Bang Saen and minivans

Hello -

We are going to be on a family vacation in Bangkok in July and are thinking about a day trip to a beach. We are not interested in wandering too far off and for that reason have limited our choices to either Bang Saen (Chonburi) or Cha Am (Phetchaburi). In order to avoid big crowds, we are planning to go on a weekday. Would restaurants etc. still be open on these beaches on a weekday?

My second question is about minivans. The last time we traveled out of BKK, we used minivan stations at Victory Monument (we were going to Ayutthaya). But now I have been reading that these stations have been moved from Victory Monument to another place? Can someone please confirm whether this is correct. If so, where can one catch minivans to Bang Saen, Cha Am, Ayutthaya etc.?

Thanks in advance for your help. :)

Of course restaurants are open. A day trip will involve a lot of travelling for not much. Average beaches. Not much to see.

More to do in Kanchanaburi but do more than a day trip.

I have been to both places -- the actual beaches themselves have coarse sand and are not much fun. There are lots of tables on the edges of the beaches where Bangkok people sit and eat seafood and drink. I went to Chonburi with Thai friends from BKK They had no interest in swimming. Waiters collect orders at the tables and bring the food so there is no need to move. I agree both distances are just too far from BKK for a day trip.

Hua Hin is just a little further from BKK than Cha'am and the beaches are much nicer. Kanchanaburi is good too.

I think minivans to all those places go from the Morchit bus station now. There was a lot of discussion on the relocation of minivans on TT about 6 months ago but very few reports of using them after the fact.

Paul

Bang Saen is now just over an hour from Bkk - there is a motorway spur (Kho San Road) that goes straight into the town now. The old way in was from Sukhumvit down Rong Haad Road to the "beach roundabout" - a rather ugly monument at the beginning of the main part of beach road (Bang Saen Sai 1)

Bang Saen is extremely popular with bangkokians on holidays and W/Es and the beachfront can get rammed.
However in the week you will have the place to yourself.
in the last five years or so a lot of new hotels have opened up offering a wide price range.

Restaurants
Bang Saen has more seafood restaurants than you can throw a stick at....... in fact it's quite difficult NOT to eat seafood.....
Most will stay open in the week but some who cater for tour groups won't.
The main beach does not have particularly coarse sand but the system of renting tables and umbrellas means it isn't very cheap.
The South end (Wanapha Beach)is much less formal - many of the students from the nearby Uni have "picnics" there in the evening and there are plenty of food stalls and bigger sit down seafood restaurants.

For good food prepared in front of you - Andy's on beach road in front of the 7/11 is great. It appears on the sidewalk (nearly)every evening weather permitting and stays open to 10pm -ish....great seafood etc and won't break the bank. A lot of the staff speak English - they're students!

If you want a really good seafood restaurant - the best are between Bang Sean and Ang Sila (North coast of the town) head towards Ang Sila and turn down Rop Khao Sam Muk soi1 - the restaurant on the seafront there is fantastic - I'm afraid I can't remember the name -"เปี๊ยกมันทะเล" in Thai is one Google - Piekman Talay - I think. it's not cheap but does the most fantastic grilled prawns in tamarind sauce - and the mini-clams are out of this world.

Many people will recommend "Relax" - for me the live music is too intrusive and I find the food mediocre at best.
Pakarang is a large establishment at the Northern end of Bang Saen beach - very popular and I’ve found the food to be quite good. The car park is on the opposite side of the road on a band - it’s a wonder no-one is run over.

Minivans run into "Long Haad" - the road from sukhumvit to the beach.
However I would suggest not going by minivan but rent a car - Bang Saen is quite a "spread out" town and having you own transport is a boon.
I guess I could hire a motorcycle whilst there but they aren't very common. You can also rent tandem bicycles - but they can't be regarded as serious transport.

PS - If you want "authentic" Italian style pizza and other Italian food, San Marzarno (https://www.facebook.com/SanMarzano.Bangsaen/) on the Bang saen Ang Sila road is really rather good - with a European trained chef.

Minivans from Morchit are a pain. Its half an hour walk from the BTS Morchit station.

