Klong Prao

Baan Rim Nam

Baan Rim Nam guesthouse, Koh Chang

Our Guesthouse on Koh Chang

The bad news is that during the coronavirus pandemic we decided to close the old guesthouse permanently. So, many thanks to everyone stayed with us from 2004 – 2020.

The good news is that whilst the old wooden guesthouse has gone, we have replaced it a more modern and more comfortable Baan Rim Nam version 2.0  

Baan Rim Nam is in the centre of the west coast of the island but is hidden away from the hustle and bustle on a river estuary most visitors to the island never see. Yet we’re only a 150 metre walk or 300 metre canoe paddle to the quietest stretch of beach on this side of Koh Chang.  

As of 2023, we have four, modern, ensuite, air-conditioned rooms in two adjacent houses plus a spacious riverside deck. 

Entrance through the mangroves

Guesthouse Reviews 

Guests who booked through Booking.com seem to like it . . .

Baan Rim Nam Booking.com reviews 2024

As do the guide books . . .

“Run by some of the most helpful people on Koh Chang, this converted fisherman’s house turned guesthouse teeters over the river in the mangroves. Free kayaks let you explore up river or down to the beach (under 5 minutes) and offshore islands. Rooms are spotless and the estuary keeps the whole place relatively cool.” Lonely Planet Thailand’s Islands & Beaches

“Baan Rim Nam: A charming, idiosyncratic, converted fishing family’s house, built on stilts over the klong at the end of a walkway through the mangroves. Run by a British-Thai couple, it has just three comfortable, stylishly-furnished air-con rooms with good bathrooms, plus a deck area for lounging but no restaurant. You can borrow kayaks and it’s a couple of minutes walk to the beach and Barracuda Restaurant.” The Rough Guide to Thailand

“This out-of-the-way guesthouse is set in one of the most gorgeous spots on the island.” www.Travelfish.org

And if that’s not enough, there are 200 + reviews on Tripadvisor

Baan Rim Nam has also been featured in Bangkok Airways in-flight magazine, various Scandinavian newspapers & magazines, including being rated as one of the ‘Top 198 places in Thailand’ by a Finnish magazine.   

So, maybe you’ll like it too . . . as the new version is even better. :-)

River view from the deck

About the new Baan Rim Nam

For anyone who has stayed before, the only parts remaining of the pre-covid Baan Rim Nam are the wooden walkway through the mangroves and the covered deck by the river.

Whilst the old wooden houses did have a lot of character, they also had creaking floorboards and paper thin walls.  The new version doesn’t have the same old fashioned charm, but will be, for the majority of guests, more comfortable and practical.

We rebuilt two old wooden fisherman’s house which are located on the Klong Prao river estuary on the west coast of Koh Chang. At high tide the water reaches underneath the houses and into the mangroves at the rear.  The beach is around 150 metres walk away through the coconut field or 300 metres by canoe down to the mouth of the river. How you get there is up to you.

The idea is that we want you to feel like you are staying at a friend’s house rather than you are just a room number in a resort. Adding to this feeling is the fact that as 70% of our guests come from this website, or from recommendations from previous guests.  So you’ll find that anyone else staying probably has a similar ideas to you of what to expect on Koh Chang and how they like to spend their vacation time.

Walkway to our holiday home

Our neighbours are a a couple of resorts, a couple of small guesthouses, a couple of good restaurants and some local families. In the evening it’s usually quiet.  There are no bright lights, no bars, no traffic noise and the only sounds that you usually hear are the cicadas, vocal frogs and the occasional firefly tour heading upstream to see the nearby fireflies which inhabit the mangroves upstream. It’s also one of the few places on the island where you can be woken up by birdsong at sunrise.

We want the place to be laid back and not overly commercial so things aren’t run or done too formally. This is a business but it’s not run as an exercise in emptying guests’ wallets as quickly as possible. So there’s no forced tours or trips but if you want anything arranging we can help do it. But don’t expect too much pampering.

We’ve got a very fast, free wi-fi connection in the rooms and also on the deck. If you need to work online then it’s definitely fast and stable enough for downloading large files, video conferencing, zoom meetings etc – or just Facetiming family and friends.

Covered riverside deck at Baan Rim Nam

Klong Prao Beach

You’re coming to Koh Chang because you want some sunshine and want a good beach.  When you walk 150 metres from our guesthouse, through the coconut field, you come to Palm Beach restaurant.  Walk out onto the beach and this is your view south.  The sun umbrellas are our neighbour’s, the luxury Santhiya Tree Resort.  You can walk about 1km along the beach to the southern end where you will find several large resorts. To the north is about 300 metres of quiet beach with just a handful of longstay bungalows. 

Klong Prao beach - 100 metres walk away

High Season 2024 – 25 Availability

We have done something different for the 2024-25 High Season and have rented the entire guesthouse to some of our previous guests who visit Koh Chang every year for the winter.  Therefore, we have no availability from 1 December 2024 – 31 March 2025.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Our New Rooms & Prices

The rooms are all similarly decorated and equipped. All have:

King size beds – which have the same type of super comfy mattresses and bed linen that are used in 4 star hotels.  If you check the reviews online you’ll see our guests like them a lot. :-).

