transport to Chao Lao

[Sri Shina]

Is  there  public  (shared)  transportation  to  Chao  Lao  from  Chantaburi?  I  have  read  that  I  would  need  to  hire  a  taxi  to  go  there.  I  am  totally  unfamiliar  with  Chantaburi  other  than  the  bus  station.

Thank  you.

[Tim207]

As far as I know, the only way is to hire a taxi, unless you rent a motorbike and drive yourself.

[gomangosteen]

Hi Sri Shina, there's no transport services to Chao Lao, other than what you can organise yourself

 

Have you booked a resort? Some do have their own vans and may be able to arrange pick up for you

 

There are always taxis at the bus station, though English-speakers would be rare, unless you can speak Thai, having the name and address of your resort accommodation maybe useful

 

It is approx 32km from the bus station in Chanthaburi city to Chao Lao if that is where you are arriving at. We live about halfway, Tha Mai, and if we needed a taxi (no tuk tuks, Nissan pickups with a cover over the back) it's 150-180 baht.  Guess you'd pay twice that to Chao Lao, fair enough there's no chance the taxi will get a passenger going back - same has happened to us late night to Tha Mai.

 

Chao Lao. The swimming beach is past the point with the pier. Far end of beach is Laem Sadet, aquarium and the estuary of Khung Krabaen, an environmental site, mangrove conservation area, boardwalks, kayak hire... 

 

Enjoy your stay

[Sri Shina]

Thank  you  both  for  replying.  Gomangosteen,  you  have  really  gone  to  great  trouble  and  can't  thank  you  enough.  The  picture  is  fantastic  and  you  have  given  me  a  sense  of  orientation.  I  do  want  to  visit  the  aquarium.

I  don't  have  a  reservation  and  am  a  budget  traveller.  Chao  Lao  seems  sizable  so  am  surprised  there  isn't  more  available  transportation.  I  guess  being  a  primarily  Thai  resort  most  visitors  have  their  own  vehicle.  I  did  read  somewhere  that  there  may  be  minivans  going  from  an  area  near  the  university  but  that  sounds  too  uncertain  for  me.  I  am  hoping  that  if  I  go  midweek  I  will  find  a  reasonably  priced  guesthouse  off  the  beach.  I  found   Fab  Hotel  on  Agoda  for  $11  and  has  some  excellent  reviews.  One  guest  stayed  a  week  and  another  3  weeks  so  how  bad  can  it  be?  I  am  usually  able  to  get  a  phone  number  or  even  better,  an  email,  and  contact  the  hotel  directly  but  in  this  case  I  have  had  no  luck.  Do  you  think  there  are  others  in  this  price  range?  Do  you  have  any  suggestions  on  how  I  might  look  up  a  phone  number  online?

I  will  try  to  find  someone  to  write  the  address  in  Thai  for  me.  The  prices  quoted  for  a  taxi  seem  reasonable  but  will  I  get  an  inflated  Farang  price?  I  am  in  Trat  where  I  have  been  several  times  before.  The  songtheauw  mafia  here  is  alive  and  well.  It  has  to  be  the  worst  place  in  Thailand  for  this.  

Thanks  again!

 

[gomangosteen]

Sri Shina when do you intend to travel?

We're staying at friend's resort in CL this weekend can get some resort names, numbers for you

Fabb - I went through when it opened 3-4 years ago, looked good day the time, they often have banners outside offering weekday discounts

In general the cheaper resorts 700-1000 a night, up to 12,000 for the luxury ones, depends on your budget and expectations. Chao Lao area has at least 140 resorts (I tried to count while cycling) at various standards and prices. Holiday weekends weve been through and all fully occupied, but out of season, lots of choice

 

 

[Sri Shina]

Thank  you  Gomangosteen.  I  truly  appreciate  your  offer!  I  am  here  in  Chao  Lao  now.  I  really  like  it.  The  songtheauw  ride  was  300  B,  so  you  were  right  on  the  money  with  that  one.  There  are  actually  many  resorts  for  only  350 B.  Fab  has  a  sign  out  front  for  500  but  the  super  owner  said  he'd  discount  to  400.   Unfortunately  the  bed  was  miserably  hard.  I  am  glad  the  taxi  waited  and  took  me  to  a  couple  of  other  places.  I  am  at  Tonwa.  The  bungalows  are  very  nice  and  clean,  big  fridge,  A/C,  king  bed  and  terrace  for  400.  And  it  is  closer  to  the  center  of  things.  I  thought  the  bed  was  slightly  better  than  some  of  the  others  but  not.  Then  this  morning  someone  checked  out  of  a  smaller  unit  and  the  bed  is  much  better.  I  may  be  able  to  sleep  tonight.  It  is  nice  that  a  beach  town  caters  to  all  budgets.  I  will  stay  for  a  week  or  more.  Yesterday  there  was  a  market  near  the  roundabout.  Very  happy  I  came.  I  can't  thank  you  enough  for  your  help!  Have  a  wonderful  weekend.  Looks  like  a  scorcher  coming  up.

[gomangosteen]

Hi

Hope you enjoyed yourself. Nice relaxing weekend for us...

 

A few pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sri Shina]

Great  photos!  Mine  aren't  quite  that  good.  Don't  you  love  the  spotted  rays?

 

I  am  still  here  and  really  liking  it.  Paid  for  a  month!  Someone  else  checked  in  at  the  same  time  but  only  stayed  two  nights  because  of  it  being  too  quiet.  Different  strokes,  as  they  say.

 

It  is  busy  this  weekend  of  course.

 

 

[Chao Lao Beach]

Looking at these pics, I truly miss that place