Rapala

Independant Review

Only the most hard-bitten of travellers will find the bungalows in Railay's most down-market resort acceptable. Such travellers are unusual, as they must have leather-like skin to avoid being eaten alive by the bed-bugs, and by the swarms of mosquitoes that pass freely through the holed, grimy mosquitoe nets. Nose plugs, or an oblivious attitude to unpleasant smells, are also necessary.

There is a bit of good news to report here though, in that this resort has recently improved significantly. It used to be necessary to use ear-plugs to sleep at night, as the resort was flanked by two noisy generators, but these have now been removed, so the resort is now much quieter. Most visitors stay only a night or two and then, unable to find anything better that they can afford on Railay, flee to nearby Ao Nang, which has much better budget options available.

There is one redeeming feature to this resort, which is the Indian food served in its restaurant, which is perched high above the sea and from where diners enjoy good views as well as excellent curries.