theeastcoastonlyaccessibleby 4WD structure onKoTao isstillpretty basic,with the islandretains aneasy-going pace. Infra- of Hat Ban Mae SaiRiandBan Hat, much of of frenetic activityinthemaintouristghettos theretus gotoitshead.Although are pockets ithasn’tletthiscelebritysta- with each season, near theedge of thesea. onacushion ing aquietdrinkbycandlelight The andSiamCom- Both KrungThai Bank MaeBan Hat, aone-street townwitha Even KoTao though has becomemore hip
mon problemandthere isanongoingwater Here shortage. are afew waysthatyoucanhelp: inmanyclosedecosystems,Like KoTao’s tostrainresources; litter popularityisstarting isacom- KEEPING ITCLEAN Althoughbinsare tofindoneratherthandepositing often theeffort hardtocomeby,make Followthe‘whenitsyellowletitmellow,whenit’sbrownflush down’ ruleoftoiletflush- you needtheplasticbagit’sautomaticallyplacedin. down andspoilthesand.Andifyoupurchaseasmallitem atthestore, thinkaboutwhether your cigarette buttsandemptybottlesonthebeach–cigarette yearstobreak buttstake enough towashthesaltoff–youknowyou’re justgoingbackintheoceananyway. ing. Turn thewater yourshowers justshort offwhileshampooing andconditioningkeep police station SURAT ••KoTao THANI PROVINCE
( % 0 77456631) is justnorth only othervillage ontheisland,butnot operations andalovely beach. Maeices asBan Hat, pluscountless bungalow of selection touristserv- crash. Ithasthesame ern coast,iswhere mosttravellers to choose the islandtotreat minorailments. chamber. There are alsoclinicsthroughout the mainroadinMae Hat, hasahyperbaric Badalveda phone offices, whichphone offices, charge rates. exorbitant (80km) Chumphon To Surat Thani(120km) Ko Samui(85km); Ngan (58km); To KoPha- Yuan Nang KO TAO Hat Sai Ko Laem Hin Sam Kon Ta Kang Nuan Laem Je Ban HatBan SaiRi,about midwayupthewest- Ban Chalok Ban Kao ChalokBan tothesouthis Ban Ao ThaThen ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄὄὄ ὄ Jun Jeua Ao
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, on 617 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF a great resource. busi- Itlistsvirtuallyevery the island,isupdated fourtimesayearandis visit in1900. intotocommemorate aroyal initials carved Ko Tao haslittleto offer inthearea of cultural Activities history, culture andsocialissues. ness here, about KoTao’s andincludes details is alarge boulder only thingof historicinterest ontheisland Kao.hike Chalok Ban fromBan About the the southerntipof KoTao makes anenjoyable perienced rider. motorbike handled byanex- or anoff-road baysarethese bestnavigated bys treat. Thesteep, rutted roadsthatconnect on each littlebayoffering atrulyrugged re- oped, withonlyafew bungalowenterprises The eastandnorthcoastsare fairlyundevel- bar.by asand Ithasjustoneplacetostay. side of KoTao, isreally three islands joined Nang Yuan,just1kmoff thenorthwestern Hatnearly asappealingBan SaiRi.Ko 618 the occasional whaleshark. snakes,spotted reef stingrays, sea sharks and triggerfish, angelfish, batfish,titan eels, blue- Underwater wildlife includes grouper,moray TopFive Divepinnacles (see Sites, opposite ). of the bestsites here are offshore islandsor visibilityandcleanwaters.ing itshigh Some consider-playgrounds, which isnosurprise Ko Tao isoneof Thailand’s main underwater DIVING &SNORKELLING won’t get bored anytime soon. attractions. Butifyou’re intobeingactive, you The The granite Tato promontoryof Laem at community. ofthelocalmates upalarge stillmake part oners. The descendantsoftheoriginal in- even adetention centre forpoliticalpris- a lay-over pointforwearyfishermenand has beenafavourite hideoutforpirates, Ko Tao laysclaimtoachequered pastand land thaneitherKoSamuiorPha-Ngan, that usedtonesthere. from Driftingfurther called thisbecauseoftheswarmsturtles Ko Tao’s namemeans‘Turtle Island’anditis LINES KO TAO –THEBACK STORY INFIVE UA HN RVNE • oTo SURAT ••KoTao THANI PROVINCE Ko Tao Info
that King Rama Vhadhis that KingRama booklet,available allover ǎ wngth ǎ ew massage costs about300B. equally good, Thaimassages. Aone-hour bungalows offer more rustic,but sometimes wonderful massages or spatreatments. Many placesonKo TaoThere are half-a-dozen toget SPAS for around350B per day. of bungalow operationsalsorent outkayaks for 1500B(minimum twopeople).Anumber Hat) Mae the contacting by atsea ing enthusiastscanswingtheirtackle 10-minute sessions willcostyou1000B. Fish- sumosuit.Twoexhausting aninflatable even things, includingwater skis,wakeboards or onallmannerofpull youbehind aspeedboat ( .black-tip.com) surface. Both you, there are afew thingsyoucan doonthe appealto If hangingoutunderwater doesn’t OTHER WATER SPORTS anywhere. for100Bperdayandcan berentedset almost snorkel, maskandfinsare typicallyhired asa day includinglunch andsnorkelling gear. A they usuallyrunatabout 450Bto700Bper cafés) inthevillages aboutsnorkelling trips; travel agencies (often doubling asinternet accommodation. beverages, and sometimes adiscounton rates includegear, boat,instructor,foodand Water certificate costs9000B–these course you back2000B,whileafour-day, PADI Open all-inclusive introductorydive lessonwillset bring allyourowngear, it’s700Bperdive. An gear, boat,guide,foodandbeverages). Ifyou dive or7000Bfora10-dive package (including cal rates charged are from 900Bto1000Bper time huntingaroundforthebestdeal.Typi- the island–there’s tospendyour littleneed clients). commodation (sometimesonlyavailable to others are ‘dive resorts’ that alsohave ac- whileare smallandjustoffer dive services, a recommendation. Someof thedive shops It’sagoodideatoaskaroundfor shop’s staff. on theexperienceandabilities of yourdive your dive experiencewillultimately depend guages otherthanEnglishandthequalityof % Ask atyouraccommodationoroneof the daysrates around areThese standardised Courses are inmanydifferent lan- taught 0 77456065;www.mvsports.net) , which arranges all-dayfishing andthefriendlyfolksat Black Tip Divers Adventure Centre Adventure
( % inMae Hat can lonelyplanet.com
0 77456204;www ( % 0 90191761; MV Sports sea faris
at CFT( p620 ), offers intwoChinese classes ing on homemade lanes or you might likeing onhomemadelanesoryoumight Ko Tao Bowling OTHER ACTIVITIES yoga massage for680B2½hours. alsoofferand hisdaughter traditionalThai coursesevening cost3100B. Theowner’swife earlymorningor expat.Nine-session German martial arts, transport. forfree wrap).Call value (450Bforanaloe a trulyluxuriousexperiencethat’svery good large, peacefulandgorgeously designed.It’s facials atopahuge islandpeak.Theresort is wraps (great forsunburn),massage and .jamahkiri.com) Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com tered aroundKoTao thatstilloffer escapists dive shop. options. Many operationsare fronted bya there are stillonly acoupleof trueluxury along Hat AoMae andHat Sai Ri, butsofar days of thethatched hutare over, especially island hasgoneconstructioncrazy.The a full-scaledivingresort destination, the Now that Ko Tao as itself hasestablished Sleeping golf course. to test yourputtingskillsontheminiature midnight) and Chalok Ban. Itoffersand ChalokBan. island-stylebowl- Jamahkiri Resort &Spa Resort Jamahkiri There are dazzling,lonelybaysscat- several Here &Now Here
maximum depthsinbrackets). to frequent thisregion. The followingare asampleofsome thebetter dives here (withtheir you’re lucky,youmayspot someoftheincreasingly elusive whalesharksthathave beenknown With somanyexcellentdive sites withineasyreach, it’snowonderdivingis SITES DIVE FIVE TOP SouthwestPinnacles (33m) –Agoodadvanced dive, the rockypinnacleshere are hometo White Rock (22m)–Lotsofhard andsoftcoralsare fish, clownfish,angel home tobutterfly Shark Island(28m)–Madeofmassive bouldersand rockformations,youcanspotleopard Chumphon Pinnacle (40m)–The baseofthese fourpinnaclesiscovered inanemonesand SailRock (45m)–The mostfamoussite here isclosertoPha-Ngan thanKoTao, andhasa colourful tropical fish, leopard sharks, blue-spotted raysand occasional whalesharks. tropical fish,leopard sharks, blue-spotted colourful fish, morays andtheterritorial triggerfish. and reef sharksatthelowerdepthsand occasionalhawksbillturtle. you willseebatfish, biggroupers,barracudaandpossibly whalesharks(inseason). casional mantaray. andtheoc- massive swim-through, aswellbarracuda,kingfish rockchimneywithvertical is on the main road between Mae isonthemainroadbetween Hat , nearAoTanot, aloe-vera does taijiquan
( ( % % 0 77456730;www.hereandnow.be) 0 51503485;perhr240B; and ( % qi gong, 0 77456400/1;www taught bya taught SURAT ••KoTao THANI PROVINCE h noon- , pier. lage spreads tothenorthandsouthof the where mostof therubbishclusters. The vil- awayfrom thesouthernedgebay, juststay party. Italsohasplentyof coralinitsshallow cafés, Hat AoMae isnoisy,but afunplaceto merous shops, restaurants, bars andinternet pier generates alotof rubbish).Hometonu- not themostappealingbeach onKoTao (the As thehomeof KoTao’s ferry pier,thisis HAT AOMAE meals attheirrestaurant. ifyoudon’ttakemiffed themajority of your their ownrestaurant; get someplacescaneven you forkoutatleast1500B. tions here don’ttend tooffer air-con unless hours aday(atleastnotyet).Midrange opera- allthefancyplaceshaveeven electricity24 places have andnot electricityonlyatnight regardless.cies todisappear Many simple rocket fromDecembertoMarch andvacan- for ApriltoNovember; expectthemtosky- for350Bto450B.taxi this maysave youhaving tocharter awhole ally arrange tobepicked upfromthepier– That wayyoucancallaheadof time andusu- resort –atleastforthefirst –inadvance. night beaches, itisprobably better todecideona inKoTao’syou wanttosleep more remote dismal roadnetworkthatconnectsthem.If places takes duetothe patience,however, a true getaway experience. Getting to these tothese a truegetaway experience. Getting Practically allbungalowsontheislandhave Unless rates stated, here are approximates de rigueur here. If
619 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF better values close tothepier.better valuesclose Woodenand 400-2500B) quiterates abit. torise nondivers maybeaccommodated, butexpect season rows. Thepoolisaplus.Duringthe off bungalows are lean,modernandlinedinneat garnersner’s course thecheapest rate. The but onwhatsortof divingyoudo–abegin- cheap rates). Prices varynotonamenities, dive here (hencetheultra atCrystal tosleep dive.com; bungalows250B-900B; tablishments. Take delSoltoreach es- aleftatCafé these ofthePierNorth basic bungalows. villas are perfect forfamilies.There are afew for lounging)overlook Thebigger thesea. mantic plus,whilecovered decks(excellent wood. Theindoor/outdoorpaths are aro- can begorgeous, doneupinmasculinedark style bungalowsatthisartsyupmarket spot paradise.com; bungalows1050-8820B; and hasahammock. bungalowsitsinagarden electricity. Each teak)bungalows (everything’s and24-hour a chic placewithbeautiful,contemporary bungalows 950-3500B; exceptional). rooms have kitchenettes noneare (although leading awayfromthebeach, andthebetter concrete bungalowslineagreen pathway 650B) soon asyouget themainpier off To get as tothefollowingplaces,take aright South ofthePier 620 internet cafés. Thenarrow, shady pathway bungalows, travel agencies, minimarkets and on theisland, withastring of dive operations, pier. Itisthelongest beach andmost developed Tao around theheadland tothenorthof the Look forourfavourite stretch of onKo sand HAT SAIRI air-con. are probablynotworththebaht, asnonehave mocks andbalconies. Thepriciestoptions raced downtothe water. Most have ham- bright andquite andter-bright modern,however, thebungalows feel sterile.but sadly Theyare Tommy’s Dive Resort Tommy’s Dive Resort Crystal Dive Paradise Resort Sensi Ko Tao RoyalResort Bungalow Save As farascheapies go,thisisoneof the SURAT ••KoTao THANI PROVINCE Thedeckrestaurant hasafunvibe, ( a %
