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Hot springs 💦🌀💙@dacentor#relax #peace #sankamphaeng #hotsprings#chiangmai #thailand

As the end of the year rolls by, a quickfire look at whether or not the list of most popular hot springs in the kingdom of Thailand has  changed much. 
Yet again I tweaked the odd input here and there, however the outcome remains familiar.

1. (2016: 1) San Kamphaeng - Chiang Mai province
2. (6) Thapai - Mae Hong Son
3. (4) Hin Dad - Khanchanaburi
(5) Klong Thom - Krabi
5. (6) Sai Ngam - Mae Hong Son
6. (9) Wiangpapao (Thaweesin) - Chiang Rai
(-) Chaeson - Lampang
8. (2) Fang - Chiang Mai
9. (-) Nattawaree - Krabi
10. (10) Wareerak - Krabi

Just outside this Top 10 we can find Rock Valley (Khanchanaburi), Saline (Krabi), Chiang Dao (Chiang Mai), Raksawarin (Ranong) and Phu Klon (Mae Hong Son).

Soakingswise I'd prefer to rearrange this list, but such is what rolls out of the lists.

It's odd that through the years hardly any new names emerge despite competition catching up and methods of compilation evolving. For instance half of the above can be found in the original Top 10 8 years ago.

Points were awarded to relative standings on Instagram concerning tags (i.e. #fanghotspring(s)), Instagram location (using roman writing), instagram location (using Thai), Google search (of the last 12 months), Google search (based on % of the first 100 results), Google image search (based on % of the first 100 results), Twitter (number of hashtags/last 12 months), Flickr, Youtube finds (of the past 2 years), Tripadvisor (number of comments) and Facebook (likes).

summercurve 

Taking a bath with the locals in the hot springs of Chiang Dao#chiangdao #hotsprings #spontaneous #thailand #adventure #southeastasia
#lovelypeople #hotwater #goodtimes #explore #scooter #norththailand #earth
#jungle #bathtub #river #travel #twogether #happy

ilovewhatido

 recharge your energy at the free local tub hot spring. birthday travel #chiangdao #travelbug #ilovewhatido #hotspringchiangdoa #hotspring #seabackpacking #birthday #scorpio #october #ilocetravelling #amazinghailand #norththailand #ilovetravelling #life #explore

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Stinky
In all honesty there seems to be little to update to you: rains come, rains go, Governments come, governments go. Basically nothing changes.

Prices go up. And up.  In this case the entry prices to Thailands national parks. Which by the way host to many a natural soak.

If you are an obvious non-Thai then the authorities believe that a 10 fold entrance premium is required to see some of Thailand's natural secrets. 
But this does not mean that whatever national park / natural secret you are visiting is well-managed. Very often they are either overrun or visitor facilities are non-existent.

Now once more there is a new government in place, a military one which is very careful not to suggest tough measures for their peoples: the quick fix is to tax the foreign looking visitor.

Such that the government is now proposing a new fee structure with respective parks being able to charge fluctuating fees: non-transparent. TTR (Oct. 10) lists an overview but I'm pretty unsure what you pay where. What does seem pretty clear: 

'It just stinks of greed and opportunism'.

What's this to do with hot springs? Many a hot spring in Thailand has remained public and become a national park, f.i. the popular hot spring of Pai. It means that visiting a hot spring has become more expensive and one must understand the underlying message: your welcome is only genuine if you are willing to continue to pay ...

More info on the price structure of Thailand's national parks can be found on Waterfalls of Southeast Asia, here and here.

Is the hot spring of Pai your moneys worth? Source:

Tha Pai Hot spring. #hotspring #thailand #pai #relax #picoftheday

Untrained

A short blog entry on trips to Thailand (Nov. 14) on a visit to Surat Thani's Chaiya district. Famed for it's religious temples and sorts it also has a few hot springs. His finds:

'I eventually ventured along a gravel road that lead to a temple on the top of a hill. Just at the foot of the hill, a couple of ponds had been constructed from concrete. But, again, the area and the facilities appeared deserted and unused. The mineral water overflow from the concrete ponds discolored the rocks as it made its way down hill for form a small lake. The rocks looked to my untrained eye somewhat like lava, but was in Thai named Lan Lonk Prachan'.

Trips to Thailand has also recently been (Aug 10) to Samo Thong hot spring, Uthai Thani province. No report on the soaking ...

A hot spring in Tak's, Umphang district (source):

#thailand #hotsprings ️

No cooling down
Bangkok Post (Jul. 25) has some soaking related news:

'Ranong municipality has prohibited people from taking a cool dip in a canal in front of Ranong's mineral hot springs, because a strong current could cost them their life'. 

