We stayed in these fantastic bungalows that were very rustic and raised on stilts. Ours was located quite far back off the road. We had to walk on a trail to get to it. It was surrounded by jungle and was so quiet and peaceful. The insides of the cabins themselves were quite dark, but we had a great deck off the back to make up for it. We had single beds, and a very cold shower, and that was it. It was the location and atmosphere that was so wonderful.

The reception area and restaurant/bar of the lodge is located on Art’s River. The eating area is a deck with a great view of the river and the limestone cliffs on the opposite bank. There is a swimming hole down below the restaurant. At approximately 5pm each night, a group of monkeys comes in from the jungle to sit on the limestone cliffs across from the lodge. The monkeys play and swim. They are fed a little bit (very little) by lodge employee’s throwing bananas across the river, but apparently these monkeys were coming to this location long before there was a lodge. I am very anti-feeding the wildlife, so I’m not sure how I feel about this situation. Our trip leader said that there is an overpopulation of monkeys in the area, so the park does feed them a bit. They tried to stop feeding them altogether, but some monkeys died. So for now their choice is to give supplemental food. I guess Thailand has different Park philosophies than ours (did I mention that I’m a park ranger? Maybe that’s why I struggle with this issue so much.)

The food at Art’s was very good. Their drink specialty is Jungle Juice. I don’t know what is in it, but it takes a really long time to make. The lodge is professionally run, and the service is excellent.