(
% ( ) 0 77456180;bungalows250- % Agreat choice, thisis
( ( % % 0 77456156;fax6157; 0 77456107;www.crystal 0 77456039;bungalows as 0 77456244;www.sensi a ) ) Youmust TheThai- seem tobe a bitsturdierthantheother places. Bungalows of thebunch, lookforSunLordbelow SunSea. rough driveway. Silver Cliff Silver Sun Lord There’s also apopular,tranquilrestaurant. facing outontoa grassylotwithpalmtrees. ahead orget here earlytoscore oneof the huts cellent valueand gopretty quickly –book 500B) huts aren’t beachfront, however. more even need peaceof mind.Mostof the (300B)areyoga classes heldtwiceadayif you There’s agreat feeling of here, seclusion and ity woodthatblendsinwiththe environs. still small,butare builtoutof qual- higher outfromthe competition.They’rethat stand nicer, air-conalso hasslightly bungalows basicfanbungalows, BlueWindOffering (like restaurants). bed. Don’texpectmanyamenities uphere aren’t afraidof dustorafew bugsonyour be yourdealifyoulove theultrarusticand placesareviews. These very isolated, butcould to 400Bandthemajority have outstanding abovehigh thewater. Allcharge about200B inexpensive andvery basicbungalows–most Ao Ta Then,are operationswithvery several hour (5pmto8pm). thedeckbarisagoodspotforhappy staying, charges rates. themhigher Even ifyouaren’t takes nondivers and duringthelowseason few hundred metres pastSunLord. for CFTonthefarnorthernendof theroada are strewn withmagnificentboulders. Look cheapest share baths. Thejunglelike grounds ing itabit.Allbungalowsare basicandthe whodon’tmindrough- and isbestforthose forts, butinstead onspiritualenlightenment, focusoncreaturecourses. CFTdoesn’t com- sage (700Bfor2½hours) and run placeoffers traditionalThaiyogamas- .hereandnow.be; bungalows100-600B) Resort andNow(CFT) Here Budget just watch outformotorcycles. here isnowpaved withbricksthewholeway; .com; r200-500B; modation isoffered atBigBlue,butitonly Sai Ree Cottages Sai Ree Blue Wind Also recommended: North of thebeach, inahillyarea called Big BlueResort These thatched-roof These bungalowsare ex- ( % ( % Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com
( 0 77456139; bungalows300B)Our pick % 0 9290 7546;bungalows 300B) Upa a 0 77456116;bungalows250-800B;
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1200-1600B; [email protected]; bungalows400-1500B; most expensive rooms have TVs. Ifyouwant most expensive roomshave TVs. options are decentno-frills bungalows.The buildings withbalconies,whilethecheaper rooms are of insets white colonial-stylehotel andlush vegetation.tains Themore expensive manicured groundsfilledwithpools,foun- hasfabulously deal initspricerange, Ban’s kohtao.com; r&bungalows400-1200B; get 30%to40%off. you dive withtheresort’s dive shop,youcan grassy, hillyandpalm-tree ladengrounds.If ones withhuge beds,alllocated onpleasantly it. Itfeatures smallfanbungalowsandair-con the massive signwithawaterfall spillingover as I Resort AC Sun Sea Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com and boast wooden floors, huge slidingglass The air-con abodes are really comfortable ble-peaked bungalows ingeometric shapes. Sai Riproper, ithaspastel-coloured, dou- posh and newish resort, a bitbeyondHat .kohtaocoral.com; bungalows 2000-7200B; with amyriadof stairs tokeep youfit! the hillsideamong boulders andgreenery, Attractive tables. level bungalows spilldown viewoffersan outstanding intimate, floor- comfort spectrum. Acircularrestaurant with the cheapies andisattheotherendof the on thisbeach, Thipwimarnlies200mbeyond bungalows 1750-3500B; Thipwimarn Resort Sunset Buri SandBeachResort Silver Lotus Resort andthegroundsbeautiful. however, don’tmatch. The porchessheets are great, On thedownsidetheyare abitsmallandthe ceiling windowslookingoutontotheocean. here comewithlovely tiledfloors andfloor-to- .com; bungalows450-1550B) dive trip. tobooka inafanroom,youneed to stay Top End 700-1800B; Midrange of therocks. Koh Tao CoralGrandResort Resort Seashell Ban’s DivingResort Also recommended: ) This place can’t be missed –lookfor Thisplacecan’tbemissed ( % as a
( 0 9037 4195; bungalows 300B) High ontop 0 90374195;bungalows300B)High ( ( % % % ) 0 77456409;[email protected]; 0 77456197;bungalows350-1500B; ) 0 77456271;r400-850B,bungalows
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0 77456299;www.kohtaoseashell ( % 0 77456266;bungalows ) Thepricierbungalows Probablythebestdeal ( % 0 77456061;www.amazing
( % 0 77456303-6;silver- as 0 77456431-4;www SURAT ••KoTao THANI PROVINCE as ) Thebest a ) A ) .com; bungalows300-500B) .com; bungalows2700-3500B; is alittlerickety, withamishmash of wooden bungalowsandrestaurant. Theplace seaside down (it’saround aheadland)toreach the hill toget totheentrance, butclimbback dirt roadfromGreen Tree, youclimbthe provide agreat waytoexplore thearea. these for around150/350Bahalf-/full-day; placesrent a motorcycle. outkayaks Several good. Theroadhere ispaved butstillriskyon water clearandthesnorkelling iscrystal isquite Wong. There isn’tmuch of abeach, but the On theeastern sideof KoTao isserene Ao Hin AO HINWONG snorkellingbetween sessions. sive restaurant/deck here tolazeawaythetime paths.walks andmosaic-lined There’s amas- the hill.They’re reached bygently curving excellent viewsandare wellspread outalong are finishedwithsmartwoodenfixtures, have little gem. Thevery neat,burnt-red bungalows surroundings, thisisawell-liked Italian-run 800-2500B; bungalows www.mangobaygrandresortkohtaothailand.com; jungle androckyhills. great snorkelling of andadramatic setting An isolated rockybay,AoMamuang offers MAMUANG AO from undershadypalms. smooth andcircularoverlook thesea creative indoor/outdoorbathrooms.Allare and Flintstone-like withtropicaldécorand sun bedstolazeon.Thebungalowsare large grassy bitleadinguptothewater withwooden out nearly3000Bforafan.There’s alovely with air-con –make sure toaskbefore shelling tubs. water. Linensare andthere bright are wooden seaside restaurant. seaside ously notasfancy. There’s also anagreeable rooms; older bungalowsare OKtoo,butobvi- bungalows here with great big modernbath- 300-700B) feeling of complete seclusion. not withoutitscharm, andthere’s though, a bungalows onstilts snakingupasteephill.It’s doors andporchesoutover facingright the a luxurywinneraslongyouscore aroom View Rock View Hin WongBungalows Hin Koh Tao Cabana Mango Bay Grand Resort Mango There are some beautifulnew wooden a )
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621 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF year-round. thesame modern andhygienic. Itsrates stay It’s agoodchoice, andthehillside roomsare tion andsitatthe northernendof thebeach. here range fromwoodtoconcrete construc- ket jointonthisstretch of beach, bungalows .com; bungalows400-3000B; near thebeach. music playingandanappealingrestaurant hut’s corners. It’sagoodspot,withupbeat esting designswithwindowsplaced onthe Theyhavemodern andcomfortable. inter- 500B) style food. inspicysouthernThai- the kitchen specialises they are. Therestaurant isvery laid-back and galows here, buttheoldertheyare, thesmaller Surrounded bytrees, there are 20decked bun- simple shops inthearea. ventures linethebeachfront. There are afew boulder-strewn cove, bungalow whileseveral Two dive operators compete inthissmall, one of theisland’sbestspotsforsnorkelling. Heading ThianisAoTanot southfromLaem – TANOT AO call forapick-up. views. Theroadhere isvery youcan rough; furnishings andbalconies.Thebesthave sea looking). Insidetheyfeature contemporary from theoutside(which isratherdepressing bungalows, aslongyoudon’tjudge them Roomsherenight. tend tobebetter thanthe not thebestchoice ifyouwanttogooutat Thianisinanisolated location,soit’s Laem fect foroceanjumpsifyou’re brave enough. of thehillsideabove –theyare thesea per- boulders. Checkouttheonesonedge is itsgrounds,which are strewn withhuge Thian. scenic capeof Laem South of AoHinWong,pastMao, isthe THIAN LAEM 622 geometrical configurations. has a wacky,white adobe design with strange Thedive it’s50% off. you doa course, centre with them, youget 25% off theroomrates; if a handful of lovely bungalows. Ifyoufundive -kohtao.com; bungalows800-1700B; shop andwater-sports centre, Black Tip has 150-1500B; Black Tip Resort Dive Tanote BayResort Diamond Beach Bamboo Hut Laem Thian These bungalows are These relatively new, SURAT ••KoTao THANI PROVINCE a )
Thebestpartaboutthisplace (
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0 77456477;r350-1000B,bungalows (
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0 77456591/2;bungalows400- ( % 0 77456757;tanotebay@hotmail a 0 77456488;www.blacktip ) Themostupmar- a ) Part of adive a trek toget here –you’llhave tohike forone Hat largest by road,has thesecond concentra- Ao Chalok, about 1.7kmsouthof Mae Ban AO CHALOK BANKAO recommended. ing viewsof theocean.Thespahere ishighly Thai artandlovely furniture and have sweep- options, andallaretwo-level decorated with come withtheirown Jacuzzis. There are some roofs andlargehave balconies, andall curvy whitewashed, rounded abodes these the cliffs, galows ontheisland. Mushroomingoutof spa hassomeof themost impressive bun- be required tohike alittle. Mae Hat, andyou may astheroadisrough best toget here boatfromBan bylong-tail Coral Viewfeatures well-built bungalows.It’s 700B) nightlife outsideyourresort. beaches are isolated, sodon’texpectmuch with amazingvisibilityoncalmdays. These expert. Thislittlebayhasgoodsnorkelling attempt itonamotorcycleunless you’re an and rutty,especiallytowardstheend;don’t gets rough steep, The dirtroadtoAoLeuk AO LEUKTO AO THIANOK season. a spotduringthehigh to helpyourecall pastlives. Considerreserving rebirthing, naturalcolon-cleansing andsessions as courses inmassage, yoga,chakra-balancing, View hasthree-day retreats, meditation aswell herbal teas are available intherestaurant. Two Organically night. grownvegetarian foodand kerosene lampsandcandlesprovide at light tor: only sixbungalowsandnoelectricityorgenera- viewsofset bothsidesof theisland.There are andsun- back tonature sunrise placeaffording from itall,TwoViewisworththeclimb.It’sa if you’re lookingforaroomwithviewaway hour uphillalongthepathfromAoTanot –but in about30minutes. strong (unburdened)hikers canreach thetop toclimbthisroad,but hesitate the dryseason the centre of theisland.Even 4WDvehicles in leads uptheslopesof Mae 310mKhao Hat, in Mae Hat, apath forks off themaintrackand On thesouthernroadtoAoTanot fromBan KHAO MAE HAT .jamahkiri.com; bungalows7900-10,900B) .jamahkiri.com; tween Hattween SaiDaengandAoThianOk,this Jamahkiri Resort &Spa Resort Jamahkiri Resort Coral View Two View RunbyafriendlyAussie-Thaicouple, ([email protected]; bungalows150B) Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com
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tentive staff. a wonderful,mellowambience,aswellat- Therestaurantnight. hasexcellentviewsand hillside gardenthatthrumswithcicadasat views;others arepartial sea inagorgeous Somehave butairyandwellmaintained. tan architectby ahot-shotBangkok andare spar- cheap bungalowswere designed supposedly at theendof onthisbeach. civilisation The Taraporn itfeels like Restaurant, it’salmost 200-1000B) from theactiononmainbeach. for you.Thebungalowsare a10-minute walk great viewforpennies, thenFreedom be might the floor. ifyoucrave However, solitudewith they come–woodenboxes withmattresses on of littlehutsare AoChalok,these asbasic beach attheeasternOn itsownsecluded end get quite crowded. tion of accommodationonKoTao andcan Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com bungalows 400B) below. views andasheer droptothe sea marvellous Juea. Check outthebalconies, which have overlookingperched cliff atopasteep Hat Jun 250B) on JunJueaBeach. the trailfromthere. Thefollowingare located the Hat SaiNuanarea and findyourwayon to destinations. Oryoucantake ataxi to these number of peopletheycost100Bperperson area;transport tothiscoastal withadecent beaches. boatsare Long-tail agoodformof dive-focused hubbubof themore accessible packer haven wishing toescapethe for those This remote partof theislandis asmallback- tually turningintoafull-on,steep hikingtrail. going bothalongthebeach andinland,even- A trailfollowspastViewpointBungalows, AO JUNJEUA TO HAT SAINUAN do adive here. course Rooms are night). every cheaper even ifyou for peoplepassingtheirPADI tests (virtually permitting, andcelebrationsoften springup barbecuehere weather fantastic night, every out. Thebungalowsare justOK,butthere’s a popular resort bothfordivingandhanging is thereason atBuddhaView,avery tostay dhaview-diving.com; r300-1000B; Freedom Beach Freedom Sunset Resort Dive Buddha View Viewpoint Bungalows Viewpoint Orchid CliffBungalows Thebungalowsare wellconstructed and ( Afriendly,family-runplacejustpast % 0 9202 4937; www.earth2marsh.com/sunset; 0 9202 4937;www.earth2marsh.com/sunset; With a perfect seaside location With aperfect seaside
( % 0 77456539;bungalows100-250B)
( ( % %
( a % 0 77566445;bungalows 0 19569332;bungalows ) 0 77456074;www.bud The positive vibe SURAT ••KoTao THANI PROVINCE
only oneontheisland. here isn’t thebest–butthenagain,it’s priced forwhatyou get andthe restaurant It’sprobably alittleover-on theseason). dive foraround9000B(rates course depend emphasis here isondiving,withafour-day are andwellspaced.The quite comfortable bar.nected byanidyllicsand Bungalows www.nangyuan.com; bungalows1200-3200B; feeusers’ foranyonelandingashore. Note a100B thatit’saprivate island thatlevies at 10.30am,3pmand5.30pm(100B return). resort. Mae DailyboatsfromBan Hat leave This private littletripartite islandhasone KO NANGYUAN amenities. are afabulousdealconsideringthedeluxe there isalsoaspa. Thecheapest bungalows private beach. Thepoolhere water and issalt hammocks andsundeck,sitsonasmall, features arelaxing restaurant complete with abodes, SaiThongisbigonvariety.Italso hillside hutstocreatively designedbeachside .com; bungalows150-1400B; agreeable, lofty restaurant. spot ifyoucanmake ithere. There’s alsoan dles twotinyswimmingbeaches; it’sagreat headland onwhich thisplace islocated, strad- Jebungalows withviews.Laem Ta Kang, the peace andquiet,thisplacehasfunky,no-frills 500B) Nuan: are alongtherocksandsmallbeach of Sai classes. ming andsnorkelling offshore, andyoga rants are Mae inBan Hat or Hat SaiRi. own restaurants. Most of the following restau- practically allbungalowoperations have their choices fromaroundthe globe. Ifyou’re lazy, is upand rockingwithdining placesoffering in itsinfancy,but todaytherestaurant scene Just five years ago eating inKoTao wasstill Eating There’s avegetarian restaurant, goodswim- has someof thechoicest hutsonthisbeach. probably a littlewayupgrassyhill,Sunset and large, polished-woodbungalowssitting about 1kmoffshore tothenorthwest,con- dive resort thetrioof monopolises islands, Ko Nangyuan Dive Resort Ko NangyuanDive Resort Sai Thong Tao Villa Thong Mae toBan Closer Hat, thefollowingplaces Very popularwithlong-termers seeking
(
% ( % s 0 77456078;bungalows100- 0 77456476;www.sai-thong ) Ranging frombasic Ranging
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623 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF h nearly every day. nearly every somethingnewisopening don’t fear, itseems Ri. Ifyoudon’tlike thechoices listed below, tobungalowsnowopen inHatattached Sai ofThis isjustasampling therestaurants un- HAT SAIRI Matta onHat La second SaiRi. it toFaràngo Pizzerianextdoor. There’s a to ancientfamilyrecipes. Somelocalsprefer andomelettes –allapparentlysalads prepared freshly sandwiches, madepasta, place serves & dinner) whospurnmeat. tions forthose authentic curries,andthere are plentyof op- up first andonlyIndianrestaurant. Itserves & dinner) open until6pm. meal breads andsippingqualitycoffee. It’s lifestyle, whilenibblingonfresh-baked whole- cuisine. Itgets consistently goodreviews. day there mealof isaspecialset adifferent Every‘world’ cuisines,withafocusonItalian. fast, lunch&dinner) and noodledishes. soups,andfriedrice yummysalads, serves fromthelongmenu.Therestaurantcocktail Yaaying thewater atBaan –kickbackwitha dinner) restaurants. Mae Hat hasKoTao’s largest of selection BAN MAE HAT 624 coming back. greasy, English breakfasts, is whatkeeps them pub.Heartylevel pubfood, includingbig, screen sportsdragthe punters intothismulti- local and imported beers and big- draught dishes 60-230B; competitions. Kebab (180B),andthere are alsokillerpool The mostpopular dish byfar istheBarbecue after thelast has peoplehanging aroundforadrinklong fast, lunch&dinner) town. It’sagreat placetolive thestreet-café lows upwiththebestlemonmeringuepiein sandwich andbreakfast market, which itfol- Chopper’s Bar&Grill Simple Life Indian Noori delSol Café Baan Yaay La Matta CoffeeLounge Zest breakfast &lunch) UA HN RVNE • oTo SURAT ••KoTao THANI PROVINCE Weliked thecasual,airydeckoverlook- On the uphill road, this Italian-run Ontheuphillroad,thisItalian-run Thisnearlyneweatery isKoTao’s
( ( %
% h ( ( phàt thai % % ( % Oozinggoodvibes,SimpleLife 0 77456517;dishes90-235B; 0 77456262;dishes40-200B; breakfast, lunch&dinner) 0 77456742;dishes50-200B; This café serves delicious Thiscaféserves 0 77456578;dishes60-300B; Thisplacecorners KoTao’s 0 78929970;dishes80-250B; ( %
has been tucked hasbeen away. ( % 0 77456178;dishes70-190B; 0 77456641;SoiSopaa; Plentyof h h h h h lunch & break- break- lunch lunch after ahard day’s scubaaction. as a huge menu tohelp youunwind cocktail are cushions andlanterns, aswell sand-side hang out withboth friendly atmosphere andisagood placeto water. there’scomfortable; agreat deckover the ground. Ithasadefinite upscale feel, butit’s musicusuallywaftsinthe back- and house torches). Avarietyof mixed drinks isserved ing glitters (thinktiki romanticallyatnight themusicismoody andthelight- sandy, restaurant onthebeach, right the‘floors’ are Parties aweek. sets. nights heldseveral beach, it’sgreat forwatching gorgeous sun- beats. Framedbyboulders onthe andright smooth insome seriously deck, whiletaking bags andcushionsstrewn aboutthree of levels Here youcanlounge onthecomfyred bean- smooth, NewYorkbarsceneto Thailand. Orchid Spa,thisplacebringsatouch of the mostly alongthebeachfront. Hat Ban between Mae SaiRiandBan Hat, extra twist.Thefollowingbars are strungout sculpturessand andflamejugglers addan shows onthebeach, interesting although expect theusualwhiskybuckets andfire dance partyorrave – night happeningevery changing butthere isusuallysomesortof posted ontrees andwalls;venues are always maker, check outtheubiquitouspartyfliers bars. Ifyou’re lookingtoshake yourmoney- Ko Tao hasasurprisinglylarge numberof hip Drinking lambisanother popularitem. New Zealand also onthemenuhere. Ifyou’re inthemood, Ostrich,self. crocodileandkangaroomeatare the bestburger ontheisland–taste foryour- 80-430B; location. There’s openuntilmidnight. It stays asecond and screens movies nightly onagiantscreen. and dailyhappyhours (5.30pmto8.30pm), El Gringoispopularforlive sportsonthetelly tionable –somelove it,others thinkitscrap. and pizza. Thequalityof theMexican isques- of alongwithsteak Mexican dishesisserved dishes 80-250B; Resort) Whitening BeachLounge Pure House Funky Mexican El Gringo Dry Bar Pub&Steakhouse Mango Also on the beach, the Dry Bar hasa Alsoonthebeach, theDry Bar h
( breakfast, lunch&dinner) % h
( 0 6972 0494; btwn Lotus Resort &BigBlue 0 69720494;btwnLotus Resort % breakfast, lunch&dinner) 0 77456199) faràng
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( andlocals. There % Agroovy bar- Itclaimstohave lonelyplanet.com 0 97272278;dishes ( % Abigmenu 0 77456323; Nextto in flux. As always,thecostanddeparture timesare Getting There&Away tothefoodmenu. tapas a large varietyof andplanstoadd cocktails relaxing (notapartyatmosphere). There’s area, dimlylit,moodyand andeverything’s alarge,throughout, modernisticcommunal an upmarket trend. There’s retro styling Maeother placesinBan Hat andmaystart It’sanexceptionto ings inwhich tobeseen. snazzy,cutting-edge surround- seeking those homemade meatpiesandsausages. you’re hungry,trymassive burgers (120B)or are planstobuildabarbecuepatioalongside. If thefriendly,laid-backthrough spacesandthere a TV-watching lounge area. Breezes blow casual andintimate and bar,withsometables ening (attheedge of town),Tattoo isamore lonelyplanet.com mats onthefloor) isexcellent. onaslow boat(on sleeping able. Otherwise, boats leak andyou’llbewet, coldandmiser- this boat ifthere’s agood chance of rain; some It returns fromKo Tao at11pm. Don’ttake phon (200B)arriving earlyinthemorning. fewer departures iftheswells are high. at 2.30pm(400B, three hours). There may be fastboatmakes journey a Songserm thesame phon at10amand 3pm(550B,1½hours) and departsforChum- catamaran a high-speed phon toKoTao also (see p573 ). FromKoTao, There are three departures adayfromChum- CHUMPHON tickets themselves. on KoTao should beable todeliver the train days (ormore) inadvance,legitimate agencies vouchers worthless.Ifyoubookatrainfew more thanafew travellers have foundthe a trainticket inSuratThaniorChumphon– you are tobeableexchange supposed for boat/train combinations,like a‘voucher’ that as 650B. direction are sometimes offered foraslittle bus/boat combinationtickets intheopposite travel agencies San.Promotional onThKhao cost 800Bto1000Bandare available from Bus/boat combinationtickets fromBangkok BANGKOK Tattoo Beware ofBeware travel agencies onKoTao selling Dragon Bar There’s boatfrom Chum- also amidnight
( % 0 97284656)
( % SURAT ••KoTao THANI PROVINCE 0 77456423) Just30msouthof Whit- Thisbarcaters to Ao Leuk. Kaomately 80BtoChalokBan and120Bto island, butsome remote trailsaren’t clearly carried. day, dependingon thenumberof passengers boats canbechartered foraround1500Ba Yuan (150B)andTanot (400B).Long-tail KaoChalok Ban (200Bperperson), Nang S stay. a pick-upifyouknowwhere youintend to to thepier,oralternatively youcancallfor Many representatives willsend guesthouses of you(350Bto450Bmostdestinations). iftherefor thewholetaxi isonlyoneortwo and ThianOk(100B).Youwillbeasked topay (per person) fors people, thefollowingare approximate prices Assuming youhave atleastthree tofour Getting Around in KoSamui1½hours later. and 3pm,includehotel pick-ups,andarrive hours later. (580B)leave Speedboats at9.30am 10.30am and2pmarrive inSamui2½ Two express boats(345B)leave KoTao at KO SAMUI hour), which departsat9.30amand3pm. (250Bto 350B,one catamaran a high-speed Ko Tao ataround10amand2pm.There’s also Ngan (180Bto300B,twohours), departing There are express several boatstoKoPha- KO PHA-NGAN departure timeis8.30pm. Maeboats departat11pm.FromBan Hat the one way,ninehours). night FromSurat,these Surat Thani(ThaThong)andKoTao (500B pending ontheweather,aboatrunsbetween turns fromKoTao at10am.Every de- night, Thani (500B,6½hours) at8amdailyandre- Express BoatdepartsfromSurat A Songserm SURAT THANI wheels then this is a good way to get around, then thisis agoodway togetwheels around, (150B perday). Ifyou’re confident on two in goodshape. Consider renting bike a mountain ifyou’re thehillypathsalthough make itachallenge. can walkaround thewholeislandinaday, tofollow. You marked andcan bedifficult (100B), Hin Wong (100B), Ao Leuk (100B) (100B), HinWongAoLeuk KaoSai Ri(50B),ChalokBan (50B),Tanot There are fromMae boattaxis Hat to Walking isaneasy waytoget around the Many tourists rent motorcycleson KoTao ǎ wngth ǎ ew fromSaiRicostapproxi- ǎ wngth ǎ ew fromMae Hat:
625 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF threaten todamage the environmentandlocal farms are and,while these todevelop starting a few Insomeareas placestostay. prawn this beautifulcoastlineisminimal, withjust tothetownof Tourism along close Khanom. about 70kmfromSurat Thaniand Khanom, and Hat Pak Nam–are alongthebayof Ao Hat NaiPraet, Hat NaiPhlao, Hat NaDand beaches white-sand Four almostdeserted – vjk;*ov} AO KHANOM or mangosteen). rice, rubberandfruit(especially residentskhon earnalivingbygrowingcoffee, fishing,Na- waterfalls andorchards. Besides andforestful mountain walks,coolstreams, Luang NationalPark; knownforitsbeauti- Theprovincefar between. alsoboastsKhao rule thedayandWestern touristsare few and pristine waterfalls where solitudeandserenity north coastthere are picturesque beaches and ent onfishing andprawnfarming.Alongthe much of theprovincial economyisdepend- border isformedbytheGulfof Thailand,and Thailand’s communistinsurgents. Itseastern vegetation anditwasoncethelastrefuge of and forests, itsverdant withlush jungles teem Much of itiscovered withrugged mountains province be thegem might you’re lookingfor. fewer If you’re forless-troddenpaths searching and THAMMARAT PROVINCE NAKHON SI shouldn’tbeattemptedThese bynovices. ones are rutty,sometimessteep, dirtpaths. The mainonesare paved, butthe more remote therethough aren’t alotof roadsontheisland. 626 Samui echo. –another Phlao is scenicNam Tok HinLat drifted ashore. Twokilometres south of Nai chunk of and KoSamuisomehow cutloose and you’ll beleftwiththe impression thata white. Coconutpalms blowgently inthewind, the Gulfof ispristine Thailandandthesand theaquamarinewaters meet mountains of beach, about8kmsouth of Here, Khanom. the without itscrowds, headtoNaiPhlao, thebest too dramatically. tourism, sofarthefarmshaven’t multiplied If you’re forKoSamui’s beauty searching AHNS HMAA RVNE • oKao NAKHON SITHAMMARAT ••AoKhanom PROVINCE faràng , thenthisrelatively non-touristy mangkhút,
estate andoffers great brickbungalowsand raising the pink crustaceans. raising thepink crustaceans. unfriendly techniquesenvironmentally for themost prawn farms justinland,which use tiful beach inthe area ifitweren’t for the stretches for5kmand couldbethemost beau- with onemidrangesand resort. Hat Saophao Saophao. Hat Pitiisapretty stretch of white the lesser-known beaches of Hat PitiandHat If youjourneyfurther south,you’llcometo here.enjoy isolation– there are few services ders atits northernend,perfect who forthose Marked byacluster of unique-looking boul- wood. rough from thesame old one-storey weathered made shophouses lined upalongspindlywoodenpiers, andthe check out the large, colourfulfishing boats ily walkintotown.Head totheharbourand the tone. Thebeach isquietandyoucaneas- product, sothere are plentyof palmsto set hamlet of Sichon. Coconutisamajor local be disappointed. market inapicturesque fishingvillage won’t orthechance the along thesand toperuse key localscene,eye-catching rocks strewn Sichon. Anyonelookingforalow- in Amphoe about 65kmnorthof SiThammarat Nakhon bay by-side beaches alongasmallcurving Few foreigners mellowside- turnupatthese skflb(]!skfsbo'k} HAT SICHON&HINNGAM (as farsouthasSichon). runs paralleltothecoastallalongAoKhanom 4014 andfollowthelatter toRte 4232,which get Rte off 401atthejunctionmarked forRte for 100B. Ifyou’re driving,pedallingorriding, Thammarat’s share-taxi terminal toKhanom enjoying theview. large areas of deckingforsittingoutsideand bungalows onstiltsoverlook with thesea, ( atthehotel.you sleep entertainment thatare usuallyfree towatch if ences are often heldhere, aswellshowsand Onweekends Thaiconfer-very friendlystaff. 850-1500B; most of optionsare thesleeping located. along thesouthernhalfof Hat NaiPhlao, where % Hat Sichon endsatapier in thesmall You cancatch Si a share fromNakhon taxi Supar Villa There’s astunning,8kmstretch of beach Hin Ngamisfoundsouthof Hat Sichon. Another goodoptionis 0 75529403;bungalows1500B) as
( % ) 0 75528552;fax8553;bungalows isonprimebeachfront real Khanom Hill Resort Hill Khanom . Thered-roofed lonelyplanet.com
ity often changes withtheyear. Ask yourhost scattered qual- beaches, although aboutthese 50% canbefoundwhentheplaceisempty. a goodopen-airrestaurant. Discountsof upto sits onthelengthy,unspoiledHat Piti andhas equipped bungalows),butit’sallwellrun.It (think whitewashed walls,andlarge fully sprawling grounds,itnotonlylookspretty atHatstarts HinNgam. the rockyheadland(withfairsnorkelling) that partofsandy Hat Sichon, witheasyaccessto andmeal.Lookforitattheendofa beer the restaurant for outfrontispleasant seafood well constructed, andthesimpleopen-air grace thissolidfind.The30bungalowsare a Prasarnsuk Villa Sleeping &Eating lonelyplanet.com (shadow play) and of religion andculture: the Thai centreSi Thammarat becamean important the rest of theworld.Atthat time,Nakhon as amajor Thailand and trade linkbetween port of SiThammarat functioned Nakhon thewesternbetween portof Trangandeastern is famedfor. rare handmade shadow puppetstheregion fascinating watarchitecture the orglimpse on theislands,this isagoodplacetosoakup of culturalimmersion after funandfrivolity period nearly1700years ago. Ifyou’re inneed tre of Buddhiststudyduringthe Sivichaya andwasthe cen- inhistory, however, steeped Muslim, BuddhistandHindutemples. Itis dreary mixof modernThaibuildings and and thrivingrainforest, isa yetthecityitself breathtaking collage of scenery mountainous The area around SiThammaratisa Nakhon pop 121,059 o%iLiuTii}ik( NAKHON SITHAMMARAT 60B perperson. Hat HinNgam orHat Pitifor around30Bto toHatyou cantake amotorcycletaxi Sichon, take ashare for50Bto80B. taxi FromSichon, Thammarat busterminal for20Bto50Bor Si abusforSichon fromtheNakhon Get Getting There&Away to recommend thisyear’sbesteats. 1500-3000B; There are anumberof smallrestaurants Hat PitiBeachResort Hundreds of years ago,anoverland route ) Swayingpalmsandlovely green lawns as
( % NAKHONSITHAMMARAT SiThammarat ••Nakhon PROVINCE ) Anupmarket resort on set 0 75536299;bungalows350-1200B;
( % lákhon 0 75335301-4;bungalows (pronounced n ǎ ng tàlung
4.30pm Mon-Fri) 4.30pm Mon-Fri) noen) information. staffcanhelpwithtransport police station.Thefriendly h marat area, andsomeis nowondisplayin SiTham- places founditsway totheNakhon muchand Champastates, art fromthese dom tradedwithIndian,Arabic, Dvaravati When the Tampaling (orTambralinga) king- rbrbT#yIRl$kocsj'(k^bo%iLiuTii}ik( MUSEUM NAKHON SITHAMMARAT NATIONAL Phra Phutta SihingChapelandShiva Shrine. places of worship, being themostimportant wats should take alookatthemapformore interested inmosques, temples, churches or there isalsoatrip-worthywatintown.Those heremuseum issurprisinglywelldone,and theboxed(see text, p629 ), butthenational Sifortheshadowpuppets come toNakhon Most foreign travellers, Thaivisitors, andeven Sights &Activities TAT postoffice Main of town.Checkthe handicraft stores neartheCityPark. city inThailand.There are interesting several theatres persquare kilometre thananyother most of therestaurants, aswellmore movie newer partof thecityhasallhotels and NaMeuang.the clocktowerandKhlong The clock tower,andthenewcitycentre northof southof thehistoricsection the two sections: SiThammaratcanbedividedinto Nakhon Orientation &Information influences thatcreated thiscity. Hindu temples, remnants of theinternational Thai buildingsandBuddhist,Muslim here.developed ‘lagor’; classical dance-drama)artformswere Jarik (it’s 5B bys and Wat Phetacross from Wat ThaoKhot and is located wat onTh Ratchadamnoen, cally produced artisalsoon display. Pallava (south Indian)Hindusculptures. Lo- bronze drums,Dvaravati Buddhaimages and 30B; the There are banksatthenorthernend several Today thecityisamixof dreary modern The museum iswellsouthofThe museum theprincipal ( 8.30am-4.30pm) Housedina1960sbuildingnearthe h % national museum forinternet cafés. 9am-4pm Wed-Sun) 0 7534 6515; [email protected]; 0 75346515;[email protected]; (Th Ratchadamnoen; Ratchadamnoen; (Th ǎ wngth Bovorn Bazaar Bovorn
(Th Ratchadamnoen; admission Ratchadamnoen; (Th . Notable are. Notable Dong-Son ǎ ew). h
(Th Ratchadam- (Th 8.30am-
627 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF 628 To Khiriwong(23km); Lan Saka(23km) 4 6 1 3 2 5 NAKHON SITHAMMARAT Thai Airways S†wngth†ew to B1 Minivans toSurat Thani.. Minivans toPhuket& Suchart Subsin’s Phra PhutthaSihing Main PostOffice& Chapel...... TAT Office...... Siam CommercialBank.... Police Station...... TelephoneOffice...... Kasikornbank...... Bovorn Bazaar...... (see14) Bangkok Bank...... International...... Khiriwong...... Share-Taxi Terminal...... Krabi...... Minivans toHatYai...... Bus Terminal...... Kuang Meng...... Food Stalls...... Dam KanAeng...... Bovorn Bazaar...... Thai LeeHotel...... Thai Hotel...... Nakorn GardenInn...... Wat PhraMahathat...... Workshop...... Shiva Shrine...... TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION AHNS HMAA RVNE • ahnS hmaa NAKHON SITHAMMARAT SiThammarat ••Nakhon PROVINCE ὈὈ ὈὈ AB 18
Train Station
Khlong Khlong
Thai Wang
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10
Workshop (2km) Market 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Chang Tha Th Chotiphan's (City Park) 19
B1 B2 B2 B2 B2 A3 B2 B2 B1 B2 B2 B2 B1 B6 B6 B4 B5 B3 B2 B3 B3 B1 B1 Sanam Na To Mesa
Meuang 22 Th Yommarat Th Mosque Bethlehem 21 23 16 Church 7 0.3miles 500m 0 0 6 4 8 (City Pillar) Lak Meuang
Th Jamroenwithi 12 Th Neramit Th 20 10 Clock Tower 17 Th Ratchadamnoen 15
1
Khlong Th Phaniant Th
Th Ratchadamnoen Watkhit Th 3 Hospital Christian Museum (1km); Hotel (1.5km)
24
To National 13
Twin Lotus 5 14 2 Th Si Thammasok Si Th
Th Phra Ngoen Phra Th Prat Si Th
Na Meuang Na
Th Pak Nakhon Pak Th Th Baw Ang Baw Th
Soi 3 9 11 noen; r 120-200B) and easy tolocate. of within walking distance thetrain station Most of SiThammarat’s hotels are Nakhon Sleeping at WatPhra Mahathat. painting iswrapped aroundthemain That Khun March) thecityholdscolourful local temples. ages aroundthecitytocollectdonationsfor lákhon, and includesperformancesof festival around WatPhra Mahathat isfocused Sithe andSuratThani).InNakhon Songkhla SiThammarat(aswellas held inNakhon southern-Thai festival called Every yearduringmid-October there isa Festivals &Events (10B). going downThRatchadamnoen town centre –hop onanybusors Thailand. dha footprint–oneof thebetter designsin ern endof thetemple grounds,holdsaBud- fortress-looking structure towardsthenorth- chedi dred kilograms.Numeroussmallergrey-black by asolid-gold hun- spire several weighing huge complexfeatures a78m time.beautiful atthesame city anditsresidents. It'sbothmajestic and her spiritwatches over believing queen, the to thisBuddhaimage of andthestatue the Locals make dailyofferings of flowergarlands Buddhainthesoutheasternstanding cloister. tobeassociated withthelargeher spiritissaid and the eastwallfacingThRatchadamnoen, infrontof andherbrotherstand the queen 1000 years ago. representing Bronzestatues Hemfounded byQueen Chalamore than the city’smosthistoricsite, itwassupposedly one shouldbeonyourtemple itinerary.As wats. Ifvisitingwatsisapastimeforyou,this parable toWatPho andothergrandBangkok largest watinsouthernThailand–it'scom- outwiththedistinctionof stands beingthe In alandof endlesswats, Wat Phra Mahathat ;yfrit}skTk^= WAT PHRAMAHATHAT Thai LeeHotel Thai In thethirdlunar month(February to Reconstructed inthemid-13th century,the It’s approximately 2kmsouthof thenew surroundthemainone. A aswelltheparadingof Buddhaim- , inwhich alengthycloth This hotel has friendly staff and This hotel has friendly staff
