British Vegetarian Family Vlog. Mixed race married couple Sacha & J, baby daughter 'Story' & dog Eden. Moved abroad from London to follow their dreams. Now living in Portugal as expats to be closer to family and raise their child.
BINGE WATCH OUR NEW LIFE IN PORTUGAL (WE LEFT THAILAND)
That’s right! We have been very busy with life for the last year. Leaving our home in Hua Hin Thailand, transiting through England while setting up life in our new country of choice; PORTUGAL.
We honestly knew very little about the country when we set off from Thailand to seek a new life in Europe and most of what has happened since has been us ‘winging it’. At the same time, Sacha was heavily pregnant with our baby girl. :-S
So what happened? Where are we now and what challenges have we faced adapting to this brave new world that we have ventured into. As British expats who don’t yet speak Portuguese, know very little about how we will be received by the local people on the cuff of Britain’s exit from the EU, and topped off with the ultimate challenge of becoming first time parents in a foreign land.
Watch this playlist of daily vlogs to see how it all unfolds, beginning from the morning that we left a cold and dark East London and boarded a ferry to our future. One car packed to the brim with the remnants of our belongings, and a little baby girl growing day by day. Our new life, moving to Portugal...
So much has changed since we last published a post here on the 8milesfromhome blog. As you can see from the title we decided we wanted to have a baby in our lives and began the long and troublesome path to parenthood.
The video playlist above will help you to catch up with where we are today. But lets just say the road to baby was peppered with many high and lows that led us from one side of the world to the other. It was not an easy journey.
If you don’t already know, when we announced to the world that Sacha was pregnant we also announced the beginning of a new Story. A blog diary, website and YouTube Channel called ‘These Tiny Moments’. This new channel is where we share our creativity with the world by documenting the tiny moments that led to the birth of our child and beyond. You should take a look, it’s quite beautiful. :-)
Without a doubt the question we get asked the most about living in Hua Hin Thailand is, “Can you tell me more about renting a house there?”
The complex where our house rental is located
After responding to countless emails with the same answer we decided to write a quick post about how we found the Pet Friendly House we have been renting for almost 6 months.
Watch The House Tour Video For An Inside Look
We found this house on a Facebook page called ‘Hua Hin Forum’, there are often posts with properties for rent or sale on this page, so it is worth checking out.
Properties on this forum are mainly private deals directly with the house owner rather than through a property agent, so it is much easier to organize a home without locking into a 12 month contract which is usually the standard in Thailand.
Before we settled on the house where we have been living in for the last 6 months, we went to view another house in Hua Hin which was priced at 10k Thai baht and was located nearer to the famous Kings Statues Tourist attraction. This property was also found through the same Facebook page. You can watch that day of home hunting in the video below.
Another site we used in our search for a home was Star Property Hua Hin. This website was one of the first online resources that we found that had properties within our budget of 10-15k Thai Baht. A lot of Hua Hin real estate companies start their price range from 25k upwards.
One of the main worries we had before moving to Hua Hin after living in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai previously, was if we would be able to afford the rental prices. From previous searches in the area before moving here, we were faced with a lot of expensive houses and the majority of them that we found were out of our 15k maximum budget. Since coming here though, we have seen there are many houses in the area for 15,000 THB or less. We have even seen small apartments for 6,000 - 10,000THB so we now know that it is possible to find properties in this price range in Hua Hin.
However if you have a dog and need a pet friendly house, it is harder to come by affordable houses. In the North of Thailand there was a greater amount of pet friendly homes for under 10k Baht per month on a 12 month contract arrangement.
We wanted to keep this post more about the rental resources that we found useful rather than a detailed description of where we live. But the videos above will give you a general idea of the standard of the properties you can find within a 15 minute drive from either Hua Hin or Chaam centre. When we leave this house in a June 2016 it will no longer be available for rent because the owner would prefer to sell it.
So if you are looking for a house to rent in Hua Hin check out:
When we left North Thailand with our dog Eden we had to find an affordable Pet Friendly long term rental somewhere else in Thailand. Fast.
Our previous rental contract in Chiang Rai ended early which didn’t leave us much time to search for a new home for us and our Cocker Spaniel.
After searching the internet we found a cheap Bangkok apartment just 10 minutes drive west of the river in the Chom Thong area and it was Pet Friendly. At only £150 or $235 USD per month the Kozy Inn Bangkok was definitely the cheapest dog friendly condo we could find. Furnished to a decent and modern standard and in a fairly quiet location.
The Kozy Inn is part of a local mall complex that is still under development called the Kozy Korner Bangkok. It is family owned and has potential to become quite a trendy little development, but right now a lot of the premises are still unoccupied.
On the day that we moved into our cheap pet friendly apartment at the Kozy Inn we made a little apartment tour video before the room became messy with our belongings. You can watch that here to get a real sense of what the property looks like.
We were living on the 5th floor in one of the 35 sqm executive suite rooms with balcony. The bathroom was actually quite impressive for the price and we managed to function in the smaller space adequately. It took some time to get used to cooking our own food in such a strange layout, with the kitchen sink being outdoors on the balcony and our preparation table being inside by the front door. But technically cooking was not allowed inside the apartments anyway so we ended up doing all our basic dishes outside on the surface next to the sink.
There were times when a storm would soak the balcony with side swept rains making cooking impossible. So we’d have to delay dinner until the worst of it had passed by. There were a few takeaway leaflets in the reception downstairs for food companies and restaurants that could deliver take-out food. We had Oishi Japanese take out several times and it was nice to know that the option was available. Food / Restaurants options in the area were limited asides from a 7-11 and Tesco lotus supermarket that were very close by. However if you enjoy a good coffee, two of our favourite coffee shops in Bangkok were actual on or very close to the road on which the Kozy Inn resides. Read our 5 best cafes in Bkk post to read more about that.
Laundry was quite convenient at the Kozy Inn because they had their own set of washing machines on the rooftop of the condominium. There are two top loader machine sizes, one was suitable for washing our clothes and the larger one was big enough to take bed sheets at the same time.
Each load cost between 30 to 50 baht and because we were on the 5th floor we only had to walk up one set of steps to get busy with the laundry (There is an elevator at the Kozy Inn, but it stops at the 5th floor and you need to ascend one more floor to get to the roof). It was actually quite strange for us to do our own washing because it is usually so cheap to have a launderette wash everything we own in Thailand, we hadn’t done our own washing for 3 years.
For some reason the dryer was never plugged in, but it is usually so hot and sunny in Thailand that we didn’t need it. To be honest though, having our washing done for us in the past was one luxury we enjoyed paying for because it really disrupted the day. But either way it was convenient to be able to wash our items within the building. :-)
As part of the rent it was an option to have the room cleaned by the staff once per month. Which was a nice touch even though we ended up deep cleaning the apartment ourselves before they arrived for some reason :-D (apparently many other people do this too)
Having Eden in such a small place did tend to make the apartment rather furry. So we were cleaning much more frequently than usual, having moved from a 3 bedroom house to a studio apartment in Bangkok.
Working on our computers in the limited space was more challenging and we did find ourselves feeling a little more stressed out than usual. The fact that we were now in a bright and noisy city rather than a peaceful rural farm in north Thailand was obviously a contributing factor to those feelings. But despite all that we managed to find places around the room to be productive.
Walking Eden was another point of difference from rural farm life, but the car park outside the Kozy Korner was street dog free and had a little grassy central curb where our doggy could do her business. It was best to be outside before the sun got too hot in the midday. Especially with all the white surfaces around, sunglasses were often required.
We stayed at the Kozy Inn for 4 months and because we were renting for a considerably long term as far as monthly rentals go, we were able to organize a little discount. The pricing system worked as follows:
The executive suites were the biggest rooms available and cost 8000 THB per month if taken for a period of over 3 months.
We were told by management that further discounts could be organized if the rooms were rented for longer terms.
We had to pay a 500 THB monthly fee to have a pet in the room. This was officially included on the monthly statements.
We also paid a 300 THB fee for a larger fridge to be provided as an additional extra. We cook at home fairly often so a larger fridge was essential and saved us having to buy one and then sell it later.
We decided not to have the LCD flat screen TV because we had no use for it, so the total monthly cost was 8800 THB.
Wifi Internet was available free of charge and came in at a speed of 10/1 mbps. Each floor of the Apartment block had its own dedicated router so the signal strength was quite consistent and usable. Having this was a bonus and reduced our utility costs and responsibilities considerably. Knowing that we were only staying for 4 months, it would have been difficult to set up an internet connection in our name for such a short period of time.
The Utilities had to be paid on top of the rent, and this is where the catch lies. Although the rent was very cheap, the cost of electricity per unit was unusually expensive. Most homes we have paid electricity for in Thailand have been billed by the Provincial Electrical Authority directly at a rate of around 4 THB per unit, at the Kozy Inn we had to pay the electric bill privately at 8 THB per unit. So our Air conditioning bill was literally double what we’ve paid anywhere else in the country. This was a problem because the apartment was simply too hot to not run the AC and live comfortably. So our electricity bill was consistently coming in at around 3800 THB per month, even when we were trying to economize with the AC units whenever possible. With that in mind we had to budget for around 12k-13k THB per month (including utilities) to live comfortably with a pet at this cheap Bangkok apartment.
Despite the high utility costs, we still thought it was worth the value for money that the Kozy Inn provides. Especially if you are looking for a Long Term Rental with No Yearly Contract in Bangkok, which is quite difficult to find in Thailand especially with houses and also most Pet Friendly accommodations.
You may be wondering why the photographs in this post don’t show full room shots, and the reason for that was a personal one, we wanted to remember the Kozy Korner experience in a way that we felt it when we were actually there. So we opted for a more photo journalist style approach with the photography. But if you want a cleaner idea of what the Kozy Inn room actually looked like then please view our Cheap Pet Friendly Bangkok Apartment Tour Video that is embedded above in this post.
Moving to Bangkok was quite a shock to the system for us so we also decided to create a 30 day Daily Video diary documenting our move from the Rural North of Thailand to the Busy city. Watch the daily Vlogs here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
This serviced apartment is also a hotel, so you can even stay a few nights and 'try before you buy'. That's what we did. Book a stay at the Kozy Inn here: http://www.agoda.com/kozy-inn/hotel/b...
You can contact Kozy Korner management and organize a long stay by email : [email protected]
You can find the Kozy Inn and Kozy Korner complex on this map
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Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Finding A New Way To Live - Want To Know How We Make Money For This Lifestyle?
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
Our top 5 ‘Best Cafes in Bangkok’ West of the River
It will come as no surprise that I am writing a ‘top 5 cafes in Bangkok’ post after our recent move to the big city. It is no secret that we love a cup of the caffeine fueled brown stuff and so seeking out coffee shops near to our new temporary home was top on our list of things to do after arriving here.
We wasted no time and within a couple of weeks had discovered some great finds which I will now gladly share with you.
Now if you are reading this post to find a new uber cool, chic cafe on Sukhumvit Road or in the buzzing central areas of this urban metropolis that is Bangkok, you will be disappointed.
Our apartment is located 10km outside of Central Bangkok, so this post is for anyone wanting to find a new area in which to enjoy an afternoon coffee.
Below are our top 5 cafes in Bangkok, West of the River:
1. La Memoire
Kicking off, we have La Memoire Cafe, i have put this one at the top of the list as it is the first cafe we discovered a couple of days after moving into our condo. Just a couple of minutes along the same road as our apartment, we were super happy to see such a nice, modern looking coffee shop in our area.
La Memoire serves up some fantastic coffee, all the classics such as Cappuccino and Cafe Latte yet also offers something a little different in their ‘Melt Me Slowly’ drinks, with a choice of coffee, cocoa or Matcha ice cubes supplied with a glass of warm milk in which to melt your own ice cubes.
Most of the drinks can be made Frappaccino style too, for when the weather is just far too warm for consuming a hot coffee.
The outside garden setting at La Memoire is very nice, with fans, a waterfall feature and lots of trees providing some much appreciated shade it is definitely one of our favorite cafes in which to enjoy a coffee in Bangkok.
The small interior of the cafe provides a couple of tables where you can cool down in the A/C and also, when shes not roaming around the garden, you will find the coffee shop owners gorgeous little Shih Tzu, aptly named Latte.
The Owner and staff at La Memoire are lovely and make you feel welcome as soon as you arrive, the coffee is always brought out with a smile and when you are asked how your coffee was with real interest, you know they take a lot of pride and care over their business which shows in the very well made beverages.
La Memoire is definitely worth seeking out, if not for the coffee, then for the amazing chocolate concorde cake and other tempting sweet treats.
Great coffee, great cakes, relaxing garden setting and friendly service puts La Memoire firmly at the top of our list and keeps us going back for more.
Price for a Cappuccino: 60THB
LA MEMOIRE CAFE ON FACEBOOK
2. Shaker Cafe
Our second discovery was Shaker Cafe. This newly established cafe is worth heading too, especially if you are a fan of flavored coffees, frappacinos and quirky named beverages, as the cafe has a large menu which is largely dedicated to them.
We have been to this cafe a few times now, trying a different drink each time. Jmayels current favorite is the ‘Skull Shaker’ a large coffee made with 3 shots of espresso.
The coffee quality is very good and they also sell bags of coffee beans, which is great for us as we like to grind up our own beans for homemade coffees on days when we find work taking over and we don’t venture outside.
We purchased a bag on one of our visits and were very happy with them, we are actually almost out, so I see us heading back there soon to stock up our coffee bean jar once again.
Another drink to note which i had on my first visit to the cafe is the ‘English Gentle Frappe’ Early Grey Tea made frappaccino style. very nice and something I hadn’t seen elsewhere.
Overall Shaker Cafe is a great place to check out, from the cool signage, the stylish entrance and the leather seated interior, we find it is in a bit of a tricky location to get to with not much else of interest nearby, but the cafe itself should be more than enough to make the journey worth it.
Price for a cappuccino: 85THB
THE SHAKER CAFE ON FACEBOOK
3. Wild Coffee
Wild Coffee, this one has made the list as after La Memoire it is the closest to our apartment. This cafe is all outdoor covered seating in a garden setting, surrounded by foliage and cactus plants, there are plenty of seats to chose from and a large supply of (thai) magazines to flick through while you enjoy your coffee.
Wild coffee resembles an outdoor living room, the coffee made in a small shuttered building and brought over to you by the friendly staff. A water fountain and lots of plants, hanging baskets and greenery all come together to create a nice place to sit.
Despite the garden area, it is still located quite close to a fairly busy road, so you do still have a lot of road noise and traffic, yet what really makes this cafe great for us is the coffee.
The cappuccino is the cheapest out of this list, and the price doesn’t reflect the quality by any means. Served in a good sized mug, it is good well made coffee at a fantastic budget friendly 45 baht.
We like Wild Coffee, have visited a couple of times and as yet have not been disappointed with the quality of the coffee or the service.
Price for a cappuccino: 45THB
WILD COFFEE BANGKOK ON FACEBOOK
4. Marzocco
Marzocco, now this coffee shop may be lacking in the setting department, located in the Seacon Bangkae shopping mall, but it totally makes up for that with the truly amazing coffee.
We came across this small kiosk style cafe when we were shopping in the mall, drawn in by the cool sign and menu but didn’t stop as there were no seats available, so we went back another day and were delighted.
Marzocco wins hands down for the presentation and latte art on the coffees and there is just something about the coffee quality and taste that really sets it apart from all the others on the list. This is coffee at its best.
Jmayel favors the Piccolo Latte, this small glass of deliciousness usually finds its way into his hands when we are in this shopping center, i have tried a few different coffees here, the flat white, cappuccino and machiato have all been very impressive.
This cafe also offers a choice of coffee bean, house blend or single origin which none of the other cafes on this list do. Another tick for Marzocco.
The only down side to this cafe is the location, yet if you are in a shopping mall, and you need a coffee hit, this is the kind of place you need to find. On a plus side, it is a great spot for people watching.
The owners are also super friendly and will come over for a chat and they take a lot of pride in their work and it shows in the intricately designed foam art.
The coffee is also not overpriced despite the quality and has us making sure we stop by whenever we are nearby.
Price for a cappuccino: 69THB
CAFE MARZOCCO ON FACEBOOK
5. Cafe Murasaki
This Japanese inspired café has found its way onto our list after we discovered it at the end of one of our weekly shop runs to our local Big C Supermarket.
Located on the road opposite, it stands out among the surrounding street stalls and caught our eye as we drove past.
The modern minimalist interior houses some comfy sofa style lounge chairs, cushions and over-sized lamps and is set up to feel like a home style living room.
They have a selection of cakes available though we have yet to try any of them. Each time we have been to Café Murasaki I have thought it would be a good place to bring the laptop and settle down for a while to do some work, as a break from our apartment.
The coffee is fine, though not the best on the list, we like this place as it has a nice feel, a good place to sit and have a chat over coffee.
Price for a cappuccino: 60THB
CAFE MURASAKI ON FACEBOOK
Bangkok is full of fantastic places to get a coffee, this post was just dedicated to the handful of good coffee shops we have discovered in our local area. I hope it helped you to find a new place for your next cup of coffee.
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Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Finding A New Way To Live - Want To Know How We Make Money For This Lifestyle?
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
At 12k Thai Baht P/M We Know It’s Not The Cheapest Chiang Mai Apartment You Can Find. But Hey, A Pet Friendly Condo? = VERY RARE
When we first moved to Chiang Mai we were under the impression that if you have a dog, you need a house. Until we discovered this Pet Friendly condo in Chiang Mai, right in the heart of the action in the city.
Just a few minutes walk from Huay Kaew road and some of Chiang Mai’s best areas, Flora House is quite a good find for potential expats looking for a new home.
We actually booked a few nights stay here using Agoda.com and it gave us a chance to check out the room first hand before agreeing to any monthly rentals.
One of the first things we noticed was how large the apartment was. It has a huge separate indoor kitchen area with hotplate, toaster, kettle, microwave and fridge freezer. Along with a kitchen table, chairs and a sofa to chill out on. A large Wet Room style bathroom and an Air Conditioned bedroom with TV, mirrors, artwork and wardrobe space. Plus a balcony with a mountain view too. Watch the video to see it all first hand, and a little bit of the area around the apartments as well.
Monthly rentals cost 12,000 Thai Baht per month, plus utility bills on top. Internet is provided with the room cost. (Correct at the time of writing)
You also don’t need to lock yourself into a 12 month contract to rent these rooms, if they are available you take them on a monthly basis, perfect for people who aren’t sure where their adventure will take them next. :-)
Hopefully you find this Chiang Mai Pet Friendly Apartment Tour Video useful :-)
Follow The Journey
Don't Forget To SUBSCRIBE to our Youtube Channel
Or Watch Our Behind The Scenes Series 'A Day In The Life'
Want to know more about our journey?
*Other Useful information
Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Finding A New Way To Live - Want To Know How We Make Money For This Lifestyle?
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
Everybody has their own preference of what they like to do when they visit the city of Chiang Mai. Personally we LOVE coffee and we enjoy eating out. Chiang Mai is brilliant for both of those activities. So this Vlog is about the 10 things we like to do when we are in town.
Hopefully you’ll discover some new gems you didn’t know existed :-)
The Cost Of Living In Chiang Mai Condensed Into A Video
One of our most popular blog posts of all time was our Cost of Living in Chiang Mai write up. So we decided to create a video version, documenting a few days out and about spending and living in the north of Thailand.
