WELCOME TO CHRISTIE'S!

Proprietors Chantana and Jim Christie hope you'll visit us while you're in the Ban Phe - Rayong area. Christie's is a guesthouse, restaurant, bar, and bookshop located in central Ban Phe, the mainland port town closest to the resort island of Ko Samet. Chan and Jim have managed businesses and lived in Ban Phe for over ten years, and have a wealth of knowledge about the area and the island. Ban Phe used to be a quiet fishing village, and most visitors wanted to catch the next ferry to Samet. Over the years, that changed as more people discovered the many attributes of Thailand's eastern seaboard. Christie's has changed too, from a quick stopover to an ideally located base for guests who prefer to explore the mainland and visit the island on daytrips. We hope you'll explore our website and see all that we have to offer. Whether islander or mainlander, we'll be happy to welcome you at Christie's and do our best to keep you coming back!

A brief history of Christie's . . .

Many customers think Christie's is an Irish bar. It's not, but it used to be: In 2001, expat Irishman John O'Sullivan and his Thai partner opened "Christy's," naming it in memory of John's deceased brother. A couple of years later they decided to sell, and the property owner decided to sell the building too. Chan and Jim jumped at the chance to have the best location in Ban Phe, so they bought both the business and the building, and CHRISTIE'S RESTAURANT & BAR was established in December 2003.

The coincidence of having the same name, and because Christy's was already well known, resulted in our keeping the name. The "Y" at the end of Christy was replaced by "IE", and the former 3-leaf shamrock logo became Christie's 4-leaf clover.

In 2006 Christie's Guesthouse opened upstairs, and our secondhand bookshop moved from its old location into the adjacent building. In 2008 Chan studied bread-making with a Cambodian baker near Angkor Wat, and then returned to train Christie's head cook. Since then, all of our fresh breads and baguettes have been homemade, baked right next door. In 2010, we opened a motorbike rental shop, where you'll find several new motorbikes, “salaeng” (motorbikes with canopied sidecars), and a TukTuk for rent.

The 2007 and 2009 editions of Lonely Planet Thailand gave Christie's a stellar review, citing its good food, well-appointed guestrooms, and friendly staff, qualities that we strive to keep and that we hope you notice. Plus, we always welcome your comments and suggestions, even if there's the occasional brickbat rather than bouquet!

In 2011 we're celebrating our 8th anniversary and looking forward to many more.  Thanks in advance for visiting Christie's, and we hope to see you here often.