Back to Bang Saen

Back in 2015 I went to Bang Saen and wrote this review of my experience. Four years later I thought it was about time to go again, and boy I’m glad that I did.

If you’re a bit Hi-So then you probably wont like Bang Saen. If you demand your beaches to be spotless and like those on postcards then give it a miss. If you want to try somewhere where foreigners are in short supply and seafood is not crazily priced then you should give it a go.

Where is it?

Something great about Bang Saen is that it’s just over an hour away from Bangkok and there are hourly vans going there from Ekkami bus station if you don’t have your own wheels. Geographically it’s between Chonburi and Pattaya. The last van to Bangkok leaves at around 6-7pm.

Imagine the town as a giant ‘U’ where the base of the U is the beach and the two sides are the main roads where most accommodation is based. The beach itself is around 2km long. The east side is the best place to base yourself.

Is it a mini Pattaya?

I didn’t see any adult bars or clubs nor people selling themselves along the beach road. Maybe it does happen but it’s pretty different from Pattaya in my opinion. There are loads of Thai families and plenty of students from the university which dominates part of the town.

Also there is a distinct lack of foreigners. With the university there must be some foreign professors and I did see some in the evening. However, in terms of tourists, I think it must be around 90% Thai people who visit Bang Saen.

The beach is crap, right?

Bang Saen doesn’t have golden sand or crystal clear waters. However the beach was cleaner than my previous visits there. The water wasn’t terrible either and plenty of people were swimming in the water or zooming around on banana boats.

However the beach is sandy, relatively clean and is the closest place to Bangkok where you can feel sand between your toes and have a little feel of a trip out of the capital.

It has seafood?

Seafood is available throughout the town. Most people choose to grab a deckchair under an umbrella on the beach for the day and get one of the nearby stalls to bring over food and drinks.

The seafood is cheaper than major tourist destinations is up there with the best seafood I’ve had in Thailand. The menus are in English and Thai and all have prices on. Later in the day some places offer discounts as they try to use all the seafood they purchased in the day.

Drinks are also pretty reasonable. You can also go to one of the many conveinice stores around and bring your own drinks if you prefer.

Hawkers will also come around selling snacks and other food.

Deckchair, banana boat and jet ski rentals…

We traveled on a public holiday and on the first day deckchair rentals were more expensive. Midweek you’ll get cheaper prices.

On the public holiday the vendors wanted 300 baht for an area of six chairs and an umbrella with a table. The next day, a Tuesday, it was 60 baht. Midweek is the way to go as the beach was around 90% quieter. However, on the Tuesday a Chinese group arrived and were fleeced 480 for their six chairs so watch out for that…

Jet skis, banana boats and rubber rings are available for rent. I’m not interested in those type of things but, judging by the constant line of screaming kids on banana boats, I guess they’re pretty cheap.

Where to stay

As I said above there is a main road running inland at each end of the beach. The eastern end has more foreigner friendly restaurants and hotels. That side also seems to have nicer establishments and is closer to the transport links.

I stayed at the In Clover apartment / hotel around five minute walk from the beach. I paid around 550 baht for the night and it was cracking for the money. There are loads of other similarly priced places in that area. On my previous trip I stayed at the opposite end of the beach and I didn’t enjoy it as much, stay on the east side, between the beach and hospital.

There are are range of accommodation options, some resorts are just off the beach and cost up to 4,000 per night.

Where to eat

As I mentioned in my previous article you cant go wrong with the Cafe Kantary in Bang Saen for a decent breakfast (and other non-seafood lunches and dinners). It’s great value and the service is top notch too.

We also had a great dinner at Bambuse’ which did a range of Thai food and steaks. Special shout out for their milkshakes.

Obviously most people go to Bang Saen for the seafood. Most restaurants serve seafood throughout the town but the best way is to eat it on the beach which a cold drink and a view of the sea.

What can I do there?

We traveled without a car so missed out on some of the further away places to visit such as Khao Kheow Open Zoo but there was still enough to keep us busy for a couple of days.

We hired a songthaew to take us to Khao Sam Muk where there’s a viewpoint, Chinese temple and the chance to see / feed monkeys. It was pretty nice but it could have done with a cafe or something to relax at and enjoy the view.

A surprising highlight was the aquarium at the Bangsaen Institue of Marine Science which is attached to the university. Normally 220 baht for adults, I got the Thai price of 80 baht with a quick flash of my work permit. Inside were a range of species and a special feature on jellyfish which was something quite different. There was also the chance to look through microscopes at baby jellyfish, something I’d never experienced before. As the aquarium is linked to the university there were lots of students who I guess either volunteer, or are forced, to go around giving guests information bout the sea life on display. I was thoroughly impressed.

The beach is obviously the major draw. It isn’t stunningly beautiful but, with a book and cold drink, it is a great place to be, especially if you spent too long in Bangkok. The quiet midweek is perfect for recharging batteries and the hawkers aren’t too pushy. There’s a nice vibe.

Day trip, one night, two nights a week?

Whilst you could certainly make it a day trip from Bangkok, I’d recommended at least one, if not two nights there. More than a couple of days and you’ll be running out of things to do unless you have your own car to explore other local attractions.