It turns out you guys found this video ultra useful and informative too when we posted it on our YouTube channel. Anybody thinking of moving to the beautiful ancient city of Chiang Mai will benefit from this little ‘Day In The Life’ walk through. We talk about House Rental, show you some expensive second hand cars, some inexpensive meals, great coffee shops, visit the post office and 7-11, pay an Electric bill and even mention the cost of Husky puppies for those who love dogs.
No annoying music, nothing too fancy, just the Cost Of Living in Chiang Mai displayed over two days exploring the city by foot. Hear the real sounds of Thailand and see how much we spend as Expats living in Thailand.
Check out the video, and if you like it we may just do another one.
Don’t forget to Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the Thumbs up button on the video if you thought the info was handy :-D
Chiang Mai VS Chiang Rai – What is the difference?
Expat Community –
There is a huge difference in the size of expat communities between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Chiang Mai has been the ‘digital nomads’ hub of the north for a very long time, and before that, the original settling place for Bangkokians and foreigners seeking the quieter scenes of North Thailand. As a result Chiang Mai’s expat community is much bigger and better connected. There are even certain condos in the old city that are well known gathering points for bloggers first arriving to begin their lives as expats.
In Chiang Mai there is a healthy selection of hobby gatherings and interest groups ranging from cycling, yoga and fitness workout groups to name just a fraction. Even on facebook there are dozens of groups set up to help expats who don’t speak or read Thai to stay abreast of the best restaurants, where to buy vehicles and sell second hand items between each other.
Chiang Rai has a long way to go to catch up in this respect. As far as we know there is only one expat community facebook page set up to help dwellers to stay connected. And amusingly, we set it up before we moved here so that it would be easier to see if any other English speakers were selling household items.
As a general observation, even in the most central parts of town, Chiang Rai has a much smaller expat presence.
If you walk the streets of Chiang Mai in some areas it feels like 50% of the human traffic are westerners. So if you are looking for a strong expat community and want to build lots of western bonds here in Thailand, Chiang Mai is the place to be.
Religion and Temples-
Although Thailand is predominantly Buddhist, there is a very heavy Christian influence in Chiang Rai. Quite a high percentage of foreigners and even Thai’s up here are missionaries or just go to church regularly to worship. Even the hill tribes in the surrounding villages are more likely to have several basic churches and no Wat’s or Temples at all. The village where we live has an Akha Hill Tribe Christian Foundation that is run by our landlady’s family. The churches here in Chiang Rai aren’t like the extravagant stone structures that we are used to in the UK. They are often very basic wood structures used for worship and teaching. Obviously there are still quite a few temples around but not as many as Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai is home to over 300 temples and despite your best efforts it is very unlikely that you will see them all. Also a lot of them are very similar to each other so it might feel like a bit of a worthless task anyway.
Driving in Chiang Mai VS Chiang Rai-
Driving around the old city moat in Chiang Mai requires a much greater deal of concentration than inside the centre of Chiang Rai. Chiang Mai is a busier city with a faster and more complicated traffic flow. The way the moat roads have been designed is rather unorthodox, and if you are not a confident adaptive driver it may be a little confusing at first.
Chiang Rai city is a slower quieter place with a common road system, there are very few one-way streets and the layout of town is quiet simple to get your head around. With the exception of the round-about around the famous gold clock tower monument where we have witnessed a few confused drivers collide into each other. Round-abouts are very rare in Thailand so it looks like Thai drivers have no clue who has to give way when they arrive at the junctions.
Outside of the cities driving in both provinces is the same, quite laid back and easy going. We feel safe and at ease driving here in Thailand. Although many disagree with us.
Food Scene-
Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai both have a very good food scene with an amazing diversity of restaurants and street food vendors. But without a doubt Chiang Mai is the clear winner for the shear amount of great cafes and trendy places to eat. This is likely to do with the fact that many modern Thai’s who have left the hustle and bustle of Bangkok to settle in Chiang Mai have brought the capital city food scene with them. Fusion cuisine is everywhere and new stuff is popping up every month.
Chiang Rai is slowly following suit in this regard. In the same way that Bangkokians left Bangkok for a quieter life, now some Chiang Mai citizens feel the same way about Chiang Mai and are heading even further north for a quieter life. As a result Chiang Rai is fast developing and in the 12 months that we have lived there the fusion food scene has expanded greatly. Although if you are a Vegan there are a lot more Vegan restaurants in Chiang Mai right now.
Aircraft Noise-
Because of the layout of Chiang Mai city and its airport location you tend to get a lot more aircraft noise at home and around town. In our old Chiang Mai home we had to endure the constant coming and goings of jumbo jets on a direct flight path over our house. We also looked at a few other properties around the city and found that many of them had the same problem.
Chiang Rai’s airport is much further out of town so we rarely hear any aircraft noise. Also because the air traffic to Chiang Rai is less than Chiang Mai you don’t even often see the planes in the sky.
Rimping International Supermarket-
Any expat that has spent a lengthy period of time in Chiang Mai would have heard of Rimping Stores. This amazing chain is the go to place for all specialist imported products and it can ONLY be found in Chiang Mai. They don’t even have them in Bangkok. So whenever we are in Chiang Mai we pay a visit to one of the branches and enjoy the amazing goodies that they have on sale. Chiang Rai only has a store called Tops which is the equivalent of Waitrose in the UK, but it doesn’t compare to the superior Rimping Stores.
Grocery Prices-
We have noticed that grocery prices are a fraction higher in Chiang Rai, probably due to logistics. But the difference really is fractional so it hasn’t been a major concern.
LPG and Petrol Prices-
Fuel seems to be a fraction Cheaper in Chiang Rai. We are unsure why; perhaps there is an oil well closer to the Chiang Rai province.
Cinemas and Shopping Malls-
Chiang Mai is the clear winner for a superior shopping experience. With four massive modern Malls, 3 of which are almost brand new plus one more dated Thai style market Mall totaling 5 Malls around the city. Well known International brand representation is apparent in these establishments, but the main advantage that we benefit from is the Cinemas. IMAX, 4D, amazing sound systems and plenty of screens multiplied by 5 means that the amount of films being shown in English is much higher and the ticket prices are cheaper, around 120THB per adult.
Chiang Rai has one Mall and two cinemas, one in the Central Plaza Mall and one in a supermarket across the road. The cinema at the supermarket only ever plays Thai films and the Central Plaza has few screens so the English blockbusters that they do play only last for a few days before being replaced with Thai dubs. Ticket prices are about 160 THB per adult.
