Thread: MaeRamPheung and beyond, Rayong

I'm not really much of a beachgoer, and when I feel like a few days away from Pattaya, Rayong does it for me. It's a comfortable 90 minute drive away from home, and good road all the way- mostly just down Route 36, which conveniently bypasses Rayong city.



Here's a warts and all view along the Beach- notice the strewn plastic bags and stuff conveniently left as a Thai calling card. Actually, being late in the rainy season the Beach is prolly not at it's best, but it's got everything I want- food, beer, cheap rooms, a few farangs around and plenty of Thai tattiness.Those shacks you see above all sell seafood from the local fish markets, and they are good and cheap.



Looking the other way, towards the fishing pier and Rayong. There are fish markets also in Ban Phe, which is about 6 km away in the other direction. It's a good place to eat seafood here.



Sunset, Mae Ram Pheung.

MRP has got local character- if your idea of a beach is a nice manicured resort type place, you would prolly be best going to the Rayong resort in between MRP and Ban Phe. It's 4 or 5 star, but still a bargain compared to Ko Samet.

By the way- thats Ko Samet you can see on the far right of my top piccie above. Yep, the Thai government wants 400 Bht off you just to go there, and the charge you 10 Bht just to use the toilets in the ferry. I think I'll stick to the Mainland.



We sat down for a couple of beers, while the girls went off in search of a suitable room. In the complex of crumbling shophouses above, there are a fair few rooms for rent. Just ask at Mikels or Lai's restaurant. But theres places all along the beach- you can find something to suit your budget or lack thereof. We got rooms in the above complex.



Pretty spacious really, although the bedroom itself consisted of a bed and a chair.



But not a bad view for 450 Bht, and they have those all important verandahs for me to smoke on.

What follows is a bit of a photo essay on the toilets- let the pic's do the talking.



Ladies First.

Men to follow-





Even the approach is very nice-



Yep, these Loo's have actually won awards for 'best Thai toilets'. Yet another reason to seek this place out.

Originally Posted by sabang

Yep, these Loo's have actually won awards for 'best Thai toilets'. Yet another reason to seek this place out.

I think DD is in the car as we speak!!

I used to live in Rayong. There is a good map available of Rayong Province.

I think that is the beach on which if you go as far west as you can there is a very secluded resort on the end of a spit of land. I used to go there for lunch and read a book. No one on the beach.

I think I have been to the resaurant where the toilets are it's about 400m off Sukhumvit behind a tall artifical rock looking wall. Very pleasant but not small.

If in Rayong and need a break I can recommend a local coffee shop. On Sukumvit west of the centre take the road towards PMY and turn right at the first junction towards Bumrunggrad Hospital the coffe shop is about 400m along on the right.

I remember a couple of really good and cheap seafood places if you go all the way to the east end of the beach.

Originally Posted by VocalNeal

I used to live in Rayong. There is a good map available of Rayong Province.

I think that is the beach on which if you go as far west as you can there is a very secluded resort on the end of a spit of land. I used to go there for lunch and read a book. No one on the beach.

Thats the Rayong Resort- said to be very nice indeed.

Originally Posted by Begbie

I remember a couple of really good and cheap seafood places if you go all the way to the east end of the beach.

Yep, been there once. Actually they are all pretty good and cheap along the Beach, although the ones nearest the fishing Pier might be a bit cheaper still. My visit to this end was slightly soured though by the number of mangy stray dogs hanging around my feet.

There's some lovely little beaches with clean white sand and shady she-oak trees as you head east from Rayong. Went thru their a few years back and didnt see another Farang. Lots of Thai families though. Think it must have been a weekend. And of course, where you find Thais you always find food stalls.

Originally Posted by sabang

Au contraire- thanks for being pedantic. I must check this one out then.

Actually the Rayong Resort is on a sand spit too- said to be very nice because the place has beaches on both sides. I might check it out next trip.
Rayong Resort Beach and Spa Retreat, a private hotel with 5 star and luxury beach near Pattaya, Thailand

The one I used to go to is Baan Pae Cabana, I now know. It gets mixed reviews maybe it was newer when I went:-( One said the beach was unuseable. So don't make make a special trip based on my discordant ramblings

I have been to Rayong Resort but not stayed. A bit big for me.

On another tack have you been to one of my favourite restaurants for ambience in Ban Chang? Just along the road from Purimas but before Baan Priyapat. Again I can't remeber the name but one sits on the beach under pine trees with ones feet in the sand.

Someone had mentioned the Beach around the Novotel Resort was very nice. It's probably about 6-7 Km's out of Ban Phe, but the road turns inland, which threw me a bit. You can no longer see the sea. Anyway, just when I was starting to think I'd got it wrong, there was the Novotel. We cruised on for half a Km, did a U turn, and just chanced it by turning down a track leading to the Beach, just a short while before you get to the Novotel. It's only about 300m down the track, and quite a gem I thought.



The first thing you notice is there is a fair size speedboat operation there. They do charters around Samet and surrounding islands. The next is that the beach is clean, the water pristine and it's all really quite nice.



This is Thailand, and as luck would have it there was a nice little bamboo Bar just a few metres away from the speedboat operation. At 60 bht for a beer, we settled down for a few.



I guess they get their business from passing trade from the Novotel and another nearby resort, plus maybe a few speedboat customers. Nobody there when we were there though, and we had a few beers. Very nice people too that run it.



A couple of Euro's walked by.

Looking out.




Further down the Beach, a group of Thai were having some sort of work picnic, which obviously involved playing ringa roses. They seemed to be having a whale of a time. The speedboats were starting to come in now.



All good things must come to an end however, and we headed back to MRP after sunset. A very nice day.

gps co-ordinates would be a nice addition to these threads.

Back in MRP, it was a meal and some more booze ar Mikels German restaurant, which is really quite good actually. It felt like a long day.

Next day was a lazy but boozy effort. We went no more than 100 metres from our room. Lunch and afternoon refreshments were on the Beach shack directly opposite our rooms, which I had wanted to check out.

Another nice seafood meal, plenty of booze and a relaxing afternoon under the trees by the beach.



To me, this beats baking yourself in the hot sun, Western style.


All seems perfectly comfortable and civilized to me anyway.

Sunset was coming.


Mikels was calling for some proper farang stodge.


Check out the size of those meals- I had a jagerschnitzel, Jacko a mixed grill, the ladies shared a spag bog and salad. I was half pissed by now.



So was Jacko.



Easy to get to, relaxed and doesn't break the Bank. I like the Rayong beaches, and MaeRamPheung seems as nice as anywhere to stay.

Originally Posted by baldrick

gps co-ordinates would be a nice addition to these threads.

My primitive instructions hopefully will suffice baldrick- I have no GPS.
Not hard to get to though- MRP is clearly signposted off Route 36, a few km's beyond Rayong. Ban Phe and beyond, just follow the coast from MRP.

Great piccies and thread Sabang