I guess the beach was too far for the owners of Blue Island Cafe บลูไอส์แลนด์คาเฟ่. They decided to make their own piece of paradise. A marvellous way to chill out for the day on the white sandy beach or inside a kratom beach hut.

Blue Island Cafe is located about 20 minutes out of Ratchaburi City or around 90 minutes from Bangkok depending on what side you are on. A side trip to Blue Island Cafe บลูไอส์แลนด์คาเฟ่ would be possible if you were traveling from Kanchanaburi south towards Hua Hin or the other way around.

The Menu at Blue Island Cafe

A reasonable selection of food available all around 99 baht a dish
All the house-made beverages are 69 baht the same price as the cake selection

I would recommend you try the Tom Yum Dragons Egg.

A reasonable selection of food available all around 99 baht a dish
All the house-made beverages are 69 baht the same price as the cake selection

Video Walkthrough – Please Subscribe!

Opening Hours

Thursday to Sunday 10 am to 7 pm
Closed Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday

Getting to Blue Island Cafe

Overall Thoughts

If you are in the area definitely worth dropping in for a drink or for the day especially if you need some beach vibes in your life.

The one thing that would be nice to see is for them to not use disposable packaging and plastic cutlery for every item on the menu. I hate using plastic single-use plastics at the best of times and felt a little bummed that our family created so much waste for our lunch visit.

I come to realise when trying to find accessible rooms in Phuket there was not a lot of information available. So I have compiled a list that I have physically gone and inspected and got as much information and pictures for you as possible.

Below you will the accessibility options for Novatel Phuket Vintage Park Resort, The Kee Resort and Spa, Sheraton Four Points Patong, Holliday Inn Resort Patong & Baan Khaolak Beach Resort

Novotel Phuket Vintage Park Resort Phuket

We spent 3 nights in this hotel during our stay. My mother the guest requiring the accessible room is on a walking frame and also uses a wheelchair in the room but is not wheelchair bound so the requirements of someone unable to walk at all may be slightly different.

About the accessibility

The lobby is on the 2nd floor. When you arrive you are required to drive up a steep ramp in a car. This 1st ramp would be a challenge for someone manually pushing. There is then a set of stairs and a ramp of medium steepness. 2 staff members would always push my mother up the ramp to the lobby.I felt reassured that if one slipped or fell over she was safe.

From the lobby, you will cross a completely flat bridge overlooking the swimming pool and pool bar. Take a left past the elevator. You will arrive at room 1210.

Breakfast is on the 1st floor. The best 2 ways we found to go from the room are

1 – Cross the bridge on the 2nd floor to the elevator closer to the lobby. Go down to the first floor walk to the left and you will find “The Square” dining room.
2 – Take the elevator closest to the room. The ramp to cross the bridge on the 1st floor is so steep we did not even consider trying to push the wheelchair up and over it. Out of the elevator turn right and walk around the swimming pool to the opposite side of the pool where the entrance to the “The Square” dining room. A slight annoyance of this way is there is a tile missing at the bottom of the ramp closet to the elevator making it a bump for the smaller front wheels to not smoothly roll over.
Option 2 Pictured Below

Accessibility to “The Square” Restaurant

This was a slight challenge during our stay There are 2 small steps to enter the restaurant. The biggest difficulty with these steps is they are about the same length as the wheelchair apart. So you only just get the wheelchair up on the 1st platform and need to get up the second step. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of this area.

Easy Access to Carpark

As above with option 2 (breakfast is on 1st-floor sub heading). When you get to the end of the swimming pool and turn left towards the dining room if you instead walk straight past the dining room there is a gate if you follow the “To Beach” sign this will take you to the car park via a small ramp on the entrance side of the car park. The car park security will try to guide you to park on the exit side of the car park when you go to park. If you park on the entrance side it saves having to enter your room by going up the steep ramp unloading your wheelchair from the car and then parking the car and having staff push you up the next ramp. We only went up the main ramp on check-in, Check out & the day it was raining when returned.
* Do note walking past the “The Square” dining room (not the entrance side) there is another floor tile missing that they have used to make drainage for air conditioners in the restaurant. This makes a slight annoyance every time passing this way.

Things to be aware of with this room

There is a small step entering the room as you will notice in the photos it is approx 4cm high.
There is a small step in the shower approx 3cm high to enter the shower although the rest is flat.
There are sufficient handrails and a shower seat made into the stone wall.
The room only comes in a twin single bed configuration
There are not many powerpoints (1 above desk, 1 double on one side of bed & Shaver plug)
There are so many light switches located all over the place.

Room to book

There is only 1 accessible room available in this hotel.
You must book the room grade Superior room.
Request room 1210 via email.
I would suggest you contact them prior to booking to ensure this room is available for your preferred period.

Night Blooming Lobby Bar

This area is flat from the lobby area. You are able to enjoy the area with a 2-for-1 cocktail in the evening.
Take a look at the menu click here

Overall conclusion

If you are wheelchair bound this room may not be 100% suitable for your needs. After a few steps into the room and into “The Square” restaurant. For someone on a walking frame or walking sticks the room is quite manageable. During our stay, we used a wheelchair that was pushed around by myself and managed fine. Whilst inside the room my mother on a walking frame felt really safe in the room. I will write to the hotel and suggest they modify the steps of the restaurant and the few in the room to be more suitable. In conclusion, we would choose this property again in the future for a semi-accessible room.

