Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 796

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By plane Happy Air fly to Ranong from Bangkok's
Suvarnabhumi Airport (2 daily, except Tues; 1hr 45min),
Nok Air from Don Muang (2 daily; 1hr 35min). Pon's Place
(see below) have a counter at the airport and organize a/c
minibuses to town or the pier (B200/person).
By bus Most services between Bangkok (15 daily) and
Phuket (7 daily) or other points south stop at the bus
terminal, 1.5km southeast of the centre on Highway 4,
Th Phetkasem. Hourly a/c minibuses to and from Chumphon
and Surat Thani also use the bus terminal. Songthaew #2 or
#6 can take you to the main street, Th Ruangrat (B15).
By boat To get to the islands pier, take songthaew #3 or
#6 (B15) from the market on Th Ruangrat, or #6 from the
bus station, to Saphan Pla 5km southwest, then it's a 500m
walk south from the main road to the pier.
Tourist information There is no o cial TAT o ce in
town, but Pon's Place restaurant and travel agency (see
below) offers good information on the islands, organizes
visa runs to Myanmar and sells transport tickets.

The town's best restaurant, renowned among locals for
its excellent, varied and inexpensive seafood. Plain and
very clean, with an open kitchen and the day's catch
displayed out front, and relaxing patio tables at the back.
Recommended dishes include very good yam plaa duk
foo , shredded and deep-fried catfish with a mango salad
dip (B80). Daily 4-10pm.
★

Nakorn Garden Inn 1/4 Th Pak Nakhon (the road
running east from the train station, about 500m along)
T 075 313333. Large, nicely appointed rooms set on three
floors in red-brick buildings overlooking a tree-shaded
courtya rd. All have a/c, hot water, cable TV and minibars.
Double B445

10

The Andaman
coast
he landscape along the Andaman coast
is lushly tropical and spiked with
dramatic limestone crags, best
appreciated by staying in Khao Sok
National Park or taking a boat trip around
the bizarre Ao Phang Nga Bay . Most
people, however, come here for the
beaches and the coral reefs. Phuket is
hailand's largest island, though it's
overdeveloped and hugely commercial.
Ko Phi Phi and Ao Nang are heading the
same way, but retain their great natural
beauty. he Similan Islands , located
further north, are among the best dive
sites in hailand. Meanwhile, Ko Chang ,
Ko Phayam , Laem Phra Nang and Ko
Lanta have great beaches and a laidback
vibe where you can kick back for weeks
on end. he Andaman coast is hit by the
southwest monsoon from May to
October, when the rain and high seas
render some of the outer islands
inaccessible and litter many beaches
with debris, so prices drop significantly
during this period.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Th Ruangrat is the place to head for a bed and cheap eats.
Asia Hotel 39/9 Th Ruangrat T 077 811113. Very basic
traditional Chinese hotel, though a ll en s uite, very central
and passable for one night. Double B250
Luang Poj Further north beyond Pon's Place at 225
Th Ruangrat T 077 833377. An attractive conversion of a
colonial-style mansion, preserving its polished wooden
floors. Smart, mode rn be drooms, hot showers and wi-fi
throughout. Double B500
Pon's Place North of the market at 92/1 Th Ruangrat
T 081 597 4549, W ponplace-ranong.com. The obvious
place to eat while you plan your next move, offering
Western breakfasts, Thai food, traditional coffee and free
wi-fi. Daily 7.30am-9pm.

KO CHANG
Not to be confused with the much larger
Ko Chang on hailand's east coast (see
p.778), Ranong's Ko Chang is an
ultra-laidback forested island about 5km
offshore, with a charmingly low-key
atmosphere and many long-stay
Europeans. he beaches are connected by
tracks through the trees; there are only a
couple of cars on the island and sporadic
electricity. At the moment, there's barely
any commercial activity on Ko Chang
save for a couple of local mini-markets
and a dive operator, Aladdin, at Cashew
Resort on Ao Yai (also at the islands pier
in Saphan Pla; T 087 274 7601,

RANONG
he multi-ethnic provincial capital of
RANONG is chiefly of interest as a
stepping-off point for boats to Ko Chang
and Ko Phayam. It's well linked to major
towns, being on the bus route from
Bangkok to Phuket.