( % 0 7535 6948;1130 ThRatchadam- n lonelyplanet.com Chak Phra Pak TaiChak Phra chedi, ǎ ng tàlung mondòp, ǎ wngth crowned Hae Phaa Hae Phaa jataka chedi and ǎ the ew
lobby caféandtheplaceiscentral. furnished andhave afridge. There’s asmall expensive oneswithair-con are larger, better and justafew scratches. The more with TVs a few kilometres southeastof town. it’s avery option.TwinLotusis comfortable too much homage totheglittering ’80s,but from previous guests.Thedécorpaysalittle amenities initsclassandgets goodreviews 16-storey, 413-roomhotel offers allthetop rfrom1000B; Khukhwang; 97/8 ThPhattanakan plenty of parking. aroundagentle, garden,andthere’s sparse set and quite fairinvalue. Accommodation is less scratched thanusual.It’stidy,homey r445B; 2926; 1/4ThPak Nakhon; criteria. price, especiallyifcleanliness ispartof your is secure, andyoucan’tbeatthe however, Thelocation wesuppose). day andnight but quiet(goodforfolkswantingtosleep you eitherget butnoisy,orreally bright dark residents, butitsroomsare abitof atrade-off– lonelyplanet.com brick walls, TV, fridge, and furniture that’s brick walls,TV, Ratchadamnoen; r220-450B; Ratchadamnoen; Nakorn Garden Inn Nakorn Garden Thai Hotel Thai Twin LotusHotel a Nakhon resident witha a Nakhon gongs, drumsandcymbals. own voicesindialogueandsongtotell thestory,whilemusiciansplayinstruments,including the puppetstocreate silhouettes (hencethename‘shadowpuppets’),and also employtheir moving Bothare parts. from buffalohide. intricately carved The puppetmasters uselightagainst (includinggenitalia),whilethelatter areand parts uniquetoThailand, nearly life size andlacking are similarinsize totheMalay-andIndonesian-style puppetsandfeature movable appendages there SiThammarat are where twoplacesinNakhon youcanseethepuppetsbeingmade. Performances of Thai shadowtheatre are rare nowadaysandusuallyseenonlyduringfestivals, but WORKSHOPS SHADOW-PUPPET Ratchadamnoen; Ratchadamnoen; be able to see a puppet being carved byhand. be abletoseeapuppet beingcarved cost abitmore as special care when tanningthem.Bringyourcamera;you may mustbetaken through distributors. Onsome puppetsthefurisleftonhide for additionaleffect –these Puppets canalsobepurchased atreasonable prices–and here only, asherefuses tosellthem are athissmalloutdoorstudio. assembledhemay even intoproviding betalked aperformance workshop isopentothepublic;ifenough people fortheking. His the craft,andhasperformed Hehasreceivedfar fromWatPhra Mahathat. several awardsforhismastery of andpreservation the city centre on Th Ratchadamnoen and, 500m north of the sports field, take the field,take of thesports the citycentre and,500mnorth onTh Ratchadamnoen from Si.Togetthere up fromanywhere tobepicked would like on yourown,gonorth inNakhon the Chinese cemetery (before reaching the golf course andmilitary base). The acknowledged master of shadow-puppet manufacture and performance is Suchart Subsin, The isSuchart acknowledgedmaster ofshadow-puppetmanufacture andperformance Traditionally, there are twostylesoftheshadowpuppets: Another craftsperson, MesaChotiphan,hasa
( % NAKHONSITHAMMARAT SiThammarat ••Nakhon PROVINCE h 0 75341509;fax4858;1375Th ( % 9am-4pm)
( 0 75323777;fax3821; a % ap ) 0 75313333;fax7534 Roomshere come workshop in the northern part of town;visitorsare alsowelcome. part Call ifyouin thenorthern ) Rooms have ( % a 0 75346394;Soi3,110/18ThSiThammasok; ) A workshop breakfasts served in an antique Hokkien-style coffee shop. inanantiqueHokkien-style breakfasts served 60B; amnoen; dishes20-70B; Khrua Nakhon Khrua Hao Coffee culinary delights: a and ThWatkhit. northwestern cornerof ThRatchadamnoen diners basis.Lookforitonthe onanightly This explainsthepacked crowdsof hungry foodhereChinese isauthenticandsimple. are plentyof riceandnoodleshops. famous with chicken orvegetables) andNakhon’s (chicken briyani), delicious sell Muslim stands Th Neramitislinedwithcheap – foodstalls theentireAt night blockrunningsouthfrom Eating tabletops and tasty pastries. andtasty tabletops very smallHokkiencoffee shopwithmarble thisisa posite theSiamCommercialBank, h noen; dishes30-90B; faràng Kuang Meng Aeng Dam Kan Bovorn Bazaar on Th Ratchadamnoen is Bovorn onThRatchadamnoen Bazaar breakfast & lunch) Large cafeteria-style place serving breakfast placeserving &lunch) Largecafeteria-style h breakfast & lunch) Excellent Nakhon coffee and breakfast &lunch) ExcellentNakhon rotii n
hang-out that hosts several other hang-outthathostsseveral ( ǎ ( % ng tàlung % in the evening, andbydaytherein theevening, ( 0 7534 3979; 558/4 Soi Rong Jeh, Th 0 75343979;558/4Soi RongJeh,
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LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF and Bangkok (3520B,onehour,twicedaily). and Bangkok Yai andoneeach toYala andSungaiKolok. departingat1pmand2pm. to Bangkok, daily trains(air-con 2nd-class sleepers 643B) at10.50am.Thererives inNakhon are two 85, which leaves at7.15pmandar- Bangkok Si at8.50am;andtheexpressing inNakhon at5.35pm,arriv- Hualamphong trainstation marat: therapid173,which leaves Bangkok’s SiTham- to 688B)goallthewayNakhon twotrains(2ndclass 468B coast. However, from where tothe youmusttake abusortaxi at ThungSong,about 40kmwestof Nakhon, Most southbound stop trainsfromBangkok TRAIN sengers mayornotbepresent nearby). near thefootpath(minivansandwaiting pas- from ThYommarat.Lookforsmall desksset Minivans toHat Yai (90B,three hours) leave Thani (95B,onehour)departfromTh Watkhit. leave fromThJamroenwithi. MinivanstoSurat 2½ hours) andPhuket (200B,five hours) that (72B, 1½hours, daily). Thani (45Bto90B,onehour,daily)andTrang (70Bto98B,three hours,khla daily),Surat Krabi (67Bto94B,three hours, daily),Song- Phuket hours, daily), (125Bto200B,seven include Hat Yai (102B,three hours, daily), Tours, which are botheasytofind. from here. LookforSaphanTourorMoungTai leave buses bus tickets andthese toBangkok bus companiesonThJamroenwithi air-con sell from thebusterminal, butacoupleof private leave toBangkok (705B).Ordinarybuses nightly 13 hours, twicedaily).OneVIPdeparture leaves There (from325B, are to/fromBangkok buses BUS &MINIVAN Ratchadamnoen) AirwaysInternational Thai AIR Getting There&Away or cuisine;order Nakhon cost between 20B and 50B.cost between 6B (a bitmore rides Motorcycle-taxi atnight). andThSiThammasok for Ratchadamnoen S Getting Around 630 ǎ kaeng taiplaa wngth There are frequent minivanstoKrabi (120B, There are twotrainseach dayto/fromHat Other destinationsfromthebusterminal AHNS HMAA RVNE • rudNko iTamrt NAKHON SITHAMMARAT SiThammarat ••AroundNakhon PROVINCE ǎ ew run north–south along Th (spicyfishcurry). has flights between Nakhon Si Nakhon between hasflights khâo yam khâo
(southern-style rice salad) (southern-stylerice ( % 0 75342491;1612Th or more temperatures days. Night atthesum- Luang tothe summitofpark near Khiriwong has ended inNovember andDecember. falls are mostimpressive after therainyseason andshelters.trail, too,islined with seats The forest.communists) and amangosteen This camp, est tree ferns, anold communistinsurgent ern borderof thepark,offRte 4140. nature atthenortheast- trailfromNopphitam day walk,you’llhave totake the KrungChing reach seven-tiered 500m orsothere are shelters To andseats. Rte SiThammarat), off 4015.EveryNakhon Saka(25kmfrom park headquarters nearLan to thetopof tropicalforestcan hike dense 2.5kmthrough Hiking isthepark’sbiggest attraction. You ACTIVITIES tive English booklettothepark. TAT office SiThammarat, visitthe coming fromNakhon to April,whenit’scooleranddrier. Ifyou’re ias andawidevarietyof ferns. humid environmentshere, alongwithbegon- indigenous species)findrootsinthe several An excessof 300orchid varieties(including plusmoremongoose, than200birdspecies. macaque,civet,deer, binturongandJavan musk serow, elephant, banteng, gaur,tapir, mixed of orchards withouttheuse pumps. placed bambooandPVC pipesirrigate the papaya, durianandbananatrees. Cleverly langsat, with betel, rambutan, mangosteen, trees randomlyinterspersing intact, them ting theforest, theyleave manyindigenous garden, orshadefarm).Instead of clear-cut- form of agriculture called aunique LocalThaispractise Mae NamRapi. LuangprovidesKhao awatershed thatfeeds with otherforested igneouspeakstothewest, peakinpeninsularThailand.Along highest mission 200B) orchards, this570-sq-km est walks,coolstreams, waterfalls andfruit andfor-Known foritsbeautifulmountain v=mpkocsj'(k^bg*ks];' Khao LuangNationalPark AROUND NAKHONSITHAMMARAT The best time to visit Khao Luang The besttimetovisitKhao Wildlife includescloudedleopard,tiger, A more challenging trailleadsfrom a car Along thewayyou’ll passtheworld’slarg- , a14-hour walk best divided intotwo Tham Pratuchai Tham ( p627 ) andpickupasmallinforma- surrounds Nam TokKarom Nam TokKrungChing (acave bythe alsoused Khao Luang Khao park fromthenational s ǔ
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is January (shade , ahalf- Khao guide services. Theguidescanpointoutlocal guide services. trektwo-night thatincludesallmealsand price thevillagers willarrange athree-day, 9010, 095012706;trek 1500B) the LuangtrekKhao istogowithaguidefrom rollingintothedistance. tains stunning viewsof layerafter layerof moun- the weatherisclear,you’llberewarded with another three hours tothesummit,where, if drons, ferns andstunted oaks.Fromhere it’s cloud forest fullof orchids, rhododen- rattan, ofalong asection very steep trail,you’llenter a walk fromthecarpark.Five hours furtheron, Sai,aboutasix-hour next toariverbed atLan you cancamp Inthedryseason plantations. and alsomarkstheupperlimitof thefruit Suan Sainaioffers asimple-roofed shelter plenty of warmclothing.At600m,Kratom mit candropto5°C,socomeprepared with Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com Songkhla isn’t seeing much tourist traffic these these much tourist traffic isn’tseeing Songkhla side and the Gulf of Thailand onthe other, Thale Sap onone Songkhla) (Lake Songkhla Despite location buttressed adelightful by pop 87,822 l'*]k SONGKHLA &AROUND SONGKHLA PROVINCE an asphaltroadthat climbsalmost400m. 33km fromthecentre of onRte 4015, Nakhon ofthe offices theRoyalForest Departmentare of Luang.Theentrancetotheparkand Khao withi) tothevillage of atthebase Khiriwong SiThammarat (onThJamroen-from Nakhon To reach theparktake as THERE&AWAYGETTING offer accommodationandfood. restaurants ontheroadtoparkoffices that Luang. There are afew private bungalows and is permitted onthetrailtosummitof Khao 9664; 6-12people600-1200B) There are SLEEPING for days. ing heavy rainsthetrailcanbeimpassable are are dryandtheleeches nottoobad.Dur- Januarybetween andJune,whenthetrails The onlytimeyoucancomplete thishike is miss. otherwise flora andfaunathatyoumight The bestandsafest waytoappreciate the Khiriwong Village Ecotourism Club Ecotourism Village Khiriwong park bungalows available, andcamping in Khiriwong. Forthis inKhiriwong.