Video Link To Walkthrough

Check Price & Availability

Four Points by Sheraton Phuket

First I must disclose I haven’t physically stayed here. I viewed the room during our stay as I found out about this accessible hotel after we had already booked and wanted to check it out for future reference. If your looking for a 100% wheelchair-friendly venue this one definitely ticks all the boxes as far as the room is concerned.

About the accessibility

There are 2 ramps that enter the foyer one is much longer and less steep but both are of a good standard. The floor was completely flat all the way to the room with no need to use the elevator. I can’t comment on where the breakfast is held as forgot to ask.

About the room

The room had a new fresh feel. The bathroom was the most suitable of all the venues we have looked at. I believe this would be suitable for a wheelchair-bound person with ample space to navigate and move around. They may need to move the table and chair to free up space for access to the left side of the bed as the right side I don’t believe would be wide enough for the chair to slide down.

Access to Carpark

The car park is an underground 2-story park. It is less desirable to park in as is quite narrow with steep ramps and narrow parks. I didn’t enquire if there were any accessible parks please feel free to let me know and will update here.

Room to book

We physicality inspected room 1106 which is what all photos and videos are from. They said they have about 5 accessible rooms in Superior Room Grade and there is 1 Deluxe Accessible room. Although she sounded very unsure the Deluxe would ever be available. I’m pretty sure she said only came in a double bed configuration. Please check directly if you require otherwise

Overall conclusion

Although I didn’t physically stay here or have a wheelchair to push around. I believe this location would be suitable for someone wheelchair-bound. A slight modification of removing the table and chair may be required. The bathroom should be manageable. For someone like my mother on a walking frame, she would manage easily although I believe she would prefer an additional verticle rail in the shower.

Video Walkthrough

Check Price & Availability

Holiday Inn Resort Phuket

Again I would like to acknowledge we didn’t physically stay in this hotel just inspected the room.

About the accessibility

The location is flat from the reception. You are required to use the elevator to get to the accessible room.
The pool is located far away from the room. My walk to the swimming area had a way with no steps.

About the room

Whilst the room was set up well for someone like my mother on a walking frame. I’m not 100% sure the space is open enough for a wheelchair-bound person. The distance between the end of the bed and the wall may not be sufficient. The location of the room was quite a distance from the hotel lobby requiring 1 elevator trip.

I believe they stated there are 2 accessible rooms available. The one I inspected was room 403. They only come in twin single-bed configurations.

Why we didn’t stay here

Whilst the accessibility factor for a walking frame user would have been perfect. For the price point, this hotel didn’t have the WOW factor compared to the Novotel Vintage Park hotel. Once entering the hotel you walk through dark hallways to the room with no nice views like the Novotel. As I came and inspected this hotel and the Novotel prior to the trip with my mother this influenced the other hotel although this may have been a bit better accessibility-wise.

Video Walkthrough

Check Price & Availibility

We stayed here for 2 nights. I was unable to view the room prior to booking as was booked the days I was there but went on a whim of seeing a person in an electric wheelchair in the foyer. There is a ramp from the car drop-off straight up to the foyer.

The Kee Resort & Spa Patong

Overall thoughts.

I would not recommend this hotel for anyone requiring accessibility let alone wheelchair accessibility. There is a major issue with the air conditioning making the floors have condensation and super slippery.

Whilst there are no steps into the room or bathroom the rooms as they have installed ramps one room is a slippery tile ramp and the other is a grippy ramp.

I have bought a list of issues to the General Manager of the hotel and will leave it for him to rectify. He has responded to me in a positive manner although accessibility wise it is not an ideal hotel. The location is the reason I took a whim without looking at the room.

There are 2 ramp bridges over the swimming pool to get to the room. 1 is quite steep and the other one hidden on the other side of the restaurant is better but often cluttered with stuff from the kitchen having to get them to move stuff on multiple occasions.

Room to book

Should you still want to book these rooms the room numbers are 3207 & 3208 which are joining rooms. But the door joining the rooms does not open properly from the swelling of the door from condensation/water on the floor.

The main differences between the rooms are
3208 has a grippy ramp rather than a slippery tile one of 3207 into the bathroom.
3208 has rails next to the toilet whereas 3207 does not.
3208 has a slight ridge (step) into the shower whereas 3207 had some kind of stainless steel rounded step which I’m not sure what the purpose was.

Video Walkthrough Room 3207

Video Walkthrough Room 3208

Check Price & Availability

Baan Khaolak Beach Resort

This hotel is not actually in Phuket, it is approximately 70km from Phuket International Airport. I have not personally been here but have found out about it since going to Phuket. This hotel is 100% catered to wheelchair users. They have the chair hoist into the pool and a beach wheelchair that I believe can go into the sea as well.

These are some photos I have taken from their Facebook page credit to the respective owners

Website

Please click here to go directly to the hotel’s website.

Please click here to go directly to their Facebook Page

If you search google for the below phrase will get a lot of different videos
Baan Khao Lak beach resort wheelchair video

You will also find some information regarding wheelchairs on the “Accessible Phuket” page which can access by clicking.

Check Price & Availability

Other Helpful Equipment

We ordered a bed stick of Lazada. Prior to our trip to Thailand. Mum uses one at home and for under 1000 baht ($40 AUD) delivered made her travels a lot easier. It has 2 clips that pop out so it can be packed flat and fit in our (large) suitcase afterwards.

Another device we found to make the toilet in the room better as the toilets are quite small standing about 30cm from ground level was a toilet seat booster that just clips on the toilet seat.

