After a week in Thailand we took a break in Rayong, which is about three hours drive from Pathum Thani. It’s a decently quiet coastal area situated Southeast from Bangkok. We stayed at a place called Nice Beach Hotel and of course it’s just across the road from a very long beach that runs for a couple of kilometres. Despite it’s raining season the weather is superb with high volumes of clouds in a variety of shades hovering across a light blue sky.
We travelled here by car with Hans driving their new Chevrolet Captiva AWD 2.0 diesel (which is Holden Captiva here in Australia with a Chevrolet branding). The car is spacious similar to our Hyundai Tucson and easily fitted Fon, Lily, Tai, Gift and Tonkla in the backseat. Fon’s parents and Captain Jirachai joined Am (Gift’s husband) in the second car. We arrived early in the evening and went for dinner at a restaurant deep in the jungle.
The next day morning we went for a swim in the ocean. The waves were a lot less aggressive compared to the Gold Coast which is nice in some ways. I must say it was a fantastic experience since the beach stretching for miles was unoccupied. It was almost as if it was a private beach. It was about 30 degrees but the heat of the sun became less important once my body was submerged underwater.
We swam for a bit then sat on the beach for some refreshments. After chatting for a while we swam again until lunch time. Having our meals served right on the beach under the shades of mass umbrellas is a must have experience. Fresh cooked seafoods include oysters, fish, squid, prawns and crab meat fried rice are some of the delicious dishes we enjoyed. Lunch continued until mid-afternoon by which time Fon’s parents, Gift’s family and Jirachai set out on their journey back home. The remainder of us took rest in the hotel rooms for the rest of the afternoon.
In the evening we went out for dinner and found a German restaurant/guesthouse situated not far from the hotel. If you visit Rayong then you must visit Zur Burg Paradise. Klaus and wife Weena run this fantastic holiday resort for many years. Hans says that he has not had much authentic German food in Thailand for a long time but this place offers exactly that. I had pepper-steak with french fries and salad and finished with Austrian-style pancake served with ice cream. Hans and I also received an offer of a shot of vodka and cherry on the house.
Here are some more photos:
