(Expat Explore) Discover Bang Saen

[Thailand Explore]

 

Thaivisa has teamed up with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and 5 great sponsors to encourage expat travel across all of Thailand. We must thank the Dusit Hotels & Resorts, Blue Haven Bay, The Riviera Group, Global Insurance - for all your Expat Insurance needs and Dan about Thailand for their huge support with this project. 

 

 

(Expat Explore) Discover Bang Saen

 

 

For us expats we are blessed with an abundance of things to see and do in Thailand and it is very much the spirit of Thaivisa's Expat Explore campaign. We were delighted to receive this review of Bang Saen from a fellow Expat in Thailand.

Living in the urban metropolis of Bangkok one frequently has the urge to ‘escape’ and somewhere near the ocean generally tends to be the first option. It’s a great idea and some of the resorts are not far from the city but the problem is that generally about half of Bangkok’s population of 10 million also has the same idea! This creates havoc on the roads on a Friday afternoon as they leave, and on a Sunday as they return.

 

Faced with these challenges we considered Hua Hin, (very nice, about 2.5 hours away but only one road back), and Pattaya. 

 

Bang Saen was actually chosen by mistake, but it proved to be a favourable one! Journey time from Sukhumvit just 1 hour 25 mins and no traffic either there or back! On the journey down we used the Motorway route(it has the advantage of an excellent services area with a vast choice of food), and the elevated Expressway for the return. Road tolls (THB.105) are the same for both.

 

Bang Saen is one of the closest seaside resorts to greater Bangkok but it still retains a ‘sleepy seaside’ atmosphere(until the crowds arrive!). Bang Saen seems to have it’s priorities well organised when it comes to construction, there are no dominating sky scrapers and the highest buildings seem to be limited to 6 or 7 floors.

 

I had booked an apartment through Booking.com, I always use this App as I like the description, accurate location and good pricing. I won’t mention the specific apartment as it was from a private owner but it seems to be indicative of the choice in the area. There are many small hotels and individual apartments offered on Booking.com and this is simply the easiest way to book.

 

We were located in the non-commercial area towards the harbour. Here the beach space is limited but so also are the number of parking space, so less people. Thais arrive here, park up and enjoy their picnic on the beachfront. A nice happy and familiar atmosphere. There are some small café’s for the afternoon, one or two bars and lots of vendors selling food and drinks. Simple and easy.

 

In the evening head towards the main roundabout as this is the more commercial area. Here on the beach road you will find several large establishments. Most offer food and live music, however with the Covid situation this is scaled back. The establishments are rather ‘grand’ in a simple way. For example Scala Bar is a massive establishment with indoor and outdoor seating. Grand design, impressive bar decorations and a range of seating options. Food here is very traditionally Thai but there is a menu in English. All the dishes that we tried were well presented and most enjoyable and the prices very reasonable. This is the type of place that simple Thais will come for an evening of ‘extravagance’. All parties either order a tower of beer or a bottle of whisky with mixers. The prices are reasonable and they can enjoy their evening. Live music used to continue through the evening with the bands changing regularly, however we are not sure when this will return.

 

Saturday morning saw quite a change to Bang Sean as the hordes were descending from Bangkok. The area to the right of the main roundabout is so typical of Thai seaside towns within close reach of Bangkok. It’s well laid out with parking spaces, a promenade and the typical swathe of umbrellas defeating even the smallest of sun rays (Thais don’t like to be in the sun). Rows of deckchairs and ordered like soldiers on parade. Towards the seafront are spaces of parties of 8, further back for 4 people. You have to pay for this privilege and Thb.120 secures you 4 chairs and a rickety table. Vendors descended like mosquitoes with every type of food you can imagine, toys for the kids, tattoos and of course massage. It’s a real Thai experience and good luck to the foreigners who try to fit in these undersized deck chairs!

 

Despite the busy weekend, there was plenty of space for everyone. I must be turning Thai as I did not venture out from the protective coverage of the umbrellas until a massive storm threatened to remove anything that was not tied down.

 

To surmise, If you want to get out of Bangkok for a couple of days and spend time by the ocean without the traffic congestion, then Bang Saen is to be recommended. Don’t expect much atmosphere or even seaside restaurants, just a cheap and easy getaway from Bangkok.

 

Please remember that there is No Smoking on any Thai beaches and this is largely enforced.

 

In these post Covid times situations are changing rapidly. Whilst alcohol sales are now allowed with food in restaurants, bars are not yet open. For up to date information the Tourist Hotline on 1672 is able to provide reliable information in English.

 

Originally posted in 2018, this article has been updated and can be seen at www.MeanderingTales.com

 

 

 

 

[Aspaltso]

 Don’t expect much atmosphere or even seaside restaurants, just a cheap and easy getaway from Bangkok.

 

This is the best way to describe Bang Saen. I lived there for 6 weeks in March, and April of this year, and used to go there on the weekends from Bangkok back in 2019. It really is a town for the Thai population, and you typically don't see too many foreigners. From what I can tell its a place that Bangkok Thais like to go on the weekends, and Burapha University has its university age population going about their activities. The monkey hill area at the far end of Bang Saen is quite nice, and there are some nice apartment/condos down the hill from there. There's also Eric, and Pookey restaurant which is one block away from the beach there, and they have some very nice food;both western and Thai. If you really want to be around other expats you usually can find some folks to talk to there in the Evening. There are some good seafood restaurants if you just take a walk around, but typically not right on the beach. They are on the road to the beach from the main road. The same road that passes Burapha University.