Whilst postage is fast in Thailand generally the next day or so do note the Toilet Seat booster we ordered came from china and took about a week to 10 days to arrive in Thailand. You could order these things dirrect to your hotel to hold for you if you are in need of them. It’s what we have done and mum thanked the heavens I did.

Know of somewhere else not mentioned?

I would like to keep this page as relevant to the topic as possible. If you know of another Hotel in Phuket or Thailand please comment below so I can investigate further.

Check Out Our Other Thailand Posts

My Thai wife always told me there is no way to get to Khao Sahn Road easily using mainly the Sky Train network, On my last trip to Thailand as I was arriving alone I thought I would try the trip I mapped out as there was no easy google map auto prediction of the journey taking you strange ways to which seemed to be quite straight forward.

If there was more than 2 person would probably be cheaper to just get a taxi but depending on Bangkok traffic may not be much faster. Which would be approx 330 Baht (including the airport fee of 50 baht) but excluding the Tolls which may be needed depending on the time of travel and usually insisted by the taxi driver.

How much does it cost?

If traveling solo will be approximately
120 Baht
This is calculated by
35 Baht Airport Rail Link
35 Baht MRT
50 Baht Taxi

Total Being approx $5 Aussie, $3.40 USD, £2.8 pound, €3.30 euro, ¥23 Chinese yen, ¥458 Japanese Yen

Simple Explanation of route

1. Go to the bottom Floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport
2. Pay 35 baht per person at the Airport Rail Link gate.
   to go to Makkasan Station.
3. Ride 5 stops (approx 22 mins)
4. Exit the pay gate & Follow Signs to walk to Phetchaburi MRT station (keep left along skywalk)
5. Buy a ticket for 35 baht to Sam Yot Station
6. Go down Escalator and get on Train on SIDE 1
7. Ride 9 stops (approx 18mins)
   – *NOTE* The 1st station you stop at should be Sukhumvit station if you got on the wrong side just transfer here to the opposite way.
8. Follow signs to Exit 1 at SAM YOT MRT Station
9. Get a taxi from the exit at the stairs of exit 1. You will be heading in the same direction of the road as at exit faces.
   – To Khao San Road Meter cost Approx 45-50 baht (Approx 8 Mins)

Detailed route

1. Go to the bottom floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport and either take the flat escalators or elevator. Note there are not many elevators around and often are full and take a long time usually quicker to just take the long flat escalators.
2. At the gate, you will pay 35 baht per person either to the counter or machine and select Makkaan Station scan your token at the gate
3. The airport line is the end of the line so you can board the train on either side. Be aware once the train arrives and people disembark they will close the train doors and do a security check and clean before you board. These trains arrive around every 8 mins in my experience.
4. Ride 5 stops and get outGo to the bottom floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport and either take the flat escalators or elevator. Note there are not many elevators around and often are full and take a long time usually quicker to just take the long flat escalators.
5. At the gate, you will pay 35 baht per person either to the counter or machine and select Makkasan Station scan your token at the gate
6. The airport line is the end of the line so you can board the train on either side. Be aware once the train arrives and people disembark they will close the train doors and do a security check and clean before you board. These trains arrive around every 8 mins in my experience.
7. Ride 5 stops taking about 22 min getting off train at MAKKASAN STATION
8. Take exit 2 and follow the signs to Phetchaburi MRT station the walk will take approx 5-7 minutes. The signs are very visible and follow the crowd of people as most will be heading the same way
9. Purchase a ticket/token to SAM YOT from vending machine or counter at the gateway
10. Go down the escalator and get on the train on SIDE 1
11. To ensure you have entered the correct train you will stop at Sukhumvit station on the first stop. If you happen to get on the wrong side just transfer at the next station
12. From Sam Yot, you will ride 9 stops taking approximately 18 min
13. Once you disembark at Sam Yot MRT Station you will head up 2 really long escalators and want to head to exit 1.
14. Once you pass the pay point place your token in the exit gate and walk to the road. You will be on the correct side of the road so just head down the 4 or so stairs and get a taxi directly out the door
15. The taxi will cost approx 50 baht. There is no taxi stand here but they will frequently pull up if none here. You may also opt for a Tuk Tuk but you will have to negotiate a price before you go otherwise you may get a shock of 200 baht+ when arriving. Generally a TUK TUK will cost more.
16. You will arrive at Khao San Road in approx 8 mins

Whilst we were traveling north of Bangkok we come across this little but delightful coffee shop Cafe Chedi คาเฟ่-เจดีย์. It is located along the Song Phi Nong river overlooking the Sapan Khong Floating Market. 

If you wish to visit the Sapan Khong Floating Market it is only open on weekends from 9 am to 6 pm

Cafe Chedi is not a large venue with sitting no more than 20 outside and a few small tables inside. Although I highly recommend stopping in if you are passing through Song Phi Nong province. Their coffee and cold beverages where all received high praise from our group of 5.

If your feeling adventurous, Cafe Chedi คาเฟ่-เจดีย์ have hammock style nets to chill in overhanging the river. Just make sure you have nothing loose in your pockets or it may become fish food.

You are able to purchase a generous bag of fish food to feed the massive fish in the river for just 10 baht (50c)

Along the drive from Bangkok, we came across a big jewelled Buddha just by luck. It was very beautiful and if you are driving this way you can’t miss it. A map to Wat Don Manao can be found here if you wish to stop by.

Getting to Cafe Chedi คาเฟ่-เจดีย์

Check out our other coffee shop reviews!

