Video of Thong Nai Pan Yai During Pandemic

Take a look at this video clip of a traveller walking down the beach at Thong Nai Pan Yai. It was shot in 2020, at the height of the covid-19 pandemic, when there was no vaccine available. It was the darkest hour for many in the world – stuck at home, fearing they or their loved ones would catch the disease; and, stuck at home wondering if they would be able to pay their bills. 

How this man got to Thailand we don’t know. Why he is unable to say the words ‘coronavirus’ or refer in any other but in a most oblique fashion to the deadly epidemic in Thailand and throughout the world is telling. He wants to have a good time travelling, and that is what he is doing despite the world health crisis. He seems surprised there aren’t any bungalow resorts willing to accommodate him or serve him. The pandemic has taught us to avoid such people because they will most likely give you the virus, since their personal liberty trumps everyone else’s health concerns. He calls it ‘global nonsense’.

He doesn’t deny covid exists but his attitude clearly shows he lacks human empathy. He talks of the loss of business, and the hardship for the locals caused by the lack of business. He doesn’t know much about Koh Phangan or Thailand. Tourists do not enrich the locals unless they have their own business. Wages for waiters and cleaners are so low that many of the jobs are taken by illegal Burmese immigrants! 

As he walks down the beach, he sees devastation. Candle Hut Resort is a shell of its former self. Vegetation is growing through the shower floor of one bungalow. The swimming pool is brown and full of trash. Wood is rotting, paint is peeling. The place is a deserted ghost resort. 

Dreamland Resort is closed. Flip Flop Pharmacy has the smell of cooking. Nice Beach Resort shows signs of being cared for. Here we have a clear list of those businesses owned or rented by outsiders who abandoned their businesses when the flow of tourists stopped. And a list of those whose owners are active in their businesses and have stuck around. 

The ramshackle businesses didn’t want to pay for a caretaker; or they paid for a caretaker who did nothing. All the other staff have been dismissed, no doubt without any furlough payments. It must be cheaper to repair Candlehut Resort after the disaster than to maintain it during the crisis, or there was zero contingency money available. Businesses like Candlehut Resort have been raking in money for 20 years and they can’t shut for 18 months without going to wrack and ruin. That is poor economy.

Anyway, the man liked the sand. He knows a lot about sand it appears. He is correct in identifying the sand as being fine and powdery like the sand in Haad Rin. He is wrong about nearly everything else.

 

Pingchan Beach Resort Opens in Yai

At the start of 2016 Thong Nai Pan Yai welcomed back Pingchan Resort. The resort had been wiped out by a particularly bad storm in the early 2000s. It has taken a long time, but eventually, they have managed to build a new resort where the old one used to be.

Pingchan Beach Resort is located next to Pen's Bungalows. It stretches south and goes in front of the Great Escape Chalets. The most noticeable thing about the new resort is that it has opted to use its beach front not just for its restaurant, but also its bungalows.

So far there are 2 rows of bungalows running parallel to Thong Nai Pan Yai beach. The front row has literally direct access to the beach. Guests don't have to walk through the resort to get to the beach. It is right there, to be enjoyed from the bungalow balcony. Only Rasananda in Noi offers the same level of beach access. There is something wondrous about having an unimpeded view of the beach; and being able to lie on the beach just in front of your bungalow.

The sign on the resort reads 'Pingchan Beach Resort'. However, the internet listing on Agoda has the place called 'Pingchan Koh Phangan Villas Beach Resort'. To add to the confusion, Trip Advisor has named the place 'Pingchan Beachfront Resort'. Well a rose by any other name.

The resort has yet to be finished. So far there is a beachfront pool and a reception and restaurant building. From the look of things there are plans for a poolside restaurant or bar. Considering the high accommodation prices, it is likely that there will also be a Pingchan spa at some point.

Those who can remember the old Pingchan's will remember their bar on the beach. It was a popular, laid back bar that sometimes hosted parties. We imagine the new Pingchan Resort will show the same resolve to provide good customer service and to entertain and engage with customers.

