Phetchaburi

Ran Pa Song is an old house of Phetchaburi. It offers ahan taam sang (food cooked to order) dishes, including gaeng pa (spicy curry with wild boar-meat or fish), pla duk phad phet (spicy stir-fried catfish), fried fresh mackerel and moo sam chan khluk see iew tord (pork belly meat flavoured with soy sauce and deep-fried). The curry paste is prepared using spices and herbs grown by ethnic Karen.

A local Thai hangout.

A special guesthouse run by a Thai-German family offering 4 rooms. Thomas and the other members of the team organise exciting tours by car or boat to major attractions in the area as well as hidden gems. Food and service are excellent. Free pickup from railway or bus stations.

Inexpensive although noisy accommodation. A great place to stay provided you bring ear plugs. The staff are very friendly and speak reasonable English. The husband of the guesthouse owner, Tom, is a jungle guide and works with Chok, his friend, who is an English-speaking tour guide. They offer expensive trips into Kaeng Krachan National Park and parks nearby. Also local wildlife can be seen right out the window of the restaurant: giant water monitors (varanus salvator) . It is worthwhile to sit and drink a big Chang beer, and by the time you're finished you may glimpsed one of these amazing, but benign, animals. There's Internet access, motorbike rental (manual/automatic 250 baht/350 baht), bikes and laundry service (5 baht per piece). They can also provide you with a map and plenty of local information. If stay here, you should check the walls of your room carefully as there are reportedly many peep-holes between at least three of the upper rooms.