If you get a chance to stop by, you will not regret it. The owner is a lovely man, understands little
english, but is super nice.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Koh Phangan Restaurant Review: Buddy's Bakery
Buddys in Haad Rin serves up the best breakfast for your buck. You can order an American Breakfast that includes: sausage, bacon, 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, coffee/tea, and juice for only $4.50. The banana pancakes are amazing also. Pancakes in Thailand are more like crepes and you can get them filled with fruit or chocolate. Wash this all down with a coconut pineapple smoothie and you are set for the morning!
If you get a chance to stop by, you will not regret it. The owner is a lovely man, understands little
english, but is super nice.
If you get a chance to stop by, you will not regret it. The owner is a lovely man, understands little
english, but is super nice.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Koh Phangan Hotel Review: Drop In Resort & Spa
Drop In and..Drop OUT.
Located on the famed Haad Rin Beach on Koh Phangan, Drop In Resort & Spa is supposedly a four start hotel. I beg to differ. There are only 3 four start hotels on the island and this is definetely not one of them. And don't be fooled by the name, 'Resort' is a stretch. However if you are going just to drink and sleep, then it's fine.
When we arrived we were surprised to see the hotel was under construction. It is broken up into two section- the old section and the new section. We were shown to our rooms in the old section which was a large suite with an attached living room area. At 1st glance, it seemed lovely but as we started to unpack and walk around I realized why they called it the 'old section'. The furniture is dated, there were little ants on the bed (which I came to realize are everywhere in Thailand), and the carpet had burn holes in it. These were the least of my issues- there was a gaping hole in the door, big enough to house our Thai insect friends- the mosquito, cockroach, and gecko. We immediately went to the front desk and I explained that we were actually booked into the 'new section' but I wanted to see a room first. He showed us a room by the pool which was really small with old furniture and the walls were COVERED with mosquitos. Obviously we declined the room but asked if someone could fix our door. For the next 2 days, someone would come by, look at the door and leave. Finally Paul, the manager, got some workers to fix it.
All of that wasn't what made us laugh though, it was the techno music they played from 10am-11pm EVERY day. They had 2 cds which they played over and over. Jay and I know the words to every song.
Bottom Line:
The Drop In is fine for big groups and for those looking just to crash, def. not for honemooners!
Stay If: You are paying a cheap rate, are in a group, need a place near the full moon party.
Don't Stay If: You are looking for a quiet vacation, expect service with a smile.
Located on the famed Haad Rin Beach on Koh Phangan, Drop In Resort & Spa is supposedly a four start hotel. I beg to differ. There are only 3 four start hotels on the island and this is definetely not one of them. And don't be fooled by the name, 'Resort' is a stretch. However if you are going just to drink and sleep, then it's fine.
When we arrived we were surprised to see the hotel was under construction. It is broken up into two section- the old section and the new section. We were shown to our rooms in the old section which was a large suite with an attached living room area. At 1st glance, it seemed lovely but as we started to unpack and walk around I realized why they called it the 'old section'. The furniture is dated, there were little ants on the bed (which I came to realize are everywhere in Thailand), and the carpet had burn holes in it. These were the least of my issues- there was a gaping hole in the door, big enough to house our Thai insect friends- the mosquito, cockroach, and gecko. We immediately went to the front desk and I explained that we were actually booked into the 'new section' but I wanted to see a room first. He showed us a room by the pool which was really small with old furniture and the walls were COVERED with mosquitos. Obviously we declined the room but asked if someone could fix our door. For the next 2 days, someone would come by, look at the door and leave. Finally Paul, the manager, got some workers to fix it.
All of that wasn't what made us laugh though, it was the techno music they played from 10am-11pm EVERY day. They had 2 cds which they played over and over. Jay and I know the words to every song.
Bottom Line:
The Drop In is fine for big groups and for those looking just to crash, def. not for honemooners!
Stay If: You are paying a cheap rate, are in a group, need a place near the full moon party.