So only hot springs in the offering here.

A little made visit to Krung Ching hot springs in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Tambralinga (Sep.) stumbles onto these while making his / her way to the waterfall with the same name. The site is a good site for natural secrets of this overlooked southern province.

Tarzan & Jane #thaiSland #day1 #junglegirl #gopro #hero4 #hotsprings #krabi #vscocam

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Those days

 

 Pai's tranquil (and natural) hot spring. Source.

A small update with a couple of recent pictures plus what could be described as a number of finds.

 

'Relaxing at the near hot springs'.

By Pedro Solona Villalobos at Mae Taeng / Chiang Dao 

A link to a Thai until now unknown hot spring. Phu Khao Nam Ron in Chaiya district, Surat Thani. This adds further info:

'Ancient hot springs is located at Lamet, Chaiya district, Suratthani Province. Hot spring is 4 km away from the center of Chaiya district. Hot spring is composed of two hot spring wells. From the folklore, Indian people in Srivijaya period enjoy this hotspring and use this hot springs as part of their religious practices. They consider this hotspring as their holy water. In those days, the king at that period created a pool for bathing'.

An instagram of Hin Dad hot springs by shishps.

Another find. I have sought but not found Wichanaburi's Wankhasm hot spring. At least that's what I think. 

Not very surprising but this Thai language website has quite a few piccies (below) as well as directions to find this hot spring. If you need to find this place that is ... 

An upcoming hot spring destination? Krabi's salt water hot spring (below) is seeing some changes. Looks like a hot destination (Too hot? No shade, lots of concrete ...) Source

  

Never heard of, Rommanee hot spring in Takua Pa district, Phnang Nga. On the way to / from Khao Sok. With some history, development activities again have only taken off in the last few years and are still somewhat limited. On and also sterile ...:
 

There are some better natural springs in Kapong. And Khao Sok National Park is a natural haven with lots of (skinny) dipping spots ....

At Chumpon's Tham Khao Plu. Source

Hot pot

Just a couple of pieces to share as well as one news piece and a link to a lesser known Siamese soaking site ...: 

 

'another smaller pool, this is the least warm pool, the baby is really enjoyed it'.

Pai hot spring, from Is my place blog by Rachygal

Unfortunately no picture on this allowed, but nonetheless it's a small but interesting write up on flickr, concerning Kapong hot spring, Phang Nga Sam Spicer notes:

'This is a hidden gem and doesn't feature in a single tour itinerary! I wouldn't have known about this lovely natural hot spring if it wasn't for a Japanese friend who runs a delicious restaurant in Bang Niang, Khao Lak. (www.enzointernational.com/). If you want directions to this place, I'm sure Toshi-san will be able to provide them for you!

The hot springs are fantastic, and if you go around sunset, a lot of the locals will be there taking their evening dip! Take a few eggs to heat up in the hot spring sources and then enjoy your boiled eggs with an ice cold beer. It doesn't get much better than that!

This place is just one of the many reasons I love Phang Nga province. There is simply so much nature to be enjoyed here, much of it away from the tour buses too. It's still possible to feel like you're really exploring a jungle or getting off the beaten track'.

A testament to a great experience. I've been there! 

'in the hot pot, but so sabuy'

Yunomori onsen, Bangkok. Instagram

News: An onsen at Khao Yai?

'K.D Asset and Development Co recently invested THB650 million (US$21.87 million) in new project Zen Next, which it has earmarked as the ‘first Onsen Condominium in Thailand’.

It notes that a hot spring will be developed. One must also note that there is no natural hot spring nearby.

Kantang hot spring, Trang province. Source

Ranong = hot spring!?

Royal reverberation

Rated as one of Thailand's most popular hot springs (source), Raksawarin hot spring has become the province of Ranong's no. 1 natural attraction. Such that the hot spring is often referred to as Ranong hot spring.

But the real name is Raksawarin. It's claim to fame harks back to a visit by King Rama V more than a century ago. Since then, it's waters have been revered and development of the site to host ever-increasing number of visitors has gained pace.

Some science (?)
Pawanrat Saengsiriroj (2011) in his case study notes [1] that Raksawarin is

'ranked as one of the best three in the world because the water from this hot spring is pure, without the smell of sulphur. It is also considered the best in Thailand ...'.

Whether or not soakers are put off by sulphur smells and whether or not the absence of smells makes it a top 3 world soak, seems debatable. However, despite the recent nature of the study, it mostly results in opening open doors. For instance, more than half the visitors are reportedly nationals whose opinion of worldwide soaks would be deemed slightly insignificant.

