We had called ahead to book a couple days at Tub Tim Resort on Ao Phutsa beach only to be told we should just turn up so we can look at the bungalow’s before we pay. At Na Dan we hopped onto a ‘songthaew’ (basically a pick up with seats in the back) and for 50 Baht each he drove us to the resort. It costs 200 Baht each tourist price to pay for entrance to this ‘national park’,which to be honest isn’t the best example of nature conservation but we’ll get back to that later… We knew this wouldn’t be the cheapest place to stay but decided to use this as a base for a couple days of scouting the other resorts nearby for a better deal. We arrived to find a gorgeous beach with the two resorts on either end (Pudsa Bungalows on the northern end and Tub Tim on the southern tip). We got a nice bungalow set up on the hilltop with a big bed and a nice bathroom for 1000 Baht a night (20 quid). I could have bartered a bit more seeing as there was building work nearby but seeing as we’re only here temporarily we didn’t give two hoots. We’ve worked hard enough the past year to spend a tenner a night each on what is a pretty special place. Yes, we will stop thinking in terms of British Sterling soon…
Tub Tim is a lovely resort with quality bungalows and a decent cheapish restaurant. The weather wasn’t great for the first few days but we still swam, ate great seafood, read our books and caught up on lost sleep.
We made friends with the beach dogs and E was Heroine of the Day when she saved a chased cat stuck up a tree.Just at the other end of the beach E noticed some ‘Eye of Sheva’ shell-beads hanging from a small tree. We met the creator of these fantastic specimens and his workshop is literally a wooden table on the beach, just behind the display. His name is Yut and you can check out his stuff from his website: www.yut-jewelery.com. He sits opposite Ao Pudsa Bungalows on this beach.
All being good, after our first day we couldn’t help thinking that the resort was trying to be something else. I’ve read that Koh Samet’s beaches are starting to attract more ‘flash packers’ recently and the more budget, chilled out, locally run Thai resorts are slowly being flushed out by more up market accommodation. The last time I was on Koh Samet was around 1986 as an eight year old and it would have been naïve of me to think it would be the same (think pristine empty beaches with a couple basic huts and a small restaurant) but I did feel a twinge of sadness about the current state of affairs. If you climb the rocks on any beach you will no doubt see glass bottles, Styrofoam, plastic bags, etc hidden underneath and towards the back. This was a constant over our next ten days and we wondered how and where our entrance fee is spent. In the mornings as we scoured the beach for shells, you would find glass bottle tops and plastic cups intermingled with the dead coral. We are, however, well aware that this isn't our country and we don't really have a right to bitch and moan but the majority of the rubbish seems to be dumped by the tourists and litter anywhere gets my goat. All you can do as a visitor is make sure you look after the place you're staying in and do your bit.
Apart from the rubbish on the island it seems that some resorts now think everyone needs a soundtrack to their stay. Call us old fashioned, but we don’t really want to listen to Zero 7 or Lionel Richie when we’re on the beach (yes, Lionel is still massive in Thailand, at least some things haven't changed since the 80's). We just want to hear the ocean. The waiters, mostly teenage kids, outnumbered the clientele and it wasn’t unusual for all of them to be sitting or standing around one table cracking jokes with each other because they were bored out of their minds. Can you blame them? It’s low season which should surely mean that the staff numbers should be halved, right? Not only would it benefit the overall vibe of the place but the owner would save more on his outgoings. They could also cut prices temporarily due to the building work. Surely the resort would fill up if you brought a 1000 Baht bungalow down to 700 Baht? It seems that Tub Tim’s low-season economic vision is to keep the prices high, as people like us will always buy.
‘Aw, poor diddums’ we hear you say. ‘Why don’t you find somewhere else if the slightly noisy banging and bored plentiful staff are interrupting your coconut eating on a beautiful white powdered beach?’
‘Aw, poor diddums’ we hear you say. ‘Why don’t you find somewhere else if the slightly noisy banging and bored plentiful staff are interrupting your coconut eating on a beautiful white powdered beach?’
We hear you and that’s what we did.
