Michael Lyons
2007-12-18 until 2007-12-22 |
Thai Bamboo Guesthouse Resort, Cha Am, Hubkapong Rd.
This is a wonderful little hideaway that is a far cry from the craziness of Bangkok. I still can not believe it was less than a 3 hour taxi ride from the airport! I will admit that the concept of the place will not appeal to everyone. It is definitely a place for people who are highly flexible and enjoy a group oriented vacation. Those looking for absolute privacy or a more robust nightlife are better of staying at a resort in Hua Hin.
Thai Bamboo Guesthouse is quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Due to the location of the place, guests are pretty much dependent upon the owners, Rutger and Net, for meals and transportation. Yet, the approach they take towards the guests is very laid-back and respectful. There is absolutely no pressure whatsoever to join the daily tours they offer and they even do a daily shuttle run to the beach for the guests. I thought the food was excellent (for 250THB per person it is a fantastic value and beats having to hail a taxi and go into town.)
The only thing I can find anyone having a problem with is the group oriented nature of the place. Since there are only 4 bungalows, the owners request that all guests eat together and depart for the daily shuttle runs at the same time. I like this style of travel as I enjoy meeting new people, but perhaps there will be some who need to have their own schedule for everything.
Overall, I found this place to be a fantastic value for the money. I really appreciated how Rutger and his wife provided services at reasonable prices. In my experience, most places like this in Thailand are highly opportunistic and take advantage of captive guests at every opportunity by price gouging everything imaginable. I did not find that to be the case here though.
I recall the beer at the place only costing 55THB a bottle, a very small mark-up over 7-11, and for 3 straight days of tours which included the national park, multiple runs to the beach, and Huahin town the total bill for my wife and myself was just slightly above 3,000THB. I honestly thought they had miscalculated as a private taxi for as far as we went would have been 3 times the amount we paid.
I really enjoyed this place and really want to go back for a week next time. From what Rutger told me, he is new to sawadee.com and is trying to market himself to a more diverse crowd. While his place caters mostly to Germans, he and his wife both speak excellent English and communicating with them was no problem at all. I recommend this place to anyone who wants a personal touch during their stay in Thailand while venturing off the beaten track.
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no problems, everything went smoothly.
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