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ew (20B) ( % 0 7530 the coastnextto BPSamilaHotel. bridges inThailand. Tinsulanonda Bridges –the longest concrete theboxedYo (see text, p633 ) andcrossthe Ko town headingnorth,you’llgothrough If youenter townfromthenorthorleave Samila, which isattractive andpeaceful,too. lovely pathfor strolling.FurthernorthisHat land isHat Son Awn,alongwhich there isa theeastern sideofkhla; thejuttingpieceof Song- the northisascenicpromontory,Laem business andsuburbiatotheeast.Towards towards thewaterfront, andamodernmixof charming westof oldersection ThRamwithi The cityhasasplitpersonality, withthe Orientation wealthy andprosperoustown. thathashelpedcreatein Songkhla arelatively Theresultees. isastrongWestern presence British andAmerican)oil-companyemploy- bring aninfluxof multinational(particularly nies andtheirexplorationinterests offshore and cuisinereflect turn. thisfusionatevery andMalays,Chinese andthelocalarchitecture striking. Thepopulationisamixof Thais, uarina trees alongHat Samilacanbevisually that great andcas- forswimming,thesand thewhiteis exceptional.Though beach isnot alongHat Samila city life. served Theseafood to passafew daysandpartake inthebeachside a pretty historicalcentre place –it’sapleasant green parksdottedhas several aroundandhas The cityissurroundedbybeaches onallsides, region, itfeels like abackwardscountrytown. predominately South. MuslimDeep experience theuniqueflavour of Thailand’s fore travelling aroundhere) citywhere youcan the moment–alwayscheck thesituationbe- isthelastsafe (atleastfor a shame,asSongkhla badpress.catching thesame Which isabitof tist violenceplaguingnearbyHat Yai, it’sstill hasn’t experiencedanyof theMuslimsepara- ‘thegreat days. Although city on twoseas’ Dotcom Internet Corner Bookshop canbefoundalloverBanks town. Information per hr 40B; Phetchakhiri; Phetchakhiri; maps, newspapers, magazinesand Lonely Planetguides. Big-name international petroleumcompa- There’s a large intown,along golfcourse Even of isthecapital the Songkhla though h h 8am-10pm) 7am-7.30pm) English-languagenovels, ( ( % % 0 7432 5049; 28/20 Th Ramwithi; 0 7432 5049;28/20 ThRamwithi; 0 7431 2577; cnr Th Saiburi &Th 0 74312577; cnrThSaiburi
631 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF international callscanbemadeupstairs. a large communityandislinedwith Chinese supply foodandcoldbeverages. restaurants attheback ofseafood thebeach Islands(KoYoandKoLosin). The rustic Rat the bing thebreasts forgoodluck.Nexttothatare tying thewaistwithcoloured clothandrub- the beach. Localstreat thefigure like ashrine, sits atopsomerocksatthenorthern endof Thorani (theHindu-Buddhist earthgoddess), water from herlonghairintribute toMae trees. A the benches sittingintheshadeof casuarina strolling orearlymorningreads ononeof HatSamila better care of the stripof white along sand the beach. Theresidents have beguntaking found inPattani. Srivijaya, a7th-to9th-centuryShivalingam art-style periods.Themostintriguingison nal. Insidethere are exhibitsfromallnational front –situnderatree andwrite inyourjour- quiet andshady withatranquilgardenatthe rooflines andthickwalls.Thegroundsare includecurved art inside. Designhighlights architectural asthe stylethat’sasdelightful constructed in 1878usingaThai-Chinese h museum topsite istheexcellent Songkhla’s Sights &Activities Post office Police Station Consulate Malaysian Indonesian Consulate Immigration office 632 plenty of cushions, wandering petdogs and Dutch-run place ispopular andclean, with r150-200B) Th RongMeuang; tively cheap splurge. which makes going upabudget arela- level be lowerpricedthan otherareas inthegulf, are many more. hotels tend Songkhla’s to The followinglistings are there onlyastart, Sleeping multicoloured temples. Chinese quaint, rickety and several oldThaihouses be filedhere. Ram; Amsterdam Guest House Amsterdam Th NangNgamisanotherattraction. Ithas aren’tIf museums yourstyle,headto 9am-4pm Wed-Sun,closedpublicholidays) cat andratsculptures h OGHAPOIC • Snkl rud &Around ••Songkhla SONGKHLA PROVINCE
8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) Visa extensions can Visaextensions 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) ( % bronze mermaid bronze (Th Wichianchom) Opposite the market; Wichianchom)Oppositethemarket; (Th , anditisnowquite for pleasant 0 74311728;ThWichianchom;admission30B; ( % 0 74312133)CornerofHatSamila. ( % ( ( % % 0 74313480;ThLanegPhra , named for the Cat and , namedfortheCat 0 74311062;4ThSukhum) Thishomey, quirky , depicted squeezing 0 74311544;ThSadao) ( % 0 74314890; 15/3 , which was national artefacts, andtheroomsare but elementary lobby isfilledwithwater features andThai eastern beach.to Songkhla’s Theenormous the localuniversity andlooksover theroad menu alsooffers soupsand other Thai salads, for its crab dishes (bring moist wipes!), the amnoen; dishes 40-220B; morning market popsuphere. ket calledRotFai Plaza– on Sunday,a Night the southernend of mar- ThSisudaisa night andThSonAwmintersect. Andat amnoen towherearound thebeach close ThRatchad- string of restaurants cheap, excellentseafood ried crab clawsorspicyfried squid.There’s a are pretty goodandwellpriced–try thecur- area. restaurants onHat Theseafood Samila reputation forbeingsomeof thebestin inKoYo(see The seafood opposite ) has a Eating neighbouring golfcourse. 60B perhour. BPcanarrange acaddieforthe views.Internet accesscosts ormountain sea andachoice ofphone, fridge, satellite TV, offersestablishment large roomswithIDD amenities ontheislands.Thebeachfront deal –you’dpaynearlydoublefor thesame most poshhotel isactuallyareally good r2500B; .com; 8ThRatchadamnoen; may wanttocallahead. stylish. Thisplaceisoften fullybooked, soyou as Nok;r1400B; 7222; www.pavilionhotels.com; 1ThRajdamnoen few hundred metres southof town. popular,sobookahead.Lookforita mensely Thehotel andentertained. isim- comfortable amenitiestokeep you and filledwithenough ming poolwithviews.Roomsare immaculate inthelobby anda5th-floorstaircase swim- also classy,boastingchandeliers, aspiralling Palace isnotonlythebestvalueintown,it’s r750-900B; Th Samakisukson; to paymore than200B. agoodbudget choiceOverall ifyou’re willing wood bedsare impressive forthisprice range. air-con roomsare cheap, andthebamboo Evensmell fresh the andallcomewithTVs. Platha; r250-390B; the unwary.Allroomsshare bathrooms. cats, andacaged tobite macaquethatissaid Nai WanRestaurant BP SamilaHotel Pavilion BeachResort Rajamangala WorldPalaceGreen Hotel Guest HouseRomantic )
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( % as ( lunch &dinner) % 0 74311295; ThRatchad- ai ( 0 74307170;10/1-3Th % ) Green World 0 74437900-8;99 ) Songkhla’s Songkhla’s ( % Popular 0 7448 Drinking live singers. your mealwhilebeingserenaded bynightly hereseafood issplendidandyoucanenjoy ing where breeze. The youcanenjoythesea andhasplentyofstatue outdoorterrace seat- eatery isover theroadfrommermaid 60-220B; recommended bylocalsforitsseafood. litupromantically.Highly everything’s night terrace blowsoverhead. whileaclothtarp At shaped like boats)are onagrassy,bricked set not raining:outsidewoodenbenches (some The ambiencehere isgreat, atleastwhenit’s adamnoen; dishes50-200B; mermaid sculpture. tries. Thelarge, casualspaceisnearthelittle offerings, aswellafewseafood veggie en- lonelyplanet.com pany employees andotherWesternerspany employees living it sounds,thisstripcaters mainlytooilcom- expats as‘TheDarkSide’.Notominous consulate isjokinglyreferred toamonglocal A stringof bars justeastof theIndonesian Dokkeaw Dokkeaw Restaurant Sport Sea past the market, askfor past the market, askfor at themarket for shorefront restaurants alongthe island’smainroad. If you’ve made ittotheisland,don’tleavetrack. withouttrying KoYo’sfamousseafood;look scenic coastline,forested hills,spiritualwats–it’savery localtreat andway offthebeaten sure youknowhow tooperate onefirst)andtourthequietback roadsofKoYo:tinyvillages, implements. musical instruments, jewellery,boats,religious weapons, andvariousagricultural fishing art, stairs, stairsandmore stairs. Displays includepottery, textiles, beads,shadowpuppets, basketry, region. Beready –the museumripplesdownahillside,eachdisplayroomconnected by tohike ( hand-operated sound. loomortwo–listen fortheclacking every where awalkdowntheroad behindthemarket otherhousehasaprocess, take virtually bargain andespeciallyifyouspeakThai. Ifyou’re more interested theweaving inobserving and fabricquality.At prices forclothandready-made themarket, clothesare excellentif you off the highwaysoyoudon’thavea centralmarket togofromplace comparingprices a chanceofundercuttingtheusualcity price. and isavailableonthespotat‘wholesale’ prices–meaningyoustillhave tobargain buthave cottage industrythere. The good-quality,distinctive visitingjustto seethecotton-weaving yaw) is worth An islandontheinlandsea,KoYo(kaw gdktpv DETOUR: KO YO % Frequent s (makeIf you’dratherjust meander aroundtheisland,youcanhire amotorcycle inSongkhla At the northern endoftheisland, about2kmpastBanAoSai,themust-seeAt thenorthern aroundthisforested,Cotton weavingisamajorhousehold activity sultryisland, andthere is 0 74331185;admission60B; h breakfast, lunch&dinner) ( % ǎ 0 7431 6226; Th Rajadamnoen; dishes 0 74316226;ThRajadamnoen; SONGKHLA PROVINCE •• Songkhla &Around ••Songkhla SONGKHLAPROVINCE wngth h ǎ
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h This busyThai 8.30am-5.30pm) ‘in front of the market’. Togetoffatthemuseum, about2km ‘infront of themarket’. . Buses to Ranot pass through KoYo for thesame fare.. Buses toRanot aimstopromote and preserve theculture ofthe and evening. (572B)leave1st-class buses late afternoon kok leaves at4.45pm (1050B),whilethree among otherplaces.OneVIPbustoBang- Thammarat (150B)andSuratThani(210B), Si stopping inChumphon(320B),Nakhon (550B), godailytoBangkok 2nd-class buses dred metres southof theVivaHotel. Four though. transport originatinginSongkhla, the south.There are afew destinationswith to reach destinationsin mostlong-distance you’llhaveFrom Songkhla togoHat Yai Getting There&Around dents listening tolocalDJsspinningpophits. byThaistu- viewsandisfilledmostnights sea which hasgreat party, headtoDrCoolRadio, howthelocals popular expatplace. Tosee and theParlang isanother andBar Restaurant community hangsout; Canadian Songkhla’s happening ThSisuda:CornerBieriswhere restaurants, are worthchecking outonnearby is runbyanEnglishman andnottooseedy. thebarnearest TheOffice, Soi5, in Songkhla. phâa kàwyaw The government isafew busstation hun- A few othercasualbars, interspersed with ishandwoven onrusticlooms okoe Museum Folklore
633
LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF through Thailand’s Deep South.Violence Thailand’sDeep through rather thandothetraditionaloverland route ontoKualaLumpurorSingaporestraight manypeople areing through; choosing tofly feweryears andfewer itsseeing folkspass- targeting itforbombingswithinthelastfew transit toMalaysia, butsinceterrorists started fore headingoff tothesurroundingregion. awaybe- some cosypubsordancethenight andyoucanhangoutin scene buzzesnightly a chilly respite from theheat.Thenightlife large,and several air-con shoppingmallsoffer and street Markets stalls. are alsoplentiful tobepacked streetevery withshops seems MuslimorThaistyle,and either inChinese, great prepared seafood, restaurants serving Therefrom thesea. are literally hundreds of tobeeatingcrittersmain pastimehere seems dodgy, placewithabitof abuzztoit.The liveliest townis afun,ifslightly Songkhla’s pop 193,732 skfBsPj HAT YAI while motorcyclescost200Bto250B. motorcycles. Bikes goforabout 100Bperday, ous placesalongthestreets torent bicyclesor 500B. charge Private taxis to 300Bpertaxi. upto part of town. from adifferent busterminal inthesouthern SiThammarat(86B) leave toNakhon buses whileordinary southern partof ThRamwithi, Pattani (90B)andYala (90B)leave fromthe Minivansto and leave fromThRamwithi. and share (30B)take around40minutes taxis 634 Bangkok Hatyai Hospital Information much. more likely tobetargets, butdon’tworrytoo demonstrations or crowdedspaces,which are awayfrom largeyour surroundings andstay tired. Ifyoudovisit,just bevigilantabout well bequietagain before thisbook isre- very soit might comes inspurts,however, full medical care and has English-speaking staff.full medical care and hasEnglish-speaking best health-care providers in southern Thailand, itoffers [email protected]; One of the 75Soi,15ThPechkasam) 20B; rates double at night. There20B; rates doubleatnight. are numer- Ko Yofor12B. costaround Motorcycletaxis Share totheHat taxis Yai airportcost250B To Hat Yai, (18B),minivans(25B) buses Most travellers onlyvisitHat Yai whilein S ǎ wngth OGHAPOIC • HtYi ••HatYaiSONGKHLA PROVINCE ǎ ew circulate aroundtownandto ( % 0 74365780-9; h English andhaveloadsofinfoonthearea. 3)VeryNiphat Uthit helpfulstaffhere speakexcellent travel agency downstairs. in anon-site caféand there’s areliableserved dry. Inexpensive breakfasts andlunches are of brochures and catch upon overdue laun- othertravellers,meet mountains leafthrough tion about onwardtravel. It’sagreat placeto andplentifulinforma- location, helpful staff headquarters inHat Yai of because itsgood better days,thishasbecome thetravellers 2;dm/r 100/250B) Uthit of distance thetrainstation. are dozensof budget hotels within walking trail rideandjustwanttocrash cheap, there come across.Ifyou’re endof atthetail along it’s often easiesttogowiththefirst oneyou fering pretty muchthing– exactly thesame are midrange endlessChinese-run hotels of- Thereyou payanother100Bto200Banight. proportionate leapupwardinqualityonce For somereason hotels inHat Yai take adis- Sleeping Saphan UTaphao –itcostsabout12B. and ThPhetkasem andget after off crossing near theintersection of ThNiphatUthitl To get here, grabthes andmausoleumwithasouvenirseum shop. isacuriouslittlemu- image’s giganticbase dha (Phra Phut Mahatamongkon). Insidethe impressive town to s other citiescangoforasmuch as1500B. atmatches in the lowadmission price–seats interested inboxing, you’llbethrilledwith TAT toconfirmtheschedule. office Ifyou’re Timessports stadium. vary,socheck withthe in theboxing justnorthof stadium Hat Yai’s boxing Thai Muay partment. Duringfestivals andspecialevents Hat Yai israthershortintheattractionde- Sights Police Tourist TAT handlesvisaextensions. Near therailwaybridge; Immigration office totoursvisaruns. fromtickets and fullrangeofservices, staff many travelagenciesintown,itstandsoutforitsfriendly Tour Cathay ǎ wngth If you’re bored, youcouldhopona Cathay GuestHouse Cathay ( 24hr) % 0 74243747;[email protected]; 1/1Soi2,Th ǎ Wat HatYai Nai ew andheadabout1.5kmoutof
