Trip to Ko Samet on Visakha Bucha Day 2005

The trip started at 8.00 h in the morning from Bangkok's Eastern Bus Terminal, Ekamai. We went by Cherdchai 1st class aircon coach directly to Ban Phe in Rayong Province, where the pier of the boats to Ko Samet is located, 135 Baht one-way. The trip took between 3.5 and 4 hours and was reasonably comfortable if you discount the usual trouble with long farang legs. ;-) At least the air conditioning was not blowing at arctic temperatures. At the start of the trip, each passenger was provided with a small bottle of water and a snack.

In Ban Phe, it is a five minute walk from the bus terminal to the ferry pier to Ko Samet. We had bought the ferry tickets on the coach already and - oh happiness - were not overcharged. ;-) 100 baht per person. If you're not in a rush, you can stroll over the local market, but beware of the intense smell of the dried squid. Not everyone's favourite, definitely not mine. Once on the ferry, we had to wait for more than 20 minutes for more passengers to arriv before we finally left. The passage to the island took roughly 30 minutes and was without any positive or negative highlights.

Arriving at Na Duan Pier we went for a quick shopping at 7-Eleven first. (Right, I also wouldn't be surprised to find one at the North Pole.) Then we jumped on a songthaew which took us directly to Saikaew Beach (20 baht per person). Towards the end of the short trip we passed the National Park gate and paid the admission. It's only 20 baht per person. Hm, if you're Thai, that is. For those unlucky fellows who don't look Asian, it's 200 baht...

At Saikaew Beach, we stayed at Saikaew Villa. They have large but pretty basic bungalows with aircon, but no hot shower, 1950 baht per night. I found this quite expensive, but we had no choice since it was only room we could find on the whole island at that time. Remember: if it's a Thai holiday AND a long weekend AND a place near Bangkok, book early. Otherwise...

The actual beach is beautiful. Bright white sand, very smooth. A lot of space too. (Unless you join hordes of Thai holidaymakers on a public holiday...) The sea is perfect too, not too steep, not too shallow. For my taste, there were too many Jet Skis and Banana Boat rides though. But swimming was good anyway.