Eating Out
Having a meal in Hat Rin can often be a deafening experience. Most restaurants show several videos each night with volumes set at ear piercing levels. That said most of the films on show are new releases back home and of a fairly good standard. The restaurants themselves are generally uniform in appearance. The Bamboo seating arrangements can often lead to temporary paralysis but the cushions do help. Food prices vary by a couple of baht only and the service is nearly always efficient if not exactly overly friendly.
We ate most at the Greenpeace restaurant in the centre of Hat Rin. This places tie in with the organisation it was called after is doubtful but its cosy atmosphere and big cups of coffee saw us return time and again.
Bongo restaurant is almost on a par with Greenpeace and it has the added advantage of a wonderfully stocked book shelf. Big Boom bar and the Orchid restaurant on the beach are perfect for daytime snacks if you can stand the noisy soundtrack. Shake and Chai is also worth checking out for its sweet and sour dishes.
If your are looking for something a little more intimate there are a couple of places that are noise free. The Lucky Crab (cruelly titled don’t you think?) serves excellent seafood and you can pick what you are going to eat from the array of fish they have on display. As with most seafood restaurants prices go beyond the 70 baht average but it makes a nice change. Paradise bungalows also have a seafood restaurant situated at the far end of the beach away from all the chaos.