Ranong is a city full of beautiful and amazing things, waiting for you to get to know it better. When talking about Ranong, most people will think about the sea. It is a city that is famous for beaches and islands with lively marine life and interesting attractions – some even say it’s the Maldives of Thailand. A truly paradise on earth that you should not miss. So, we are going to take you to this Ranong trip and let you fall in love with the place just like we did!

First thing you should be prepared for is the plane ticket. Of course, we booked a cheap flight to Ranong with Traveloka – and we got the best price too! With the function called ‘Price Alerts’ which simply notify you about the price of the ticket from each airline, so you get only the cheapest available. Just book a ticket, pay for it and then it’s done!

Start the trip in the morning. We took off from Bangkok to Ranong airport and then headed to the car rental service that we had booked 24 hours before with Traveloka – really an all-in-one app that helps you travel the trip with cheapest tickets and best service offerings.

After receiving the car, we went to the hotel and checked-in. First destination here in Ranong is Phu Khao Ya, a grassy hill that is also becoming a popular photo spot for tourists. The name means the hill of grasses which is actually true as there are only some trees on the hill. Usually, it will be all green but if you come here during November- April, the grasses turn dry and it will become a golden hill instead! Perfect for a picture while the sun is setting with a golden hill and a vanilla sky.

Then we headed to the next destination, Raksa Warin hot spring, after we had taken enough photos already. The natural hot spring with 65 degrees will release you from fatigue and tiredness. Also make you feel relaxed and help with the blood circulation as well.

When visiting here, you will see different zones of spring to use. You can just dip down with your foot, or choose to go all in with your whole body. With the mineral water from nature, it is truly an amazing place for healing inside and outside.

After a bit of the first day trip, we ended the day with a restaurant called ‘Keing Lay’. A famous restaurant that is famous for both locals and travellers. Not only the beauty of landscapes, the seafood is fresh with affordable prices too. Enjoying the dinner – good food, good view, totally cannot miss.

Now it’s time for the real adventures. After having breakfast at the hotel. We moved to the Cock Burn Island – a real paradise on earth or as we called ‘The Maldives of Thailand’. The island is located in the Burma Sea that is open for every tourist!

We spent a whole day here with this place as a one-day trip -- diving, coral-reefs sightseeing, canoeing and just walking on the beach around the island.

First thing first, we took lots of photos on this white sand beach, a perfect match with the clear sky-blue ocean – an unforgettable moment. Totally worth our cheap flight here from Bangkok

We chose to walk around the island and explore other viewpoints and photo spots. If you visit the place while the tide is low, there is a path connecting to another island as well.

Now let’s dive in! We dived into the ocean and were amazed with the wonderful scenery under the water. A school of fish swimming around the colorful corals. Just make sure not to touch anything and preserve nature!

After almost an hour of diving, we had a big lunch, provided from the tour. Then we went canoeing and rowing around to see beautiful oceans and the island. Made us realise that we didn’t have to fly over the way to Maldives while we also have this breath-taking island and ocean as well.

A long and exhausting day had gone, so we went back to the mainland and found something for dinner. We chose Ratcha Farm, an organic restaurant with its own farm, serving fresh ingredients and food with Thai style.

The foods were really good but the fresh ingredients made them better! We don’t usually like healthy food but we really like this place and ordered a lot more vegetable dishes.

Last day here in Ranong, we rather went chill today so we went sight-seeing in the city. 100 Years Thein Sue House is an attraction that shows the history of Thai-Chinese. A Chino-Portuguese style of house that has been built since 1890 or actually more than a hundred years old, but they preserve all the things and furniture from the old times. The walls are decorated with interesting paintings which is also a good spot to take photos. We stopped for a while and ordered something to eat as they offer breakfast meals too.

We walked around the city, driving here and there. Visiting some temples and praying for blessings. We also spotted wooden manors which actually turn out to be an ancient palace, as well as other historical sites in Ranong.

After learning and getting to know some history about the Ranong people, we drove out of the town to visit the café with a highlight of the waterfall. Huai Kang Kow is another check point in Ranong, that offers not only good taste of coffee but the environment is nice too. The place is simple and down to earth with a small table and a place to sit next to the river. So, you can just relax, sip a cup of coffee while resting in the natural surroundings, don’t forget to dip your foot in the river and feel good with the cold and fresh water.

This coffee shop is pretty far from the airport so make sure you plan the trip well. We made it in time at the airport and headed back to Bangkok with our cheap flight.

And that is our trip to Ranong. The city with a beautiful island like Maldives. Explore the Andaman Sea and be astonishing when diving under the water. Just a 3 days 2-night trip but being relaxed and having a blast was really helping us from the stress and like charging up the battery. If you don’t know where to go and what to do for the next vacation – why don’t you try Ranong and see it for yourself.