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635 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF and curriesallday.Thisisoneof thefew Mus- kaeng h isgreat. state andtheservice place iscontinuouslykept inanimmaculate traditional Thaidishesandbreakfasts. This veggie foodfeatures onthemenu,aswell dishes 40-80B; cookedfast menuhaseggs avarietyof ways. cialties atlunch anddinner,whilethebreak- alarge menuof ThaiandWesternserves spe- restaurants. of theupscalehotels have fancierChinese 2pm and6pm–unusualforThailand.Many intheafternoon between ones,close Chinese Songkhrao. north of ThNiphat townbythemosque,off bend inThPhetkasem, andanothergroup 636 dishes 30-60B; Muslim Ocha Muslim Dao Thian NaKorn Nai Many Hat Yai restaurants, particularlythe authorities before you headout. travel inthisregion, be sure tocheckthelatest securitysituation withyourembassy andlocal tion willturn; bythetimeyou read this,things couldbeback to normal.Ifyouare planning to Canadian intheviolence), anditisdifficult topredict have which waythesitua- been killed been identifiedby the Thai government. terrorist networkwashelping localinsurgents stagetheattacks. However, asyetnogrouphas Islamiyah network AlJazeera Jemaah thattheAl-Qaeda-linked ratist groups,told the ArabTV indefinitely from27November 2006. violence forcedthe government to shutallschoolsinYala, Pattani and Narathiwat Provinces 2006 –mosthave beeninnocent bystanders,Buddhistsand,ironically,Muslims. The increased andanother2729woundedbetweenJanuary2004October1815 peoplehave beenkilled Yai on17September 2006. The region lawsince2005,andmore than hasbeenundermartial injuring 28people. Asecondseriesofbombswere detonated ofHat inacommercialdistrict (see p40 ). On31August 2006,22bombsexplodedinsidecommercialbanks inYala Province, attack). The violenceincreased inthemonthleading up tothe19September markedly coup checkpoints, schoolsandrestaurants, andtheHatYai (twotourists were injured airport inthis Thai authorities. More andtargets than1000peoplehave have beenkilled includedmilitary hardhit.The bombingshavebeing particularly usuallyresulted inaheavy-handedresponse from dozens ofbombingsandattackshave beencarried outinandaroundtheDeepSouth,withYala feelings have bubbledinto violence,extending intoHatYai Province. inSongkhla Since2004, felt marginalised anddiscriminated againstbytheirdistantrulers. thepastfew Over yearsthese tani, wasappropriated byThailand atthebeginning ofthe20thcentury,inhabitantshave a riskyenterprise. travel aroundtheDeepSouth(asPattani,making NarathiwatandYara are collectively known) At thetimeofwriting,farsouthThailand wasexperiencingalmostdailyviolentincidents, TRAVEL WARNING:VIOLENCEINTHE DEEPSOUTH 6am-7pm) OGHAPOIC • HtYi ••HatYaiSONGKHLA PROVINCE To date tourists have notbeendirectly targeted (althoughatleastoneAmerican and one On 22November CheWan,leaderof theumbrella organisation WanKadir forsouthernsepa- Ever sincethisMalayregion, ofPat- ofthesemi-autonomous IslamicKingdom originally part ( rotii chanai This small, tidy place does Thissmall,tidyplacedoes h
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breakfast, lunch&dinner) (Th Niphat Uthit 1;dishes40-210B; NiphatUthit (Th 0 7423 2550; 16-17 Th Niphat Uthit 2; 0 74232550;16-17ThNiphatUthit in Malay) inthemornings A trendy joint,NaKorn Plenty of rotii music rocks nightly from8.30pm. music rocksnightly Tables are infrontof set astage, where live and and Bangkok (3395B,90minutes, fourdaily). and Bangkok 1) Th NiphatUthit AirwaysInternational Thai Getting There&Away and West. booze withcheap pubgrubfromtheEast thanattheaveragetle higher bar. Quashthe relatively good.Drinkpricesare onlyalit- andthebandstendon somenights, tobe ers films.Rockers between replace movies after dark.Musicvideosare shownasfill- Muslim orforeign welcome. women–seem lim cafésintownwhere non- women–even place towatch thelatest pirated blockbuster tem andwell-placedmonitors, thisisagreat noonvithi) vithi; West SideSaloon Post Laserdisc h faràng 9am-1am) This ‘saloon’ attractsThais,Malays This‘saloon’ toitsdim,rustic,pub-like space. operates flights between Hat between operates flights Yai
Withanexcellentsoundsys- ( %
( % 0 74232027;82/83ThThamnoon- 0 74354833;135/5ThTham-
(THAI; % lonelyplanet.com 0 74233433;182 300B, seven hours), KualaLumpur(350Bto 300B, seven five hours), KoSamui(combinedbus/boat (550B,14hours),Bangkok Krabi(200B, in town.DestinationsfromHat Yai include town centre, make manybuses stops though Phuket (6400B)andSingapore (15,100B). There isalsoadailyTHAI to/from flight lonelyplanet.com to charge foreigners 20Binstead. should cost10B perperson, they like though charge 5Bperperson. Atúk-túk aroundtown forthisrun costsabout200B.A private taxi into Hat Yai, offers hotel drop-off. theservice THAI onThNiphat Uthit1;coming office leaves fortheairportfrom The service daily). run to/fromthe airport (60B,seven An Getting Around are open6amto6pmdaily. both left-luggage officeatthetrainstation; (57B,two daily). daily) andPadang Besar daily),Butterworth (322B,two 184B, seven are alsodailytrainstoSungaiKolok(42B 1394B.665/845B, anda1st-classsleeper There (lowerberth)465/575B, 2nd-classsleeper withfan/air-con seat 269/339B,2nd-classseat Samplefaresfrom Bangkok. include:3rd-class (680B). Bangkok (140B). There’s alsoadirect busto night (230B), SungaiKolok(190B)and Trang Samui (400B),Phuket (350B),SuratThani runs express minivanstoKrabi (180B),Ko all thedestinations. Therebuses. are each dayto multiplebuses 16 hours). Theabove quotes are forair-con hours)eight andSingapore (450Bto600B, 450B, ninehours), Phuket (250Bto450B, There isan advance-booking and office There are five dailyovernight trainsto/ Tour Cathay The busterminal is2kmsoutheastof the S cost 250B(fourhours).Again, trainsfromHatYai are toButterworth slowerandlessfrequent. BusesfromHatYaiIsland (accessiblethroughthemainlandtownofButterworth). toButterworth train, butthisoptionisnotvery fastorfrequent. (1½ hours,hourly)andbuses40Bevery 25minutes). the It’salsopossible totake taxis cost600Breturn (onehour),share taxisare 150B(onehour,leave whenfull),minivans80B just toextend theirThai visas. The Malaysianborderisabout50kmsouthof HatYai, andmanytravellers comethroughtown RUN FORTHEBORDERFROMHATMAKING A(VISA) YAI Airport Taxi Service Airport ǎ wngth If youneedalongerThai visa,you’ll have toseetheThai consulate inGeorgetown, onPenang To getanin-and-outstamp,headtoPadang Besar,thenearest Malaysianbordertown.Private ǎ ew runalong ThPhetkasem and ( % YALA ••Yala PROVINCE 0 7423 5044; 93/1 Th Niphat Uthit) 0 74235044;93/1ThNiphatUthit)
( % 0 74238452) makes the at theroadtoWat NaTham.It’sabouta1km temple, take as mathat ChaiyainSuratThani).To get tothe SiThammarat andWatPhra Boro- in Nakhon Thailand (theothertwoare WatBoromathat ated Buddhistpilgrimage pointsinsouthern For Thais,thisisoneof thethree mostvener- Buddha image knownasPhra Phutthasaiyat. Inside thecave you’llfindalong,reclining Srivijaya-period cave temple dates toAD750. west of townontheYala–Hat Yai road.This Wat NaThamorCave-Front Temple), 8km probably love days. dangerousfact thatitisslightly these it isnotanexcitingplace,tomention the may beknownforitscleanliness, butotherwise no reason tovisitthisprovince’s city.It capital Unless youare awatfanaticthere isabsolutely pop 99,954 pt]k YALA warning on opposite before visiting. education centre thetravel fortheregion. See production. Itisalsotheprimebusinessand Thailand, mainlyduetoincomefromrubber dominantly Muslimprovinces insouthern Yala isthemostprosperousof thefourpre- PROVINCE YALA on stamina, melody, volume andpitch. on stamina, literally ‘pitched’ against each other, judged Asia. 1000feathered Over competitors are attracts dove lovers from acrossSoutheast This isthe WorldCupfor songbirds,and for the alsobeworthpoppingintoYalathen itmight walk tothewatfrom thehighway. towards Yala viaRte 4065 andasktoget off That said ifyouareThat said a wat fanatic,thenyou’ll If youhappento be inthearea inMarch, Asean Barred Ground Dove Competition GroundDove Barred Asean Wat Khuhaphimuk ǎ wngth ǎ ew (7B)goingwest (alsocalled 637
. LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF 0 7324 4599; 318 Th Siriros; rfrom300B; 0 73244599;318ThSiriros; 638 ask about promotions andbargain. Rooms If it’sempty,walk fromthe trainstation). The downer isit’snotcentral (a15-minute centre, karaoke andcoffee shop. nightclub whilefacilities includeabusiness and TV, rooms here are plushandcomewith carpets prices atthe You’ll findYala’s bestbedsat rock-bottom this time. 2pm. LocalsmaybetoobusyonFriday forvisitorsandmostrestaurants closedownduring off mobilephones. hall asthisisasacred spaceintended forMuslims. Donotbringcameras andremember toturn ing; simplythinkconservative. Unlessinvited todoso,avoidentering themosque’smainprayer revealing sleeveless topsorany particularly cloth- skirts, shoes. Womenshouldnot wearshort arrival. Menandwomenwillbereunited astheydepart. communities, multigendergroupswillbesplitoffintoseparateIn very roomsupon conservative for abeerand consumption ofporkandalcohol–obvious publicintoxication isfrownedupon(andthusasking (see boxed text, p636 ). ofresidualfeed feelings thesort thathave ofviolence ofdissatisfaction ledtomore-recent spurts PULO andtheseparatistmovement continueto asawhole,but economic andculturalfactors Muslim state. bytheThai andMalaysiangovernments In1998jointefforts effectively crippled sation (PULO),active inthe1970sand1980s,whosegoalwasformationofanindependent up armedinsurgency. of thesouthernMuslims. Somehave calledforsecession,andfewer stillhave, inthepast,taken nation, have ledtoafeeling withtheBuddhistmainlandamongaradicalfew ofdisconnection script) inadditiontoThai. Muslims are ethnicallyMalayandspeakorYawi ofMalaywritten (adialect intheArabic and aculturalheritagewithitspredominantly Muslimneighbour. MostofThailand’s southern present-day borderbetween Thailand andMalaysia. Accordingly,thesouthshares botha border ofPattani,heritage totheformerKingdom whoseterritory straddledthe anIslamickingdom wat, SatunandYala, where the populationisupto85%Muslim.These southernerstracetheir most ofThailand’s Muslimsreside inthesouth,concentrated intheregions ofPattani, Narathi- 1500 inthesouth,throughinfluenceofIndianandArabtradersscholars. Tothisday, descendantsoftheProphetMohammed). to certain community), and1%withtheShi’ite branch (inwhichreligious andpoliticalauthorityisgiven branch ofIslam(inwhichIslamicleadershipisvested orMuslim intheconsensus oftheUmmah, in Thailand –over 200inBangkok alone. thesemosques99%are Of associated withtheSunni living sidebywiththemajoritywhoare Theravadin Buddhists. There are some3000mosques to encounter thepresence andinfluenceofIslam. a traditional asshedeftlykneadsandwindsat dawn,orthesmileofawomaninsoftlycoloured headscarf Whether itisthebeautiful,hauntingechoofmuezzin’scalltoprayercurling intoyourroom ISLAM INSOUTHERNTHAILAND AAPOIC • Yl YALA ••Yala PROVINCE Friday isthedayofSabbath,with religious culminatingbetween 11amand activities or Just asisthecasewhenvisitingwat, mosqueswillnotpermitentrytothoseinshorts Proper etiquette in Thai Muslimcommunitiesissimpleand predictable. Islamforbidsthe The mostnotableoftheseinsurgent groupswasknownasthePattani United LiberationOrgani- These culturaldifferences, inflamedbyahistoryofperceived religious andlinguisticdiscrimi- Islam wasintroducedtothearea thatcomprisesmodernThailand betweenAD1200and At approximately upThailand’s 4%ofthepopulation,Muslimsmake largest religious minority, Chang LeeHotel rotii muu –duringatriptoThailand’s southernislandsandbeachesyouare very likely –porkinanobviouslyMuslimrestaurant willnotbeproductive orpolite).
