Solid budget bungalows
Jungle Garden’s dozen bungalows with fan and air-con are a good fit for backpackers looking to save cash in low-key Bailan village.
Identical apart from your choice of cooling apparatus, the attractive wood and woven-bamboo bungalows with thatch roofs are comfier than most. They each come with a soft queen bed raised off hardwood floors, wall-mounted fan, free WiFi and large bathrooms with hot-water showers behind brushed concrete partitions. Out front you get bamboo tables and benches on porches that often turn into meeting points for travellers.
The bungalow that we stayed in was well kept—not surprising after seeing cleaning staff work hard every day. Bathroom walls have a small open space at the top so expect some geckos inside the bungalow, especially if you forget to shut the bathroom door. The stilted huts stand close to one another on both sides of a small lawn—no direct access to the seacoast but with a convenient location off the main road in Bailan village.
Jungle Garden is a small property run by a young Thai/German couple who are a pleasure to be around. They live in the front house with their little boy and a couple of sweet dogs that may greet you at the reception porch.
Up front by the road sits the owners’ second business, Hammock Hut, which sells high-quality hammocks made by hill-tribe people of Thailand. Jungle Garden also runs a small cafe serving breakfast and fresh coffee—a good place to lie on a hammock or floor cushion and do some reading.
Budget travellers should also consider Elephant Bay Resort, and if both that and Jungle Garden are full, go for a similarly natural-style bungalow at Tarzan Island Resort across the road. Be careful not to confuse Jungle Garden with Beach Jungle in Lonely Beach, Jungle Mountain in Khlong Kloi, or Jungle View in Khlong Prao.
Address: Bailan village, Ko Chang
T: (083) 616 4036;
Web: https://www.facebook.com/JungleGarden/
Coordinates (for GPS): 102º17'55.22" E, 11º59'26.63" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: 600B to 1,500B
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
Bungalow fan private bathroom | 500 baht | 700 baht |
Bungalow air-con private bathroom | 800 baht | 1,000 baht |
Reviewed by
David Luekens
David Luekens first came to Thailand in 2005 when Thai friends from his former home of Burlington, Vermont led him on a life-changing trip. Based in Thailand since 2011, he spends much of his time eating in Bangkok street markets and island hopping the Andaman Sea.
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