Plus more mundane stuff like a work desk & chair, air-conditioning, ensuite bathroom with a rainshower, sofa, fridge, kettle, TV with Netflix and local cable channels, fast wifi, universal plugs (in case you forget your adaptor) etc.

We also provide toiletries & bath towels in the rooms. Beach towels and beach mats are available free of charge on request.  

The two spacious Family rooms also have a kitchenette and living room with large super comfy L-shaped sofa to laze on. 

There are three types of room:

The Mangrove Room.   So called as it’s at the back of the house near the Mangroves. Around 32sqm.  Ideal if you don’t need a scenic view from your window.

Period Room Rate
1 November – 30 April 2024 1,500 Baht
1 May  – 15 October 1,300 Baht
16 October – 30 April 2025 1,700 Baht

The River Room.  So called because it overlooks the river. This room is the same size and layout as the Mangrove room but with the addition of balcony overlooking the river.  If you enjoy watching the world slowly go by, then this is the room for you.

Period Room Rate
1 November – 30 April 2024 1,900 Baht
1 May  – 15 October  1,600 Baht
16 October – 30 April 2025 2,200 Baht

The Family Rooms. There are two Family rooms.  These both face the covered deck. 

Whilst they are suitable for families they are also ideal for two friends, two couples or just anyone who likes a lot more space than the average hotel room offers.

Each Family room has two bedrooms with King beds.  Plus a kitchenette, equipped with induction hob, microwave, fridge, toaster, etc plus crockery and cutlery.  It’s not suitable if you want to cook a three course gourmet meal, but fine for preparing breakfast, a snack or simple dishes.

There’s also a living room with a large, comfy, L-shaped sofa and 55″ TV.  Perfect for just lounging around & catching up with whatever series is trending on Netflix. 

Period Room Rate
1 November – 30 April 2024 2,800 Baht
1 May  – 15 October  2,100 Baht
16 October – 30 April 2025 3,200 Baht

 

How to Book?

Please use the form below to make an enquiry. I’ll usually reply within a few hours to confirm availability, price and answer any questions that you have.

Terms of payment: There’s no need for any advance payment.  I’ll trust you to show up if you say you will – so don’t let me down and taint my faith in humanity.  You can pay in three ways:

1) The simplest way is in cash  – Thai baht – when you check out. 

2) Wise or Revolut are also no problem.

3) Bank transfer – let me know when you check in if you want to do this as it usually takes 2-3 working days from overseas accounts.  

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Baan Rim Nam Booking Inquiry
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View of the deck from the Family rooms

More information

Location: Although we’re in the centre of Klong Prao beach, we’re a little off the beaten track. This part of the beach is the quietest on the west coast and never gets crowded. You can always find a quiet spot to sit and read, sunbathe etc here.  And you’re guaranteed not to be disturbed by people selling souvenir junk on the beach or by noise from any bars or beach restaurants.

To walk to the main road takes about 15-20 minutes along the access road.  Here you’ll find cheap restaurants, a bank, a bakery and a 7-eleven, Lotus minimart etc. Some of you may be disappointed to know that the nearest beer bars or souvenir shops are over 30 minutes walk away.

And when you’re on the main road it’s under 10 minutes pick up truck taxi ride to the supermarket and shops at the north end of the beach or to Kai Bae village to the south. So we’re not cut off from the outside world entirely.

To make life easier we can also call a taxi for you to pick you up from Baan Rim Nam to take you to one of the other beaches if you fancy a night out in the big city.   The usual rate is 100 -150 Baht per person each way.

Directions: To reach us, follow the access road, 100 metres north of Klong Prao temple, that is signposted to KP Huts, Tiger Huts, Watercolours, Santhiya Tree Resort and Longstay Resort.

Go through Santhiya Tree Resort, pass the cow and coconut field on the left and you’ll then see our signposted wooden footbridge through the mangroves to the house. If you end up at ‘Koh Chang Longstay Resort’ , you’ve gone 400 metres too far.

If you are coming by bus, you can take one of the shared pick up truck taxis that you will see waiting for passengers at the pier.  They will drop you off at our guesthouse.  The price should be 120 Baht / person. Or, if you are travelling by plane, Bangkok Airways have a minibus service that provides a door to door service between the airport and Baan Rim Nam.  

Restaurant: We don’t have one as, with the exception of one of our staff Mimi, we can’t cook. Mimi is an excellent cook, however she only cooks when she feels like it and that isn’t ideal if you want to have a restaurant. Fortunately, there are a few good options in the vicinity . . . .

