category archive: Pranburi, April 2007
Please note that the articles are in chronological order. For all other categories, the latest article is at the top of the list. But due to the 'trip reporting' nature, the sort order has been reversed for the travel categories.
A weekend doing nothing
Sunday, 8 Apr 2007 | Journal
I had been planning to go and sit my ass on a beach for a while. I never got around to doing it in the days leading up to me starting work, even though I was planning to do just that after returning from Singapore. And I figured this long weekend (Friday April 6th was a national holiday) was a good time to do it. I had been trying to book a resort on Koh Samet, which is reported to be amazing but was booked solid.
When I landed in Bangkok, I sat down in a bar in the airport and opened my laptop. I had no idea, didn’t really want to fly to Phuket or Samui, Samet seemed full, so I turned my attention to the west side of the Gulf of Thailand. I ended up selecting a resort in Pranburi, south of Hua Hin. I booked a room, got into a taxi and went home. There I took out all the laundry from a week in India, put my suits away, stuffed some beach clothes and books into Sam and was on my way.
As I had a car with driver at my disposal at all times while I was in Delhi, I had gotten a little spoiled. So when deciding how to get to Pranburi, I soon discarded the option of a VIP bus as I had no idea where the Sai Tai Mei bus station is (and two locations were reported on the web) and I also decided a minibus was not the way to go when I saw (I actually did go out to Victory Monument to take one) it was an old, small and sold-out one. So what did I do? Hail a taxi and ask him to take me for a 330km drive south. We agreed on a price (THB2600/EUR55), got some food and drinks for the trip and took 4 hours to get there. I took his number and he came to pick me up for the return trip as well.
The resort and the beach, can you believe this is PEAK season?
The Privacy Beach Resort & Spa is on Sam Roi Yot beach and the only decent place there from what I have seen. Sam Roi Yot (300 mountains) beach as it happens had been recommended to me by someone because it was surrounded by mountains (duh) and a great get-away. While I agree with it being really quiet, private and serene, the beach itself leaves much to be desired. Lots of twigs, shit from the sea and by no means the blue lagoon type of experience so readily available in Thailand. This resort is a great place to go, if you’re not planning to do anything but hang out and relax. And it so happens this is exactly what I did. I went for the cheapest room which was fine, but if you get a chance and especially if you’re with many people, do get pool-side rooms.
The hotel offers daily shuttle service in the evening (it actually left EARLY! … can you believe it, something that doesnt leave 2 hours late in Thailand!?) to Hua Hin and so I had a chance to have a quick stroll around a city that in recent years has seen a major flood of tourism and is reported to be going ‘down the drain’ by many. It seemed like any beach city to me, so I guess those reports are right. I’ll probably go there again though, as it seems to have more going on than a quiet place like Pranburi which in the end was a little too quiet if you ask me.
However… the entire weekend I did nothing but read, watch a movie, sleep on the beach, relax, sit, look around …. and more of nothing. And it was great! So I’m not complaining.