One Chan is a 70-year-old farmhouse along Pliew Road that has been renovated as an Airbnb.
It has an amazing location – just 800 meters from both the infamous Manee’s Garden (and mother tree of Puangmanee) as well as Suan Tho Thong, the first farm in Chanthaburi to open for farm tours back in 1999.
If you have a car, you’ll find yourself a mere 6 minutes from the Pliew Waterfall, 3 minutes from a large Swimming Hole, 4 minutes from Suan Sow Sudjai Durian Buffet, and 3 minutes from the famous Khom Bang Morning Market where you can get your epic early-morning tree-dropped old-varieties fix.
Chanthaburi Farmstay
Chan One Farmstay is located on a 6-rai (2.5 acre) mangosteen and durian farm. It’s operated by Bubbles, who was raised in the house but left to pursue an acting career in Bangkok.
He’s now been in several major commercials, including for Sunsilk Perfect Straight Perfume, and is ready to come back home and have a more quiet life.
He opened his childhood home as an Airbnb in January, 2020, 2 months before you-know-what (cue everyone cringing).
But despite the poor timing, Bubble’s Chanthaburi Farmstay is doing well, in part because of Bubble’s welcoming personality, but also because the house a beautiful and Instagrammable aesthetic that makes this one of the cleanest, cutest places to eat durian in Chanthaburi.
In the past, Bubbles said, the entire patio area would get filled with durians during the season. The family sold them at the Khom Bang Early Morning Market, or drove them to Bangkok to sell at the Bang Rak Market.
“That place is just apartment complexes now,” Bubbles said.
Today the farm has mostly mangosteen trees.
“When the durian price dropped to only 6 baht per kilo about 20 years ago,” Bubbles told us, “my grandfather decided to cut them down and planted mangosteen. So we have a lot of mangosteen.”
But there are 2 lone Chanee survivor trees towering over the mangosteen orchard, planted by Bubble’s grandfather at least 50 years ago, maybe 60 or 70 years ago.
Recently, Bubbles and his father have planted Monthong as well, and they even let guests plant their own tree on the farm to rent annually. So when you come to stay in the Farmstay you can collect the durians from your own tree.
Inside the Farmhouse
The farmhouse is made out of the original 70-year-old wood, but it has undergone quite a few changes under Bubble’s tasteful eye.
“The contractor couldn’t believe it,” Bubbles said, tapping the low roof of the living room. “All the wood is the same, it survived so well.”
The house was originally on stilts with an open-air sitting area under the house. Bubbles added glass windows for a bright and mosquito-free lounge.
The living area is spacious, bright and very clean. It’s definitely got a Bangkok vibe – a balance of natural colors, light, and cleanliness.
But there is plenty of local decor, from the woven mats to local herbs and plants scattered around the room.
The downstairs is cool and quiet, and I could totally see having a zen morning here.
The house has only 1 bedroom upstairs, and that’s there’s where Bubbles had to add another major renovation – a bathroom.
When he was a child, their bathroom was a stand-alone outhouse building behind the main house.
But he knew guests wouldn’t like tripping down the stairs in the middle of a dark starry night to the toilet, so he added an equally bright and green bathroom on the 2nd floor with privacy provided by a screen of banana leaves outside the window.
Overall, the house is beyond cute. It’s a great mix of indoor-outdoor, with mangosteens, bananas and durians right outside your window.
It’s also not a cheap place to stay.
But if you need a quiet retreat to fruit out, fill up that patio with durians again and enjoy the vibe.
How to get to One Chan Chanthaburi Farmstay
One Chan Farmstay is located about 15 minutes south of Chanthaburi City. It’s technically in Khom Bang District, but is right along the border to Pliew District. One of its best features is its location, super close to durian farms, markets and swimming spots.
agridane says
Thanks for a very interesting article.