Natai Garden Retreat

25/03/2026

One of the private estates on Natai Beach has just published a blog post about the many day trips available in this area and how you can beat the tourist crowds that come up from Phuket during the day. It’s a useful article if you’re planning to visit Phang Nga Bay or the Similan Islands and can’t make up your mind as to whether Phuket or Natai Beach is the better base (hint: Phuket for party goers, Natai for nature lovers).

phang nga attractions, things to do near Natai Beach, Phang Nga Bay day trip, James Bond Island tour, Similan Islands day trip, Summit Nanshe, Samet Nangshe, Khao Sok National Park

21/03/2026

This article by Channel News Asia recommends seven beach destinations in Asia that are “less crowded and less hectic“ than places like Bali and Koh Samui, but without sacrificing comfort or convenience. And number 7 is none other than Natai Beach! The article recommends staying in luxury villas on Natai Beach, but of course we know that there is comfortable budget accommodation nearby as well.

From Japan’s Seto Inland Sea to Vietnam’s secluded bays, these coastal breaks pair straightforward access with resorts and villas worth planning around.

05/02/2026

We recently decided to change our rates on Airbnb to room-only rather than including breakfast which we have been doing for the past three years. The reason is that when rates are shown to prospective guests on Airbnb, they don't indicate whether breakfast is included unless guests drill down to the details in the listing description. So sometimes guests arrive not realising that breakfast was included in the rate, or on some occasions not wanting breakfast even though they had paid for it. So it seemed to be fairer to all that we advertise room-only rates as a default and then if guests want breakfast, they can order that after they arrive. So here are the revised (without breakfast) rates which are the same on Airbnb as on our direct booking website. For those guests who have already booked through Airbnb at rates that include breakfast, we will of course honour those and provide breakfast at no additional charge.

31/01/2026

Two of our repeat guests from Russia, Viktor and Olga, this week trekked an hour through the jungle at Khao Sok to view a rafflesia in bloom - the largest and one of the rarest flowers in the world. The flowers take about a year to develop and are in bloom only for about three days. They were very lucky to see this flower because it is the middle of the dry season, and they mostly bloom in the rainy season.

07/12/2025

We harvested about 100 mature coconuts last month but decided to also remove these young ones today in case they fall on the heads of guests sunbathing by the pool. We thought they would be too young to drink but surprisingly they were even better than the mature ones - they were so sweet!

27/10/2025

Here are our upcoming 2025/26 high season rates. Note that for the period 15 November to 30 November 2025 our shoulder season rates apply which are 1,300 baht per night including breakfast and 1,000 baht per night excluding breakfast. We look forward to welcoming you to the Natai Garden Retreat.

18/06/2025

Our cats enjoy sleeping on the spirit house in the garden. Ancient Egyptians supposedly kept cats because they believed they could communicate with the spirit world. Could that be why they like to hang out around the spirit house 😹

05/02/2025

One of our guests currently staying with us just bought these flowers from the local market. The petals of the lotus flowers have been folded to make a beautiful arrangement. This must have involved a lot of careful work, yet the whole arrangement cost only 40 baht ($1.20). Great value for money!

06/01/2025

The first of the ornamental bananas that we planted in the garden has started to flower. It’s a beautiful flower. Will be interested to see how long it lasts!

23/12/2024

A heartfelt thank you to two of our Airbnb guests from the UK, John and Sandra, who sponsored the vet fees for this stray cat who has now been neutered and vaccinated. When he first started hanging around the Natai Garden Retreat looking to steal food from our own cats’ feeding bowls, he was severely battle-scarred with many bleeding wounds and scared of people. But now he has become a calm and affectionate cat, so we assume he must have once been someone’s loved pet, sadly abandoned or lost, rather than having always been a street cat. John and Sandra have also sponsored his food for the next 2-3 months, so we are very grateful for the compassion that they have shown to this cat. We feel he was lucky to be here when we had two such generous guests, so we have called him Lucky.

11/12/2024

We’ve just received a fresh batch of coffee beans from our favourite coffee roaster. They were roasted only a few days ago, so you can be assured of the freshest and most flavourful coffee when staying with us. 😋 https://www.facebook.com/share/15boN9zUdY/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

06/12/2024

The dry season has started here in Phang Nga and we are now into the best four months of the year. The garden is full of flowers and the pool is warm for our guests who are escaping the northern hemisphere winter.