good for you

A wooden house tucked into the jungle, on the edge of pristine golden sands, with a view over the Andaman Sea - Golden Buddha Beach Resort offers cabins set in lush tropical forest just metres from a 11-km uninhabited beach on one of the country's last unspoiled coastlines.

The island of Koh Phra Thong, off Thailand's west coast is undeveloped (not a tall building or commercial town in sight) and is home to abundant wildlife including monkeys, sea turtles and rare hornbills. The resort has one whole 10km stretch of beach to itself, and the thick forest behind the beach provides ample shade and privacy for the resort's houses.

With excellent service from the local staff, along with delicious and authentic restaurant meals, this is the perfect place to enjoy Thailand far from the over-developed tourist scene at places like Phuket. The resort's homes are all individually built and decorated, all with spacious verandahs, they feel more like homes than hotel rooms, and there are kayaks and snorkeling gear, as well as a pair of jeeps, for guests to explore the sea and the island.

good for thailand

Tourism hasn't always been kind to Thailand. This is one resort where luxury doesn't come laden with guilt - Golden Buddha was built by locals using local natural materials, the maximum 80 guests at a time is well within what the large island can support. Both energy and fresh water are carefully conserved; recyclable waste is recycled and sewage is naturally treated by the resort's own septic system. The resort employs and trains locals to offer them opportunities beyond the island and the hotel implemented a reforestation program after the damage wreaked by the 2004 Tsunami. On top of all this, the resort sponsors a sea turtle conservation project that guests can visit - hatching season is February to March.

Rooms

Food

Meals are served at long tables in the Clubhouse, which is just near the resort's reception and enjoys beautiful views over the Andaman Sea.

Meals are communal affairs served at fixed times (about 1pm for lunch and 7:30 for dinner, while breakfast is from 7-10am). Food is served buffet-style and you help yourself. A hot breakfast can be ordered along with the cereals, home-baked breads and pastries and tropical fruits at the buffet.

The menu is mostly Thai, along with some international dishes. The food is excellent, using seasonal and local ingredients that are always super-fresh. There is lots of fish on the menu, but meat dishes are also served, and there is plenty of vegetarian fare. The resort grows its own coconuts and papayas, and is working with locals to grow and source more organic produce for inclusion in the menu.

A typical dinner may start with sweet and sour fish soup, along with a buffet including stir-fried locally grown vegetables, Thai green curry with fresh prawns and fresh sea bass with coriander and chili, "Pad Thai" noodles with bean sprouts, chicken, egg and spices, and steamed rice. A selection of fresh tropical fruit finishes the meal.

Features & Facilities

• Laundry
• Bird list (more than 400 species) and binoculars made available
• Bird watching & nature tours
• Shaded, open-sided yoga platform amongst the forest branches
• In-house Thai masseuse
• Sea kayaks, snorkelling gear and a pair of jeeps available for guest use
• English, French, German, Italian and Thai spoken
• Shop
• Internet

Local Info & Activities

There are a range of activities offered at the resort to enhance your enjoyment of the natural environment while minimizing any adverse impact on the island or surrounding area. Most activities can be enjoyed by all ages and fitness levels, with the assistance of expert guides and instructors.

andaman safaris

These Safaris have been designed to create a sense of adventure, optimise your appreciation of the natural world and provide memorable moments of your vacation.

No specialist equipment is required, but guests are advised to bring their own binoculars if available and certainly your camera. A hat and sun protection is a must.

bird watching and nature tours

Bird watching and nature treks can be enjoyed every day, either in a group with trained guides or independently with the help of the resort''s specially prepared maps and printed guides. With more than 400 species on the island, bird watching is extremely enjoyable, and the resort has designed a range of other interesting tours to highlight various aspects of the island environment, including their beach combing tour.

scuba diving

Golden Buddha Beach Resort is just about the closest land fall point to the world famous Surin and Similan islands. The dive sites surrounding these islands offer some of the best opportunities in the world to dive with whale sharks.

The Surins'' chief attraction is a small submerged rock about 18 kilometers (11 miles) east of Surin Island. Richelieu Rock, just exposed at the lowest of tides, rates as one of the best places in the world for swimming with that gentle giant, the whale shark. Encounters with these fish - the largest in the world - are rare almost any place in the world, but Richelieu attracts more than its fair share.

sea kayaking and snorkeling

Sea kayaks and snorkeling equipment are available to guests to hire. Private guided sea kayak tours can be arranged on request. The estuaries on the island offer a particularly enticing location to explore using these enjoyable craft.

