How to get to Nong Nooch and Stone Park cheaply?

[christianpfc]

How to get to Nong Nooch and Stone Park cheaply?

Last summer, I went from Pattaya to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden and to Million Years Stone Park with Thai friends. The return trip by taxi (like those in BKK) cost 800 Baht each. One trip was via a travel agency (one of the booths near a street where you can get brochures as well) and the other was arranged by my Thai friend.

If one considers that you can almost get from BKK to Pattaya in a taxi for that money, it seems quite expensive to me (although I donтАЩt know exactly how far away these two attractions are from Pattaya).

Related to this, this February a trip to Wat Yan (short for Wat Yannasangwararam near Pattaya, close to the large golden Buddha carved in the mountain) with a Thai friend in a Baht-bus cost me 300 Baht, and back to Pattaya another 400 Baht, which makes it more expensive than a similar distance would be by taxi in Bangkok, if my estimation of time and distance doesnтАЩt deceive me.

My question: Are there any forms of public transport to these places or at tours you can book to get there cheaper? A lot of people seem to visit these places, how do they get there from Pattaya and back?

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[ceejay]

Most of these places run a mini van service picking up from a dropping off at your hotel. There is a tour desk on the ground floor of Tuk Com that I have used to book these. I don't know the prices off hand, but it's much less than 800 baht. For Nong Nooch, it's 600 baht including entry to the garden and the show:
http://nongnoochgarden.com/visitor.html

[francois]

I have a friend with car in Pattaya who can drive where you want. PM me for # if you want.

[pong]

Warum muss mann eigentlich dahin? why you want to go? Your BoySpecial has seen it millions of times.
No-these places are placed such that normal buses do not serve them-too far from main road=Sukhumvit. On this road buses run as in BKK 20-25 per hour-with various classes and destinations. Stops at North/Central/South roads for PTY. Bahtbus to those stops-and rented motosay from busstop to entry of place.
as above- ANY PTY tr-agent sells tours-minibus included. Some may even give discount for 2-Thai price for ''freund''
Next best: rent motosay-150-200bt/day-and make sure boyspecial knows how to handle it. Normal thing-not a superspeedy the Arabs like to fall from. And then you find that normal entry is most likely even higer as price from agent with bus included.

[PattayaBob]

I think there is a free van provided by Nong Nooch....try their website. It is near Ali Baba Indian Restraunt on Pattaya North Road I think

[PattayaBob]

Here is website they provide pick up and drop off including entrance fee which is 500 baht for 600 baht, not bad http://nongnoochgarden.com/visitor.html#1

[Smiles]

Warum muss mann eigentlich dahin? why you want to go?

True. Nong Nooch is hugely underwhelming ... think shades of wannabe Versailles Palace formal (in Thailand!) and lots of quaintish garden gnomes and assorted lawn thingies. The restaurant is on a pleasant little lake, but the food is no screaming hell.

You might think instead about visiting The Ancient City in Samut Prakhan. Some may disagree, but I thought it was quite an excellent place for few hours before the sun gets hot. Many of the exhibits there are quite extraordinary in their close-to-authenticity. http://www.ancientcity.com/?q=/en/how-to-visit
Oops, I forgot: Samut Prakhan is smack dab in the way of the Great Flood right now. Perhaps the Ancient City will need a clean up.

[Marsilius]

Nong Nooch is hugely underwhelming

After fifteen or so years visiting Pattaya without ever going to Nong Nooch,I took the plunge three years ago and was very pleasantly surprised. The show, in particular, is very entertaining and has a really surprising coup de theatre that will knock your socks off if you're not expecting it.

The one that has always puzzled me is the Million Years Stone Park. Given that the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old and that stone age implements from 2 million years ago have been identified, I assume that the stones in my garden must be at least a million years old too. So why would I go to see the ones in Thailand? Perhaps someone who's been there can enlighten me...

[christianpfc]

I liked both of them (Nong Nooch Tropical Garden and the Million Years Stone Park) very much. They are worth a second visit. I need something to fill my days (or rather afternoons as I rarely get up before 10am on holidays).

Smiles, the Ancient City is on my list of things to visit, when I stay in Bangkok as it is closer. Thanks for the link, just checked: you can get there by public transport (cheap, cheap, cheap)!

Marsilius, I think the Million Years Stone Park is as impressive as Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, but a bit less know and advertised, it seems to me. I bet you don't have stones like they have in your garden. For example see here http://www.thaistonepark.org/garden_stone.html

There seem to be similar offers for the stone park (a quick check on the internet gave 650 Baht transport from Pattaya including entry by a travel agency).

I checked the Nong Nooch website (before I posted) and wondered why they provide pick up only twice per day?

Nong Nooch offers a twice daily pick-up service, including entry and shows from your hotel. Leaving 8:30am and 2:30pm. Make arrangements by phoning us, or with a local tourist information.
Time: 45 mins
Cost : 600THB

So best seems to book with a local travel agency. Definitely not by motorbike: I don't like motorbikes, I don't drive in Thailand, and this distance seems a bit to much to go on motorbike, especially on Sukhumvit road with a lot of other traffic.

[ceejay]

I checked the Nong Nooch website (before I posted) and wondered why they provide pick up only twice per day?

I believe that's to coincide with the shows they put on. The 600 baht includes entry to these.

The one that has always puzzled me is the Million Years Stone Park. Given that the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old and that stone age implements from 2 million years ago have been identified, I assume that the stones in my garden must be at least a million years old too. So why would I go to see the ones in Thailand? Perhaps someone who's been there can enlighten me...

The park itself is a collection of stones that have been naturally shaped, set in a garden:

2190 by ceejay19N, on Flickr
But, there is also a crocodile farm with the usual show attached (keeper sticking his head in the crocodile's mouth etc.) which I guess is what most people go there for.