Rakkan Resort

For a budget traveler, Rakkan was such a happy find, and the best hidden gem of my two months in Asia. My bungalow was cute and roomy, with a balcony, a comfortable bed and a bug net. The staff were friendly, helpful and knew their stuff. There are snorkels to borrow, and the restaurant serves delicious food. They can also arrange transport from the mainland to the island. The resort isn’t right on the beach, but it’s about a minute away. Horizon resort is on the sand and less than a minute from Rakkan, so you can sit by the beach there if you order food. Rakkan was probably about half the price of Horizon.

The bungalows were great. Net, who runs reception and the restaurant, was so kind and helpful, and had good, laid-back Thai music playing. They sorted out the boat and jeep for us, both to get there and to return to PuraBuri pier. 10/10.

We’ll miss our Rakkan Family and are already looking forward to coming back. The owners and staff were incredibly welcoming, and whenever we needed anything they went out of their way to help. Nock even arranged a snorkeling tour to the beautiful Surin Islands for us. The bungalows are cute, with a toilet, shower and small terrace with chairs. They give each guest a hang mat on arrival and a bottle for refilling drinking water, which is free throughout the stay. The place is quiet day and night, surrounded by nature, and there are several nearly empty beaches about a minute’s walk away. It’s directly on the beach, with no generators, just nature. We saw a sea turtle on our first snorkeling day, then kayaked to the little island the next day to look for coral and lots of fish. In the evening, crabs of all sizes wander along the sand with their different shell homes. The food and breakfast were tasty with plenty of options, and other restaurants are within walking distance. Getting there was straightforward for us. We took a bus to Khuraburi bus station, where they picked us up and drove us to Greenview pier. Our boat was already waiting. It cost 1500 baht, though sharing with other people heading to the island makes it cheaper. You can call or text the resort and they’ll arrange everything.

Friendly, laid-back place close to the beach. The island runs on generators, so there isn’t much they can do about the ones running all night. Earplugs are handy when you go to bed.