Bang Saray - The Hidden Gem

I’ve made some bad decisions in my life, but selecting Bang Saray as the place to hang my hat during retirement wasn’t one of them. It’s been 3-1/2 years since making the move and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.

I was having coffee with friends at Two Guys Guest House 6 years ago when I heard two farang talking about a day-trip they made to a Bang Saray saying how much they liked the place. A few weeks later John (Two Guys owner) and I hopped on the motorbikes and decided to check this place out. When drove 30 minutes south down Sukumvit as instructed, and would have missed the turn if it weren’t for a tiny sign tucked away among a bunch of resort signage – saying simply “Bang Saray”.

We turned right and a minute later found ourselves staring at a beautiful bay - bordered by a long thin stretch of sand gently sloping into crystal clear waters. We drove to the end of the promenade to a series of century-old boat docks which serve as the town’s centerpiece. We watched as the fisherman unloaded their nightly catch into the waiting arms of merchants who then carted the fish directly to the packing house, local restaurants and/or street market vendors.

The backdrop of Bang Saray are tall mountains (Sattahip Highlands) which are owned by the Thai Navy and nestle along the southern border of town. Many credit the Royal Navy for the high level of care and maintenance of Bang Saray due to the fact that the Navy holds Royal Veto over Bang Saray and provides oversight and control of the water, sewerage, and electric systems.

John and I pulled our motorbikes off the road right in front of the town’s temple and I remember saying to him “this is the place I’ve been looking for and one day I’ll retire here. We both agreed that this place was a hidden gem.

Just in the past 3 years a Home Pro, Tesco, Big C Extra, and Makro have been built within a short drive of town. Before these improvements we had to drive to Pattaya (north) or Sattahip (south) to buy just about everything. The downside to these developments is a tremendous amount of construction effecting Sukumvit Rd. which is being widened, bridges installed, etc., as part of the EEC development project. Who knows when they’ll be finished?

There’s a healthy farang population in town and plenty of restaurants (farang and Thai). We meet visitors from all over who visit BS just to eat at one of the seaside fish restaurants, and/or fill their ice coolers with fresh squid, shrimp, sea bass, etc. to cart back to their homes. There are a dozen bars, mostly sea-side, but no “boy bars”, so an occasional visit to Jomtien/Pattaya for nightly entertainment seems to be the norm for most of the expats I know over here. Pattaya is a 30 minute drive around the bay – and buses run 24/7 to/from Bang Saray for 40-60 baht.

In my opinion the biggest advantage to Bang Saray over many other places that I considered for retirement is “Health”. The air is cleaner (we can see the stars at night versus smog), the water is clear and great for swimming, and there’s a constant sea breeze which limits the amount of air-conditioning most use. It’s a bustling atmosphere, although offers a very peaceful and serene environment in general where people drive normal (what a concept) and road accidents are almost unheard of.

There is a large fitness park right on the ocean complete with large shade trees…a paved walking/jogging path…an assortment of exercise equipment scattered around the expansive property…and plenty of chirping moneys hanging around hoping for a handout. Bike riding, swimming, kayaks/canoes, and long walks along the ocean all seem to be popular with expats and their significant others.

There are no gay bars in Bang Saray, but there’s plenty of eye-candy and opportunities if you’re in the market. Most of the gay boys and young ladyboys in town dress conservatively to blend in, similar to how they dress in the northern rural areas. Jai and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary last week. I’m sure that if I was residing here solo I would be spending weekends in Pattaya to be closer to the bar scene which was actually my “Plan B” for retirement. Fortunately “Plan A” has been working just fine and I rarely head to Pattaya in the evenings.

Songkran week: Tour boats working overtime hosting locals and domestic tourists…concessions filled with smiling families…Plenty of shirtless boys playing on the soccer field…and hints of water splashing and powder puffing when driving around the back-sois.

Living in Bang Saray is a different life style all together. Early to bed – early to rise…plenty of fitness and fresh air…sounds of birds chirping in the morning and waves splashing as the sun goes down…moving sunsets…friendly people with no double-standards…great restaurants…gay friendly…and a 30 minute zoom around the bay to Pattaya when I’m in the mood.

Just perfect!

Thanks for the good report Dodger! I have actually been looking at various condo projects in Bang Saray for several years now, but just can't ever seem to pull the trigger - might have something to do with the fact that I've never actually been to the bloody place. When I first started looking, as you mention, it seemed to be a bit lacking in 'amenities' for me - not many restaurants/shops/bars, etc., but now it appears that those are coming in droves. I may have to take a serious look at it. Would you say Bang Saray is closer to the airport or to the center of Pattaya itself?

