Trip report: Chumphon

[buksida]

Thought I'd spend a few days in Chumphon over the weekend. The drive down on Thursday was a leisurely 3 hours with the longest time spent getting out of Hua Hin itself. The turn off to where we were staying along Tung Wua Laen beach is about 15km north of the town itself.

Accommodation
We decided to stay at the Chumphon Cabana as it is the only place in the area with a pool and offering trips to the islands ... this was a bad idea. Thinking that May would be off season we'd have no problems there ... wrong. The first thing the snooty receptionist tells us is that we need to change rooms tomorrow (we're not even in yet). Second thing she gleefully passes on is that the price is 50% extra because of a Thai weekend and the place will be crawling with fat Bangkokians very shortly. Ok, 1,950 baht for a thousand baht room, I can live with that. Noticing that the aircon didnt work we requested the "chang" to come and fix it, six hours later nothing was done so we demanded a room change which they finally agreed to. This is the probably the most un-accommodating and non-service minded hotel I have ever stayed in (it was the same last year) so would not reccommend it at all.

Beaches and Islands
To make up for the crappy resort the surrounding area was absolutely stunning. We took a dive trip out to two local islands on an uncrowded boat (there were 55 Thai snorkellers on the big boat, all fighting for the remaining square inch of shade) where marine life and turtles were abundant. One thing that did annoy was that we had to pay 200 baht "park fee" to get into an area that was still obviously being fished. One day the Thais will wakeup and start concentrating on looking after their marine environment rather than stinging foreigners for extra cash.

Back on land there are beautiful unspoilt beaches that put Hua Hin to shame. The area is very under developed and only really attracts local trade. This is part of the charm of Chumphon and its only 3 hours away. I would definitely recommend a trip to the Chumphon area, there are plenty of good guesthouses and restaurants along Tung Wua Laen beach if you can live with out a pool, you'll certainly get better service. The laid back atmosphere and natural surroundings made for a refreshing short break.

[MartinJ]

Great report, i looking for some where extra to go, to keep my girl away from bars

Have you a web site with information on hotel/guesthouse?

i do not care about a pool, but bad service there is no way i whould have put up with what you had to (twice)

I be on a plane home, or a rocket if i could find one

Thanks

[buksida]

Have you a web site with information on hotel/guesthouse?

Unfortunately most of the guesthouse and business operators down there don't have their own websites. The only one that does is the one to avoid!

I'll definitely be checking out some of them next time I go down there.

[rosso]

Hello

I visited the cabana resort 3 years ago and it was a good place to relax some days....I had a bungalow and just remember the great open bathroom.
There was a german guy responsible for the resort and he was quite friendly.
But the weather was terrible...look at the photo



regards
Rosso

[Guess]

.....Thinking that May would be off season......

I am surprised at a seasoned vet like yourself would think that. According to stats (you can see them posted in most National Parks and on the TAT web site for parks (if you can find it) that the high season in Thailand is the last two weeks in April and all of May.

What we get in farang areas is of course completely different due to weather conditions in the more Northern wet and cold climes.

Anyway I stayed in the area twice over the Songkran Period and enjoyed every minute of it. An area to be recomended. Still not too farangised (but catered for) and cheap hotel rates without any hassle about all the kids dossing down in the same room.

[buksida]

I am surprised at a seasoned vet like yourself would think that. According to stats (you can see them posted in most National Parks and on the TAT web site for parks (if you can find it) that the high season in Thailand is the last two weeks in April and all of May.

Most hotels have their own seasonal rates regardless of any stats. Most of the hotels that I have stayed in have peak season from 15th Dec - 15th Jan and high season ending just after Songkran or April 30th which would put May into the low season bracket, hence my query. It has more to do with the volume of expected tourists.

The Thai long weekends usually effect the pricing in hotels that cater primarily for Bangkok tourists so johnny foreigner gets screwed both ways!

[Big Boy]

rosso wrote:

look at the photo

Nice set of scenic photos ........................ahhhh memories! I recognised most of the views.

[Guess]

..........hotels that cater primarily for Bangkok tourists so johnny foreigner gets screwed both ways!..............

That's probably the long and short of it. It should be more for foreigners anyway. The Thais have to work for their money, foreigners just have to find an ATM to get money.

[olmate]

I have not found much positive info about chumpon from reading certain publications and off the internet. But you seemed to enjoy it apart from the hotel. Which island did you get out to, was it ko tao? Can you stay out there?

[Jockey]

I'm thinking about taking a drive down to Chumpon with the girlfriend and our dog (well behaved Golden Lab named whisky)

My question is how feasable do you think it is to take a dog? Would a guest house allow a dog? Would the boat to Kho Tao allow a dog on board (and my girlfriend!)