Mai Pen Rai Bungalows

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Rated 4.5 out of 5

Based on 4 ratings and 4 reviews

• One of the better ones

  Had Sadet is a sweet stretch of sand and you could certainly do a lot worse than Mai Pen Rai. I had a bungalow on the rocks with panoramic views and the characteristic Mai Pen Rai funkiness in design. Plenty of room for 2 people and their gear, a nice 4 poster bed (the posts were stained sapling branches) with a nicely fitted mozzie net and a thin but fairly comfortable Thai queen size mattress backing a window with great views - almost as good as the spacious verandah. The place was clean and the fan quiet but the generator cut out about midnight. Towels, drinking water, soap and toiletpaper were supplied and the funky indoor/outdoor bathroom had an overhanging boulder as a roof - plus a concreted pebble floor and slate featured walls. There's a western flush toilet and a bum spritzer. Cold water shower had good water pressure. Not sure about value - this was a backpacker not flashpacker standard room as far as amenities were concerned and at 650 baht (no brekka) was pretty expensive. But what price do you add for the views and the funky artiness of design? To tell the truth I'd easily add 150 to the typical high-season 500baht Andaman bungalow. Note that each bungalow is individually designed. Quite a few have lofts and there are plenty of family bungalows. Mai Pen Rai's website shows dozens of pictures of interiors and exteriors. The atmospheric restaurant's a good 200m away at the other end of the beach, close to their riverside and beach bunglows - nice food at normal budget bungalow prices. But we found the closer Plaa's restaurant had a fantastic outlook (that shot top left-hand of page is taken from there), excellent food at cheaper prices. Note the water in the bay is clouded by run-off from the small river - it was much clearer 5 minutes walk to the south at Thong Reng.

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  Mai Pen Rai Bungalows reviewed by tezza (Total reviews: 37) on 7th September, 2009
  Rated 4 out of 5. after a stay here in 8/2009

• Quiet peace of paradise

  If you're looking for a quiet, isolated beach where there is nothing to do but relax and listen to the waves -- this is it! I had been to Ko Phangan eight years ago and wanted to stay on a quiet and peaceful beach that hadn't been subject to rampant overdevelopment. Mai Pen Rai was perfect. We stayed for 5 days/4 nights in one of the ''on the rocks'' bungalows, which I highly recommend. Our bungalow was built right on the rocks and perched out over the ocean. Waves were crashing right under our balcony and for most of the time, it was the only sound we could hear. We slept with the windows open and the sound was so loud it took me a bit to get used to, but quickly adjusted and had amazing sleeps here. There are other bungalows nearby, but the way everything is set up, you barely notice them; it feels uber-private. The ''on the rocks'' bungalows are quite a walk from the beachfront bungalows and the restaurant/bar area; we liked this as it added to the privacy. Just make sure to bring a headlamp/flashlight for the night-time walk back from the restaurant after dinner. Our standard-sized bungalow was very large and spacious and nicely decorated. I think some of the on the rocks bungalows (including ours) are newer than others and there's more stone/brick than thatch. The stone bathroom was nice, and even though there's only cold water (which is standard in this price range in Thailand), there's a flush western toilet. The balcony was the best part though -- big enough for a hammock (or two) and a big table with chairs. We spent almost all our daylight hours here, just relaxing, reading, watching the clouds and listening to the ocean. The beachfront bungalows would also be nice and are well priced if you want absolute beachfront (which they are) but they aren't nearly as private as the ''on the rocks'' bungalows. Mai Pen Rai is quite isolated, which is one of the attractions, so you don't have much choice in terms of where to eat. We were pleasantly surprised by the restaurant though. Food was reasonably priced and very tasty. We really enjoyed it even though we ate there all day every day for almost a week. The shakes, in particular, were highly addictive. Most of the other people there during our stay were return visitors, two families that come to Mai Pen Rai at least once a year (although they were plotting a return this summer). We quickly understood why. In this era of development, new hotels, and mega resorts, it's hard to find such an amazing piece of paradise for such a reasonable price. Fiona was great and set up our onward transportation to Krabi so that when we left we could just get on the ferry and go. There's only one regularly scheduled taxi (songthew) service per day, but if you need to leave at an alternate time one can be arranged. There's a little shop selling hammocks and some basic supplies, but really you should bring anything you think you'll need, especially sunscreen and bug repellant. There is internet access available in the evenings, when the generators are running, if needed. Overall, Mai Pen Rai is not a fancy, five-star resort but the people who come here aren't looking for that. We thought it was a slice of paradise.

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  Mai Pen Rai Bungalows reviewed by amazon_blonde (Total reviews: 9) on 25th March, 2009
  Rated 5 out of 5. after a stay here in 1/2009

• We loved it

  This place is cool. A Kiwi recommended it and IT WAS CHILL! There's a ferry to it and we took it to Samui after checkout. But we paid a lot for a taxi to it. The bungalows will pick you up if you email them. We had rooms up on the rocks and the bathrooms were cool, built into the huge granite rocks. A snake visited our veranda, which was great (veranda not snake). We moved to another one and it had another great view out to sea instead of beach. Unreal - honor system, pay at checkout communal store. Experience this and relax 100%

  Mai Pen Rai Bungalows reviewed by ding (Total reviews: 8) on 24th January, 2008
  Rated 5 out of 5. after a stay here in 8/2007

• There's a place under sun

  I like this beach, peaceful and simple to stay there alone when you need more relaxation or when you need more privacy.

  Mai Pen Rai Bungalows reviewed by itchy (Total reviews: 1) on 23rd May, 2004
  Rated 4 out of 5. after a stay here in 5/2003