Spring Road Trip from Pattaya to Chanthaburi Beach

 We were looking for a quiet, obscure getaway from Pattaya. Even though we love Pattaya and its beaches and many things to do, we wanted a little trip away. We were looking for a really local beach and the local experience, especially fresh seafood and the freshest fruit. We were hungry for a family road trip out of Pattaya. One that is easy. So instead of going north towards Bangkok, this time we decided to go south, straight down the coast. Past Rayong to Chanthaburi. Most people traveling from Pattaya just pass right by Chanthaburi to go to Koh Chang in Trat but Chantbaburi has a lot to offer, and is very much off the tourist trail for foreigners.

After booking an Airbnb lodging (a beach house!), we set off to the Laem Sing Beach area of Chanthaburi – a province and city known for its mountains, waterfalls, beaches, and fruit farms. It was going to be a three-hour plus drive to get there and after the five of us (four adults and one two-year-old child) piled into our car with our bags, we headed out. We took the 36 highway shortcut to Rayong and on the way stopped at Pa Dee in the Wild – Rayong, a charming stop that we recommend for its beauty. After we had refreshments inside at the Brown Cabin Chocolate Cafe, we walked around the lovely grounds, perfect for our picture-taking, with rustic, barn-style looks everywhere.

After driving some more, we stopped at a local Thai restaurant where we could sit down to eat on a platform over the river. The food was fantastic. It included fish, shrimps, and fresh vegetables. We navigated the last part of the trip to our beach house in the dark and arrived at night. We figured out the self-check-in, and sorted out who sleeps in which of the four rooms, then put the fruits and other foods we brought in the refrigerator, and enjoyed the first night of sleep.

The next morning, we awoke to amazing beach views out of our bedroom windows, then made breakfast with the eggs we brought and the coffee furnished by our lodge host. Some of us took dips in the little swimming pool with an ocean view. We all walked down to the beach to the only coffee shop there called Ao Yang Lagoon Cafe, with expansive ocean views and retro-vintage decorations. A hot Americano cup was only 50B. We sat around enjoying the peace and quiet.

Then we took the car out to explore the area. Our discoveries were fun because we were eager to see new places. The little Ao Yang Beach area was filled with places to eat, but we kept going and decided on our lunch spot, the ocean front Krua Ao Moo Restaurant where you can order all kinds of fresh seafood (most still alive and kicking when you order it).Then on our second day, our friends Nong and his family, who live in Chanthaburi, visited us at the beach house.We did a lot of catching up with our friends Nong and Arin and their two children Pen and Oy.

Nong is a local tour guide for a fruit and adventure retreat in Chanthaburi. The beach house we rented is surrounded by jungle and jungles in Thailand can have monkeys. We forgot about that. While we were in the pool, two monkeys showed up and jumped on the table looking for food.Luckily, Nong knew exactly how to scare them off – with a stick.

In our drives out exploring, we looked around for a barbershop for the Jason Rupp Youtube channel, and luckily found a unique open-air-under-the-house barbershop; it was so local. Jason got a haircut and a beard shave and enjoyed the sounds of the birds and the full experience of being in a jungle atmosphere even though we weren’t too far off the main road. Then in the evening we took a long walk along the main Laem Sing Beach. The air is so nice here. At one end was a night market, where our little Fitzroy played with local children on the beach with their sand toys.

The next day we packed up the car again, sorry to leave but on the way back we stopped to buy fresh durians at a roadside stand as durian trees are plentiful in this area. We also stopped at Creamii Cafe Beach Rayong, near Mae Phim. We each sat on bean bags, facing the sea, and had delicious coffee and iced cocoa with little desserts under a clear blue sky. It was so perfect.

We also went to Oabb Farm. There were chickens, water buffalo, ponies, and other animals.We found a table at the open-air cafe in the beautiful landscaped gardens. Some of us did some hiking on the grounds. The matcha cheesecake with coffee was delicious and you can see all the plants they grow on the farm.

If somebody wants to get out of Pattaya and go local, we suggest going down the coast as we did. Rayong and Chanthaburi provide a beautiful area to go to. We had a wonderful time with our family and whilst in Chanthaburi ate the best mangoes, durians, dragon fruit, and watermelons.

Rayong and Chanthaburi beaches are beautiful and perfect for a road trip. The fun is in the journey and finding fun places along the way which adds to the trip.

Freelance travel journalists, Jason Rupp and Carla Marie Rupp can be reached at their emails of [email protected] and [email protected].