( % as 0 73244597;fax ) . The wear modest clothing around here toavoid freshtown, sells fruitand vegetables; try to Muslim day market, inthenorthern partof The and ThRanong. ate along ThRatakit restaurantsies intown. Chinese prolifer- therethough are acouple of decenteater- good deal. can goforaslow as300B,which isadamn Yala ishardlya culinarydestination, lonelyplanet.com The 800B) andSungaiKolok(3rdclass50B). (1stclass1500B,2nd500Bto Bangkok north. buses for othershort-tomedium-distance Life office.TS Acrossthestreet isthestop a dayonThSiriros,outsidethePrudential to Hat Yai time (100B,2½hours) stopseveral about 250msouthof 1.Buses ThKotchaseni machip inYala, asideroadoff ThSiriros, (500B to900B,15hours) leave fromThPhu- (a túk-túkthere costs25B). tower), istheplacetoheadforcheap eats of townabout 1km(turnleftattheclock market, night southSribumrung. Ratchapat of andTh aroundThPitipakdee yourtable, meal iscooked onthesidewalkinfront right restaurants, wheredelicious seafood your offending andto helpblendin.Lookfor Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com the of ThNaklua Yarang. try Formedical services eastern endof ThPipit,near theintersection thetravel(see warning on p636 ). rently plaguing Thailand’ssouthernregion behind someof theproblems thatare cur- independence continues andisadrivingforce rebellions were notuncommon.Thisfierce allegiances shifted timesandtani’s several timesPat-the Britishin1612.Duringthese the Japanese in1605,theDutch in1609and atradingposthere established guese in 1516, central government ThePortu- inBangkok. its Malaysian neighbours inthesouth thanthe has traditionallyhadmore incommonwith isapredominantlytani Muslimtownthat included Yala andNarathiwat. TodayPat- centre of anindependentprincipalitythat the Kingdomof Thailand. Pattani wasthe quitehas never adjusted tobeingapartof to nearbybeaches. interest here forthetraveller exceptitsaccess it concealsaninteresting past,there’s littleof Pattani isasprawling,casual townand,while pop 44,800 xy^^kou PATTANI PATTANI PROVINCE is central. Daily buses between Bangkok andYala Bangkok between Daily buses With ahistoryof independence, Pattani Daily traindestinationsfromYala include Several banksare foundalongthesouth- Several Pattani police station
Hospital
( %
( % 0 7334 9018;ThPattani Phirom) 0 73323411-14; ThNongJik) PATTANI ••Pattani PROVINCE .
the small lot beside a petrol station near the the smalllotbeside apetrolstation depart from person. toBangkok Dailybuses S Getting There& Around discounts. on.Breakfastlist goes isincluded.Ask about lent restaurant, andsteam asauna room…the a gorgeous coloniallobby, twopools,anexcel- aswellenjoyit.TheCSPattanimight features you are inPattani, spendingthenight you offerings here. completes the seafood restaurant thatdoes air-concomfortable bungalows.Anopen-air hotel-style buildingare cheapest andthere are in Pattani forbudget travellers. Roomsina bethebestchoicespeakers might onthestaff, 700B; other oneliesalongSoiThepiwat2. an- nightly; convenes onThCharoenpradit marketA night withplentyof foodvendors Sleeping &Eating provincial border. kilometres before youreach theNarathiwat beachserted furtherdownRte 4136,justafew find more of alongstretches thesame of de- white-sandy spotwithplentyof shade. You’ll Wasukri heading outalongRte 4136for53km. pier orYaring Instead we’dsuggest Amphoe). fromthePattani taxi visit anyway,take a boat from thebestbeach inthearea (ifyouwantto ithas11kmofAlthough whiteitisfar sand, suits whenatthebeach orswimming. women should wearT-shirts over theirswim- Out of respect forthelocalMuslimculture, or buyalocalmapatanyconvenience store. there are plentymore. Ask aroundintown allowed ustolistonlyourfavourites here, but southern Thailand–spaceconstraintshave Pattani hassomeof theprettiest beaches in Sights first todepart. you’ll likelyfor, otherwise be thrown onthe matter, askwhatkind of busyou’re paying if amenities like bathrooms andreclining seats 1500B, depending onthefanciness of the bus– 15 to16hours 600Band andcostsbetween Thetripis ticket andreservations. purchase CS Pattani Hotel –call .com; 299 Muu 4Th NongJik;rfrom1100B; .com; 299Muu ǎ wngth Sakom BayResort CS Pattani Hotel The onlybeach neartownisat a (Chaihat Ban Patatimaw) (ChaihatBan isabeautiful
) Thisresort, which often hasEnglish ǎ ew goanywhere intownfor15Bper
( %
( % 0 73335093/4;cspatani@cscoms 0 12771202;HatThepha;r300- % 0 73348816for ais Laem Tachi 639 Hat ) If
. LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER LOWER SOUTHERN GULF of town,features large, super-clean cement 7351 3640;bungalows250-400B) umbrellas. restaurants, and tables with outdoorseafood as a kindof publicparkforlocals, serves HatNarathat wat andPattani. Nearthefishingvillage is reua kaw-lae, with thelarge, painted fishing boatscalled at themouthof Narariver, theBang lined town isasmallThai-Muslimfishing village see p639 formore information.Justnorthof eastern coaststretch itandPattani between – the prettiest beaches onsouthernThailand’s precautions. tion before travelling here andtake necessary sure tocheck Be thelatest tosee. situa- used thelittletourismthatthisregionsuffocated thetravelcountry (see warningon p636 ) has Sungai Kolok. andtumblebordertownofthan therough is amore favourable overnight placetostay Malaysian border1½hours south,thistown town. Ifyouare runforthe makingavisa dialect, asMalay andThaispoken around and youare aslikely tohear Yawi, alocal lining theriverfront are over acenturyold modernisation. Thai citiesare leaving behind inthenameof exudes thesortof charisma thatmanymodern the provincial isafriendlytownthat capital Sitting onthebanksof NaraRiver, theBang pop 44,200 oikTb;kl NARATHIWAT PROVINCE NARATHIWAT 640 comfy finishings. hotel, including overly and very attentive staff /narathiwat; 228ThPichitbamrung; r1200-3000B; Narathiwat this region’s speciality. painted fabricwallhangingsthatareselling Nearbyisa largethe lowseason. batikshop especially in behardtofindstaff, as itmight 400m fromthebeach. Considercalling ahead, cottages inasmallcompound.It’sonlyabout all thegoodies you’dexpect fromatop-end is thetown’s newposhoption andincludes It’s notvery fancy, but andsomeof onthesea, Narathiwat isright situationinthispartofThe security the Some of buildings theSino-Portuguese At theotherend of thescale, AAHWTPOIC • Nrtia NARATHIWAT ••Narathiwat PROVINCE
( , a 5km-long sandy beach,, a5km-longsandy which % which are peculiartoNarathi- 0 73515041;www.imperialhotels.com , located 7kmsouth Ao Manao Resort Ao Manao Imperial Imperial as
( % 0 ) outside andkaraoke inside. and quite There’s comfortable. a smallpool clean, modern roomsthat are wellmaintained chatiwat; rfrom 585-1020B; ( gai Kolakisprobably the or accommodation. Malaysian aswellThaibahtforfood ringgit scene. SomeplacesinSungai Kolok willtake baht toget awayfromtheshort-time trade town, it’swellworth shellingoutafew extra in hour’ market. thenight Ifyoumuststay of Malaysian menlooking forsex. revolve aroundcatering toaweekend crowd andthemainindustrieshereoozes seediness Malaysiabetween andThailand,SungaiKolok edges. As gateway the mainsoutherncoastal spot that’smore aroundthe thanalittle rough Thailand’s WildWestbordertown isadusty pop 40,500 l=ws'Fd]d KOLOK SUNGAI ing onthedistance. will take youaroundfor15Bto30B,depend- you don’tfeel like walking,motorcycletaxis terminal oronthebus. four timesaday.Youcanbuytickets atthe (from650B)run Pha-Ngan. toBangkok Buses Pattani, Hat Yai, Trang,Krabi and Songkhla, (7am, 9amand6.30pm)continuevia gai Kolok,passNarathiwatthree timesdaily Phuket (475B,12hours) originate inSun- to metres Thebuses pastthepolicestation. Suriyapradit, southof townafew hundred smallshopfrom twoseparate terminals onTh with justfoursmalltables. ofselection coffee andteas. It’satinyplace, try therefreshing fruitfrappesorthegood point tothedisplayeddishes. The Thaifoodischeap andyoucan but tasty, it’spacked must begood,because night. every dishes 30-80B; sive noodledishes. inexpen- serving atThPuphapugdee haphisai There’s alsoacluster of onThSop- foodstalls NaraHotel.Chamroonnara behind theBang ner) % The best middle-of-the-road optioninSun- The bestmiddle-of-the-road Air-con andPhuket toBangkok buses leave marketChow downatthenight off Th Most of thehotels here cater tothe‘by the Narathiwat iseasytonavigate onfoot.If Kopiitiam At serves breakfast, meals– snacksandlight serves 0 73613600; [email protected]; 66Soi, 3ThPrat- Ang Mo h
(dishes 30-100B;
(cnr ThPuphapugdee &ThChamroonnara; lunch &dinner) as h , youknowthefood Grand Garden Hotel Grand Garden ) breakfast, lunch&din- . Itfeatures fine, lonelyplanet.com
Thani go through HatThani gothrough Yai first. of thetowncentre. toKrabiorSurat Buses leave buses fromThWongwiwat,west These 8am and5.30pm,stopinKrabi (410B). leaves around11.30am. (from750B).Thefirst bus run toBangkok lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright theterms andconditions onoursiteforalonger wayofsaying youknow,or resell it.See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer In return, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseit forpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse, accesstothischapterisnotdigitally Tomake Three dailyair-con make buses the18-hour To Phuket at6am, headoff (520B),buses NARATHIWAT ••SungaiKolok PROVINCE high-rises. high-rises. left atthefirst junctionandheadforthe your right or,iflookingforthetown,turnyour right Malaysia, justfollowtheoldtraintracksto 20B foraridetotheborder. Comingfrom –it’sport aroundtownisbymotorcycletaxi of Trans- SungaiKolokorthetrainstation. The borderisabout 1kmfromthecentre © LonelyPlanetPublications
641 LOWER SOUTHERN GULF GULF SOUTHERN LOWER