The resort can arrange for 1-2 hour snorkeling trips to the islands in the bay, just 5 minutes from the resort.

yoga

Golden Buddha Beach has long been a prime yoga retreat destination. The natural environment and tranquility offered by the location allows yoga to be practiced in an ideal setting. A specially constructed yoga platform is shaded and protected from wind by the forest branches. If you want to book a yoga or meditation group into the resort, please let the Good Travel Co. know and we will arrange it.

cultural tours

While the only residents on the resort''s side of the island are its staff, guests and the monkeys on Monkey Mountain, the other side of the island is home to the small fishing community of Tapayoi (this is where the resort sources its fresh fish and seafood). The small community is made up of a few Thais, but mostly Moken - the Sea Gypsy people. Excursions to the two villages on this side of the island - Thang Dap and Tapayoi) -can be arranged. You will meet families and see their age-old way of life, and perhaps visit local schools to meet children and teachers, or pay a visit to the local public health centre. The resort can even arrange home stays with families where guests will share family meals and experience the local sea community life.

Sustainability

The actual houses that make up the Golden Buddha Beach Resort are all privately owned, while the Lost Horizon Resort Co. runs the resort operation.

Lost Horizon Resort Co. Ltd. was established in 1985 by Dick Sandler (a former World Bank and UN worker who has lived in Thailand for over 30 years), with Dana Fowlkes and Richard Rhodes joining the company in 2006. LHR focuses on developing the resort into a premier ecologically sustainable holiday destination.

Because of the private and remote location of the island, the resort is fully self sustaining, generating its own power and water supply. The power comes from a diesel generator - to save energy, all houses are equipped with energy saving lighting and electricity is cut off between 11 pm and 6 am. All houses are naturally ventilated, and ceiling fans replace air condition. There are no televisions in the houses. Less than 20 kilowatt per hour is used to power the entire resort, which is quite an accomplishment. All showers and toilets are low flow to help conserve water. Sheets are only cleaned every three days and towels are limited to one per guest. Waste is naturally treated in the resort's septic system.

The resort's forthcoming Travel Green program will offer guests the opportunity to support renewable energy by offsetting the power required for their accommodations.

Although not always readily available in Thailand, the resort purchases "green" whenever possible. All non-biodegradable waste and recyclables are taken to the mainland for processing, while organic waste is recycled and turned into compost.

Aside from the fishing industry, the resort is the island's largest employer. Resort employees earn a fair wage and the resort assists in their training, providing skills that make them employable beyond the island. Currently over 20 local people are employed at the resort, and most of them are full-time staff from villages on the island, while others are from the mainland. The resort is proud of its policy of not laying off staff during the "low season".

The resort also uses local businesses and workers to support much of its operation such as village boats for guests' transfers; local drivers and their vehicles for safaris and guest transfers on the mainland. By providing economic opportunities on the island, families can stay together instead of the "breadwinners" having to seek employment in cities on the mainland. This preserves and strengthens the community on Golden Buddha Island. Beyond employment, the resort engages locals in its various projects - for example, local fishermen participate in the resort's Whale Shark Conservation Program.

The resort is set in a natural forest alongside the beachfront and its policy is to maintain all natural tree cover and preserve as much of the natural surroundings as possible. The devastation caused by the Asia Pacific Tsunami of 2004 represents the greatest environmental challenge the resort faces. Aside from the loss of human life, the tsunami also took a heavy toll both the environment and the resort itself. The resort was conscientiously rebuilt using local materials and local labour. Restoring the natural environment of Golden Buddha Island involved the careful planning and effort of many people. In conjunction with NATR (North Andaman Tsunami Relief) the resort implemented a reforestation program concentrating on the Mangrove ecosystem. Guests have also helped out individually by planting trees and cleaning up the beach.

The resort encourages a conservationist ethos among its guests. As part of the activities the resort offers, guests have the opportunity to go on cultural tours to the small fishing village on the other side of the island. Guests have the chance to meet local people from all generations (including visiting the local primary school and speaking with the village elders). Cooking classes in authentic Thai cuisine are also offered. The resort actively promotes several programs focusing on the conservation and protection of the island's wildlife.

