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cmore
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Hey bros, during my last visit to LOS I returned to Cha Am for my second time. I love Cha Am. It's peaceful, it's a lot cooler then BKK and the beaches are beautiful. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do there however except sleep, eat, swim, walk, or "exercise" if you decide to bring a lady with you and I would highly recommend that you do. She'd love being there and you for bringing her. I went to Cha Am alone ( The way I wanted it ) so I had lots of time to do absolutely anything I chose to do. In other words, NOT A DAMN THING  .
One thing I did do a lot of is walk. Every day I walked from one end of the beach road to the other end and back again. One day during one of my walks I was looking at all of the hotels and guest houses I had passed by every day over and over again and then it hit me. As far as I know no one has ever really done a full report on Cha Am before so since I have nothing better to do then walk around all day, maybe I should put all this walking to good use and put together a report for the brotherhood ( DAMN! I'm suppose to be on vacation and here you guys have me working for the forum  ). So here it is bros, everything you wanted, or needed, to know about Cha Am in case you decide to make the trip. Enjoy. Peace
Easiest, and least costly , way to get to Cha Am from BKK is by taking the bus from The South bus station. Cost at present is 130 baht. The bus ride last approx. 2 hours, 10 minutes. You'll get off the bus on the main road in Cha Am and you'll see the sign pointing the way to the beach. Grab a taxi or motor bike and you're on your way.
The road you'll be on to get to the main beach road is Narathip Road. The beach is only about a mile and a half away. Once you reach the main beach road the driver will turn left and now the fun begins. On your left is where all the hotels and shops and everything else are located. On your right is the beach. IGNORE THE BEACH, YOU NEED TO FIND A ROOM FIRST .
When you turn left onto the main beach road the first business you'll see is one of the 2 pharmacies in the area followed by the only bank on the main beach road. A branch of Siam Commercial Bank which also has an ATM and a currency exchange. Further down the road is the only other ATM on the main beach road. A Bank of Ayudhya ATM near soi Cha Am North 4. Directly across the road from the bank is the police station ( The boys in brown. Trust me, you'll probably never need them ).
Now you need to find a hotel. If you had turned right on the main beach road you would find 2 very basic hotels ( No frills such as pool or breakfast included ). First is J J hotel- per night is 300 baht ( TV ) or 400 baht ( AC ). Next is Somkeat Villa hotel- per night is 400 baht.
If you had turned left ( Recommended ) then after you pass the bank the first hotel you come to is Charlie Place hotel. Look no further as this is my #1 pick for best hotel for the money. The guy at reception let me see one of the rooms and DAMN! They make the rooms at Landmark in BKK look like ST rooms . Someone spent a lot of baht to fix this place up and it definitely shows. The room I saw was gorgeous and very modern. Definitely "falang friendly". The price per night- 550 baht  . Only down side was that they are basic ( No frills ) but with the beach right across the road and so many open air restaurants all along the road that I lost count I don't think you'd miss the frills. The soi it's on has no number so just look for the sign that says Charlie Place hotel. Also on this soi are several guest houses, a Thai massage parlor and Oskars Pub which opens at 9 pm. Trust me and look no further. Charlies really is the place.
So you decided to look further anyway didn't you? Okay fine be that way . Next hotel is Villa Beach hotel- 400 baht ( Pool but no breakfast ).
Jitravee hotel- 400 baht ( Basic )
Cha Am Villa hotel- 300-600 baht ( Pool but no BF )
Now we come to the # 3 hotel in Cha Am, The Gems hotel- 1500-up per night ( BF included, pool, and currency exchange but only for registered guest )
Kaenchan Beach hotel- 600-1000 baht ( No pool but includes BF )
Cha Am Pai Siri hotel ( My hotel ) - 400-600 baht ( Basic )
The # 2 hotel is next, The Markland hotel- The receptionist confused me with the price. She said it's 2400 baht for 1 person, but if you book a double for 2 people you get a 50% discount off the room rate  . ( BF is included and they have a nice pool )
Now we come to the #1 hotel in Cha Am, The Methavalai hotel- 1630-2230 baht ( You name it, they've got it. Huge pool, BF included, currency exchange but only for guest, regular bar, karaoke bar, internet, restaurant with live band, the works ). Definitely 5 *
Last but not least is the # 4 hotel, The Long Beach hotel ( Stayed there my last trip in Sept. ) - 1000-up per night ( Beautiful pool with poolside bar, BF included, friendly staff ). Plenty of small shops, small beer bars and open air restaurants on the same soi. 2nd best value for the money after Charlie Place.