On the opposite side of the river a good Thai & Seafood restaurant called ‘Pu-Talay’ which is also in a renovated fisherman’s house and at the mouth of the estuary is another well-known seafood restaurant, ‘Iyara Seafood’. Both mainly cater to Thai tourists, although the menus are also in a kind of English. Both of these restaurants will pick you up from Baan Rim Nam by boat for free.  

On the beach, 3 minutes walk away is Palm Beach restaurant which has an extensive menu of Thai and Western dishes plus cheap beer and cocktails and nightly fire show during High Season. It’s where a lot of our guests end up hanging out.  And Tiger Huts, 100 metres south of Santhiya Tree Resort also does surprisingly good Thai food at very reasonable prices. 

One meal we can manage (just about) is breakfast, which isn’t included in the room rate. Nothing extravagant: coffee or tea, fruit juice, cornflakes/muesli, toast – i.e. some food that you recognise to start your day before you spend the rest of it eating various weird and wonderful Thai dishes.

Some of our guests will opt to have breakfast at our place, others head down to the nearby beach restaurants to have a banana pancake. And some like to buy some bits and pieces in the village and make their own. Crust bakery in the village opens at 6am and is very good. The choice is yours, just let me or our staff know when you get up if you want anything.

We also have a fridge full of beer, water & soft drinks at ‘normal’ prices e.g. Coke – 15 Baht, Singha – 70 Baht, Large Beer Chang – 90 Baht etc. But, if you want to buy your own drinks from the 7-eleven in the village, that’s no problem, you can keep them in fridge in your room.

Walkway through the mangroves to Baan Rim Nam

Activities: There are a lot of companies offering trips and tours. Rather than have dozens of choices for you, we just offer activities from tour companies that I know you will enjoy and that don’t cost a fortune. We can fix you up with boat tickets to Koh Wai, Koh Mak etc. Full day snorkelling trips from where, in addition to seeing loads of fish, you will be very well fed and looked after.  A jungle trek with Tan the Trekking Guide, is also highly recommended. The best Thai cookery schools on the island are also nearby in Klong Prao village.

Kayaking: We have sea kayaks, a couple of SUP boards and four seater Canadian style canoes which you can use for free to explore the river estuary and mangroves. There are also six small islands just off Klong Prao & Kai Bae beaches. The nearest is about 30 minutes kayak paddle from us.  It is possible to visit them all in a day – but you’ll need to be pretty fit and confident on the water as the furthest island is around 3km from the mainland and no-one is going to save you if you get into trouble.  

Laundry: There is a good laundry in the village. The cost is 45 Baht/kilo. Just give us a bag of laundry and we’ll take it down there for you. You’ll get it back the same evening, neatly folded and smelling of roses.

Other details you might find useful

Our Guests: There isn’t a typical guest at Baan Rim Nam. We get people from all walks of life, all ages, all religions, all sexual orientations and all countries – it’s like the United Nations at times. And pretty much the only thing guests have in common is that they, like you, have found this website and are looking for a place like Baan Rim Nam in which to stay. Which has got to be a good thing :-)

Check in / Check out: Check in time is when you arrive, which for most people arriving from Bangkok is mid to late afternoon. The check out time is 12.00 noon, however if you need to hang around longer and there’s no-one waiting for the room you can do so, no problem.

Child Policy: I’m of the opinion my dog is more intelligent than most young children, however I realise that your views may differ. Therefore, we welcome kids providing they are house trained. More seriously, the house and footbridge are around 1 to 1.5 metres above the water/river bed and therefore it isn’t advisable to allow small children to play unsupervised on the deck as you’ll get very wet and muddy should you have to pull them out of the river. (Our dog can get out on her own.)

Animals: No pets allowed. (Other than our own) At present we’ve got a dog ‘Heidi’  – she’s an adopted street dog who we found as a skinny puppy, hiding in the car park in late 2016.  Plus Tiggy the cat, who’ll ignore you – unless you let her into the room to sleep on the sofa or bed.  

(You might have seen reviews mention our much loved Golden Retrievers ‘Santa’ and’ Brownie’ They sadly passed away in December 2015 and March 2023 respectively.)

Cancellation/No Show/Early Check Out: If you have to cancel, please let us have as much advance notice as possible as it will upset me if I’ve kept a room for you for months and you then suddenly have a change of plans 24 hours before you’re due to arrive.

Also, if for whatever reason you discover that Baan Rim Nam isn’t for you, I won’t be offended at all if you let me know you want to leave early – even if you have booked a few nights. This has happened in the past when guests have found the location too quiet or in the rainy season when the weather has been very bad. It is far better you move on and enjoy your holiday elsewhere rather than stay somewhere that doesn’t suit you.

Trat Airport Transfer:   I can arrange a private transfer from  Trat Airport . It’s by far the simplest and quickest way. The cost for 2 people is 1,900 Baht total which includes ferry tickets.  Or 2,500 Baht total for a family of 4 people.  Alternatively there’s a shared minibus service.  Ticket price is currently 650 Baht / person.  You can buy tickets at the airport when you land. 

Koh Chang Island Guide For Independent Travellers