Rim Pae, Banphe (Easern Seaboard)
The beach of Rim Pae is a nice surprise, 12 km east of Banphe. A long and wide stretch of fine white sand, very good for long walks along the coastline. We liked the western part of this beach the most, as it’s much further from the road.
However it was difficult to find stays that we liked. Most of the stays are in the bigger resorts like Novotel and Marriott. Not our taste but you can check online for good deals at these resorts.
We found on the east part of the beach a resorts we liked, the nice small midrange stay Bandara on Sea (east part of the beach) with a nice garden and 2 swimmingpools.
Besides the resorts there are bungalows for Thai families, offering places for both short and long stays. There are only a few two-people bungalows. During the weekends, the area is full of visitors from Bangkok and the surrounding cities, but during weekdays you have the beach to yourself.
Ban Phe Ville and Moment Villa are at the west part of the beach. Ban Phe Ville offers bungalows for Thai families, while Moment Villa is a more upper range stay with a nice pool. For dinner go to one of the food stands or small restaurants in the village (1 km).
Along the coast and beside the coast there are several food stands and some small beach restaurants. Most resorts and stays have their own restaurants.
The mainland east of Banphe is a good place to start or end your vacation. Near the airport (2,5 hours), there are several good beaches and backlands to explore.
Starting at the airport a taxi to Banphe takes a 2,5-hour drive and costs between 2000 and 2500 baht. From Bangkok you can take a taxi for 2500 baht, including high way chargers, or catch a bus or minibus from either Ekamai Bus Station or (minibus) from the Victory Monument. From Bangkok it takes about 3-4 hours to get to Banphe.
At Banphe you can take a shared taxi for 20 baht/person in the direction of Hat Mae Phim. Ten to 25 km out of Banphe, the taxi will drop you off near your stay, or you can rent a motorbike to go to one of the beaches.
In Banphe you can rent a motorbike near the 7-eleven Pier.