Don't Stay If: You are looking for a quiet vacation, expect service with a smile.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Full Moon Party
Was a blast! I went home early, believe it or not, and Jay stayed up to see the sun come up with the boys.
Here are some pix.
Here are some pix.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Where Did My Haad Rin Go?
Set in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand, there lived a little, relatively untouched, island named Koh Phangan. Many have flocked to this island for the past 20 years to celebrate the Full Moon with dancing and partying on the southern tip- Haad Rin Beach. Five years ago, pre-tsunami, I came here to see what it was all about. I found myself entranced with this small find, that was a 'diamond in the rough'. The Drop In Hotel had recently opened and roads were being built to connect travelers from the north to the south ends of the island. There were several scuba shops, a small supermarket, and some cute handmade jewelry shops. Every couple of stores there was a small traditional Thai bar or delicious Thai restaurant with someone there to greet you with a smile and a 'sawadeeh ka'. Before entering you needed to take your shoes off, as a sign of respect, and most seating were cushions on the floor.
Flash forward to 2009, where we could only find 2 decent Thai restaurants. Most restaurants were Thai, Italian, and Mexican, all in one! Most menus were 30+ pages and obviously trying to appeal to the masses that show up for the Full Moon Party- approx 10,000-20,000 every month. Long gone are the traditional style seating and the long-standing tradition of taking your shoes off before entering a shop. Now it's western seating for all and even toilet paper in the bathrooms! It seems the locals smiles are long gone, having to cater to a demanding crowd of 20- somethings who come to their beach and basically trash it 1x/month. As my husband commented "It's the Cancun of Thailand".
In another 5 years there will be a KFC and a Starbucks on every corner. And although I understand and accept this modern and cultural change, I will still keep asking myself Where Did My Haad Rin Go?
Flash forward to 2009, where we could only find 2 decent Thai restaurants. Most restaurants were Thai, Italian, and Mexican, all in one! Most menus were 30+ pages and obviously trying to appeal to the masses that show up for the Full Moon Party- approx 10,000-20,000 every month. Long gone are the traditional style seating and the long-standing tradition of taking your shoes off before entering a shop. Now it's western seating for all and even toilet paper in the bathrooms! It seems the locals smiles are long gone, having to cater to a demanding crowd of 20- somethings who come to their beach and basically trash it 1x/month. As my husband commented "It's the Cancun of Thailand".
In another 5 years there will be a KFC and a Starbucks on every corner. And although I understand and accept this modern and cultural change, I will still keep asking myself Where Did My Haad Rin Go?
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Happy Birthday to Jason!
To my love,
Sleeping beauty on his birthday. Today we are going to charter a boat to another part of the island and go kayaking. Then off to a nice birthday dinner (if we can find one on the island!) and out to the beach for the evening.
Happy birthday to the most wonderful, kind, happy, generous, kind-hearted, loving and good-looking man I know!! Cheers to a memorable one!
Sleeping beauty on his birthday. Today we are going to charter a boat to another part of the island and go kayaking. Then off to a nice birthday dinner (if we can find one on the island!) and out to the beach for the evening.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Wire, The Office, & 30 Rock
These are the 3 topics that brought Jay & I and Kevin & Padraig (gaelic for patrick), from County Cork in Ireland, together. Mix these with a couple of beers and you get 5+ hours of conversation! We've met people from Austria, Isreal, and Sweden, all of whom were no where near as fun as our boys from the Emerald Isle. However, for the most part, everyone is very nice.
More stories to come from Koh Phangan.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Our New Thai Grandma
Name: Thai Grandma
Location: Drop In Resort Restaurant, Koh Phangan
Time: 7:30 am Breakfast
Mission: To Come Visit Us in U.S.
Meet our new Thai Grandma. Her real name is unknown, but we feel she is part of the family. We met her Sunday morning while having breakfast in our hotel. She came up to our table and asked where we were from. "NY!" she said, "My sister lives in NY, and I'm going to visit her next year". We told her to have a great time and she said likewise. After a few minutes of chit chat, she stated- "Give me your name, address, and phone number. I will come by to stay at your house while I am in NY"....Jay and I just looked at each other and said 'ok' (thinking to ourselves, is this a cultural thing? She will be surprised when she learns we don't live in a house!). I wrote our info down and gave it to her. She then told me to take a picture of her and Jason, and after, turned to jay, pointed her finger and said "See you in August, 2010".