Internet Speed and Prices-
There is actually no difference here as long as you live in the city or near to it. Fast broadband and Fibre optic connections are available equally in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. The only issue applies when you live far away from the fibre optic cable connections of the city, for example on the rural farm where we live in Chiang Rai we can receive fast download speeds but the cables can’t support fast Upload speeds. So even if we paid for a 30mbps Download/ 3mbps Upload connection, we would only get 30 Down /0.5 up. So it would be a waste of money.
Nature and Location-
This is where Chiang Rai really shines through. If you are looking for a peaceful quiet home surrounded by real nature, but still be acceptably connected to the civilized world by distance, technology and amenities, Chiang Rai is a top contender. The one thing we notice about this place is that despite being a modern urban city, the mountains and rural areas are so much closer to town. In 5 minutes from the centre of town you can feel like you have been transported to a lost world in the middle of nowhere. It is quite an amazing feeling.
The same thing can be said for Chiang Mai as well, but the distance you would have to travel from the centre of town is much greater. We found that if we wanted to feel totally lost in the full Thailand experience in Chiang Mai we would have to drive at least 45 minutes to 1 hour from town. Living on the Banana farm in Chiang Rai, we quickly realised that that was what we were looking for all along when we moved to North Thailand. We don’t feel a strong need to be connected to the expat community and feel quite content with each other’s company, so living out on a farm so close to nature has been a life changing experience for us.
If you found these videos and post useful you might also enjoy our Cost Of Living in Chiang Mai Video
You may also be interested to read - THE REAL COST OF LIVING IN CHIANG MAI - ONE COUPLES MONTHLY SPEND
And also - The Cost Of Living in CHIANG RAI
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Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
On Thai Tv again! 8 miles from home Viral Video gets featured in Thai Media
Our Video Went Viral - Thailand’s ‘Voice TV’ Newscasters Pick it up
Translation from a Thai Fan: Okay i'll try to translate to conversation...
Woman reporter: On this weekend if you don't go to foreign country or go to Japan to see Sakura Trees. Would you like to come to Chiang Mai, Mr Ton?(male reporter)
Mr. Ton: Chiang Mai is an interesting place and good choice for Songkran festival every year. But a few days ago, in social media. People were sharing a video that was produced by British couple that live in Thailand Jmayel & Sacha El-haj. They collect over 6,000 photos and edited it into time-lapse video. This video duration about 3 min. How excited? Let's watch the clip.....
Mr. Ton: All of this is stills picture but they're edited and put to sound effects and music, this make the video very interesting an unique.
//This video contains lot of landmarks in Chiang Mai such as Maya mall, Warorot market etc.
//This video is not first video they made. But this video is the latest video they made from their series "8 Miles From Home" they intend to made vlog for keep the memories when stay in Thailand since BC 2555 (Thai year 2555 = 2012).
//They come with their dogs "Eden" and old ford car that bought from BKK.
//"8 Miles From home" Doesn't mean 8 miles from their birthplace. But it came from their bored life that their car broke down 8 miles from their home in London.
//After that they come to Bangkok and Chiang Mai and they travel to many places in Thailand.
//Their goal is to have 1M subscribes on youtube.
//If you interest about this video You can search on FB or youtube
//I have seen it on youtube and read some comment. Lots of comments are encouraging. But I've found interesting comment that asked they to send it to TAT to promote Thailand tourism.
In the comment one viewer suggested them to submit to TAT (Tourism Authority Of Thailand).
8 Miles From Home replied and said "We tried several times over the years but TAT was not really interested to work with us, we are not sure why".
Mr. Ton: Perhaps we can assumed that their works are too contemporary or it's too European?!. (Most of government officers are aged and might not interesting in any kind of these works)
Women Reporter: I think when foreign made some video about Thailand. It's look attractive and unique. Not Common place that we see every day and we don't mind much about that. They made we think about Thailand in a different way and consider about it.
//Mr. Ton: I think this is like telling another people by mouth to mouth. And I thing this is make viewer interested more than a commercial advertisement for Thailand.
End of Transcript
Right now we are very pleased to have gotten featured on such an influential Thai media show. After over 3 years making videos of our travels in Chiang Mai and Thailand it feels amazing to get some national attention again. You may remember that this isn’t the first time our videos have been noticed on a national scale. A few years back we were invited to the Thai TV5 news studio to be interviewed about our work.
Back then we thought our YouTube channel would have exploded into full blown Thailand fame and recognition. But as any failed celebrity might tell you. The spot light fades fast.
We gained some loyal viewers but our channel growth slowed right down and since, we have been trying to produce something that would impress the Thai audiences again. Our 6771 Photos of Chiang Mai Video did just that and we received another big boost in subscribers. :-)
The funny thing that we learned from this experience is that how you present your content to the masses can make or break its share ability online. For example, most people in the video making industry will know that all the professional time lapses are or should be made from thousands of still photographs. Not sped up video footage. But how many regular web users know that? So by adding a few Selfies to our Time Lapse video, showing the pictures speeding up from a photo frame rate to a full speed video, brought the public into the moving photograph experience in ways that really impressed them. When they saw the title '6771 Photos of Chiang Mai', it was so much more interesting than 'Time Lapse Video of Chiang Mai'. So it began spreading.
We are still a long way from our dream goal of 1 million Subscribers to 8 miles from home on youtube. But we believe we will get there one day. Whether that happens in Thailand, or somewhere else in the world. ;-)
"LINK: Voice TV Talks About '8 Miles From Home'"
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*Other Useful information
Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
We Took 6771 Photos Of North Thailand & Made A Video Out Of It
We took 6771 PHOTOS OF CHIANG MAI & NORTH THAILAND
Moving just a small step or a fraction between each frame, pressing the button methodically, making sure to breathe outward like a sniper might to ensure that each photo maintained the same target point as we rotated around a point of interest. Sound difficult? Add to that temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius beating down on us as we shuffled like snails around some of north Thailand’s most famous tourist attractions. How does that sound? :-)
Well the problems didn’t end there, post production saw us aligning and perfecting each frame with digital rulers to ensure a smooth video like motion. It was not a quick process to say the least. But! Once all that was done we strung them together into a very high resolution video. It's basically the fastest holiday photo slideshow ever ;-).
The challenge was to move just enough with each photograph to create an interesting flowing movement for the resulting final video which plays at 25 frames (photos) per second. It took a LOT of patience! :-D
Each frame of this Thailand Video is a Medium sized RAW photograph shot on a Canon 5D mark 2 SLR stills camera. The images were then edited and colour corrected in Adobe Lightroom and made into Time Lapse image sequences in Adobe After Effects. We also made good use of our Digislider 'shoot move shoot' cinema rail for the slow sliding time lapse shots.