A more scholarly effort was undertaken by Suwicha Komaladat (2010). He finds [2] that many tourists come to Ranong's hot spring as it was part of their journey, not a destination in it's own right; a problem which seems to stick to Ranong town. Another significant difference, foreigners are interested in spa facilities with little interest in souvenir shopping; Thai are interested in the freebies (foot bath) and the opportunity to purchase local food specialties.

Free foot bathing, a cornerstone of Ranong's wellness industry

It also notes the lack of motivation

'to improve the product and service quality'.

And

'[there is] no known successful research on the mineral water healing quality, the mineral water usage'.

Despite some websites claiming the opposite.

Newer bathing facilities? Yet to be opened.

Tourist trap
If there were a natural tourist trap, Raksawarin hot spring would rank high. It's only located a km or so from the main road south which by-passes Ranong town. Take the inland road just before the bridge and head up the narrow valley. Just before hitting the hot spring you will be required to cross a bridge.

The area around the hot spring has seen such haphazard development that the road has been deemed too congested to let cars through (there is a diversion), though parking is available. On the mountain side there are a wide variety of shops as well as something called Siam Hot Spa, what seems to be a private soaking facility.

On the river side the area has been landscaped, paved over, redeveloped and is the source of the hot springs, 3 in total, aptly named Father, Mother and Child spring. Surprisingly many facilities have been constructed as well and they are free.

Evening time, there are quite a few visitors walking around, using the foot baths or the hot floor complex, a novelty yet to gain worldwide attention.

A purposely built hot floor, where you can really sweat it out. Part of the instructions read:

'4. Should not sleep on this area more than 30 mins.'

The river itself is milky white, indicating large amounts of erosion further upstream. Continue onwards beyond the hot springs, one can visit the Ranong canyon, which sounds more than it actually is; it seemed quite boring when we visited the submerged mine.

The Ranong "canyon".

Ranong
As Ranong is the best place to stay a couple hours north or south (and has a certain charm) of the hot spring, adding some info on accommodation is by no means superfluous.

Besides this, Ranong is a good place to explore more hot springs (Phu Lum Phi, Porn Rang), waterfalls (Bokkrai, Punyaban, Ngao, Chum Saeng) and off-shore islands even with the possibility of diving.

There are also two hotels with connections to the hot springs. Jansom Hot Spa Ranong Hotel claims that it is the only hotel with a

'100% direct tap'

to the hot springs. Seeing it is located on the highway next to the turnoff to the hot springs, the claim seems credible.
On Agoda there is a photo of a mineral bath (indoor). However the guest reviews repeatedly point to the faded facilities that would require a nice renovation.

Tinidee Hotel Ranong receives better reviews (Agoda, tripadvisor, sawadee) and claims to have a mineral water pool.

We stayed at the new B Ranong Trend hotel which may have lacked the mineral connection but was so out of the ordinary ("modern retro"), that paying a visit here is certainly rewarding.

The art of folding hotel towels, just a preview of what to expect at B Ranong. What about the lights in the transparent flush reservoir of the toilet?

Getting there: Located not far from the highway, the hot spring is well signposted, not more than 2 km from the turnoff located next to a bridge.

Soaking experience: Though the focus is on hot springs, soaking is less customary practice ...

Overall impression: Despite the hype I had suspected it to be worse. in general well-developed and laid back, just wish there were better soaking facilities ...

The iconic Ranong hot spring image, wife looking for the bottom.

Notes:
[1] Pawanrat Saengsiriroj (2011) Hot Spring Goers: A Case Study of Raksawarin Hot Spring, Ranong Province, Thailand. Assumption University, Graduate School of Business, e-Journal, vol 4, March 2011. Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand.
[2] Suwicha Komaladat (2010) Health tourism destination in Thailand: a case study of Raksawarin Hot Spring. International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, vol 1, no 3, pp 238-247. International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, Inderscience Publishers, Bucks, United Kingdom.

Thermophiles challenged

Directing development
Directing funds to tourist adventures sometimes leads to strange situations. Raksarawin hot spring of Ranong, Thailand, is an example of incessant funding, in this case leading it to be a tourism highlight. However, just down the road, Phu Lum Phi hot spring is left forlorn and undeveloped.

Untouched it's not, as there is evidence that some money might have flown here in the past. But as is very common in Southeast Asia the development was overestimated and whatever was dreamed of, didn't materialize. 

It would be interesting to see why some hot spring sites seem not to be too worried about financial inflows (for investment purpose's) whereas others are starved. Failure to adhere, initiate, political patronage?

