Rayong: The Coastal Escape Nobody Talks About

After 5 nigts in Bangkok’s sensory overload, we’ll head east to Rayong—a decision that raised eyebrows from fellow travelers. “Why skip the islands?” they asked. Because Rayong is where Thai people actually vacation, and that’s exactly why we’re going. Or maybe that is what Zee’s coworker recommended and we just have to go and check it out to see for ourselves.

How We're Getting There

To get from Bangkok to Rayong, we booked a bus through 12go Asia for about 320 THB (roughly 10 USD) each way, a super affordable option for the roughly 4-hour journey down to the coast. We’ll be staying at the Rayong Garden Inn at around 50 USD per night, which fits perfectly with our budget-conscious, slow-travel style. We will be staying here for 5 nights to explore the city. On top of that, there’s an ongoing Hilton promotion for business accounts running until December 31, 2025, where completing 10 nights earns Diamond status, so this stay also helps us inch closer to elite benefits on future trips, making Rayong a strategic and rewarding stop in more ways than one.

Hilton Garden Inn Rayong

For this part of our Rayong itinerary, we’re especially excited about our upcoming 5-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Rayong, where we managed to lock in a great rate of about 50 USD per night, keeping our Thailand accommodation budget-friendly while still enjoying an international-brand hotel experience. This stay also pushes us halfway toward the 10-night business account promotion with our Hilton business profile, helping us work strategically toward Diamond benefits while we travel with Hilton in the future. The hotel’s central location in Rayong puts us within easy reach of local markets, cafés, and key city attractions, making it a convenient base for day trips to nearby beaches, coastal viewpoints, and evening street food spots without long or complicated transfers.

Highlights We Are Looking Forward To

We’ll spend time at Yomjinda Road, the cultural heart of Rayong’s old town. Cozy cafés sit alongside boutique shops, and art galleries showcase both contemporary and traditional Thai works. We’ll grab coffee at a hole-in-the-wall spot, chat with the owner, and get recommendations for hidden beaches.

Then there’s Mae Ram Phueng Beach, where seafood restaurants line the shore and you can eat fresh-caught fish with your toes in the sand for under $10. We’ll visit the Rayong Night Market—far less touristy than Bangkok’s—and load up on fresh fruit, snacks, and street food while mingling with local families.

Lastly, one spot in Rayong that we’re especially excited about is a cozy bunny café, where the whole point of the visit is to slow down and just enjoy being around incredibly cute rabbits. Between sightseeing and beach time, we’re planning to carve out an afternoon there to sip something cold, unwind in the air conditioning, and hang out with the bunnies as a fun, low-key way to reset. It feels like the perfect contrast to buses, check-ins, and constant movement—a soft, fluffy reminder to build simple, joyful pauses into a long-term trip like this.