towers at Khuan Ron hills

Khuan Ron Hills (ควนหรนฮิลล์)

Khuan Ron Hills (ควนหรนฮิลล์) is located in Sathon, Na Thawee District, Songkhla. This is one of the newest places to go to for a day trip or for camping. In your map app, copy ควนหรนฮิลล์ for direction; typing the English translation is not recognized by google map as of now.

Day Trip

If you’re going there for a day trip, I strongly recommend arriving there really early in the morning. If possible before sunrise, this way, you’d be able to witness the sea of mist around the hills. Beyond this time, the mist would have dissipated as the temperature rises. Then, you’ll feast your eyes on the greeneries that surround the tower. It’s pretty scenic, though I saw a few brown patches on the hills, which I hope would be reforested as the occurrence of mist is heavily dependent on the number of trees around. The tower is quite high above the ground, and certainly not for people with acrophobia. On a lighter note though, the path is made of steel (not glass) with tiny gaps in between. So, the distance is not immediately apparent.

Camping

If you’d like to stay overnight this is certainly possible. Camping is allowed, and it has a designated place. You can park your car near the campsite. There are pitched tents to rent (450THB) or you could bring your own. If you’re uncomfortable with tents, you could rent out one of the tiniest and cutest hut straw bungalows for 500 THB (15USD) a night. It’s good for two people only. Restrooms/bathrooms are communal, and certainly not the hotel bathroom type.

Recently as of the writing of this blog, camping is discontinued. The management had closed down the camping site in favor of developing the area and building a hotel.

Important notes

  • Entrance fee 20THB per person
  • Parking fee 20THB
  • Bring proof that you’ve been vaccinated (hardcopy or digital)

MORE HERE

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Neca Reiche: Hotel Review

Accomodation: Neca Reiche

Location: 736/2 Poonnakan Rd, ตำบลคอหงส์ Amphoe Hat Yai, Chang Wat Songkhla Thailand 90110

The Room (Standard II, L705):

At first glance this hotel room is the most modern we have ever seen. The concept is just state of the art. The way they made use of the space is so ingenious. The wall that separates the entrance and the bathroom hides the ref together with the closet and a tiny safety box. The closet can be accessed both from the outside and from the bathroom. A sliding door with a full body mirror camouflages this part. Next to it is the sliding door for the bathroom which is a translucent glass. You got to be very careful though as one can easily get their hands pinched by the alternating sliding doors.

The room smells like heaven. They have these perfumed, dried flowers that make the room smell so fresh. It’s the first thing that greets you the moment you open your room.

The room size will not blow you away but it is big enough to be comfortable. A queen size bed is nestled in the middle and a sofa bed tucked in the end of the room. There’s enough walking space in-between furniture but that’s it. You’d be risking stubbing your toe if you are not careful though.

The place is definitely clean, although we are not fond of black tiles for the floor (bathroom) as they never look/feel clean, they are very particular with cleanliness. The nooks and crannies even under the bed was vacuumed.

The room is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It’s a well thought of design and arrangement. Even the small details like paintings/photo on the wall, the hanging lampshade on each sides of the bed, even the TV rack is pleasing.

The only flaw we saw, which basically ruined it all for us was the bathroom. I guess being aesthetic does not always equate to functionality. We were not able to fully enjoy the bathtub or even just our bath for fear of flooding. If one is not careful, water could easily and we mean easily flood the room. The bathtub is located next to the bathroom door and the bathroom-floor and the room-floor are level. Well, we have seen modern bathrooms like these but I guess the basics of slightly angling the floor towards the drain should still be observed. Instead the water flows outside of the bathroom. It really freaked us out when we saw water going out of the bathroom while using the bath. We literally had to towel the floor down and squeeze the towel in the sink.

Ant problems also put us off. I woke up with ant bites and they were all over the floor the next morning. As a plush hotel in downtown Hatyai this should not have not been an issue but it is.

Now this is just based on the room we stayed in.

This video was taken at Neca Reiche Hotel.

Sockets:

At this modern age of gadgetry we have made electric sockets our best friend. And having plenty of them in a hotel room is a necessity. We always bring a ton of gadgets with us and re-charge all of them in the evening and we were not disappointed. Sockets were aplenty

Wifi:

Another downside of this hotel is their WIFI connectivity or the lack of it. We were not able to connect at all during our stay. We called the front desk for assistance thinking we may have made a mistake in connecting and someone did come to our AID to help us connect but still no connection at all. For us it was fine since we do have internet in our mobile devices because we live here in Thailand but if you are a tourist on a tourist SIM card you might really really want a hotel wifi connection and this will be outrageous and disappointmenting.

Amenities:

They have got the usual complimentary bottled water, towels, toiletries, shower caps, flat-screen TV, fridge, electric kettle, and hairdryer.

Pool:

They have a pool located on the 6th floor of the building. The pool is tiny. You’d have to literally wait for your turn to get into it. They do not have a kiddie pool so kids shorter than 4 feet will need a flotation device. The tiles are dark blue almost black so we could not be sure if the water was clean. We did not take a dip.