Three of the resort's conservation programs really stand out. The first is its mangrove conservation effort in conjunction with NATR. The second is the Naucrates program, where volunteers protect sea turtle nests and make scientific observations when the young turtles hatch. The third is the Whale Shark Conservation Program in conjunction with Ecocean. Guests, scuba divers, local fisherman and anyone else who spots a whale shark and can photograph it, then submit the photo to the resort's database. Software originally designed to map stars is used to identify the whale shark's unique spot pattern. This database is used to track, monitor, and learn about these amazing creatures.

The Whale Shark Conservation program is among the resort's biggest environmental and community successes. It has gained international recognition and key to its success is the involvement of a range of people - local fisherman, scuba divers and resort guests have all enthusiastically become involved to help in this conservation effort.

All post tsunami restoration was completed in a culturally sensitive way. The resort employed local builders and contractors and used local materials whenever possible. The accommodations incorporate authentic Thai design and furnishings.

Getting There

Golden Buddha Beach Resort is on the island of Koh Phra Thong, off Thailand's west coast near the mainland town of Kuraburi. Kuraburi is 1 hour's drive south of Ranong and 21/2 hours (200km) north of Phuket and Krabi. There are flights to Phuket and Krabi from Bangkok, and there are also international flights to Phuket.

The resort has its own longtail boat to take you to the island from Kuraburi pier in 1 - 11/2 hours. The charge for this transfer is 1700 Thai Baht.

suggested routes:

route 1

• Fly from Bangkok to Phuket
• Travel overland from Phuket to Kuraburi (Golden Buddha resort can arrange for a minibus / car on request).
• Take a longtail boat from Kuraburi to Ko Phra Thong (Golden Buddha island).

estimated journey time from bangkok check-in - 6 hours

route 2

• Fly from Bangkok to Ranong.
• Travel overland from Ranong to Kuraburi (Golden Buddha resort can arrange for a minibus / car on request).
• Take a longtail boat from Kuraburi to Ko Phra Thong (Golden Buddha island)

estimated journey time from bangkok check-in - 5 hours

Golden Buddha Beach Resort can be found on Google Earth at Latitude:9¡7'31.77"N Longtitude: 98¡15'0.85"E

Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.

Rates & Bookings

home type & capacity

Luxury Beach Home: Sleeps up to 4 adults and is suitable for children.

Super Deluxe Beach Front: Sleeps 2

Super Deluxe Beach Back: Sleeps 2

Deluxe Beach Front: Sleeps 2

Luxury Sea View Home: Sleeps 2-4 (recommended for families)

Deluxe Sea View Home: Sleeps 2

Beach Front & Back: Sleeps 4

(pair of homes)

• Rates are for house only and do not include any extras such as breakfast.

2007 Low Season 1 June - 15 Oct 2007

Luxury Beach Home: US$133

Super Deluxe Beach Front: US$85

Super Deluxe Beach Back: US$73

Deluxe Beach Home: US$65

Luxury Sea View Home: US$79

Deluxe Sea View Home: US$57

Beach Front & Back: US$120

2007 MID SEASON - 16 Oct - 14 Dec 2007

Luxury Beach Home: US$160

Super Deluxe Beach Front: US$102

Super Deluxe Beach Back: US$87

Deluxe Beach Home: US$78

Luxury Sea View Home: US$95

Deluxe Sea View Home: US$68

Beach Front & Back: US$144

2008 HIGH SEASON 14 Jan - 17 Apr 2008

Luxury Beach Home: US$214

Super Deluxe Beach Front: US$133

Super Deluxe Beach Back: US$114

Deluxe Beach Home: US$101

Luxury Sea View Home: US$129

Deluxe Sea View Home: US$92

Beach Front & Back: US$194

07/08 PEAK SEASON 15 Dec 07 - 13 Jan 08

Prices available by request only.

booking & cancellation policy

• Full advance payment is required to confirm a home.
• If notification of cancellation is received more than 30 days prior to the date of your planned visit, all but 20% of the payment will be refunded.
• For the high season (1-15 December and 9 January through 30 April), if notification is received within the 30-day period prior to scheduled arrival no refund will be made unless Golden Buddha is able to rent the house.
• In the low season, if a cancellation is made within the 30 day period, a refund of 40% will be made up until 10 days before your scheduled arrival.
• No refund will be given on cancellations made between 0 & 9 days before arrival.

Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.