The new bungalows look great. They are all brand new and have no wear and tear. This means these are some of the cleanest and nicest bungalows on Yai. They all come with air-con, hot water bathroom, cable TV, mini bar, safety deposit box and tea and coffee making facilities. The bungalows are made of wood and have tiled floors inside and glass in the windows. While preserving the look of traditional Koh Phangan bungalows Pingchan are providing plenty of luxury.

Families will be interested in the double bungalows for rent. They are two bungalows adjoining and linked by a connecting door. The one half has a double bed for the parents and the other side has twin beds for the kids. Each side also has its own bathroom. One of the family bungalows is on the beach.

Prices for bungalow rental at Pingchan Beach Resort start at 3,800 Thai Baht a night. This is a very new resort; they haven't published their low season or peak season prices yet. So expect discounts and promotional prices over the coming months.

Also expect more bungalows to appear at Pingchan Beach Resort, along with more facilities and amenities.

It should be mentioned they have built a low sea wall in front of the resort to prevent it being washed away in the event of another freak storm. It is good to see that the lessons of the past are being heeded.

To check availability for Pingchan Beach Resort click here

Last Minute Bookings for Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2015

There are those who book their rooms in Thong Nai Pan well in advance, and there are those who for one reason or another wait until November or later to try and get a coveted accommodation in Thong Nai Pan Noi or Yai for the Christmas holidays.

Of the two key days – Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve – the hardest to book is New Year’s Eve. This is no doubt due to the popularity of the New Year’s Eve Party at Haad Rin.

If you are still looking for a room for either of these dates, time is running out. In Thong Nai Pan Noi all the cheaper rooms have gone for New Year’s Eve. Phuwadee and Thong Tapan Resort still have rooms for Christmas. The best you can do for New Year’s Eve in Thong Nai Pan Noi is Buri Rasa. If money is no object (most of us wish) there are still pool villas available at Santhiya and Rasananda.

The situation is a little better on Thong Nai Pan Yai. Both the Four Resort and Starlight Resort have rooms for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Paan Banburi, Nice Resort, Dreamland Resort and Havana Beach Resort have rooms available for Christmas. These will go soon as they are in the mid-range category.

So if you aren’t a millionaire I should book soon to stay in Thong Nai Pan during Christmas and New Year.

For the latest updates on room availability during the Christmas holidays 2015/16 visit Thong Nai Pan Magazine. They have an available rooms update on their front page.

The End Bar and Restaurant

The End is a stylish looking bar and restaurant on Thong Nai Pan Yai beach in front of Candlehut Resort. The publicity photos showing this long ellipsis of wooden decking on the beach with orange bean bags make the bar / restaurant look impressive. Sadly, looks can be deceptive. Early reports suggest both the food and the service are lousy.

Candlehut Resort in Yai has some better quality bungalows on the beach. They have moved away from the original backpacker style of Koh Phangan and offer a more boutique experience. However, over the years the accommodation has started to look somewhat shabby. The difference between the stunning publicity photos of the bungalows and the reality is marked.

The same point could be made of The End Beach Bar and Restaurant: the sales photos of the place make it look better than it really is. The main complaints about The End concern the staff that are inattentive and unfriendly, and the food which is not very good for the money.

The food takes a long time to come out and when it does it is disappointing. The calamari is too rubbery; the Caesar salad has far too much cream and not enough chicken or lettuce; and the Thai chicken with cashew nuts has no real Thai spicy taste to it.

All this is a shame because The End has a great location with the sea in front and the mountains behind. The bean bag seating is cool and there is a water feature with blue lighting that has a funky effect at night.

The End Beach Bar and Restaurant could be so much better than it actually is. No doubt its cool appearance and prime location will pull in plenty of first time punters. It is also not to be doubted that few will return.