Because the original 6771 photo images were so much larger than regular HD footage, we decided to create this episode of '8 miles from home' in SUPER 2k Resolution High Definition for your viewing pleasure. We hope you appreciate the work we put into this :-) Enjoy this little slice of fun from Chiang Mai and North Thailand...
Places visited in this video include:
CHIANG RAI AMPHOE MAE LAO
PAI CANYON AMPHOE PAI MAE HONG SON
MAYA LIFESTYLE MALL CHIANG MAI
THANON ARAK MOAT CORNER CHIANG MAI
SAEN PRUNG GATE CHIANG MAI
SATURDAY NIGHT WALKING STREET MARKET CHIANG MAI
WAT SRISUPHAN SILVER TEMPLE CHIANG MAI
COFFEE REPUBLIC AT SATURDAY NIGHT MARKET CHIANG MAI
THIPPANET ROAD CHIANG MAI
THE IRON BRIDGE CHIANG MAI
WAT UMONG CHIANG MAI
BAAN KANG WAT CHIANG MAI
WAT BUPPHARAM CHIANG MAI
WAROROT MARKET CHIANG MAI
WAT PHRA SINGH CHIANG MAI
WAT CHEDI LUANG CHIANG MAI
WAT PAN TAO CHIANG MAI
SINGHA PARK CHIANG RAI
Follow The Journey
Don't Forget To SUBSCRIBE to our Youtube Channel
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Want to know more about our journey?
*Other Useful information
Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
Flow Motion South East Asia - By Drone, Time Lapse & Poetry
These Tiny Moments - Flow Motion South East Asia
When you stay in one place for too long, your perspective begins to alter. Things that once filled your heart with awe become everyday occurrence and inevitably lose their impact. This happens to us all, until you begin to see again the Tiny Moments that surround us. The moments that spark the chemical reaction causing a butterfly flurry inside our core. These Tiny Moments are what inspire us to travel, to eat, drink and feel. Or sometimes, just to stop, and take a moment to really soak in the sights and sounds that we have begun to ignore.
'These Tiny Moments'. A Flow Motion Production by Drone, Time Lapse, Hyper Lapse, Cinematography and Poetry combined, is our latest view on the world around us. We spent hours creating this episode to really capture how we feel about our journey across South East Asia. And also to highlight the feelings we still need to embrace closer to home, the smaller times that are easy to neglect.
Special credit goes to Sacha El-haj for the poem used in this video. A Valentines gift that ended up shaping the theme for our latest visual collaboration. The Tiny Moments Poem now has a place in my box of permanent memories, and also immortalized into the cinematic audio visual journey that has become our legacy.
Want To See Some Behind The Scenes?
'A Day In The Life' is our Behind The Scenes VLOG about Living in Thailand. We share insights, camera tips, places that we find and lots of cute dog footage too!
*Other Useful information
Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
Chiang Rai Pet Hospital, A place for your pets to stay, while you go away!
When we booked tickets to go to Phuket for a few days for a work trip that came up suddenly, we were worried about what to do with Eden. Since moving up to Chiang Rai we hadn’t yet had the need to leave her at such short notice and we didn’t want to have to drive all the way back to Chiang Mai for one of our trusted friends to look after her. So we were faced with a challenge of finding somewhere safe for her to go while we were away.
A fruitless internet search gave us little, and a couple of emails we sent to possible animal businesses were met with no reply.
Chiang Rai Pet Hospital & Pet Hotel/Kennel
We found out about the Chiang Rai Pet Hospital on Facebook. As well as being a pet hospital they have also opened up their top floor as a Pet Hotel / Boarding Kennel. We sent them a message via the facebook page and they responded within a few hours. Chiang Rai Pet Hospital is run by a friendly, English speaking vet and we can highly recommend it.
Chiang Rai Pet Hospital is in the centre of town
We had actually taken Eden to this vets previously when she needed some anemia tablets, but they didn’t have the right medication in stock and so they directed us to Mhor Anon Vets, a little further into the City. (see bottom of the post for more details on this.)
At the time we didn’t realize that Chiang Rai Pet Hospital was also a pet hotel / kennels, but we are very glad we found it, especially for short stays at short notice. We have never previously put Eden into any kind of kennels in the past so we were a little concerned about her. But after an initial inspection of the boarding area and meeting the staff our minds were put at ease.
Costs were not an issue, Chiang Rai Pet Hospital is very reasonable with the prices varying depending on the weight of your dog. Clearly listed on the wall in the lobby.
For Eden’s size, a dog under 15 kilos, it was 170 THB per night including food and the total for her 4 night stay at the Chiang Rai Pet Hospital was 680 THB which we thought to be very good value. (13 GBP for 4 nights with food)
The vets provide the food for your pet during the course of their stay in the hotel, but you can bring your dog/cats own food if you prefer. At home Eden eats canned Sardines mixed with dry biscuits, so we provided the staff with enough fish for her stay and they mixed it with their own dry biscuit brand.
All the cages were quite large with a rubbery slatted foundation
The room that the animals are kept in is clean, bright and air conditioned, there are different sized cages depending on your dogs needs. Eden's cage was 12 times her size and she snuggled up in the corner on one of her own beds from home. There were no unsanitary smells and there is also a separate room for cats.
You can see here how much space eden had in her 'room' ;-)
The dogs are let out twice a day and there is some space at the back of the building where they are be lead / leash walked and exercised.
The street behind the hospital was very quiet
While we were away we missed Eden very much and decided to contact the Pet Hotel via facebook to see how she was doing. Within a few hours we were told by the staff that she was eating all her food and was getting on nicely with everyone! They even sent us a little photo of her smiling in her cage. This is what they said:
"Hi Sacha, Eden is a good girl, she can eat and play normally. Don't worry about she. We will take care for you :-)"
The photo sent to us by the staff whilst we were in Phuket
When we picked Eden up she was very happy to see us, and as much as we were happy to see her, we knew she had been well looked after. She was clean and didn't smell even though she hadn't been washed during her stay (Which is a service you can ask for as well as grooming).
We will definitely have Eden stay here if we go away for a short trip without her again, but because it is caged boarding I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving Eden her for a long duration, but less than a week it is fine and ideal.
As well as the Vets and Hotel, Chiang Rai Pet hospital also offers dog grooming services and has a little pet shop where you can buy food, and accessories such as leads and dog beds.