On our second day there I went on a small journey on foot to the beaches of the south as I fancied a bit of a wander. We’d heard that the next beach to ours, Ao Nuan, was a quieter beach with a back packer vibe. They don’t take reservations over the phone so I went there in person. I did find what was described to us as a perfectly formed small bay, a bit rocky but with enough sand to call it a beach. It then dawned on me that this could have been the beach my Aunt and I spotted a monitor lizard way back in the 80’s. We both screamed and ran back the huts with Auntie T breaking off a toe nail in the process! Back to 2009. these huts and bungalows were now set in the jungle behind the beach. Unfortunately they were fully booked and the staff told me to come back later to see if any rooms were free. After agreeing to do this I continued to head south on a bit of a jungle trek (well, a meander through some bushes really) and came to Ao Cho, the next beach. The path led me to Wonderland Resort, a real old style Thai resort with simple wooden bungalows and a lazy restaurant full of sleeping dogs and grandma on the hammock. Perfect. It was here I remembered my Thai shopping bartering phrases and managed to get a 600 Baht bungalow down to 400 Baht (just under 8 quid a night) if we paid ten days worth up front. The bungalow was right on the beach and Ao Cho seemed a lot quieter then Ao Phutsa. This seemed too good to be true, so I told the lady I’d be back and continued along towards the next beach just in case. The next two resorts on Ao Cho were slightly more up market and over our budget but I did notice a few bungalows on the rocky headland heading to the next beach, Ao Wong Deuan. These were called Blue Sky Bungalows and the guys running this place had a real surfer vibe to them. Their restaurant was also set on the rocks with a great view of the beach. I also managed to get a deal for 400 Baht a night for a bungalow facing the ocean on a rocky outcrop but Ao Wong Deuan is a busy place with tons of bungalows, full of speed boats and jet skis – not what we’re after. I decided to turn round and return to show E the photo’s I had taken with our digital camera and we decided on Wonderland Resort. We just wanted to wake up in the mornings, see the ocean and wander into the sea.
On our second day there I went on a small journey on foot to the beaches of the south as I fancied a bit of a wander. We’d heard that the next beach to ours, Ao Nuan, was a quieter beach with a back packer vibe. They don’t take reservations over the phone so I went there in person. I did find what was described to us as a perfectly formed small bay, a bit rocky but with enough sand to call it a beach. It then dawned on me that this could have been the beach my Aunt and I spotted a monitor lizard way back in the 80’s. We both screamed and ran back the huts with Auntie T breaking off a toe nail in the process! Back to 2009. these huts and bungalows were now set in the jungle behind the beach. Unfortunately they were fully booked and the staff told me to come back later to see if any rooms were free. After agreeing to do this I continued to head south on a bit of a jungle trek (well, a meander through some bushes really) and came to Ao Cho, the next beach. The path led me to Wonderland Resort, a real old style Thai resort with simple wooden bungalows and a lazy restaurant full of sleeping dogs and grandma on the hammock. Perfect. It was here I remembered my Thai shopping bartering phrases and managed to get a 600 Baht bungalow down to 400 Baht (just under 8 quid a night) if we paid ten days worth up front. The bungalow was right on the beach and Ao Cho seemed a lot quieter then Ao Phutsa. This seemed too good to be true, so I told the lady I’d be back and continued along towards the next beach just in case. The next two resorts on Ao Cho were slightly more up market and over our budget but I did notice a few bungalows on the rocky headland heading to the next beach, Ao Wong Deuan. These were called Blue Sky Bungalows and the guys running this place had a real surfer vibe to them. Their restaurant was also set on the rocks with a great view of the beach. I also managed to get a deal for 400 Baht a night for a bungalow facing the ocean on a rocky outcrop but Ao Wong Deuan is a busy place with tons of bungalows, full of speed boats and jet skis – not what we’re after. I decided to turn round and return to show E the photo’s I had taken with our digital camera and we decided on Wonderland Resort. We just wanted to wake up in the mornings, see the ocean and wander into the sea.
The next day we actually bumped into R Canada and met his girlfriend M on Ao Phutsa. We remembered he said he’d be going to Koh Samet when we met them back at the condo in Bangkok – small world! Unfortunately our conversations were rushed as we were all checking out of our respective rooms at midday but we promised to hook up and go for that drink when we returned to Bangkok. It’s nice to meet people who are so generous and open when you literally don’t know a soul in a new country.
After we checked out, we moved to Wonderland Resort...
...and into our absolutely tiny bungalow with quite probably the worst indoor décor I’ve ever seen. Fake pink satin curtains against a horrible itchy blue bedspread anyone?
You get what you pay for. I had to ask the staff to fix a hole in the roof to stop the mozzies getting in. But, who cares – we’re almost on the beach itself. That night we go to Silver Sand Resort for some drinks at an absolutely fantastic bar with Thai lounge cushions on the beach itself. I discover Chang beer. Think Stella, but cheaper and stronger. Mmm.