You can get a taxi from the BTS or straight there from wherever you are.

However the sheer number of buses and minivans, in conjunction with normal Bangkok traffic, means you will get stuck in traffic for ages. It has taken me 20 minutes in a taxi just to get out of the bus station.

#4 I thought that I read that they were going to have free(?) minivans from Mor Chit BTS to the bus station.
Isn't that happening?
#3 Thanks for your write-up. I don't think my (more than middle aged)Thai friends are very up-to-date. We did go to some other places -- a seafood restaurant and a big Chinese temple that were in the area. I just sat there while my friends decided where to go.
Paul

#4 Didn't see any last few times, but wasn't really looking. Just jumped in a cab. The roads round there are just ridiculous most times of day and the minibuses have only made it worse.

So you could rent a car, or get a taxi; if there are more of you, a minivan for the day

Taxi fare is about 1200 e/w

Isn't that happening?

There are shuttles leaving from the parking lot in front of the BTS train depot, use exit 2:
https://www.skymapbangkok.com/media/area-map_bts-n08-mo-chit.jpg

Another way is to take a regular city bus going there, for that you would take exit 4, then walk a bit past the MRT entrance, towards Pahon Yothin Soi 18/1, to the city bus stop there (would be just past "muster point 2 on that map above).
Most buses (all?) stopping there go to Morchit 2 - the '2' is readable on the blue destination sign in lower right of front windshield, so take any with the '2' to get there.

Don't use the bus stop directly under the BTS station, the one between exit 2 and 4, that's the stop for buses heading towards downtown - Bus 3 and 524 going to KSR (Rambuttri side) stop here, too, plus 59, 503, 509 (Democarcy Monument) and 29 (Hua Lamphong).

(You can take city buses from the other side as well, between exit 1 and 3, but only one bus stop there and those going to Morchit 2 go via Ratchada Rd, quite a bit of a detour and more traffic.)

Thanks for that information -- that is what I thought was happening but didn't know where to catch the bus from. Doesn't bus 29 (yellow one) terminate at Victory Monument? though some others may go to the railway station -- I am not sure.

Paul

Doesn't bus 29 (yellow one)

Yup, the non-aircon red/white one goes all the way. There's another one, 34?
Yellow aircon ones turn around at Victory Monument indeed, don't remember having been in that one all the way (but then I don't use that route very often).

Seafood restaurants in Bangkok. No need to travel 1 hour or more.

Seafood restaurants in Bangkok. No need to travel 1 hour or more.

2 more places worth visiting - the Ang Sila Fish market.
This is set along a pier with boats unloading fish at the far end - well worth a visit. They will provide you with an insulted (polystyrene) box and ice to take any purchases home in.
The mini oysters are from the beds here and shucked on the shore - so you no they are fresh. I wouldn't buy them once bagged in off stalls Bang Sean itself, just buy/eat them at the shellfish beds.
Of course virtually all the seafood restaurants are over the sea with views

Nong Mon market is famous for two things - the huge range of dried seafood (there are acres of seafood drying establishments in the area)
and
Khao lam - the sweet sticky rice baked in bamboo. This is a local speciality
You really need transport to get round all these places though. The local Song Taews are OK but difficult to work ot which one you want.

A massive thanks to everyone for your information, advice and suggestions! Really appreciate it. :)

BTW - Hua hun/ Cha'am have a larger expat and foreign tourist population than Bang Saeng so it might be easier to find "tours" etc going that way.
Although in my opinion hua hin is the blandest of all the holiday destinations in Thailand!

But the sand in HH (and Ko Samet) is so much nicer.
Paul

But the sand in HH (and Ko Samet) is so much nicer.
Paul

..."and Koh Samet" - why???

#16 "Why?"

The discussion seems to have gone a bit further than a one day trip now and people might think of Ko Samet as an alternative to HH (I do and so haven't been to Ko Samet for a long time now) so I thought I would mention it. If you don't like it please feel free to ignore the idea.

Paul

it's about a 3 hour drive e/w plus getting onto the island.

If the OP wanted an island, I'd recommend Koh Si Chang near Sri Racha....that would be do-able in a day.

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