If Bali is your 1st overseas journey, or even 1st time to Asia. Here is a guide to ease the culture shock after getting of the plane. A local Bali Sim Card to avoid roaming charges can be waiting for you before you leave the airport for as little as $10

This is my standard process I do each time. It can be especially stressful if you never been to Asia before having people approaching you and offered 100’s of taxi rides with stupid prices (which may seem reasonable to you compared to home but really 10x more).

Before arriving to Bali

Minimum 24 hours before I get there I like to pre-order my sim card(s) and pre-book my journey from the airport. Now there is no issue getting a taxi from the airport, I just grew tiered of the bartering and the “lots of traffic today price more expensive” story. To be honest the prices are about the same if you get real price but if your new to Bali or just want a stress free option the best way to get real price is pre-book. Again sim cards are available at inflated prices at the airport. You will find them at vendors on the street also but may not get a honest price. Recharging once have a sim card is a simpler process. Trust me I have been there and been scammed all before.

Fast Track and VIP Service Assistance

You can hire someone to take care of immigration and have VIP treatment. It’s a great way to start your holiday and avoid the line at immigration. To book this for as little as $45AUD or $30 USD p.p check it out here.

They also offer the VIP service for flight transfers International to Domestic, International to International helping you with immigration and your luggage.

Important to note – Infants & children will be charged at the same Adult rate and the price is per person.

How I book Sim Card & Airport Transfers

Take a look at the picture below and determine what zone your hotel is in. This will determine the price in next step
Note – The price does not include the road toll if you take it but dont worry its only 11,000rp = about $1. This will only apply if you are heading south Bali like Nusa Dua and the drive over the ocean is amazing! (4,500RP for motorbike)

Now click here to open a new window to book the airport transfer.

You can either press the orange button

“select options”

or just scroll down to “Package options”

select your scheduled flight arrival date and the zone you determined from above map.

You will now get the car/van size options to determine what suits you best
Now you can book the Sim card(s) here at the same time but check the book a sim card link below first as if they have a promotion on which sometimes they do the promotional price wont show up if you bundle it with airport transfer from above link. Tricky huh! But if the same just bundle it!

Organising just a Bali Sim card

To book a sim card only and pick up from the same people at Bali airport..

Portable hotspot option (Sim card wifi)

If you want just one for a group of up to 5 persons you can hire a hot spot
but do note this is a daily charge with a max 1.3gb per day for a minimum of 3 days . So good for social media and emails but definitely not enough for watching videos or Youtube. They tend to have a battery life of around 8 hours. Good for when your out and about in between places. Just make sure you connect to wifi at the Hotel and Restaurants. Also check your Auto Updates are switched off on all your phones. You will also have to return the hotspot when leaving to get your deposit back. *TIP* If you have a power bank you can charge it on the go so it will last over 8 hours.

How to recharge after the data runs out

The sim card can be recharged many places. Look for the words ” Jual Pulsa” or just “Pulsa” which means Buy(Jual) phone credit(Pulsa)
You will see these words everywhere now you know what they mean.

When arrive at Bali airport

So after you have your bags, and cleared immigration you will suddenly walk and feel the temperature change because you are outside now. There will be a rail with what seems like hundreds of people holding signs with names on. Just look for the orange shirt and red sign with either your name or KLOOK written on it. There wont be many wearing orange usually only the Klook workers. If you can’t see them which has never happened to me walk around so your on the other side which your going to have to do anyways.

Show them your booking on phone *Tip* Screen shot your booking so can find easy with no internet connection. They are going to want to take a photo of the booking for sim card. Then give them your phone and they will set up the sim card right there in front of you.

Express to hotel

Your driver will take you and your luggage to your booked vehicle. Which wont be a old bomb which can happen if you haggle with a driver because your to busy worrying about price than what vehicles going to take you there. Yep this is happened to me to. They will normally ask you to wait near the elevators if they parked a little away. This is perfect because the car should be icy cold by the time it arrives.

Hiring a driver after airport trip

A lot of airport drivers will try offer you services with them self or maybe a family member. Whilst there is no problem with that I highly recommend you use Yogi or his team from Bali Recommended Driver. I have used Yogi for many years now and find him fantastic. Recent times have used others within his company and have been magnificent. Rest assured you are in safe hands with Yogi.

Hopefully this has made the start of your holiday a stress free one

I have learnt the hard way as I had no one to guide me. Have a great time, Eat lots of Satay in Bali they are amazing , and check out my other posts on Bali

If you want to know the first restaurant and meal I eat every time I go to Bali check out this post!

Free Mega Guide

You have made it this far. A gift of my Travel Tips and how to navigate Bali like a Pro. Even if you been to Bali before you may pick up some handy tips just click picture below!

Whist the name House 1,000 wood Cafe & Farm – บ้าน ๑,๐๐๐ ไม้ might not translate to what it means it Thai is not any reason to avoid stopping by. Another great coffee shop in Thailand that is in an extremely cute location with a resident macaw nestled alongside Bang Toei river.

If you are visiting on a weekend, do note it is a very popular place and maybe busier than stopping on a weekday.

Old Fashioned Photo Opportunities

There is a lot of fantastic farming style photo opportunities such as at an old fashioned water pump or on a tractor. I didn’t manage to get any photos as it was quite busy on the day we visited. We hope to stop past again soon. Although next time will be a weekday to chill and relax on a hammock overlooking the river.

For the kids

If you have children there is a range of activities around the theme of farming that they can engage in. Like getting water from the well or digging in the sandpit.

Cute little tree house to drink your coffee and there is also a platform and walkway quite high to get the perfect selfie. Let your legs dangle free along with all your worries.

