8 highlights, sights and things to do at Khao Lak, Thailand

This list is taken from an article by the TravelDudes - http://www.traveldudes.org which can be read in full here - http://www.traveldudes.org/travel-tips/8-highlights-sights-and-things-do-khao-lak-thailand/2484

  

1)     Police Boat 813 - where the tsunami in 2004 deposited it here - https://goo.gl/maps/9cotTrwPo522

2)    Chong Fah Waterfall - https://goo.gl/maps/UcGHTSsGaPJ2 in the Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park

3)    Takuapa and the Old Town - http://www.easydaykhaolak.com/takuapa-old-town/

4)    Lampi Waterfall - a popular place to visit - https://goo.gl/maps/L49wCBr6LRQ2

5)    Khao Sok National Park -  http://www.khaosok.com - a large national park with ancient rainforest, limestone cliffs, waterfalls, rare flora and fauna - https://goo.gl/maps/fwRSp76citu

6)    Khao Lak-Ram Ru National Park - https://goo.gl/maps/qmLMq2NZrkK2

7)    Cheow Lan Lake and Ratchaprapha Dam เขื่อนรัชชประภา - here’s a trip someone made - http://www.trekthailand.net/places/11/ and here’s where it is http://rpb.egat.com

8)    Diving in the Similan Islands

We would like you to stay with us at Kantary Beach in Khao Lak https://www.kantarycollection.com/kantarybeach-khaolak/

Photographs courtesy of Instagram and melli209, shiftesz and mitibos

      

Koh Yao Noi - Coconuts

Cape+Kantary is a magazine that you will find in all the #CapeandKantary Properties.

In every edition there is always an article that we like to share. In this edition - http://www.capekantaryhotels.com/ckmagazine/Issue18/index.html - (Pages 64 -70) one writer visited #CapeKuduHotel and explored Koh Yao Noi.

Lung Bao, aka Uncle Coconut, operates a small farm on the west side of the island. Surrounded by rice fields, he grows mangoes, passion fruit, sapodilla, limes, flowers, and—obviously—coconuts. Most of the produce he sells to his friends; it’s the coconuts that the visitors come for (they honestly are particularly scrumptious).

Because of the increasing popularity of the island, however, his coconut crop occasionally can’t keep up with demand so he’s building a coffee shop on premises. It would be a shame to miss out on a coconut from Lung Bao, but his beautiful gardens are worth a visit just to see.

Photo courtesy of Pichayanun and http://2-mag.com/site/story/Dispatch%3A+Koh+Yao+Noi

    

Khao Lak - what to do, eat, visit and stay

Cape+Kantary is a magazine that you will find in all the #CapeandKantary Properties. In every edition there is an ‘Insider Guide’ – what to do, where to eat, what to visit and where to stay.

In this magazine - https://www.capekantaryhotels.com/ckmagazine/Issue7/index.html (page 85) our writers visited Khao Lak and stayed at Kantary Beach - https://www.kantarycollection.com/kantarybeach-khaolak/

Do
- Play golf at the Thai Muang Golf Club - http://www.phuket.com/golf/thai-muang-golf.htm  

Eat
- Had lunch at the Café Andaman - https://www.kantarycollection.com/kantarybeach-khaolak/dining.php?page_name=cafe_andaman  and choose from a selection of excellent western and Thai dishes

Visit
- Suwan Kuha Cave Temple - http://www.jamiesphuketblog.com/2009/02/wat-sawan-kuha-temple-phang-nga.html -  also known as Wat Tham. There are a number of wild monkeys outside the cave with the reclining Buddha inside.

 Stay
- With us at Kantary Beach - https://www.kantarycollection.com/kantarybeach-khaolak/ - the tropical beachside hotel where you can escape from the worries of the world. 

  

Bangkok - Chef Giovanni at No.43 Italian Bistro

Cape+Kantary is a magazine that you will find in all the #CapeandKantary Properties.

In every edition, there is always an article that we like to share.

In this edition - https://www.capekantaryhotels.com/ckmagazine/Issue15/index.html - (Pages 82-83) one writer visited #CapeHouse in #Bangkok to meet Chef Giovanni Salice.

Chef Giovanni is originally from the beautiful Amalfi Coast in southern Italy but he started his culinary career in the northern city of Milan.

In 2010 he arrived in Thailand and he has been here ever since.

