My Thai Beach Hut

When I was a child, and my family lived in Hong Kong, we took a vacation down to Thailand. We mainly stayed in Pattaya and Phuket. Remember, this was the late 70's so the reputation that these places have today were quite different back then. I don't recall there being any Lady Boys or 5-star resorts.

While we were in Phuket, we stayed at a resort called The Coral or Corals, something along those lines. We had our own bungalow just off the beach. This was the first time I recalled ever being in an accommodation like this, and bungalow seemed like such a grown-up word. To me it was a Hut. Much to my parent's chagrin, even to this day, I always recall that place as a hut and not a luxury bungalow.

While I have been here in Koh Tao, I have been staying in my every own Thai Hut on the beach. It is actually a perfectly adequate accommodation for what I need. It comes with a padlock entry way; no need for fancy doorknobs or bolts. Inside, it is two rooms. One large room with a double bed - or rather box spring. Again, why bother with tedious mattresses, when a box spring will do. This comes with a fitted sheet and two pillows. There is no top sheet, apparently sheets are at a premium around these parts. No worries, I have my trusty sleeping sack, so I am good to go. When it gets a bit chilly, I can also use my beach towel as a blanket.

The all in one toilet / shower room is off the side of the large room. You step down into it, presumably so that your shower water doesn't run back into the larger room. This set up works great, except after showering (which I do often since the temperatures are in the mid 30's) the floor remains wet for several hours. Therefore you have to ensure you don't wipe out on the tiles when you are making your midnight toilet break.

There is also a ceiling fan that keeps the air moving quite well. The only trouble is that is does really do anything to cool the place down. So if it is 34 degrees outside, it is at least that temperature inside. This means that I need to be out of the hut by about 10 am and can't really go back in there until 5pm when the temperature has dropped below the "cooking an egg" temperature.

Despite my initial "Oh, hell no!" thoughts, I have actually grown quite fond of my little beach hut. I shall miss it when I move over to Phuket later this week and book into a 4 star resort for four nights.

And, Mum & Dad, given my recent experience, I still believe we were in a Beach Hut all those years ago. And there is still nothing wrong with a Hut!


My Thai Beach Hut


My bedroom by the beach


Shower / toilet room