The resident parrot Ga-Fair

They have a resident parrot who is very friendly and will eat fruit out of your hand if he chooses to. His name is ga-fair which translates to coffee in Thai. How many coffee shops in Thailand can say they have a resident parrot.

บ้าน ๑,๐๐๐ ไม้ have a range of western dishes as well as Thai food. Most dishes were priced at 95 baht. There is only a menu in Thai. To order you have to take a piece of paper from near the counter and fill it in and give to the cashier along with payment.

If you are not with a person who can read Thai you can use google translate app if you have an internet connection to translate on the fly.
To do this
Open google translate
Click the camera icon,
try to hold steady the paper and it will translate for you..

Getting to บ้าน ๑,๐๐๐ ไม้ Cafe & Farm

Check out our other Coffee Shop posts here

There is not much more to say than wow when you arrive at Na Krung Kao นากรุงเก่า. Which in english translates to “Old City.” Its located 11 minute drive before you arrive in Ayutthaya if you are coming from Bangkok. So far Na Krung Kao นากรุงเก่า is the largest venue we have visited. The rice field style coffee shops are gaining popularity rapidly in the last few years in Thailand, I’m always excited when I hear about a new one. There is so many picture perfect photo opportunity every few meters you wont be disappointed with your choice of stopping by.

If you walk down the bamboo road and cross the bridge, You can see the tower in the top left of the 3rd picture below of the huts

Tower View

There is a tower you can climb you can climb to a perfect veiw point from the rear of the property. I would wait for not to many people on it at one time as it does tend to sway a little when people travel up the stairs.

There is 2 or 3 restaurants as you walk into the complex I cannot comment on the food as we didn’t eat on this occasion.

Getting here

Check out our other coffee shops reviews!

Pad Thai is the first dish that will come to mind for many when thinking of Thailand’s food. If your leaving Bangkok and heading west to Banpong, Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi or possibly Suan Phueng for a day or longer I will share with you my favourite places to stop on the way for lunch/dinner for the best Pad Thai’s west of BKK.

I have been living in Banpong on and off for the last couple years so have been lucky enough to find the best for you to try. If you have never heard of Banpong it is in the Ratchaburi province and known as the city of nice people & I must say they are very friendly here.

Southern Cross Banpong – Quality

Would be my #1 favourite. It is in my opinion the highest quality ingredients and the sauce is to die for! I have enjoyed many consistently the same. The price is slightly higher but the flavours definitely are worth the wait!

You can read more here. I have reviewed this business previously.

Rain Tree Coffee – Funky Venue

I really enjoy the ambiance of Raintree Cafe, it has a homely feel and there Pad Thai Gung is fantastic. If your looking to take some photos as well they have a lovely garden area.

You can read more here. I have reviewed this business previously.

Banpong’s City Pad Thai – Street Food

Well i’m not sure what they are officially called but don’t let that stop you trying it. I have had alot of street Pad Thai’s over the years and would have to say this is by far my favourite. I always get the Pork (moo) and served with some crunchy pork fat on the side which I have never encountered before.

The map points to a tire shop. They pull up in the late afternoon to evening there. They don’t have an official google map point. Just look for the blue shirts!

Check our other resturants reviews

We love great food and quirky restaurants. To see more CLICK HERE

Where to play pinball in Germany

You can play pinball at Freddy’s Pinball Paradise in Germany has over 100 machines located in Echzell which is a small country town about 45 minutes north of Frankfurt by car. Europe’s biggest pinball supplier who opens his doors for the public to play once a month on the last Saturday of every month.

The range of machines at Freddy’s

There is a large variety of the newest machines, Freddy telling me he gets a new pinball every 6 weeks now. Which sounds amazing to the average Joe but becoming a massive problem for him as he is just about to run out of room.

As well as going back to the old EM machines with the ding ding and rolling number scores. To everything in the middle. The machines were in great shape only finding one with some damage that was caused on the night.

What they don’t have

1st of there are no Gottlieb machines here. Freddy asked me what machines I have 3 of them being Gottliebs he laughed and said you won’t find them here. Gottlieb cop a lot of flack in the pinball world although I am personally going to find it hard to ever part with my Super Mario Brothers & Tee’d Off machines. Waterworld I may one day part ways with but not until I wipe the ridiculously high score off it!

You also won’t find any of the new company Spooky Pinball Machines here because their machines are not CE compliant. I had seen the CE written on electrical items before but was unsure what it meant. Here is a snippet from metlabs website explaining:
CE stands for Conformité Européenne (French), which means European conformity.  CE marking is a self-declaration where a manufacturer proves compliance with EU health, safety and environmental protection legislation and confirms a product’s compliance with relevant requirements.

I guess this is a good enough excuse to have to go to the USA to play them all!

Opening Hours of Freddy’s Pinball Paradise, Germany

Held on the last Saturday of every month

They were open from between (2 pm-5 pm) until 1 am. They sometimes stay open later depending on numbers. Check there official page as every month seems to have different opening hours.

Cost of Entry

20 Euro per person for entry. 97% of the machines are free to play. There is a side room with about 5 or 6 machines that have just been released which cost 1-2 euros a game. There are still many new machines you can play at no additional cost.

Beer & Food

Freddy’s Pinball Paradise have a bar stocked with German beer & has really reasonable priced drinks and some light food options to keep you going throughout the night. The barstools are hilarious you sit at the bar on a horse saddle chair.

