Ban Phe Travel Guide

Getting There

By Bus -- Buses leave Bangkok every 30 minutes between 4am and 10pm for the 2 1/2-hour journey, departing from Ekkamai, Bangkok's Eastern Bus Terminal on Sukhumvit Road opposite Soi 63 (tel. 02391-2504). The one-way trip to Rayong costs 146B (US$4.15/£2.25), and from there it is a 20B (50¢/30p) shared songtaew to the ferry landing at Ban Phe. From Pattaya, either flag down a passing air-con or public bus from the corner of Sukhumvit and Pattaya Neua roads or book the 200B (US$5.70/£3.10) minibus option at any agency. Malibu-Garden Resort on Samet owns a Pattaya travel agency (tel. 03871-0676; www.malibu-samet.com) from which they run regular day trips and minibus transfers. Day trips cost 900B (US$26/£14) round-trip. Private cars can also be arranged. From Khao San, travel agencies offer minibus seats to Ban Phe for 250B (US$7.15/£3.85).

By Car -- Take the Suvarnabhumi Airport tollway from Bangkok east to Pattaya, then Highway 36 to Rayong, and then the coastal Highway 3145 to Seree Ban Phe (for about 3 hr.).

Getting to Koh Samet

By Ferry -- From the Saphan Nuan Tip ferry pier at Ban Phe, ferries leave for Na Dan every half-hour (trip time: 40 min.; 50B/US$1.42/73p one-way), or when full. Scheduled ferries also run at 9:30am, 1:30pm, and 5pm to Ao Wong Duean. Rates are one-way for 70B (US$2/£1.10) or 110B (US$3.15/£1.70) for a round-trip.

Speedboats to Ao Prao Resort can be booked at their dockside office in Ban Phe; prices vary. If you fancy whizzing over to Na Dan, it'll cost around 1,200B (US$34/£18).

Fast Facts

Koh Samet now has three ATMs. The easiest to find is at the 7-Eleven at the Na Dan pier. The post office is at the Naga Bungalows (tel./fax 03864-4035) south of Had Sai Kaew, and there's a satellite phone for overseas calls found at the visitor center in the National Parks office. There are plenty of Internet places, great nightlife, and seafood eateries by the beach. A clinic is just south of the Na Dan pier before Had Sai Kaew. (Though the island is no longer supposed to be malarial, it's plagued with the mosquitoes; take plenty of repellent and an antihistamine-based cream for post-bites.)

Getting Around

Island transport is limited to shared pickups, or rented motorbikes and mountain bikes, but many people simply choose to walk the hilly paths. No phone numbers for bike rental shops were available at press time, but you should be able to walk into any of the operators in town and make a reservation that day.