I suspect that when TA (that over-rated corporate site) eventually pulls in reviews about The End the management might start to care a bit more about the service and food at the new Candlehut bar. Until then stay away.

Game Bar

Game Bar has long been known amongst travelers to Thong Nai Pan Yai as a late night haven for those looking to party the night away. Situated on the main street, just past the 7-11, Game Bar is now the only destination away from the beach that hosts since Funky Buddha went 'dormant'.

Recently, the establishment overhauled its look and feel, making it more family-friendly by day and expanding its menu. The new Game Bar has comfortable booths, pillow-covered mat seating, plush couches, and picnic tables on a street-side area where diners can enjoy their food in the sun.  The owner Keio has made the effort to make the Western food more as it is 'back home' for a lot of people. Ranging from savory ham and eggs on toast and a variety of pastas, such as the indulgent blue cheese penne (xxx baht), and standard Thai fare, the extensive new Game Bar menu will take time to navigate.

Management has put some time and thought into changing the feel of this place and they’ve been successful in creating a bright, welcoming day-time space, while retaining the evening party trade by night. At lunchtime, you’d never know that come sundown, it’s also the place to party.
Game Bar still stands as a night-time haven for those looking to cut loose without the worry of closing times or disturbing the peace. It’s the regular parties that make this place a must on your Thong Nai Pan checklist if you enjoy a fun night out. On a busy night, the small dance floor spills across the bar, tempting even the most timid of dancers into the fold while listening to the wonderfully quirky DJ Lye,and sometimes, a lucky DJ from afar, spinning mostly dance beats. Expect to have a lot of fun with a lot of happy people.

Game Bar opens bright and early for breakfast and remains open until the last customer standing.

Su's Cafe and Bakery

One of the most noticeable characteristics about most of the small businesses on both Thong Nai Pan Noi and Yai is that they make no effort on promotions. The big hotels have websites and are on most of the major booking engines. They run promotions and they publish press releases. In contrast the little bungalow operations, the small restaurants and bars and the other service providers are virtually invisible to all but passing trade.

One example of this is Su's Cafe. I have passed the sign for the place countless times as I ride my bike into Yai. It’s on the left, on the main road. I always imagined it was some old lady with an oven knocking out a few loaves of bread and a few cakes for the tourists.

It turns out I was wrong. Su is the Thai half of a fully fledged restaurant and bungalow business. The other half is Eric. They are an older couple who seemed to have carved out a nice little niche for themselves on Thong Nai Pan Yai without most people noticing.

Su's Café and Bakery is comprised of a small restaurant, 3 ‘houses’ for rent and 1 bungalow to rent. It is an accommodation option that isn’t on Agoda etc. You can go to their website directly (http://su-cafe-andhouseforrent.com/) or drop in if you want to rent a house. After several years of being open for business Su Café and Bakery has only 1 Trip Advisor review. That kind of warms my heart. I’m sure they provide good service and warm hospitality. It is that they aren’t interested in helping corporate entities like T.A.

The restaurant has German bread, schnitzels, pizza, pasta, salads, steaks and burgers. It is one of only 2 places in Thong Nai Pan to put their menu and prices online. This I like. Whenever I eat in Thong Nai Pan I always feel they are too keen to get the menu away from me, like it contains secret information. Pricing is far from transparent in Thong Nai Pan. Thank goodness Thai Break has stopped as that event drove prices up by 20% for 10 days.

House 1 is 1 bed with air-con, kitchen, fridge, washing machine and UBC TV. House 2 has 2 bedrooms (fan), kitchen, fridge, TV and washing machine. House 3 is for rent or sale. It has 2 air-con bedrooms, a bathtub, kitchen, fridge and TV. The bungalow is a basic fan affair.

The accommodation is set in a tropical garden. It doesn’t enjoy sea views but is peaceful and a good spot to avoid the crowds.

I have never stayed at Su's Café and Bakery. Trip Advisor won’t help you. Why not go and see for yourself?