Contact

If you have any questions Anita was very friendly via email answering anything I needed.
info@freddys-pinball-paradise.de
+49 (0)6008 917 7944
www.freddys-pinball-paradise.de

Accommodation near Freddy’s Pinball Paradise Echzell Germany

I’ve done all the hard work for you. Just type the date into the search box and you will get a price from all the suppliers to get you the cheapest price!

You can walk from this hotel to Freddy’s

This hotel is a 5 minute car drive

This hotel is a 10 minute drive

Parking for RV or Camper

I also asked as we were planning to drive a camper van there originally if there was anywhere we could park the night close by. Anita said it was fine too in their car park around their building.

Getting to Freddy’s Pinball Paradise

Driving would be the best option around 45 mins from Frankfurt Central and Frankfurt Airport. Although you can catch a train that takes around 1 hour from central Frankfurt.

Location if Driving

Address: Bisseser Str. 44, 61209 Echzell, Germany

How to get to Echzell from Frankfurt on public transport for pinball paradise

You would have to get on the train from
Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof it will take 1 hour on the train
It is 9 stops
To check train times or plan a trip CLICK HERE I pre-filled it for you
At the time of posting it was about 16 euro for the train

To Freddy’s From Echzell Train Station

The closest train station is a 5-minute walk / 450 meters.
You would have to catch the train to ECHZELL STATION and walk a short distance or catch a taxi / uber if they are available.

Pictures from September 2019

The saying goes if you haven’t been to these holy places, You haven’t been to Isan. Well, so the Thai’s tell me. This trip was planned by Luna as has been on her bucket list for some time.

We flew into Udon Thani for a 4 day holiday to visit an auntie who enjoys living in a temple with the monks. She picked us up at the airport and took us a couple of the surrounding sights. Following dropping her back at the temple that evening we borrowed her car to go explore some of the famous sites around Northern Thailand along the Laos border. You could easily combine a similar trip with a trip to Laos as there are 2 friendship bridges and multiple boat crossings. We were not prepared with sufficient paperwork of car ownership and visa for myself so we just explored to the Mekong River border in Thailand.

We were lucky enough to have use of a car for free. If you are renting one make sure you have appropriate licences. For Australians, we require an international permit as well as our original Australian licence card. We were stopped 2 times Isan once just licence check and the other was I was going to fast.

Appropriate clothing

If you are planning to visit temples remember to wear polite clothes and to cover their shoulders and wear something long to cover your knees. Alternatively, you could take a sarong with you for when entering holy places. Or 2 one for over your shoulders and waist.

I was wearing a rude shirt a couple of days because ran out of clean ones but I kept a polite one in the car and just put over the top when visiting.

Red Lotus Lake

From Udon Thani airport we drove just under 1 hour to Red Lotus Lake. We were offered a boat ride for 4 people for 500 baht which would last about 2 hours and take us out further to see the best parts. The best time to come and do the boat ride is just before sunrise about 6 am as this is when the flowers open up and are at there best but before 11 am as the sun gets too hot and they tend to close up. It was not the best season either so just skipped the boat trip. The Ideal time to go is December – February

There was a rainbow-painted bridge here which made a good photo stop. We ended up visiting another Lotus pond later on in the trip can read about it below.

Rotary Sun Clock Thai/Korean

Just over the other rainbow bridge a 2-minute walk there is a rotary club sun clock.

The translation in general says:
Memorial between Thai rotary club and Korean rotary club
Its a community economic development project to enhance community living for Kumvapee village, Sakon Nakhon province

Wat Kham Chanot

From Red Lotus Lake we drove another 1 hour 40 mins to Wat Kham Chanot. On the drive to this temple, there are a lot of offerings like I have never seen before from little stalls along the road. Such amazing crafting made from plants in a range of sizes starting as low as 40 baht up to few thousand baht. We bought one for us and one for our friend who knew we where going wanted us to buy one for them.

When entering the temple there is a large Naka Statue at the beginning of the bridge. First, you must remove your shoes. They Say your luck will only come true if you touch the statue from the head to the tail without letting go. Yes, it’s a few minutes walk as you can see behind in the photo below.

When parking the car someone sold us 2 small plastic bottles for 20 baht so we could take some holy water home with us. Unfortunately, we had no checked luggage and was confiscated at airport security.

They also allow you to wash away your sins by pouring water over you there too

The beliefs that Thai people have of Naka would come from India in many ways. Just like the Thai script that was adapted from India hundreds of years ago.

They believe that Naka is the god of water and able to inspire fortune and fertility. They offer flowers also known as Baisi for the chance of the winning lottery numbers or the chance to a bare child.

You will see Thai people scratching the tree or pouring powder (not allowed) onto the tree trying to find a reference to numbers. They believe these numbers are lucky for the lottery!

A Modern Buddha Pagoda -พระบรมธาตุเจดีย์ศรีมงคล

From red lotus lake, we drove about 90 minutes to this recently finished pagoda. As we got close could see it across the lake from the main road.

Upon entering you are greeted by 2 golden lions

As you enter the pagoda be careful as the tiles seemed quite slippery near the entry.

After looking around & praying on the bottom floor you can climb the stairs out the back and view again from the 1st floor.

After you can actually climb some more stairs at the back and there is a small museum of old artifacts and treasures to view above.

Small Naka Shrine By River

Next to the river a short walk there’s the neka (snake god) shrine

Feed The Fish

There were some ladies with a small store near the bathrooms at the entrance. They sell bread and seeds that you can go over and feed the fish from the sala (Gazebo). We bought about 4 loaves of bread and 8 of fish food and there was no shortage of fish going crazy for the food.

It is not allowed to go fishing or catch the fish within the compound of any temple.

