Rayang Phurin Resort — Hotel in Trat Province

We spent two days at Rayang Phurin Resort in March 2013 and apart from a few day trippers in the afternoons we were the only people there! A private Robinson Crusoe castaway island all to ourselves…||||[Video here: http://youtu.be/kE4lXODeumo ]||||To be honest though, even if the place was full it would still feel like a private getaway, because there are only about eight bungalows in total, and it’s a wide and long beach with lots of seating under the trees to get out of the midday sun.||||Getting here is easy. Just roll up to Kham Nature Resort – the next hotel up from the Maka Thanee Pier on Ao Kao beach. Go to the beach bar and the old guy there will radio the island for a courtesy boat…depending on how busy they are this will only take 15-30 minutes to arrive, and the crossing is no more than five to ten minutes.||||It’s a small boat that pulls up in the shallows, so expect to get wet to your knees. ||||Once on Rayang you have one beach facing roughly south, so the sun rises shining through your bungalow window and sets at the back of the island, with the tip of the triangular beach getting full rays until right at the end of the day.||||That, however, is about it!||||There’s a couple of kayaks for a few hundred Bhat each, volleyball/basketball (if you have the energy), a beach bar for ‘long drinks’ (rum and coke, vodka and coke and G&T) and a restaurant for beer and food.||||But if you have come to Phurin, it’s for a bit of sun-worship, and probably little else – so enjoy the pure white sand, comfy deckchairs and swaying palms.||||Of course you might also be up for some snorkelling – and I’m told that it’s pretty good. However I made the mistake of swimming out at low tide with no mask and ended up with a foot-full of sea urchin spines (ouch!). However fear not…a first aider is at hand! And should you fall foul of one of these spiny menaces then don’t raise an eyebrow when the barman pulls out a slice of lime, a bottle of water and an empty bottle of beer.||||The water washes your foot clean, the lime gets rubbed into the wounds (we’re still not sure why) and the beer bottle – wait for it – gets used for ten to fifteen minutes to gently beat the sole of your foot numb!||||Apparently this does two things – loosens some of the spikes that are nearer the surface and allows them to be removed, and secondly breaks up and neutralises the deeper ones. I’m writing this two days later, my foot hasn’t fallen off and I am walking fairly normally, if a little gingerly.||||But back to the resort. The rooms are basic, but comfortable. We had a fan, a mossie net and a pretty western-standard mattress. The bathroom was OK although the flush packed up for a while and we had to top up the cistern manually with the side-hose. Power only kicks in at 6am and is supposed to go off at midnight, but on our two nights it stayed running until about 4am.||||The restaurant was – understandably with just the two of us – running at a bare minimum. English amongst the staff was limited (almost non-existent), but not as much as the menu…because the cooks had ‘gone home for a few days’. So we had to ‘slum it’ with the lunch menu…which proved to be no bad thing because the yellow curry was excellent (if a little thin the second night), and the value was great.||||Breakfast is ordered the night before (as well as specifying a time) – but it’s a bit of a lottery what you will get unless you are absolutely clear on the order form!||||The only other gripe was ‘flies with everything!’ – it may have just been the time of year, but we were swatting the little sods off everything pretty much constantly. These weren’t mainly the sand-fly variety, just your common-or-garden ones…so just an annoyance rather than a bite-hazard.||||However that said I still came away looking like a pin-cushion, so there must have been some active mosquitoes or something similar doing the rounds as well.||||I can’t sign this review off without giving a mention to the two beach-dogs and the hotel cat. Three lovely characters, and if anyone actually sees the dogs catch a crab or a fish I’d love to hear about it. The cat may sound like it is in pain, but I think that MREEEAAAGGGHHH is just...

This really is an amazing little island!||||It's impossible not to relax while you're there, as even when the island's only (mini) resort is full, there's a maximum of probably twenty people there including the staff! That's however not including the day-trippers, but these tend to blend in nicely and are only there for a few hours; the most you're "bothered" by them can be at lunch time if everybody decides to eat at the same time, but not really a big problem and Nan and the rest of the team always work hard to give everybody the required attention. ||||And the staff really is a friendly bunch that will do whatever they can to make your stay as comfortable as possible within the framework that is necessary for a resort to function on an island of this size and type: all freshwater is imported from the mainland and electricity is produced by generator. Therefore electricity is only available to guests between 6 pm and 11 pm, and conserving water is encouraged and greatly appreciated.||||The huts/bungalows are a bit basic, but there are fans and insect nets in the bedrooms and running water and showers (and regular toilets) in the bathrooms, so you've really got all you need to get by. I'd probably recommend the bungalows by the beach as they're literally on the beach, and you can truly enjoy the sounds from the sea from there. For me, the main idea of staying at place like this is to enjoy the view, the calm, the atmosphere and the warm and clear water.||||There's a quite capable restaurant on the island, with a fair menu and reasonable prices. The kitchen is closed from 2 pm to 5 pm, but you can always get your hands on a cold drink or a cup of coffee, and breakfast is served whenever you like. ||||Transportation to and from the island is included in the room rate, and is carried out with the resort's own little motor boat. ||||While you're there you can rent kayaks - and possibly also a small katamaran - go snorkeling right off the beach, or just hang out on the beach or by the bar/restaurant. ||||The whole family wished we could have stayed longer and that we'll have the opportunity to come...

This is the only resort on a tiny island in front of Koh Mak, you get there by private boat - the Rayang resort boat goes a couple of times a day and charges 200 baht normally return to and from Koh Mak. The resort itself is quite expensive, we paid 3500 baht for a 4- person bungalow with electricity only available between 5:45 late afternoon and something like 3 at night, and the generator is noisy! It is all very, very basic with a primitive bathroom and only cold water showers. The rooms have an electric fan (but you can use it only within the hours that electricity is supplied). Breakfast is included and not bad. ||The owners are very friendly and helpful, they have sea kayaks and some snorkeling gear for rent. ||The beach is nice and quiet with white sand and lots of shells. Behind it there are shady trees with lots of benches and tables in quiet corners. There is a view top which is a fantastic place at dusk and dawn. There is even a beach bar. People arriving in boats who just want to make use of the beach there have to pay 100 baht entrance to this private island (that includes a refreshment, so not too bad). This keeps it a tranquil place, fantastic for families with children or people who love the serenity of this island. ||There is no entertainment at all though; for that sort of thing you should stay ay Koh Mak.||For me it...