Can I rent beach huts in South East Asia?
June 21, 2011 6:28 AM Subscribe
Can I rent beach huts in South East Asia?
I'm about to quit my job and want to go South East Asia for a while (Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia). Many years ago I worked with a guy who spent six months of the year living in Thailand, where he said he rented a cheap beach hut/shack on the beach for the duration. Does this happen in other countries and how would I go about doing this in the countries I want to visit? Any websites, ideas, experiences, tips or suggestions? Any ideas on cost? My motivation is (hopefully relatively cheap) solo accomodation for a few weeks at a time.
I'm about to quit my job and want to go South East Asia for a while (Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia). Many years ago I worked with a guy who spent six months of the year living in Thailand, where he said he rented a cheap beach hut/shack on the beach for the duration. Does this happen in other countries and how would I go about doing this in the countries I want to visit? Any websites, ideas, experiences, tips or suggestions? Any ideas on cost? My motivation is (hopefully relatively cheap) solo accomodation for a few weeks at a time.
Read through the SE Asia threads at Lonely Planet's Thorntree forum - lots of recent questions and answers, and if your specific questions aren't addressed, there are lots of folks there who will be happy to help out if you post.
posted by rtha at 8:14 AM on June 21, 2011
posted by rtha at 8:14 AM on June 21, 2011
Indonesia: Yes.
Tips: Depending on what else you want to do, I suggest you go to less busy islands that are mainly dependent on tourism, but are usually not overly crowded. e.g. Nusa Penida off the east coast of Bali, Lombok, etc. Don't worry about websites, there are plenty of accommodations on the beach. Walk away from the port area to get a better price. You can also get discounts for staying longer, and haggling on prices is acceptable if you wish to.
Price: As low as $10/night, as high as $200/night.. On the islands I mentioned, in 2008, I would usually pay around $20/night for a beach hut that had a fan, cold shower, king size bed, bottled water, and electricity. Expect to pay more if you expect a refrigerator, A/C, etc.
posted by 2ghouls at 8:17 AM on June 21, 2011
Tips: Depending on what else you want to do, I suggest you go to less busy islands that are mainly dependent on tourism, but are usually not overly crowded. e.g. Nusa Penida off the east coast of Bali, Lombok, etc. Don't worry about websites, there are plenty of accommodations on the beach. Walk away from the port area to get a better price. You can also get discounts for staying longer, and haggling on prices is acceptable if you wish to.
Price: As low as $10/night, as high as $200/night.. On the islands I mentioned, in 2008, I would usually pay around $20/night for a beach hut that had a fan, cold shower, king size bed, bottled water, and electricity. Expect to pay more if you expect a refrigerator, A/C, etc.
posted by 2ghouls at 8:17 AM on June 21, 2011
I agree with 2ghouls that a little price increase can get you a big increase in comfort. $10 might get you a room with a mattress on the floor and no furniture, while $15 gets you something that looks like a proper hotel room. I wouldn't particularly feel the need to book in advance... it is typical that you would just wander around, see a few options at each place and haggle a price. You might get stuck with a bad place the first night but it's better than booking and paying for a bad place for the whole stay.
posted by smackfu at 8:44 AM on June 21, 2011
posted by smackfu at 8:44 AM on June 21, 2011
Important: MAKE SURE that the fan in your room not only works, but is actually installed so that it blows air on the bed, where you want it. You'd be surprised in how many huts the fan's just pointed willy-nilly la la la who cares if the tourist is dying from no air movement while trying to sleep.
posted by cyndigo at 8:55 AM on June 21, 2011
posted by cyndigo at 8:55 AM on June 21, 2011
We recently rented a place in Indonesia through a site called Owner Direct, which does pretty much what it says on the can - you basically deal directly with the owner (in our case, a Western expat living & doing touristic business in Thailand), and the site skims off I think a 10% commission for facilitating the deal.
We found out later that we had enough info about the place to google & find the owner truly directly, bypassing the Owner Direct site, but in the end the cost difference was peanuts (like, $130 total for 6 weeks of rental) & I suppose the site gives some protection against fraudsters.
(ours wasn't a beach hut, but the advice applies regardless)
Our place had a kitchen stocked with enough equipment to cook for ourselves, attached courtyard bathroom, lounge / dining, bedroom, shared pool, daily cleaning & bedsheet/towel laundry, as well as breakfast made for us every morning - all this for around $30 a night.
If you want to go really cheap, I've stayed in a tiny shack on stilts right on the beach on Koh Chang (Thailand) for about $5/night (sleeping room only, shared bathroom) and a similar place on Lombok (Indonesia) - that kind of option you can just find for yourself by showing up & looking around, but in peak season it may be wiser to book ahead.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:39 PM on June 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
We found out later that we had enough info about the place to google & find the owner truly directly, bypassing the Owner Direct site, but in the end the cost difference was peanuts (like, $130 total for 6 weeks of rental) & I suppose the site gives some protection against fraudsters.
(ours wasn't a beach hut, but the advice applies regardless)
Our place had a kitchen stocked with enough equipment to cook for ourselves, attached courtyard bathroom, lounge / dining, bedroom, shared pool, daily cleaning & bedsheet/towel laundry, as well as breakfast made for us every morning - all this for around $30 a night.
If you want to go really cheap, I've stayed in a tiny shack on stilts right on the beach on Koh Chang (Thailand) for about $5/night (sleeping room only, shared bathroom) and a similar place on Lombok (Indonesia) - that kind of option you can just find for yourself by showing up & looking around, but in peak season it may be wiser to book ahead.
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:39 PM on June 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ShooBoo at 7:35 AM on June 21, 2011