The next morning, with a slightly sore head, we were woken up at 6am by our transexual neighbors snorting god knows what. I suppose with my hangover and a sense of guilt towards E that the first few days on Koh Samet hadn’t been the screensaver I was promising her back in Acton, I asked the staff through bleary eyes to move us somewhere else. They moved us to another bungalow set further back from the beach – a bigger room with a bigger shower room for the same price. This’ll do but I was starting to realize that I had made a HUGE mistake in paying ten days up front for somewhere as our payment was non-refundable. I suppose I just got too excited seeing the view from our front door.
Our second day on Ao Cho was turning into something out of a David Lynch movie. From being woken up by a transsexual snorting (enter drug of choice here) at 6am at the first bungalow, to seeing this on my way to the beach:
Yes, that’s right. A massive pig on a leash with sore, leaking eyes. Wiping that image out of my mind, I attempted to get some sun on my blue English legs so that they would at least turn white. It was still overcast so I headed back to the bungalow in a bit of a huff. Third day on an island off the coast of Thailand and I still looked like Casper the Friendly Ghost. E was still asleep when I got back so I read my book on the porch outside our bungalow. The morning’s surreal start was starting to wane until a couple of Thai kids ran up to me and said ‘Mister! Look!’. A girl then held up a polystyrene cup full of water. Not sure what to say I just said “Hmm, yes, water!” hoping that they wanted to practice their English. Instead, she triumphantly pulled out a live flapping fish as if it were a rabbit out of a hat. In my hung-over stupor, all I could think to do in this situation was clap like a moron. They scampered off.
It was time to wake up E and go for a walk. We headed south to Ao Wong Deuan to get to the ATM they had there and of course the first thing I see as we head over the rocky outcrop is a white dog with eyebrows painted on his head.
Ok, this is what today is going to be like. Don’t fight it. Ao Wong Deuan on closer inspection is actually a fantastic beach if you don’t mind a bit of noise. Everything you need is there from an internet café to shops to restaurants to bars and it still manages to retain a laid back feel. The bungalows are slightly pricey but if you’re here for a short time and just want everything nearby then I suggest you check this beach out first. I remember playing baseball here as a kid because it gets quite large when the tide is out.
Tonight we ate at Tongta Restaurant on the northern end of our beach, Ao Cho.
I’ve noticed more people have ‘Farang Fatigue’ since being back in Thailand and I don’t really blame them. I’ve seen how tourists can get and if you witness swathes of us coming through, day in and day out, then you’re gonna lose that initial charm that brought us all here in the first place. Either way, we got tired of the staff at Wonderland just ignoring us in the restaurant (the other extreme!) and we made Tongta into our regular dinner place. Check out the fish we had if you can see it under all those veggies…
Monday – nothing to report as the sun has got his hat back on at last. Just chilling on the beach. E getting into her new camera. Stress from the move starting to disappear.
Tuesday? The opposite. We wanted to hire a quad to explore the island and went to Ao Wong Deuan to hire one. We were asked to pay 1500 Baht for 24 hours rental of the quad. I signed some forms. He asked for my drivers license. I handed over the cash. I checked the tread on the tires, all good. He showed me how to drive it and we were off! After a couple minutes I realized that in order to drive in a straight line I had to steer slightly right. Ah well, no worries, this little thing had to be slightly wonky as the road’s here are dirt tracks and months of driving over this terrain is bound to give any vehicle a couple minor problems. That was fine until we went down hill and I realized the brakes weren’t working. I gave the acceleration a little slack and this seemed to help but by this time we decided to take the quad back and swap it for another one. I turned round, headed over the crest of the hill we had just come down and as we descended the front left wheel fell off.