Read more of the article in the magazine but if you visit No.43 Italian Bistro - https://www.capehouse.com/dining.php - be sure to have his risotto with porcini mushroom and truffle. The rice is cooked to perfection and finished off with a generous helping of butter, Parmesan cheese, and slices of truffle.

     

A trip on the train

Cape+Kantary is a magazine that you will find in all the #CapeandKantary Properties.

In every edition there is always an article that we like to share.

In this edition - http://www.capekantaryhotels.com/ckmagazine/Issue11/index.html - (Pages 38 - 42) writer Dillon Albanese and photographer Graham Mayer visited Chiang Mai the long way round – they started at Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong train station.

Follow their 4 day trip;

Day One.

They took the train from Bangkok to Ayutthaya – they stayed at Classic Kameo Hotel in Ayutthaya - http://www.kameocollection.com/ClassicKameo-Ayutthaya/index.html

Day Two.

            They took the train to Lopburi and then to Phitsanoluk

Day Three.

            They took the bus to Sukhothai

Day Four.

They took the train to Chiang Mai – where they stayed at Kantary Hills Hotel in Chiang Mai - http://www.kantarycollection.com/kantaryhills-chiangmai/

     

Koh Si Chang - what to do, eat, visit and stay

 

Cape+Kantary is a magazine that you will find in all the Cape and Kantary Properties if you choose to visit us. There are a number which are scattered across Thailand - http://capekantaryhotels.com/

A popular article which they write in every edition is the ‘Insider Guide’. The article is written for different properties in every edition and always involves these 4 points – what to do, where to eat, what to visit and where to stay.

 

In this edition - volume 18  (Pages 82-85)   - http://www.capekantaryhotels.com/ckmagazine/Issue18/index.html - they  visited Somewhere in Koh Sichang and they also visited the rest of the island.

 

 

They visited Wat Atsadang Nimit, which is a unique temple featuring a mix of gothic and classical Thai architecture – http://bit.ly/2t9DxYI

 

 

They had lunch at The Verandah Restaurant – http://somewherehotel.com/dining.html - which is a serves delicious Thai and Western Dishes.

 

Then they visited Ruen Mai Rim Talay - https://www.travelfish.org/sight_profile/thailand/eastern_thailand/chonburi/ko_si_chang/1618 - which is a beautiful white building set in a tranquil plot of land and surrounded by trees – a lovely spot to watch the sun go down.

 

They returned to  Somewhere - http://somewherehotel.com/index.html - which is a small hotel with only 20 rooms (so book in advance) and spent a restful night

 

   

The Son of the Dragon of the Sea

Last week, whilst visiting Pattaya to conduct a hotel survey, I noticed something on the beach. There was a small Buddhist Shrine on the edge of the water with the opportunity to light a joss stick. Following my previous visit to Chiang Mai where I had watched the staff and guests make an early morning offering I wondered if there was something similar in the Cape Panwa area?

I was surprised when I arrived at Cape Panwa Hotel and found there was a Chinese Spirit figurine placed in one of the trees on the Cape Panwa Hotel beach.

There is a plethora of Chinese Spirits that are usually known as good, evil or simply unhappy spirits. Phuket has a great deal of history linking it to the Chinese which is clear if you choose to walk through Phuket Old Town or visit it during Chinese New year celebrations. 

The name of this particular spirit, placed in one of the trees on the beach, is Lee-Lo-Chia, who is the Son of the Dragon of the Sea. This spirit is placed near the edge of the water to protect those using the beach and sea. 

So, along with the beach staff and the life saving rings, there is a Chinese Spirit to protect you.

              

The Buddhist Morning Alms Offering

The Thai (and Indochinese) tradition of offering alms to Buddhist monks in the early morning is a beautiful part of Thai culture that is often missed by most tourists.

In Theravada Buddhism offering alms to monks is an opportunity for lay people to earn merit by performing a good deed. Each monk has a large brass bowl to collect the alms of food offered him by the people. At Cape Panwa Hotel, guests can witness this is ritual when we take them to the temple on Songkran.

This ritual actually takes place on a daily basis – the monks leave their temple at dawn each day and make their rounds (on foot) of the community where their temple is located in order to give local residents, who wait for the monks to pass by the front of their house, a chance to make merit.

I always leave at 6:30 in the morning to witness this – don’t worry breakfast at Cape Panwa Hotel is available till 10:30am!

(Ed - But if you visit Kantary Hills Hotel in Chiang Mai the monks come to you right in front of the hotel!)