The Blue Sky Resort@Ranong — An Infinity Pool Over the Bay, Looking Across to the Myanmar Mountains
The shot guests post most from this place is the infinity pool whose edge seems to spill straight into the bay — stand at the rim and you look out across open water to a far ridgeline on the Myanmar side. The Blue Sky Resort@Ranong is a small boutique resort on a hill in Pak Nam, about 15 km out of Ranong town, with just 15 rooms set as bungalows with distinctive horn-shaped roofs scattered across a garden slope. Guests give it an average 8.3 and repeat two words again and again — quiet and view. There are also a few things worth knowing before you book, which we get into below.
The Blue Sky Resort@Ranong is not a town hotel — it's a small hillside resort above the bay in Pak Nam sub-district, Mueang Ranong. The whole place runs to just 15 rooms, laid out as bungalows down a garden slope with curved, pointed roofs that look a little like buffalo horns and are easy to remember. Most are Seaview rooms with a private balcony facing the water, plus air conditioning, a fridge, a TV and a shower bathroom. Because the room count is low and it sits up on a hill, it genuinely is quiet — guests agree that at night you mostly hear wind and the soft wash of the water below.
The headline feature is the infinity-edge swimming pool, built so the far lip blends into the horizon. Walk out onto the teak deck and the view opens across the wide Kraburi estuary, with the Myanmar mountains as a low ridge in the distance. A handful of sun loungers and a teardrop-shaped hanging chair sit beside the water, and that chair is the spot everyone seems to photograph. One honest note up front — there aren't many loungers; some reviews count around four, so on busy afternoons you may end up taking turns.
We drove up from Ranong town on the first morning — just the two of us, two nights, no real plan beyond switching off for a bit. The last stretch of the lane coming in was tight enough that I was genuinely nervous about the car, stone walls on one side and a drop on the other, taking it in first gear. But the moment we crested the hill and saw the view from the car park, none of that mattered. It's wider than the photos suggest. The bay fills the whole horizon and the Myanmar mountains sit in a pale ridge behind it, and the whole thing is just there in front of you before you've even checked in.
I came down to the pool before anyone else was up the next morning, maybe half past six. The water was completely still — the far edge of the pool seemed to continue straight into the surface of the bay a hundred metres below. No engine noise, no voices, just wind and the faint sound of water folding over the lip at the far end. I stood there for a while doing nothing at all, which doesn't happen very often in daily life. That fifteen minutes alone was worth the drive.
The bungalow itself was exactly what it looks like in the photos: not large, but the curved peaked roof gives it a lot of airspace inside, and it was cooler than I expected. The bed was genuinely comfortable, the linen clean, and the private balcony is small but catches the breeze properly. We left the balcony door open at night and could hear the water below and occasional wind through the palms. Sleeping was effortless — deeper than I usually manage in hotels, because there's nothing to hear except things that are calming rather than disruptive. The fridge had two bottles of water waiting, the air conditioning worked without complaining, and we never turned the television on once across two nights.
A couple of things are worth flagging honestly. On the second afternoon a group of maybe twelve people arrived for lunch and then used the pool as well, which made it louder and more crowded through the afternoon. There were children running around the deck. If you need absolute quiet all day this will frustrate you. We just went back to the balcony, which still had the view, so it wasn't a disaster, and by the time we came down again in the evening they had all gone and the pool was ours. The practical workaround is to swim early or late and treat the middle of the day as balcony time. Dinner on the first evening took nearly fifty-five minutes to arrive. The kitchen is genuinely small and it was clearly stretched. The pavilion itself, though, with the warm lighting reflecting in the still pond out front and a breeze running through the open sides, made the wait feel much less like waiting and more like sitting somewhere pleasant for no reason.
We are not beach people, so the fact that the shore below the hill is estuary water with rocks and mud rather than white sand genuinely did not bother us at all. But I can see exactly how it would disappoint someone who arrived expecting something like the islands. Understand what this place actually is — a quiet hillside retreat with an infinity pool looking across the bay to Myanmar, fifteen rooms, no shops anywhere near, access road that requires patience — and you will leave happy. We were already talking about coming back before we had cleared the lane on the way out.
The thing to understand before you come is that this is not a white-sand-beach resort. Below the slope is the shoreline of the Kraburi estuary — the water runs a murky estuary green, and the foreshore is rocky and muddy in patches rather than a beach you'd swim off. Several reviews say this plainly: anyone expecting clear water and soft sand like the islands will be let down. The appeal here is the elevated view and the infinity pool, not sea swimming. Set that expectation early and the place delivers.
On food, the resort has an open-sided poolside restaurant that catches the breeze, and a complimentary breakfast served 7:00–10:00. The timber pavilion is genuinely lovely, especially in the evening when the warm lights reflect in the pond out front. But going by what guests actually report — the kitchen can be slow, with some people waiting 45 minutes to over an hour when it's busy. Staff are friendly and look after you, though several speak limited English. If you arrive hungry with a group, ordering ahead or padding your timing makes for a calmer evening.
Another recurring gripe is that the resort lets outside visitors use the pool during the day. On some days a group comes for lunch and swims as well, which leaves the pool fairly crowded and noisy through the afternoon. Guests who paid for a room expecting peace and quiet can feel that selling point slip away. The easy workaround is to swim early, before 9 am, or in the evening once the day-use crowd has gone, and you get the quiet pool back. It's worth asking the resort at booking whether a day group is expected on your dates.
Getting there deserves a mention too — the resort sits at the end of a lane on the hill, and the last stretch is narrow and rough. A regular car can make it, but take it slowly. It's about 15 km from Ranong town, roughly a 20–25 minute drive, and there are no shops or restaurants within walking distance, so without your own transport you'll want to plan trips into town in advance. Ranong Airport is a fair way off at around 35 km, so allow about 45 minutes for the transfer.
The bottom line: The Blue Sky Resort@Ranong suits couples or anyone wanting to escape the noise and sleep somewhere quiet on a hill, drawn by the infinity-pool view and the photo angles. Starting around ฿2,500/night, it's fair value for a small boutique place with a view like this. But if you want a sandy beach to swim from, fast kitchen service, or food and shops within walking distance, this probably isn't the one. Come understanding that the draw is the calm and the view, and you'll leave happy.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Stunning infinity pool and bay view — photographs beautifully
- ✓ Quiet and restful, a real escape from the noise
- ✓ Clean rooms, comfortable beds, many with sea views
- ✓ Friendly, attentive staff
- ! Kitchen service can be slow at busy times
- ! Pool opened to day visitors — crowded on some afternoons
- ! Not a sandy beach — the shoreline below is rocky and muddy
- ✓ Elevated view across the bay to Myanmar — hard to find elsewhere
- ✓ Small, private boutique feel
- ✓ Lovely timber restaurant pavilion, especially in the evening
- ✓ Fair price for a sea-view resort
- ! Access lane is rough and narrow — drive carefully
- ! Out of town with nothing in walking distance — you need a car
- ! Few poolside loungers — may need to take turns when busy
- 💡If you want the pool quiet and to yourself — swim before 9 am or in the evening after the day group leaves → on some days the resort lets outside visitors come for lunch and use the pool, so afternoons can get crowded; ask at booking
- 💡If you expect to swim in the sea — this is a hilltop resort with a bay view, not a sandy beach; the shoreline below is rocky and muddy → come for the infinity pool and the view, not the sea, and you won't be disappointed
- 💡If you don't have your own car — the resort is at the end of a lane on a hill out of town, about 15 km away, with nothing in walking distance → arrange a transfer or hire a car ahead, and ask the resort about pickup