In addition to the hotels there are lots of guest houses and resorts that are a Cheap Charlies dream . All are basic, no frills places. Examples are:
Nirundorn resort- 300-500 baht
Sams resort- 500 baht
Scandy resort- 500 baht
Other businesses on the beach: Narathip Post Office near soi Cha Am North 5
DTAC phone store
2 or 3 7-11's all along the beach with intercontinental payphones outside
Several mini marts all along the main beach road
2 Optical shops ( But couldn't find a single dentist anywhere )
Several tour and travel agencies all with internet access at 1 baht per minute. Sorry, phoneline only. Forget about finding highspeed DSL in Cha Am 
Budget car rental
Bike and scooter rentals everywhere
Swimwear shops every 50 feet
2 taylor shops right next to each other ( New Armani and New Boss )
And as already reported restaurants ( Mostly open air ) up the wahzoo ( North or South Wahzoo? )
Finally we come to the part that I know you guys have been patiently waiting for: The Cha Am nightlife. Again my advice, bring someone with you. If however you simply must sample the night time activities then all that's available ( As far as I could find ) is Plaza Entertainment. It's a small bar complex on Narathip Road about 300 meters north of the main beach road. The sign says, Plaza Entertainment: Bar and Hostesses, Pool Tables, Karaoke, Mexican Food, Euro/Thai Food. In front of PE is the Blue Point Internet Cafe and Coffee Shop.
Plaza Entertainment consist of the following bars ( Although some of them appeared to be out of business ) :
Richard Bar, Y2K Bar, Bud Bar, 80D Bar, Lotus Bar, Route 66 Bar, Chicken Coop Bar, Chicken Coop Karaoke, TLC Bar, Happy Bar, and finally Charlies Beer Bar and Guesthouse ( Which from the look of it translates to ST room. Only a guess, I PROMISE ).
Well that's my report on Cha Am. Keep in mind that this report only covers the beach area. The only thing I know for sure about the city itself is where to catch the bus back to BKK ( Next to the 7-11 at the main intersection ) and that they do have at least one video store further up Narathip Road . Come to Cha Am to relax and unwind. It's definitely worth the 2 hour, 10 minute bus ride. Enjoy.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:34 am on May 31, 2003
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haam sup
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Great post, cmore!
Can't wait to check it out.
haam sup
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 2:04 am on May 31, 2003
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Ballsburstin
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haam sup,
Agreed, cmore has no excuse for relaxing and enjoying the joint. We need more info, cmore, and now! So get thee to an Internet cafe!
But seriously, cmore, this looks like a nice place to take my TGF, so any other info on what goes on there days and nights would be most appreciated. Stuff you can do on the beach -- like windsurfing or kayaking, maybe? The bus ride sounds negigible and would provide a quick R&R if I'm only in BKK for a short while ...
- Balls
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:10 am on May 31, 2003
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tropical
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cmore
Thanks for your report , very informative your hard work is appreciated , now you better take a couple of weeks rest to recover.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 5:00 am on May 31, 2003
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haam sup
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I've always driven past the place on the way to Hua Hin, and never stopped to see all the things cmore describes.
While I like Hua Hin, Cha Am sounds like a better place to relax and get away from all the commotion. I will be checking in to check it out next trip...
hs
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 12:05 pm on May 31, 2003
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cmore
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Hey bros Cha Am is the perfect R & R spot in LOS if what you're looking for is absolutely nothing to do, NOTHING. This is the place to go if you don't want to think about work or problems or bills for a few days. There's really not a whole lot to do there except relax and forget about the rest of the world. I couldn't even find a single movie theatre anywhere.
The beach is absolutely beautiful and here's something you won't find in Pattaya, water that you can actually swim in without fear of getting sick . The only water activities available are jet ski rentals or rides on banana pontoons that are pulled by jet skis. No discos and no gogo bars, just beer bars.
If you want excitement keep going to Hua Hin, but if you want to take your lady away from BKK for a few days to relax and breath fresh air, enjoy cool breezes and good food and most of all, forget that the rest of the world exist, with all of it's problems, then you know the spot. Enjoy. Peace
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:40 pm on May 31, 2003
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Vegas
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Cmore.........MY MAN!
I have always stayed in Bkk; but i am bringing a girlfriend for a few days during my next trip and did not know where to take her outside of BKK. (Idon't think she would understand if too many TGs recognized me in BKK) 55555
I think you have solved my predicament....THANKS!
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:18 am on June 1, 2003
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Vegas
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Almost forgot......while reading your report, I thought it was very nice of the hotels to include the Barfines in their daily rate......until I realized that you meant BREAKFAST! hahaha
I guess I really shouldn't stay in BKK while my Chinese GF is with me.....I obviously have a one track mind when it comes to Thailand. 555555
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:22 am on June 1, 2003
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thaiprivateeye
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Cha Am - agreed, - posted here maybe 6 months ago that is the best retreat, handy to bangkok, to relax - especially if you have a TG with you - Good report, depending on my frame of mind, i either stop at Methavali, or usually just go for Scandy resort.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 2:42 am on June 1, 2003
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Vegas
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What hotel in Cha Am is best if you are bringing a GF with you? I obviously won't need to be finding bars and MPs to find other TGs, but would like to have fun while we are there?
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:51 am on June 8, 2003
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