Food:

The food was the saving grace of this hotel. They were generous of the food. They served ham and eggs, fried rice, fruits and vegetables, complementary drinks, salad dressings, soup, porridge, bread, and a lot of condiments. They replenished the food the moment they see it’s running low. We have seen stingy hotel restaurants who would not refill the serving plates right away to discourage clients from having seconds.

Staff:

The hotel staffs were friendly and courteous. They could speak decent English so communication is not a problem at all.

Clientele

Neca Reiche hotel is a good place to stay if you plan to go around Hatyai City. It is famous among Malaysians, Singaporeans, Expats, and local tourists.

Overall

At 49.90 USD/per night for a family of four in a Standard II room, I think it is a good deal. Overall, in terms of aesthetic, cleanliness, and location, this hotel is great. And the whole experience which could have been even greater if not because of the bathroom and WIFI connection. If Neca Reiche addresses these, then I would say it is the total package but until then, I would not return.

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swimming pool in haadkaew resort

Haad Kaew Resort Staycation

Accommodation: Haad Kaew Resort

Location:

Haadkaew Resort Information

  • Bungalows and the standard hotel rooms are a bit over a thousand baht (ours was 1,028.00 baht).
  • You can book them online with many modes of payment to choose from – paypal, credit card, LINE, international wire bank transfer, or book now pay later.
  • Email:  info@haddkaewsonghla.com
  • Tel. #:  0 7433 1058-66
  • Fax:  07433 1220
  • Address:  163 Moo 1 Tambon Chingko, amphur Singha Nakhon, Songkhla 90280
  • Website:  www.haddkaewsongkhla.com (the last time I checked it came back as error)
  • Visit their facebookpage Haad Kaew Resort for more information

Hot and sunny Haadkaew Resort is comfortably situated a few meters away from the main road Singha Nakhon (highway 408). Overlooking the gulf of Thailand, this seaside resort has an idyllic, powdery, white sand. The long, vast stretch of this semi-secluded beach together with the aquamarine seawater in front is great for beach volleyball, wedding event and even a football match.  Away from the hustle and bustle of the city , one can comfortably relax.

Having a kids’ pool was the ultimate decider.  Although the staycation was for my husband and I to unwind before going back to work, our kids enjoyment was of utmost importance too. Besides we surely won’t be able to relax if they start acting up. Right?

So what do they have in store for us?

Well, since I have already mentioned the kids pool, let me talk about the pool then.  The resort got two pools; one for adults, and a smaller kids pool which is only around 2 to 3ft deep.  It is definitely safe for toddlers. Both are clean and tidy; and the management is pretty strict about wearing pool attire even for kids. Our kids hung around the pool most of the time.  They love it and wanted to stay longer.

And then, we spent our early  evenings chilling out by the beach. The kids enjoyed the single rope swings hanging from the pine trees. The sand felt warm  on our feet as we walked along the beach with the cool sea breeze gently touching our skin. The white powdery sand gave me a nostalgic feeling of the memorable island hopping experienced I had in Krabi and Koh Lipeh years back.

Next are the bungalows.  They have got the main hotel building and bungalows to choose from.  We chose the bungalows, and the main reason is we have got noisy kids.  Anyway, the bungalows which are auspiciously located overlooking the sea are attractive and colorful.  The one we stayed in was clean but it would have been perfect had the floor under the bed was dusted.  Cleanliness is next to godliness as they say.  It is essential especially for asthmatics like my family.  Aside from this, everything else is a OK.

Other amenities include, a huge cable T.V with English channels and an HDMI in case you want to connect your laptop to view your photos taken during the day or to watch movies in the evening.  They also have free WIFI, a tiny fridge with complimentary bottled water, the customary toiletry freebies, and a free breakfast.  The free breakfast was only good for two, but they let the kids eat without questions.  I love them for this. This is an example of little things that could make a family come back again and again.

It was a great stay.  It is a bonus that one of the staff could fairly communicate in English and that they were courteous and friendly.

MORE HERE

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Haad Kaew Resort

One of the beautiful hotels in Songkhla is Haad Kaew Resort.  For a photographer like me, this seaside resort with a 10 kilometer stretch of powdery white sand and overlooking the gulf of Thailand is surely picturesque.  Due to its location, Haad Kaew Resort is a great place to shoot sunrise.  Unfortunately though, the sun was a bit shy and hid from me in those days I was there (I hope to go back soon.). So, I took some shots of the hotel grounds instead. For review and information about Haad Kaew Resort, check this out.

The Bungalows:

(Taken with a Canon 7D + Canon 24-105 IS USM  L Lens)

 

The Pool and the Hotel Building

(Taken with a Canon 550D + Canon 24mm F2.8 STM)

The Hotel

A view from the Beach

Photos were taken with:

  • Canon 550D+ 24mm f2.8 STM
  • Canon 7D + 24-105mm f4 IS USM L

 

For more information about Haad Kaew, CLICK HERE.

 

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