Hotel stay at Chom Dao Hotel & Resort – Sakon Nakhon

After dropping auntie back at the temple we headed to the closest town for some dinner which wasn’t special enough to even mention and find a hotel close by. We chose Chom Dao Hotel as the price was incredible for what the photos showed. The only had one standard room (340baht) and 1 bungalow (425 baht) so we took them both. In Aussie dollars, that’s $16 & $20

For full review and photos check this post

The Next Morning, Breakfast with the Monks

As a westerner, this was quite a unique experience that was very far from the main touristy temple visits. The head monk who is apparently very holy and famous in Thailand talked with us for about an hour after they finished there 1 meal of the day. The monks in this temple only eat once a day although some other monks in different temples may eat twice a day.

It is custom for Thai people to go to the temple on their birthday. One monk asked us if who’s birthday it was thinking that’s why we came.

Anyone can eat with the monks but how?

Auntie explained to us we would have to arrive at the temple before 6 am with an offering of food. This food can be anything you make or buy along the way. We managed to buy 2 whole grilled chickens close to our hotel.

At the first sign of light, the monks leave the temple and walk around outside the temple seeking donations of sticky rice from the local villagers. As the sun was starting to come up around 6:10 am the 4 monks returned with there sticky rice offerings and placed there bowls on display, prayed and then sat down.

Local villagers started also arriving with there own offerings of food. The men take the rice to the monks.

The women start plating up the offerings from the containers and bags people have donated.

Once the food was placed into bowls it was put onto trays & then placed onto small-wheeled trays so the monks could take some food and pass it on to the next monk. Here it is important that only a man can be the one to push and take away from the monks. Women are not allowed to and women are also not allowed to touch a monk. A woman can push the food to the man who can then push to the monk.

Before they started eating the head monk said something into the microphone and done the interesting chanting that they do. I’m no expert on what they say or do all I know is it is quite hypnotic sounds.

Once the monks have taken a bit of all the offerings the remaining food is then offered to anyone who is in need or at the temple. If you are poor or have no money they welcome you to join. Although the welcome extends to anybody at all. After the people eat if there is remaining food it goes to the animals.

We feasted on some super local foods and I was lucky to try some very unusual fruits that were even not common to Luna as they are from deep in the jungle and not easy to find.

After breakfast and clean up the monk spoke with us for a while. We met 2 young twin boys who the monk adopted from a super poor family and parents were unable to take care of. The boys came to the monk as they needed 20 baht for school for the day. We gave them 100 baht each (A$4-5) and they counted the number of days that would help them for school. It was 5 days as they only need 20 baht a day.

We hit the road again for another day of adventure.

Wat Tham Pha Daen

This would have to be my favourite temple we visited. Just for the pure beauty of the landscape and massive Naka statue which looked amazing with the cloud formations of the day.

You can’t drive the whole way to this temple. The road is blocked off at a car park on the way up the mountain and you must pay 20 baht (return price) to get a van up to the top. I think this is purely because there is insufficient parking at the top.

This temple had a lot of interesting wooden things and stone carvings to admire.

Once you get up further you will get to a coffee shop which has a magnificent view!

Then the gigantic Neka statue overlooking pristine treetops and the big golden rock.

Dinner at Little Farm Hug Restaurant

We drove past Little Farm Hug Restaurant on the way to check out the best hotels to stay near the bars but we knew we wanted to eat there. I’m so glad we did. It was the best food we had on our 4-day trip. If we were staying longer we would have gone back.

To see the full review of Little Farm Hug Click Here to open a new tab! Believe me, you want to see this very cute farm-style restaurant!

Vince Hotel – Sakon Nakhon

Originally I had planned to stay in “The Hop Inn -Sakon Nakhon” but they were fully booked. Vince hotel was just around the corner. I chose this location because it was closest to the most lively looking bars in the area and wanted to have a few brews that evening. Whilst it was a Tuesday night we did manage to find a few places close by for a few brews.

The hotel had a very fancy look with a very budget price of just 444 baht per room ($A21). Whilst I would stay there again there where a few things they could improve on that matter to me more than a nice look.

• The sheets although seemed clean where stained in both rooms
• The towels were so stiff they were more like exfoliating towels
• There was a bit of mould in the bathroom in multiple places, Under the counter of the sink and in the shower.
• The general cleanliness could use improving

If you still consider staying at Vince hotel here’s
a link to cheapest price available

Or click the picture below and will search over 100 sites for the cheapest price of hotels close by!

Few Places For Some Drinks Close By

First stop was Golden Pond Coyote we sat down whilst some girls were dancing in their underwear. They looked sad and bored with only one senior citizen sitting in there not even looking at the stage. We sat for about a minute no one offered us menus or drinks the vibe wasn’t there so we left. There were about 10 girls inside the bar though if you wanted to know.

Second stop not too far away was hashtag hero cafe. They had a funky theme of superheroes memorabilia everywhere. They had a solo artist playing guitar there the main reason we went in. Was quite amazed she sang western songs very well. The artwork in the men’s room made me laugh but you will have to go there to see it yourself.

Third Stop we stopped past some big club looking thing but they where taking the signs in as we arrived not sure what it was so we skipped straight to the next place

Fourth Stop Country Road Saloon looks like on a weekend would be a great party. The outdoor seating is made of old red cinema chairs with cup holders. We where about to go back to the room and call it a night as the keyboard player/singer was not very entertaining when we heard a band start next door to our

Final Stop The Loft living bar – Had a full band play for about 90 minutes where we busted out and ordered a bottle of Sangsom and some soda had a bite to eat before turning in.