I’m not going to write much more about this as just thinking about it riles me. Ok, it's actually bloody hilarious but the people who rented it to us tried to blame us for the damage. Luckily a couple of kind souls had passed us just after and the lady traced our tracks back picking up bits of the wheel as she went. That’s our witness right there and her husband knew one of the workers. Someone at the beach still tried to charge us for the pick up truck to get the quad. After I calmed her down and tried to explain that the front wheel fell off her quad and that we could have been killed if we had been going any faster, the money was reluctantly slapped back into my hand and that’s that. We tried to make a statement to the police to save any future injuries (or worse) but got lost in translation and we thought we’d just leave it. I won’t post the name of the place on this blog as, A) it could have been a one off, B) I don’t have the name of the witness and C) we can’t afford any kind of court proceedings with the property owners who rent out the quads. We are, however, happy to answer any questions you may have in more detail if you email us. We’d hate to see something worse happen to anyone else and are currently researching ways to report the company. Did we expect a high standard of health and safety? No, not really. Did we think the quad was going to be in 100% working order? Of course not. Wouldn't have minded a jot if the spark-plug didn't work or the brakes were a bit squeaky. But the sodding wheel falling off?! Mercifully, the sun came out for the remainder of our stay and there isn’t much else to write about apart from the usual: sunbathed, ate lots of seafood, drank Sangsom (Thai rum) and Coke, napped, read books, played cards, met staff that weren’t suffering from Farang Fatigue, cats sleeping on our laps, roosters on crack waking us up at all hours of the night and day, lots of swimming, more seafood, playing guitar and finally E and I got the trots and we both made our acquaintances with the loo quite a lot.
We met a few other travelers who said to us over dinner that in fact the waters off Ko Tao off the southern gulf of Thailand are crystal clear during monsoon season, so take note! On our last day we went on a hike all the way to Ao Wai, passing Ao Wong Deuan, Hat Saeng Thian and Ao Thian on the way. Ao Wai is absolutely gorgeous if you can afford it. There’s only one resort, set back from the beach along winding brick paths, called Samet Ville Resort. Truly a spot for tranquility. On our way back we stopped at Hat Saeng Thian as we noticed a bit of commotion on the beach with someone shouting through a loud speaker. After eating our usual grilled chicken and sticky rice, we noticed that this was a convention by an organization called 'Save the Coral Reef of Thailand' (http://www.savethecoralreef.in.th). They were demonstrating how they were going to replant coral in areas that were once abundant. It was great to finally see something that wasn’t simply a tourist stunt and it involved all the organizations on the island (police, tourist police, nature conservation reps, scuba companies, schools, etc).
At last our entrance fee to the park seemed to be going somewhere and was a great end to a pretty damn good time on Koh Samet. And how much did 12 days and nights cost us each in total? Including travel to and from Bangkok, all the ferries, taxi's on the island, accommodation, all that delicious food, alcohol and miscellaneous other stuff = about 200 quid each (10,000 Baht). Not bad!
We’re back in Bangkok now and back to the grind. E is starting teaching and I'm trying to set myself up as a guitar tutor. Wishful thinking? Yeah. But good old TEFL is here to the rescue if that doesn't work out.
Next time we do anything of note or have any suggestions/tips on living in Bangkok, we’ll update the blog. Thanks for following!
Thank you so much for this blog! I am currently researching our forthcoming honeymoon for Thailand in August and this has really helped. Also, I hope you are writing as well as guitar playing; this blog made me laugh out loud - quite rare for a seasoned blog reader!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kate, much appreciated! Hope you're honeymoon goes well, if you have any questions please contact us at ohmytravels dot gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteCurrently on Koh Samet in 2015. Firstly, your dog with the seemingly painted on eyebrows is still here ...lol (saw it two days ago, still sleeping on the beach). Secondly, yeah it is still has the dullest staff attitudes in Thailand (bored / huffy etc) but then again it has always been like that on Samet (at least from my memories, first visiting it in the late 90s and then several subsequent visits). Now the biggest changes are rampant building and food prices which quite frankly are taking the p**s for Thailand. Even on Koh Samui, you wouldn't be charged 80 Baht for a simple Pad Thai, nor would a Green Curry cost B120 ' before' Rice (20 Baht). I'm not sure if Samet ever became flashpacker by choice. Travellers simply found themselves priced out of beach bungalows due to greed. Chinese investors bought the buildings (they can't buy the land itself) and raised bungalow prices many fold.
ReplyDeleteI do whinge every time I return for a few days while in Bangkok for something and needing respite from the city air, but Samet can still (just) fulfill the purpose of a beach break (albeit, now littered with trash and rubble in places as you mentioned). It has become not a slightly more expensive alternative, but a total cash cow now. I take it on the chin so I can get a tan not far from Bangkok.
Euro travelers are a real minority here now compared to say up to the mid 2000s. It has become a Chinese and Korean playground. Younger Euro travellers now mostly reside in rented rooms on the way from Nadan Pier. How things change, aye? Nostalgia!!