Rayong
A dog trots across the sand. A group of Thais has sat around a table for a barbecue. An elderly man swims in the sea. It’s a quiet beach, and the main road that runs along the coast doesn’t make any difference. A little further on, young people are sitting in front of a 7-Eleven listening to music, a sports car stops and a man and a young Thai woman get out. The man’s arms are tattooed and he is wearing sunglasses, even though the sun has already set.
We stroll along Beach Road and stop off at a restaurant. Thai dishes are on the menu. Europeans are sitting at the tables: a group of people from Norway. English people, but mainly Germans, most of them accompanied by a Thai woman.
Rayong is not a tourist destination. Foreigners live here who find Pattaya too noisy and the dream beaches on the islands too expensive. It has hardly anything to offer apart from the vacation island of Koh Samet.
It’s a rainy day. We’ve put up in a windowless hotel room and the mood is depressed. At the top of our to-do list today is “laundry”. In search of a laundromat, we get to know the city of Rayong better. While we wait for the wash to finish, we explore Suan Si Mueang Park. A sudden rain shower drives us back. Another attempt while the washing dries. Once across the city for lunch. A busy main road, huge billboards, chaos in the pedestrian zones, an ugly mall, a food court – lunch at last.
We quickly pick up our laundry and drive out of the city to one of the few sights, the Phra Chedi Klang Nam. It is located on the edge of a mangrove forest, through which beautifully laid out paths lead. The information boards about habitats and the mangrove forest ecosystem are poorly translated and lacking in information. Apart from two young couples and a pack of street dogs, we are the only visitors.
It is drizzling. Garbage is stuck in the roots of the mangroves and a rowing team passes us by. Fishing boats bob up and down in the swell.
Wat Samut Khongkharam lies opposite a fishing port. A bridge leads us across to a headland with man-made swimming bays. Street vendors sell fruits and cold drinks, there are nice restaurants and bars and a little more life than the places we visited before. It could be a nice beach, a nice place by the sea, if there wasn’t the view of the gigantic industrial plants right by the sea. Pipes, chimneys, tankers – Rayong’s economy is based on heavy industry and petrochemicals.
The real attraction of Rayong is the offshore island of Koh Samet. Formerly a popular destination for Thais, the small island has now also been discovered by international tourists. We cross over on an old fishing boat. The statue of a giantess welcomes us at the pier. It is the story of Prince Aphai Man, who was captured by the giantess and was able to free himself with a lullaby played on his flute and thanks to a beautiful mermaid.
We leave the crowded pier behind us and head for Sai Kaew Beach. The restaurants and bars are so close together that we can’t tell where one place ends and the next begins. Finally, we find a cozy spot by the water.
Koh Samet was once a pearl. A small island, easy to reach from Bangkok. Fantastic sunsets and fresh air. We may have visited the wrong beaches on Koh Samet, but this island is a bit cramped for us. Too much to do in too small a space. A walk through the jungle – once across the island to the west side – is just the thing.
We take the last boat back to the mainland. Rayong is boring, Rayong is not beautiful. And perhaps apart from Koh Samet, Rayong is certainly not worth a trip. But with its unexcited boredom and mediocrity, it is exactly what expats and long-term vacationers are looking for here: some beach and an affordable life.
Info about our trip
We mainly traveled to Rayong because it was on the way and we wanted to go to Koh Samet. Chris had been there as a child and also a few times later. He had good memories of the island, but we didn’t like it this time. It’s quite possible that the south coast has more beautiful and quieter beaches – we were only on the northern half on our last trip. In principle, you can discover Koh Samet as part of a day trip, it’s really small. Otherwise, Koh Samet is of course also suitable for putting your feet up for a few days – there’s not much to do here and the beaches are rather narrow, short strips – but that doesn’t make them any less beautiful.
Otherwise, skip Rayong if you’re not looking for a place to stay for a longer period of time. But even then, there are more beautiful places (such as the province of Chanthaburi, which in our opinion has quiet and really great beaches).
While Koh Samet is somewhat more expensive (but not comparable to Phuket or Koh Samui), the price level in Rayong province is generally average. There are a few good restaurants that primarily appeal to Europeans, as well as bars. But a varied offer looks different.
In the city of Rayong, we had a real craving for pizza and as we couldn’t find an open Italian restaurant, we stopped off at a branch of the Pizza Company. We hate the food there and don’t know what possessed us. So: forget this fast food chain. Eat something else instead.
Our resort was far outside the city in an area with apartment buildings and condominiums where many foreigners live, mainly Europeans. Even though it was a meeting place for Germans, the cheap food at Pama Restaurant tasted very good. We can also recommend the food at Baankao Resort Rayong.
On Koh Samet – at least in the north-east – the offer is manifold, but not necessarily good everywhere. We went to a beach restaurant and it was fine. Of course, you pay more here than on the mainland.
If you want to experience a really crazy resort, then stay at Tamnanpar Resort (it is located far outside the city, so you should have a scooter or a car). The resort is huge, has a large swimming area with water slides, a very large restaurant, an infinite number of room categories and event halls. The big but: the resort is designed for Asians and accordingly everything is kitschy and a little different. It should also be mentioned that the resort is getting on in years and the cleanliness was okay, but not perfect. The breakfast was also rather poor. We are only mentioning this accommodation here because it was the most bizarre accommodation we have ever stayed in.
One evening we had dinner at the Baankao Resort Rayong. Although we didn’t stay there, the resort made a nice impression on us and the family who run it was very nice and welcoming. They opened their accommodation shortly before the coronavirus pandemic and have been struggling to survive ever since.
There wasn’t much going on in the streets and we didn’t meet many people outside the city either. It may be different in the high season, but we found Rayong to be sleepy, boring and therefore uninteresting for any criminals. There are hardly any tourists here and so there is hardly anything to be picked up. In short, we felt completely safe.
Thai society is very open-hearted and fond of children. It was not uncommon to see a bunch of Thais (mainly women) standing around our boy. The way Thais treat children is different to what we are used to in Europe. We would never go up to a stranger’s child and want to take it in our arms. This happens all the time in Thailand – people don’t even ask beforehand. You should also be prepared for Thais to take photos of your children – often without being asked. They will quickly whip out their smartphone and take a selfie with the blond, little farang (foreigner). Think about how you want to deal with this – from our Western perspective – cross-border behavior. You won’t always be able to prevent it. Be respectful and smile and let your counterpart know that you would like a little more distance. At the same time, you are even more welcome everywhere with children and we were often given preferential treatment (e.g. in queues).
However, don’t expect extra changing rooms anywhere – the sanitary facilities are often in an inadequate condition anyway. So take wet wipes and disinfectant gel with you. You can buy basic baby supplies in any 7/11 or supermarket. Diapers are not cheap and are often only available in large packs. It’s best to leave the baby carriage/stroller at home. The sidewalks are usually too bad and there are too many pedestrians and cars, especially in Bangkok, so you won’t have much fun with it. The most flexible option is a baby carrier.
Rayong is not a tourist area. This means that there is hardly any public transport here and only a few cabs. You definitely need your own means of transportation: either a car or a two-wheeler. However, you can get to Koh Samet by booking transportation from Bangkok or Pattaya.
- A very good introduction to Thailand’s history in general can be found in Thailand’s Political History: From the 13th Century to Recent Times by B. J. Terwiel