Room at the Inn

 Here we are again. Another year ending and a new one soon to begin. We are in the silly season of embarrassing sweaters and eyebrow raising prices for beach accommodation. If you are lucky enough to be staying in Thong Nai Pan for Christmas and / or New Year's Eve but haven't booked a place to stay yet, here are the options available to you. Bear in mind that minimum stay requirements will apply. New Year's is the most coveted time to stay on the beach so this is peak time plus. Some resorts might have rooms available that they are not releasing them through the net.

Thong Nai Pan Noi

Thong Tapan has rooms for Christmas left starting at 1,800 Thai Baht

Sandee Bungalow seems to have forgot its Christmas. Rooms for this time are only 500 Thai Baht. Nothing is available on line for New Year (I suspect they are having a holiday themselves).

Buri Rasa has rooms for both Xmas and New Year. Christmas rooms start at 6,100 THB. For New Year they go for 13,700 Thai Baht.

Santhiya is the second most expensive place to stay during the holiday. Rooms at Christmas start at 9,000 THB and for New Year at 15,000 THB

Rasananda wins the most expensive room prize. Xmas is 13,500 THB and New Year is 21,000 THB. Then there are the compulsory buffets to fork out for.

Phuwadee the pink bungalow eyesores have only Christmas vacancies. Prices start at 1,200 THB a night.

If you are a group of 6 or less people and you don't mind a hill walk the best value private villa rental is Sunrise Villa. Just 9,200 Thai Baht a night. That's the same price as Panviman but for 6 people not 2. The luxury villa is still available for both Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Thong Nai Pan Yai

Dreamland has sold out for New Year's Eve but still have some rooms available for Christmas that start at just 700 THB.

The same is the case with Pingchan . Xmas bungalows cost 5,200 THB a night.

Again Pen's Bungalows is not taking New Year's Eve bookings but they are taking bookings for Christmas. An Xmas bungalow will set you back a modest 1,300 Thai Baht a night.

The cheapest Christmas room on Yai is found at Nice Beach Resort. Rooms start at a bargain price of 650 THB.

And that's it. Longtail in Yai has their own booking system. Candlehut is with r24.org. The other accommodation options in Thong Nai Pan Yai are full. Book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Sunrise Villa is the best villa rental option. The villa is in Noi and has 3 bedrooms along with kitchen and lounge. For 2 or 3 couples sharing this is a great option.

Baan Panburi Re-opens on Thong Nai Pan Yai

Baan Panburi have done the same thing as Flip Flop Pharmacy: after being shouldered out of Thong Nai Pan Noi they have re-opened on the next beach, namely Thong Nai Pan Yai. Is this a trend I see? Are the older businesses from Noi all going to move to Yai as Rasanada slowly buys up the whole beach?

Anyway, this is good news. Baan Panburi became very popular in Thong Nai Pan Noi. The rooms were cheap but had air-con and closet space, and the 'Beach Club' did average food but had a great happy hour. The staff at the Baan Panburi in Thong Nai Pan Noi used to be excellent, especially Boy and the two women (I forgot their names). 

It looks like the new Baan Panburi Village in Thong Nai Pan Yai is very similar to the old one. There's a big restaurant on the beach and the bungalows are made of bamboo and wood and offer great value. Garden Huts are 300 to 600 THB, the Seaview Huts are 900 to 1,500 and the Thai House is 700 to 1,400 THB. The cheap bungalows are fan with cold water and the Seaview bungalows and Thai House has air-con and hot water. The interior of the Seaview looks well done from the picture below.

Although the choice of accommodation types is limited at the moment, they have just opened and are sure to add bungalows and cottages over the following year. 

They are also sure to have a happy hour, regular BBQ nights and Thai dancing for the peak and high seasons. Baan Panburi has a lot of experience in catering for guests in Thong Nai Pan and it will be no doubt a popular place to stay in Thong Nai Pan Yai.

Better than Sex and the Baan Panburi

Changes are a foot again on Thong Nai Pan Noi. Restaurants and accommodation changes on the beach.

Firstly, Pong's new restaurant has finally opened in the place that used to be Pong's Republic near the bridge. The failed night club looks set to succeed as a restaurant. It is an imposing glass and steel construction. with decking and water feature. Pong is a great cook. His Burmese dishes are particularly good. Being positioned at the higher end of the market and considering the position of the restaurant just opposite Luna Lounge, it is a big challenge to the popularity of the Luna Lounge. The battle of the posh restaurants is on.

Accommodation Changes on Thong Nai Pan Noi

Big changes are in progress on Thong Nai Pan Noi beach. As you can see from the photograph above the Baan Panburi has been pulled down. It seems that Rasananda has got the land and plans to expand their row of luxury beach villas with small plunge pools.

For the time being the Star Huts is still standing, but these bungalows are also destined to vanish. The owners of Rasananda have bought this land too and plan to build mid range accommodation under the moniker of Buri Rasa.

Star Huts, a long time favourite with backpackers, will be sorely missed. Some of the people from Star Huts have been given the land next to Tanaporn Massage House. They will build a restaurant.

The Bigger Picture

Much of the road from Ban Tai to Thong Nai Pan has now been completed. It is a high quality road that will last longer than previous parts of the road. The Thong Nai Pan area is destined for preeminence on the island.

There are only 3 outfits that are now beachfront on Thong Nai Pan Noi: Thong Tapan (and Tapan Noi which is owned by the same family), Phuwadee and Rasananda. Since Phuwadee is only leased land this is destined to get swallowed up by Rasananda too. They are the newest business on the beach and yet they are destined to dominate the accommodation on Thong Nai Pan Noi. It is only the locally owned Thong Tapan that is between them and owning it all.

New blog website

Check out: www.thongnaipan.wordpress.com

For lots of information about accommodation, bars and restaurants; as well as travel information and galleries. A good resource for the great beaches of Thong Nai Pan on the lush, unspoiled island of Koh Phangan.