We opted to have Eden groomed at the Chiang Rai Pet Hospital after seeing how well looked after she had been there.
We left her for 3 hours and picked up a smooth, floral smelling doggy, wearing a new red polka dot bandanna they had tied round her neck. Eden looked very sweet and certainly much neater after her bath and haircut. At a cost of just 350 THB (7 GBP / 10 USD)
Eden after her Grooming Session
Chiang Rai Pet Hospital is located on Ratyotha Road, opposite the PTT Fuel station. (Map Below) It is open from 9am – 8pm every day and they have a membership system that entitles you to various discounts on boarding and items within the store. Membership costs 30 THB for a discount card.
You can contact them via facebook like we did:
Chiang Rai Pet Hotel FB Page
Or call directly and ask for 'Dr Mod' at this number: 083-007-9414
She speaks English ;-)
This vet and pet hospital is run by Dr Anon, a highly recommended English speaking vet. We were originally referred to Mhor Anon by our previous Vet in Chiang Mai who claimed that he was the most competent Pet Doctor in Chiang Rai.
We took Eden to this animal hospital soon after we moved to Chiang Rai. She was very lethargic and weak and it turned out that she had a blood parasite infection from tick bites. She needed some Hormone injections and anemia medication. She spent a night under observation there while having blood tests. She was very well taken care of and the vet and all the staff we encountered were very professional. Eden made a full recovery after a 2 week course of medication.
Eden was well looked after and we were very happy with the service.
Mhor Anon is open 24 hours and there are always staff on call for any animal emergencies.
Mhor Anon Animal Hospital is located on Sankhongluang Road.
Map of Mhor Anon Vet, Chiang Rai
*Other Useful information
Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
Make Sure You Watch Right To The End For The Bonus Stag Footage :-)
A Wedding Video Like No Other - 8 Miles From Home Episode 23
STORY : Living in Thailand, 8944 kms from their old home in London. J & Sacha crossed the world to be there for a special wedding. J's older brother was to be married to Sacha's life long friend Michelle in the beautiful venue 'Tunnels Beaches'.
Being Youtube film makers they felt it would be a wasted opportunity not to produce a cinematic wedding video of Epic proportions. So that is what they did.
Shot from the perspective of J, groomsman and usher, this video contains a underlying emotional message about family and connections that can be tested when abroad and away from home for long periods of time. Even with no connection to the El-haj family, everyone can take something away from the message this wedding video tells.
Highlight Moments From This Episode
Jumbo Jets In VFX
Epic Shots & Drone Footage
Beautiful Girls
Emotional Scenes
Follow The Journey
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*Other Useful information
Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
Choosing where to go to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary after moving to Chiang Rai didn’t take long. We knew we wanted somewhere we could have a bit of luxury, good food and romance, Le Meridien Resort ticked all of those boxes.
Arriving to a welcome drink and a cool afternoon breeze dancing through the open lounge area reception, I knew we had booked a room at the right hotel.
Stunning interior of the lobby
The chic design of the resort with its infinity pool, restaurants and top class spa all blend effortlessly together to create a wonderful space for a romantic and luxury weekend getaway in Chiang Rai.
Infinity Swimming Pool on the edge of the river
Walking in to our deluxe room on the 2nd floor we were impressed by the care and thought that had gone into our stay. We had told the staff that we were celebrating our wedding anniversary before arrival but didn’t expect the level of service we received.
Our gorgeous deluxe room
Our bed was adorned with fresh petals that spelled out our initials, a plate of fresh fruit wished us a happy anniversary in dark chocolate and we were given a selection of Le Meridien’s signature French patisserie éclairs to enjoy.
Anniversary treats
As well as these unexpected treats our bathtub was pre run and filled with flower petals. How is that for luxury!
Large, spacious bathroom
Huge room with balcony
After enjoying the large spacious room, our tummies full of pastries and tea, we went for a walk around the resort grounds to see what else there was to offer on this 26 rai of land along the banks of the Kok river.
Our Hotel Video of Le Meridien Spa Resort
The Parvati Spa called us in with its elegant entrance and we booked in to and have a couples traditional full body oil massage, Jmayels first ever.
We were given the option of choosing which fragrance of oil we wanted, with both of us opting for the exotic black pepper and ginger scent.
Waiting for my massage
The spa experience was amazing, an hour long full body caress. Music played gently through the room while we relaxed and slipped into the luxury world of spa massage.
Our spa room
When it came to an end I was so relaxed I was almost asleep. I felt totally serene and chilled out and ready for a drink at the Latitude 19 lounge bar before we headed back to our room to get ready for dinner.
Very relaxed after a full body massage!
With being in such an amazing setting it was unthinkable to step foot outside of the resort for food, and with 2 restaurants to choose from on site, Favola and Latest Recipe, we didn’t have to.
Le Meridien Resort
We opted for Favola, a traditional Italian restaurant with a wood fired oven, and seeing as we both have a penchant for good Italian pizza, it was the best place for us to celebrate 3 years of marriage over some good food.
One of the things I love about a luxury hotel stay is the option to order room service, there’s something so decadent about not having to leave your luxury suite, with food just turning up with a knock at your door.
Our room service continental breakfast
This is something we took full advantage of the next morning, a continental breakfast, 2 hot cappuccinos and fresh juice walked its way into our room while we were still in our dressing gowns.
Such a yummy breakfast
The breakfast was superb, a basket of fresh pastries, mini sweet buns and whole wheat rolls, with a selection of spreads and a plate of fresh fruit. There was so much we struggled to finish it all.
We had an incredible stay at Le Meridien Resort, it was a fantastic anniversary, indulgent, relaxing and exactly what we were looking for. It will certainly be an anniversary that will be hard to beat and one we will always remember.
Chic yet traditional Lanna architecture
On checking out of the hotel we were handed a card which had been signed by all the staff as well, which was just such a lovely gesture.
Le Meridien Resort in Chiang Rai is a really welcoming and relaxing resort, yet has a touch of extravagance.
Jmayel enjoy Le Meridien
An alluring subtle opulence in beautiful Chiang Rai, this is certainly a resort worth staying at, be it for an extended vacation, a one night celebration or a luxury weekend getaway. Even just coming in for a drink by the river or a meal at one of the restaurants, Le Meridien Chiang Rai should be on your list.
For a luxury Hotel in Chiang Rai, Le Meridien Resort is one of the finest.