Lunch at บ้านฟ้าโปร่งสกลนคร

The feel of the restaurant is quite unique with a waterwheel and lots to look at. Whilst we dined in the air-conditioned room the decor is a very warm feeling. The food is all beautifully presented but I just found the food to be quite bland flavours. It could have been that I just drank too much whisky the night before and was in a bad mood but if you were looking for a nice venue to dine in different from the normal it’s worth stopping by. Do note the price here is quite high and the coffee was not the best.

Phra That Choeng Chum

Luna was very excited to come to this temple. Very famous and holy Luna told me. They say if you don’t come to this temple, you have never been to Sakon Nakhon.

By this time we arrived, I was hungover and sick of taking my goddam shoes off all the time. It was raining, I was grumpy and to be honest, I really didn’t care anymore about visiting temples.

Luna took some great photos below and heart here was pretty amazing with there was still a lady painting away. It’s definitely worth stopping by if you’re close by! I wish I went in now I seen the photos. So close.

Udomdetwat Mansion

Next stop was to look at some old french colonial-style buildings that were built in 1933 A.D. by Vietnamese immigrants. There where actually 3 buildings not next to each other in this area. We seen 2 and later realized we missed 1.

Cute Cafe Across The Road

Directly across the road from the mansion, there is a really cute cafe with great coffee should you need a rest and a coffee fix. Their bathrooms were clean but located upstairs. I think the owners really love Doraemon

Lotus Pond

We found this by pot luck as we were driving back and stopped for a look. They have a few bridges across the centre of the lake and was quite a lot of different coloured lotus to be seen. There was another big Naka statue here also as well as a playground should you want to make a family day out.

Riverside Hotel – วังน้ำก่ำรีสอร์ท

Thailand, Laos Market Monday & Thursday

An interesting market that is open twice a week we were lucky to be there on a Thursday morning. They have a range of interesting fruits and vegetables some I have never seen before as well as lots of clothes new & second hand, Shoes, Jewelry, Old money, The list goes on. This is quite a large market I would allow at least 2 hours if you want to walk the lot.

It is definitely worth stopping by if you’re here and see the 2 countries sell their wares. The stuff here is super cheap!

Open 6am – 12pm Mondays & Thursdays
although they where only just starting to pack up at 11 am in some places

Vietnamese Lunch At ดาวทอง อาหารเวียดนาม

I was excited to eat some Vietnamese food its not something you see a lot of in Thailand. In Australia, its become quite popular the last 5 or so years.

Wow, it was super cheap for restaurant prices! We ordered too much and ate it all and also got some Isan sausage to take away it was that good!

Read the full post with menus and photos here

Wat Phra That Phanom

After a delicious lunch, just a few streets away ventured into the temple through some amazing wooden carved door with every door a different design. They also had a different Chinese zodiac animal on the bottom of each door.

Although the temple is still under construction/ being renovated it is still a remarkable sight that can be seen all the way from the Mekong River.

Kaeng Krabao Park

We found this park by accident. As we were driving to the next location it there was a tourist sign saying something about rapids so we took a slight detour and went and found this lovely park. I’m still not too sure what the rapids they where talking about there where a few little ripples in the Mekong River although I’m not sure that’s enough to make a tourist sign for.

If you wanted a professional photo taken with the Naka statue you may be in luck. There were 2 people trying to take photos for you for a small price of 50 or 100 baht. They had a little stall with the prices on the side although they will definitely approach you before you see them. These photos did look good although we didn’t get one. I’m not sure why we would want a photo of some random people standing at the statue we were looking at.

Before you reach the river from the car park there is a large section dedicated to the Chinese Zodiac signs. A perfect time to have a photo with your year of the animal. Luna got mine wrong. I think she just wants a buffalo. I’m a tiger baby!

Wat Songkhon-Catholic Shrine Of The Martyrs Of Thailand

Opening Hours 8am-5pm

This was the one place Luna really wanted to visit again. She made a long bus trip with her grandma when she was a child. Luna vaguely remembered being able to walk around in the wooden houses carefully as the were old and could fall through the floor. Now they are roped off many years later to preserve.

The story, as I understood it was in 1940 the police came through and demanded everyone stopped worshipping Jesus under the Catholic church. These 7 children stood up in their belief and said we would rather die than not praise Jesus. All 7 were shot dead for refusing to quit their Christian faiths. This memorial is to remember the brutal Thai history. It is known as the 7 martyrs

Something I translated
They are regarded by the Roman Catholic Church as the ” Martyrs and Pope John Paul II were jointly proclaimed at St. Peter’s Basilica on October 22, 1989.

They have preserved the wooden house that they lived in. Although it is no longer safe to go inside as Luna remembers as a young child.

The Holy Well To Cure Sickness & Diseases

Across the road from the main entrance is where they have the holy well and another memorial with a lake.

The well was pad locked.

Overall a bit of interesting Thai history. If you manage to come during Mass hours I hear that have a good thrift shop. But we were too late.

We Slept In The Temple

So we had an early flight the next morning and had to leave at 4 am to get to the airport on time. We were offered a room in the Buddhist temple for the night. This was something new for me. I have never slept in a temple before.

Breakfast At King Ocha

This is a very popular and well known to locals as the place to eat breakfast. It’s cheap and will fill your belly for the morning. I had the eggs and the baguette. Its quite simple food I wouldn’t go as far to say it was amazing but it did the job and the locals may disagree with me as people just kept on coming.

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