D.I.Y.
Internet fails to shed some light on this hot spring, an odd case, as Ranong is synonymous with hot spring, note the singular use of the term.

Situated just off Ranong's major highway heading south, it is about 6 km from the city center on the inland side of the road. A blink and you will miss the turnoff (and signboard). Up this road it's only a km or so before one comes to a large grassfield with some scattered buildings around.

It is late afternoon and what seems like a pond has a few locals hanging around. Apparently some have just finished their bath, others have waited their turn (= joke). Other than these half dozen soakers there is not much to proof that this place is located near one of Thailands most visited hot springs. 

In front of us is a circular pool, to the right a toilet block with behind it a solid locked building. A fair walk away over the grassy field are some sala's while to the left are some more buildings without intention (?).



The toilet block functions as changing room. Local custom then implores one to squat around the hot pond and scoop water over oneself shower style. Oh and do remain dressed. Having a bucket give's the showeree (what's a soaker who only showers called?) the ability to let the hot water cool down before immersing oneself.

Getting there: Take the major highway south out of Ranong town and pay attention to tiny blue signboards along the road heading inland. Roughly 5-6 km outwards there's a small road which heads around a to be developed plot and heads into some secondary growth and straight close to the hot spring.



Soaking experience: A soak in the general sense is not to be had, a bak mandi (large scoop) enables a shower of sorts. Different but not necessarily rewarding.

Overall impression: A very rustic, down to earth place. The lack of development and visitors gives it an extra cachet, but in all honesty a visit here is only for thermophiles and even they might be challenged.

Cool

Is it a spring?

ABC
Spelling Thai hot springs gives it's own problems. Phu Toei is just one of the many problems encountered with finding a hot spring. Alternatively I've seen this as Puteuay, Pu Toei, Puteu and Phu Thoei. Luckily it's a larger village and as such not so difficult to find (I wish).

Having had the opportunity to visit Phetchabun (or Phetchaboon or either without the h) over the past week, I decided to visit this hot spring, if only because it's along the main highway to the provincial capital. I actually was expecting some directions on how to find this place, but instead drove straight through the village and when asking around was eventually lead to a different village altogether (see upcoming blog entry). So I stopped on my way back to Bangkok.

Spa
The springs are apparently smack bang in the center of the large village, just behind a Chinese temple.

About half a hectare in size, a public park has been created and only recently renovated as it included many new-looking play and fitness apparatus. Well-maintained, there are a couple of ponds, none of which looked very hot.

At the back of the park is a modern looking spa and early morning I inquired if it was possible to bath. It was, but only if I would like to wait for 20 minutes. Probably so they could fill the tub? Flow must be a trickle. Anyway, no worries and 20 minutes later the tub was ready.
I was taken inside, received towels and disposable underwear (?) was directed to changing cubicle. Before changing though, showers were pointed out as well as a big modern jacuzzi, all inside and very clean and modern.

Well after donning the disposable underwear I had the jacuzzi for myself. Low and behold, it was cool water! Weird, maybe should have waited longer? Anyway nothing to be done about it, but to enjoy the bath.

Behind the veil

Cold?
Phu Toei certainly is noted for it's hot spring. That said, the Thailand Energy and Environment Network mention that the temperature of this spring as 32 C, which it wasn't. Elsewhere on their site they also imply the temperature as being 30 C, who knows maybe after more research they would have found out it was closer to 20 C which was what it felt like.

According to Erfurt-Cooper & Cooper (2009) this would mean it to be a cold spring, at best tepid (25-34 C).

Spring with pipes

There is not much real info on internet most seem to use the following text:

'It is a natural hot spring, emerging to the surface. The area has been developed into a health tourism attraction and a relaxing venue. There are daily services of mineral water bathing, spa, body massage, and foot massage provided from 9.00 a.m. – 8.00 p.m'.

This site includes at least a picture of the baths.

Getting there: From Bangkok take highway 21 towards Phetchabun from Saraburi. Phu Toei is located 44 km from the Chai Badan turnoff. The hot springs park is in the middle of town on the eastern side of the highway, partly hidden by a Chinese temple.

Soaking experience: This is the first place in Thailand where I have seen that facilities have been created expressly for bathing (and wellness) and run by a private company. The facilities were excellent as was the surrounding park. Pity that the water was not warmer ....

Overall impression: Excellent, if only the water had been hotter ...

Notes:
Erfurt-Cooper, P. & M. Cooper (2009) Health and Wellness Tourism. Spa and Hot Springs. Aspects of Tourism: 40. Channel View Publications, Bristol, United Kingdom.