For my return drive back to Bangkok, I had a hotel reservation for a rather odd resort experience at Khao Yai national park, not too far from Bangkok. The reservation was forced forward based on an article in a local magazine, where images from the resort sparked my interest because of it’s unusual design. With some imagination, the resort might look like a space station on the moon or another planet.
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 1: The Preparation (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 2: The flight (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 3: The arrival (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 4: The first morning (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 5: Big C (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 6: Bangkok (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 7: 200 THB to heaven (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 8: Bangkok - Ubon Ratchathani (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 9: Being a celebrity in Thailand (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 10: From Sisakhet to Sakon Nakhon (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 11: Sakon Nakhon (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 11-B: Coffee Love at Sakon Nakhon (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 12: The long drive to see the King (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 13: Hua Hin Inbox (opens in a new window).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 14: Returning to Kanchanaburi (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 15: The luxurious resort (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 16: LiT Bangkok Hotel (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 17: Nearing the end (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 18: Departure for Norway (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 19: The two forgotten hotels (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 20: Back to work again… (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 21: The new dawn starts right here (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 22: The homecoming (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 23: A world away (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 24: Hello sir… (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 25: Prachuap Khiri Khan - Hua Hin (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 26: Hua Hin - Bangkok via Had Chao Sam Ran beach (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 27: Coffee’s Love at Petchaburi (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 28: Ayutthaya (opens in a new tab).
To read: My Pride, My Thai part 29: Returning to Sakon Nakhon again! (opens in a new tab).
The strange looking resort which goes by the equally peculiar name DNA RESORT, was priced moderately and upon returning in the early evening, appeared to be almost abandoned. As I parked my car outside the entrance, I first thought it was closed for business, but a security guard quickly approached the car, and suddenly, the lights came on all over the place. I think I might have been the only guest in the resort, because I would not see a single person or guest during my nights stay and the following morning. The car park was also literally empty. As I went inside to check in, the receptionist was dead asleep (which by the way is not an unusual sight in Thailand).
I got a room… or perhaps I should call it a pod? The room is a perfectly round ball with a two stories room, as you can see from the pictures below. Most of the rooms are like this, with the exception from some other bungalows near a large pond, which I believe might also be used as accomondations.
The place is very interesting and for the price, was well worth the night. It’s indeed a so-called Thai style place, which in fact means a hard mattress covered in plastic beneath the bedsheets, and starting to look really run down. Cleanliness of the room and the hotel in general is absolutely not like what you would find in a 5-star hotel, but for the price and for the look of the place, it is exactly within the standards of how I would come to expect. There was evidences of mould and a peculiar stangnant smell throughout the corridors, not uncommon in tropical climates where the temperature gets really high and the air is moist.
Locationwise, it was located a bit outside the busiest areas of Khao Yai, along a very dark, narrow road. I don’t think it would be a place I would walk out from in the night. It’s therefore great for a one night stay if you come by own car, just to say that you have stayed in a space station, but for several nights, I don’t think this would be a great choice at all.
There was a breakfast included in the room, served in a restaurant near the reception area, but it’s really not worth getting out of bed for. You would be better off bring your own breakfast I think. The breakfast was a set menu: consisting of black coffee, luke warm milk, orange juice-looking liquid, a couple of toasts, an undercooked fried egg, and a pack of jam and one piece of stone heard butter.
Before I sound way too critical, I have to shoot in that they do seem to have started some kind of refurbishment, though it is unclear if the program is still proceeding forward or if it have stopped. I might never come back to DNA Resort, but I’m really glad I have experienced it.
