September
2005
Updated
July 2006
Cabbages
& Condoms, Pattaya
Part
2
Now,
truth be told, you can't really duplicate the white
sand and island sleepiness of Samui in Pattaya, but
C&C gets you about 80% there. The beach on Hu
Gwang Bay is worlds away from the polluted and overcrowded
beaches of Pattaya City and Jomtien. The beach is
quiet, swimmable and there were even a few lone souls
fishing. The C&C complex is artfully decorated.
The lighting emanates from incandescent lamps suspended
in adapted bamboo fishing traps. Wood and other natural
materials are the main construction materials in the
resort's buildings. This is a pleasant contrast from
the whitewashed concrete and fluorescent lighting
in the ubiquitous egg carton construction you find
in other "resorts" in Pattaya.
Their
restaurant has decks overlooking the ocean and you
can sit and daydream for hours with no one bothering
you. The food is good. The menu is mostly Thai, but
like the resort itself there are a number of creative
interpretations such as "Condom salad" which
is made out of fat noodles that actually look like
condoms, sort of. The steaks were an unknown cut of
meat, but were tender and tasty, charcoal broiled.
The bruschetta was okay, but in general Italian food
outside of Italian restaurants just doesn't cut the
mustard.
The
rooms in low season are discounted and start at 1,400
baht. We stayed in a superior room for about 2,500
but on the next trip, we will switch to a standard.
My math goes like: Koh Samui round-trip average price
of 6,500 per person - Room in bungalow on beach 600
baht, round trip travel time 5 hours. Transportation
and lodging for two people: 13,600 baht. Hu Kwang
resort: Room 1,400 and travel expenses: 600 baht (gasoline
for private car or bus). One night in standard room
at Hu Kwang Bay: 2,000 baht.
The
C&C resort is a self-contained complex. There
are gardens, a Jacuzzi, swimming pool, restaurant
- everything you need. We did venture out of the compound
to check out the shops, and the magical spell was
instantly broken. We were back in Pattaya with the
charmless industrial-looking buildings and shady-looking
denizens. Driving the streets of South Pattaya, we
felt like we had entered a different world. Obnoxious
touts, thug-like foreigners, the drunk and the drugged.
Within ten minutes of leaving our sanctuary, we witnessed
two accidents involving motorcycles and much larger
vehicles. Women were carted off in ambulance crying
and police restrained a drunk driver.
Index
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post your comments, please email bangkokjoe2000@yahoo.com.
Cabbages
& Condoms |
| |
Sexpat
Factor : 2/5 |
|
Backpacker
Factor: 1/5 |
|
Thai
Style Rating : 3/5 |
|
Baht
meter: How Expensive?: 3/5 |
|
| |