And with that, she walked away, leaving us baffled and thinking- Is she really going to come and visit us?.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Sawadee kah
That is hello in Thai. We finally made it! 24+ hours on the plane. As you know, I was in Biz Class and it was very nice. The seat became a bed and the service was awesome, not to mention the food. Jason had an open seat next to him and loved the food. He got to pick from several different meal choices and wine. We recommend Singapore Air to anyone flying to Asia- well worth it!
We stopped in Frankfurt for an hour which was very interesting. From the plane it looked like what I would picture it to be- farms, very green, and a lot of German men wearing Euro shoes.
Next Stop was Singapore. Very nice Airport with posh stores. We slept here for a couple hours and then boarded another plane for Bangkok.
Finally made it to Bangkok and took a very long nap. We made dinner reservations @ the Peninsula Hotel. They have a traditional Thai restaurant right on the river. Jay was super psyched to see the sights...and I, of course, was happy to be back at the Peninsula. Their service is amazing and the people are so nice. It was a nice change from NY. The people are so genuine and nice, you almost can't believe it! The next day we headed to Koh Samui @ 6am and then hopped onto a ferry to Koh Phangan. We arrived @ at the Drop Inn Resort and Spa, which is FAR from a resort. But it's the best hotel on this side of the island. We are on Haad Rin Beach and the location is great, but the room is totally not worth the price. We have a suite, but it's very run down. The main goal here is to relax and party. From 7-midnight they play techno at the pool bar and, from what I could hear, everyone gathers for a beer and a quick robot dance before heading out to the beach for the evening. At night the beach is where all of the action is. Bars and small alcohol booths open up to throngs of people ready to buy a drink and sit on the beach or dance to some crazy music.
The heat is BANANAS here...Thank goodness for A/C!! We had lunch on the beach yesterday and then headed back to the hotel for a quick nap. A quick nap turned into 13 hours of sleep- So now we are caught up on our sleep and ready to go. We are headed to breakfast now and then will catch some rays at the beach. We are 11 hours Ahead and can Skype here, so please let us know what time you can talk!!
We stopped in Frankfurt for an hour which was very interesting. From the plane it looked like what I would picture it to be- farms, very green, and a lot of German men wearing Euro shoes.
Next Stop was Singapore. Very nice Airport with posh stores. We slept here for a couple hours and then boarded another plane for Bangkok.
Finally made it to Bangkok and took a very long nap. We made dinner reservations @ the Peninsula Hotel. They have a traditional Thai restaurant right on the river. Jay was super psyched to see the sights...and I, of course, was happy to be back at the Peninsula. Their service is amazing and the people are so nice. It was a nice change from NY. The people are so genuine and nice, you almost can't believe it! The next day we headed to Koh Samui @ 6am and then hopped onto a ferry to Koh Phangan. We arrived @ at the Drop Inn Resort and Spa, which is FAR from a resort. But it's the best hotel on this side of the island. We are on Haad Rin Beach and the location is great, but the room is totally not worth the price. We have a suite, but it's very run down. The main goal here is to relax and party. From 7-midnight they play techno at the pool bar and, from what I could hear, everyone gathers for a beer and a quick robot dance before heading out to the beach for the evening. At night the beach is where all of the action is. Bars and small alcohol booths open up to throngs of people ready to buy a drink and sit on the beach or dance to some crazy music.
The heat is BANANAS here...Thank goodness for A/C!! We had lunch on the beach yesterday and then headed back to the hotel for a quick nap. A quick nap turned into 13 hours of sleep- So now we are caught up on our sleep and ready to go. We are headed to breakfast now and then will catch some rays at the beach. We are 11 hours Ahead and can Skype here, so please let us know what time you can talk!!
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