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Originally Posted by kkjason

Would you say Bang Saray is closer to the airport or to the center of Pattaya itself?

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Bang Saray is a little over 2 hours to Suvarnabhumi Airport - and only 35 minutes to Central Pattaya.

Utapao Airport, which has recently been expanded into a third international airport, is 20 minutes south of Bang Saray.

Just so you know, when the new High-Speed Rail System is complete (phase 3 of EEC development) there will be 7 stops around the rail loop as follows: 1) Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) - 2) Don Muang Airport - 3) Sri Racha - 4) Pattaya - 5) Bang Saray (Nong Nouch Garden) - 6) Utapao Airport - 7) Rayong. I think I read somewhere that the estimated travel time between Bang Saray and Bangkok will be around 45 minutes just to give you an idea.

Hope this helps.

Thanks; it sounds like paradise. Any drawbacks? Anything you miss?

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Originally Posted by Oliver2

Any drawbacks? Anything you miss?

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No real drawbacks come to mind.

I stopped bar-hopping (and boy hopping) when the scene started going downhill several years before retiring - so not being so close to the bars doesn't bother me. If I was still a party-animal, or didn't have a partner, living in Bang Saray wouldn't be a good fit for me.










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Originally Posted by Dodger

Living in Bang Saray is a different life style all together.

Just perfect!

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Did you buy or rent a house or condo? I would probably like a house with a small garden and a bit of space between the neighbors if i lived in Bang Saray. My condo is good in Jomtien but sometimes i would like to live in a house again.

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Originally Posted by aussie

Did you buy or rent a house or condo? I would probably like a house with a small garden and a bit of space between the neighbors if i lived in Bang Saray. My condo is good in Jomtien but sometimes i would like to live in a house again.

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Good point.

I flipped a coin and decided to go with a condo.

I like the fact that it's maintenance free - but miss having a backyard for barbecue's. I know Jai would like a garden as well, so maybe one day we'll make the change.

Lovely description Dodger. Quick question. Do you have any idea of the purchase price of a nice one bedroom apartment, ideally one with a bit of a view and perhaps around 50-70 sq. meters?

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Originally Posted by Armando

Lovely description Dodger. Quick question. Do you have any idea of the purchase price of a nice one bedroom apartment, ideally one with a bit of a view and perhaps around 50-70 sq. meters?

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It's been 7 years since I purchased my condo here, at a time when there were only a few condo developments in BS. Since moving here there's been a flurry of new developments but I'm not sure what they're selling for. I would imagine a furnished 35 sq. unit would sell for around 1.2 - 1.7 M, and 70 sq. for around 2.2 - 3.0 M depending on location and amenities. That's just a very rough guess.

Note: That I had tons of time for planning during my routine holidays while residing in Pattaya - and visited Bang Saray dozens of times before making my final decision. I actually made the purchase 3-1/2 years prior to retirement. I would recommend to anyone contemplating buying a condo or house here, or anywhere else in Thailand, to do the same.

"crystal clear waters"

That's a first for the Gulf of Thailand

sarcasm...negativity...sigh

Where Dodger leads...

Yesterday we headed off for an overnight in Bang Saray from our regular base in Jomtien. Just over 30 minutes away by Bolt taxi, cost 300 baht.

We booked into the Baan Tah on the Sea hotel, which is built over one of the piers in the harbour. It turned out to be a good choice, the room included a large balcony overlooking the sea complete with a bath tub and complimentary bubble bath!

We ate out at one of the many sea food restaurants here, enjoying an excellent meal which included rock lobster and prawn tempura. The prawns were so big they could have been on steroids.

After a relaxing evening spent enjoying a few beers on the hotel pier, I dragged my sorry ass out of bed at 6.30am, as advised by Dodger, to check out the boats returning after their overnight fishing trips.

Here's a selection of photos taken on the pier this morning...

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Thanks Kenny - great photos. I am now tempted also to spend a few days there. Do you know if all rooms at that hotel have a balcony?

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Originally Posted by Armando

Thanks Kenny - great photos. I am now tempted also to spend a few days there. Do you know if all rooms at that hotel have a balcony?

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I was checking out when I read your post, so I photographed the rate card. I hope its readable. As far as I could tell all the rooms had a sea or harbour view.
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Originally Posted by Armando

Thanks Kenny - great photos. I am now tempted also to spend a few days there. Do you know if all rooms at that hotel have a balcony?

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and is it shower over bath? for my gammy leg...