Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 774

shared cold-water bathroom, but the vi ew of the beach
from the balconies is great. Double B800
Pudsa Bungalows Ao Tub Tim T 038 644030. Smallish
place offering a range of large, sturdy but rather battered
huts, all en suite, but most with cold-water shower only.
There's a beachside restaurant that does BBQs. Double B800
Tub Tim Resort Ao Tub Tim T 038 644025, W tubtim
resort.com. The most popular place to stay here is a
sprawling, well-run resort with over a hundred handsome
chalet-style wooden bungalows of various sizes and
designs, plus a good restaurant. The cheapest bungalows
sport cold s howers, ceiling fans and small verandas.
Double B800

yourself stranded here, as this is a transit
point for many Rayong-Trat buses and a
handy terminus for services to and from
the northeast.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By bus Seven daily buses make the scenic six-hour
Chanthaburi-Sa Kaew-Khorat journey in both directions,
with Sa Kaew (3hr) being a useful interchange for buses
to Aranyaprathet and the Cambodian border (see box,
p.774). Buses to and from all these places, as well as
Bangkok's Eastern and Northern bus terminals, use the
Chanthaburi bus station on Th Saritdidech, a 10min walk
northwest of the town centre.

10

AO SANG THIAN
Ton Had At the very southern end of Ao Sang Thian T 081
435 8900. Welcoming, laidback place offering slightly
battered old-school wooden bungalows, with hot sh owers
and large verandas on the beachfront. Double B800

ACCOMMODATION
River Guest House 3/5-8 Th Srichan T 039 328211. In the
centre, by one of the main river bridges at, you'll find the
traveller-oriented River Guest House , which has fan and
air-conditioned rooms with private or shared facilit ies, so me
with hot showers and river-view balconies. Double B190

EATING
Most visitors to Ko Samet just eat at their resorts, and in
truth there are few restaurants worth making an effort
to get to.
Jep's Bungalow Ao Hin Kok. Popular all-rounder serving
a great menu of authentic Thai dishes (from around B100),
as well as Indian and other international food, at its tables
on the sand, set under trees strung with fairylights and
given extra atmosphere by mellow music. Also does
cappuccino and cakes. Daily 6.30am-10pm.
Red Ginger Diagonally opposite the police sub-station
on the high street in Na Dan village. This cosy and
welcoming Thai-Canadian place serves popular Western
dishes such as oven-baked ribs (B285) as well as much
cheaper Thai dishes. Daily noon-around 10pm, depending
on who's in.

TRAT
he small, engaging market town of
TRAT , 68km east of Chanthaburi, with its
charming historic neighbourhood of
narrow lanes, old wooden shophouses
and lively bars, cafés and restaurants, is a
good place to while away time and stock
up on essentials before heading, via local
ports, to Ko Chang and the outer islands,
or moving on to Cambodia.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By plane The airport is 16km from the centre; a taxi will
cost B500/person.
Destinations Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi; 3 daily with
Bangkok Airways; 1hr).
By bus The bus station is 1.5km northeast of Trat centre.
Songthaews charge B20 (or B60/vehicle) into Trat's centre
and around B50 (B250-300/vehicle) to the island ferry
ports near Laem Ngop.
Destinations

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange There are ATMs in the village and
on most of the main beaches, and the island's bigger
resorts will change money.
Emergencies Ko Samet's health centre and police station
( T 038 644111) are on Na Dan high street, but for anything
serious you should go to the Bangkok-Rayong hospital in
Rayong ( T 038 921999, W bangkokrayong.com).
Post o ce At Naga Bungalows on Ao Hin Kok (generally
9am-4pm).

Bangkok Eastern Bus Terminal (10 daily;
5hr); Bangkok Northern Bus Terminal (9 daily; 5hr);
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (6 daily; 4hr 10min);
Chanthaburi (hourly; 1hr-1hr 30min); Hat Lek (roughly
every 45min; 1hr 30min).
Information The best sources of local information are
Tratosphere, a good secondhand bookshop, 200m east
along Th Lak Muang from the main Th Sukhumvit, at 23 Soi
Kluarimklong, which also has a useful website, W tratmap
.com; and Cool Corner restaurant, with its travellers'
comments books (see p.778).

CHANTHABURI
here's not a lot to see in CHANTHABURI ,
a provincial capital 80km east of Ban Phe
that's famous for its gem trade and its
high-quality fruit, but you may find