Book your own room at Le Meridien Resort & Spa, Chiang Rai
Map Of Le Meridien Resort & Spa
*Other Useful information
Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
A Day In The Life - Our New Realistic Video Series
'A Day In The Life' is a supporting video series by us '8 miles from home'. Covering behind the scenes of the expat lives of a young married couple that moved to Thailand several years ago to start a new life. 'ADITL' was created to bridge the gap between cinematic episodes of '8 miles from home', and also to share snippets of realistic life for two people living in rural north Thailand with their dog, and wherever else we may decide to live in the future.
This is the official trailer for that series, showing you a glimpse into the 3 different styles of video you can expect to see.
1) 'Behind The Lens' is our Video Diary, it's full of the good days and bad days of expat life in Rural North Thailand, full of personality.
2) 'Sights & Sounds' is a 'fly on the wall' style audio visual journey with no music.
3) 'Real Time' is unedited, uncut, honest footage of interesting places with the original sounds left untouched. So you get to see what it's really like there.
We hope you enjoy the new content :-)
Arriving in Nai Yang after filming at the Phuket Marina, I was a little unsure if this part of South Thailand and I were going to get along.
Phuket has never been on my radar as a must place to go, it is no secret that I favor the mountains of the North over beachey South Thailand so to be honest, Phuket and I were off to a bit of a rocky relationship from the start. Over our next couple of nights in the small town of Nai Yang, Phuket had a lot of work to do to win my heart.
Would Phuket steal my heart?
Rimlay Bungalows in Nai Yang
We took it and as we put our bags down a tractor rounded the corner opposite our room and began digging up the sand, making a lot of noise. Hardly conforming to the idyllic perception that a beach bungalow in Phuket should have.
We laughed it off and went out to explore the town, consisting mainly of just one main street along the beach front, it didn’t take us long to get our bearings.
A few restaurants and a couple of convenience stores made up what we could so far see of Nai Yang.
We walked along the long stretch of beach and were treated to a stunning sunset, something we only ever see in the South and one of the highlights of visiting the beach for us.
Stunning Sunset in Phuket
The beach soon became a haven for people with cameras and smartphones, all wanting to capture the perfect Thailand Beach Sunset shot, we sat on the sand and enjoyed the moments of beauty playing out in front of our eyes, with the sun finally dipped below the horizon and the beach losing its crowds of sunset spotters, we went in search of dinner.
Enjoying the sunset on the beach :-)
As we walked along the street after dinner, with no street lights and the road only lit by the lights from the sporadic restaurants, I felt uneasy. It was a feeling I just couldn’t put my finger on, but something was making me feel jumpy. Whether it was the dark streets, the almost deserted building sites we were walking past or the eerie shadows and dark corners putting me in a state of heightened awareness, I was edgy and looked over my shoulder on a couple of occasions on our walk back to the hotel.
On our way back to our room we passed a few tourists, mainly Russians, grouped together with bottles of whisky just purchased from the 24hr mini mart, at a loss of what to do with themselves, as not even 10pm and the town was already winding down, leaving the streets to the shadows.
My first impressions of Nai Yang were doubtful, messy, run down and dark. Still, I was looking forward to the next day and starting a fresh. With two full days ahead of us, I was anticipating nice long relaxing walks on the beach and paddling bare foot in the sea. It couldn’t all be bad here.
Naiyang Beach at low tide
We woke up the next morning to army officers outside our window and as we ate breakfast at a café next door, our minds were kept wondering about what was happening, the presence of a unit of army men walking along the sand wielding guns and talking into walkie talkies wasn’t very relaxing, it was when the 2 guys with broadcast level video cameras turned up on the sand to film a hotel being knocked down that we realized what was happening.
With Thailand now under military rule, the army were ordering any buildings they deemed to be unofficial, torn down. It explained the emptiness of Nai Yang that we experienced the previous evening and the ghostly signs hanging from trees stating a beach side bar should have been standing where instead just a few bricks and logs remained.
Good Cafe for breakfast, lunch or dinner
Despite the unusual activity around us we enjoyed a very nice breakfast at Nai Yang Coffee and Meal. We ended up back here a few times during our stay as we liked it a lot and there was a large seating area on the beach as well as inside the café. The menu was very good and the staff very friendly.
Our second day in Nai Yang we spent walking along the beach, the large expanse seemed to stretch on for miles and we walked from one end of the beach to the other, we dipped our toes and we enjoyed being so close to the water for a while after being up in the North for so long.
Having fun on our beach day!
The beach was nice and after our day spent wandering up and down the sands, peppered with stops for coffees and snacks, I had forgotten about the previous evenings doubts on the town.
Toe dipping beach walk!
The area, though still relatively quiet didn’t have the same eerie feel in the light of day as it did under the cover of darkness. Families with children of all ages made use of the beach and couples walked hand in hand. The sea seemed calm and overall I began to see the appeal of holidaying here.
Protected forested area in Naiyang
The far end of the beach, away from the resort hotels and restaurants is a protected forest area on the boarders of Sirinat National Park and it was popular with Thai families, enjoying picnics and playing on the sand.
We also ventured away from the beach and found the local temple and market area.
Naiyang Temple
Even after my first initial doubts, I would go back to Naiyang for a beach break. It caters for everyone, be it families, couple or groups.
If a few no fuss days relaxing by the beach is what you are after, Nai Yang could be for you, from what we have heard there were less tourists here compared to other parts of Phuket, it is close to the airport, the beach is vast and you can find good coffee and cheap accommodation. Although food costs are much higher than what we are used to paying in the North.
Nice, quiet beach in Naiyang Phuket
I have never really been a beach person and with sand still in my shoes when we arrived back at our house in North Thailand, I knew yet again, the South had failed to truly win me over. However Nai Yang did a good job and maybe next time I will be fully converted!
Nai Yang Coffee & Meal
This beach side cafe opens at 8am everyday, serves alcohol and has a happy hour between 5-6pm each evening.
I recommend the Thai green curry with Roti. Also has many Western food items on the menu.
Accomodation in Naiyang - Phuket
Our room with sea view in Rimlay Bungalows
We opted for a no frill budget hotel room at Rimlay Bungalows, however there is a good selection of accommodation available in Naiyang for all budgets, from luxury to backpacker.
Rimlay Bungalows
Dewa Phuket Hotel
Indigo Pearl Hotel
Naiyang Beach Resort
Dang Sea Beach Bungalow
Ruan Mai Nai Nang Resort
*Other Useful information
Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand? - Looking for Pet Friendly Hotels in other parts of Thailand?
Bringing a dog to Thailand - The ins and outs of Exporting a dog from the UK to Thailand.
Info we have categorized under Pets - Other Posts Related to Edens Dog Life in Thailand. Including cute dog videos and some Pet Friendly Hotel reviews too.
