Tour Thailand: Thailand's beaches

วันเสาร์ที่ 16 มิถุนายน พ.ศ. 2550

Thailand's beaches

Thailand's beaches are well established, have warm water and weather, good food, friendly relaxed people, comfortable accommodation and they're cheap - incredibly cheap when compared to the Caribbean, Indian Ocean or Pacific island paradises. Around $30/£20 a day should get you an excellent double room with aircon, breakfast and maybe even a swimming pool, though Phi Phi Don and Phuket prices will be slightly higher than other beaches listed here.

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Koh Samed

6 km long Ko Samet [aka Koh Samed] was the biggest surprise in Bugbog's December on-the-ground evaluation of Thailand's seaside offerings. Although it is one of the country's oldest resort islands and easily accessible from Bangkok without flying, Ko Samet retains a level of comfort and tranquility that is missing from most other Thai islands with reasonable facilities. A lot of this is due to its National Park status restraining development, including roads in the interior. The cheapest bungalows are generally the furthest from the two main landing points [Na Dan Pier and Wong Duan Bay], so backpackers should be prepared to walk a while. Previously we got the impression that Wong Duan would be the best beach/hotel area on the island, but were disappointed by the narrow strip of sand, smelly boats clustering in the small bay and platoons of visitors landing on barges as if every day was D-day.

due to the balance of sea/sand environment with excellent facilities and reasonable tranquiity [e.g. no longtail boats roaring to and fro] though solitude seekers won't appreciate the numbers at times. The next beach south, Hin Kok, is also large and comfortable and is only a short walk to Hat Sai Kaew's low-key but admirable bar and restaurant offerings, but has far less visitors. The further south you go, the less folk you will meet, until you reach Wong Duan bay and the crowds appear again.

Hat Sai Kaew's two best mid-range hotels in '02 were Sai Kaew Villa and Hat Sai Kaew Resort. The latter is more expensive and less crowded. The former had double rooms with fan, en suite bathroom and breakfast for Bt 800 [£12/$18 per night] in high season '02. Pictures of bungalows and most beaches are in the following pages.

Pattaya

Pattaya's raison d'être is partners for hire, short or long term, male or female - the selection is huge, the attitude is relaxed and prices are not expensive. But there are also good water sports, shopping and nearby theme parks - so families come here too [amazingly]. The corniche is pretty and yields endless entertainment of the "Jeez, did you see that?" variety, as does the 'Walking Street' after 7pm. Only 2/3 hours by road from Bangkok and about 2 hours to lovely Ko Samet[d] via Ban Phe port and a short boat ride.

Minus: The main beach is small, the sand is coarse and the water is murky and unattractive, though reasonably clean. A much bigger beach, Jomtien, is farther south and will require a very long walk or a taxi/bike ride to reach. It's a primo windsurfing spot but the sand is still coarse, the water unnattractive and high-rises line the shore. Gays line the north end of Jomtien as well as parts of the town. Pattaya town is an overdeveloped jumble of pink-lit girlie/boy bars, half finished construction and monster hotels. This is not a serious beach destination.

Pattaya is, however, a surprisingly inoffensive haven for the love-dispossessed - wrinklies, plug uglies and handicapped mix it with arabs, military personnel and stressed love refugees who have three things in common: they have money to spend, they are hot for sleek young Asians and they have all the fashion sense of a third-degree burn. Interestingly Thai men mostly don't seem bothered that many of their prettiest girls/boys are running around with butt-ugly foreigners. The hired hands too appear relaxed and tolerant and often spend a couple of weeks travelling around Thailand - especially to proper beach resorts - with men who treat them like princesses and pay them enough to support their families for a year. Love and/or marriage are not uncommon results of these liaisons.

Ko Samui

Ko Samui has not retained its rustic, laid-back charm. Thanks to the international airport and a good road network visitor numbers are now overwhelming and property developers have been only too happy to rush-build concrete monstrosities without consideration for scenic values or waste disposal. The best beaches of Chaweng and Lamai have been particularly hard hit by expensive lumps of concrete, though other less pretty locations have managed to retain some charm.

A 45 minute express boat takes back packers and proto-ravers out to Ko Pha Ngan from Samui, or 4 hours from Surat Thani. Hat Rin's full moon party is the place to get wrecked [tho' not on drugs, after a police clampdown] and rave all night.

Khao Lak

Khao Lak is a relatively new resort an easy hour's drive north of Phuket island. It's been popular for some time as a transit point for divers on their way to the Similan islands, 64 kms off the coast. The islands are rated among the top ten dive spots of the world due to the great visibility, wide variety of marine life and superb coral reefs, as well as the beauty of the islands above water. Khao Lak is now a target for north Europeans who appreciate its tranquility - compared to Phuket - the excellent selection of mid-range bungalows just off the beach, and the adjacent wildlife-crammed rainforested National Park.

krabi beach

Krabi beaches are a Thai rarity in that the ones with accommodation are on the mainland, though access to the best - West Railay and Phra Nang - is still by boat unless you fancy abseiling in. Phra Nang, not to be confused with Phang Nga or Ko Pha Ngan, is beautiful with powder sand and striking, melting rock formations around it. It sports one very, very expensive hotel, the Rayavadee Premier. It also hosts throngs of day-trippers arriving in revving, roaring longtails all day West Railay, also attractive, gets its share of longtails but is larger than Phra Nang and has a fair selection of hotels and cafés which absorb the daily arrivals more easily. The best boat terminal for Krabi sand lovers, and a new resort in its own right is Ao Nang. This pleasant little town has a large, gritty, seashore and has been recently spruced up, but unfortunately labours under the curse of the longtails. Use it as a stop over by all means, but not as a romantic destination if you value your calm, quiet moments together!

Just a little note to let you know I found your comments about Krabi and AO Nang very negative. It is one of the most beautiful places in Thailand and you get quickly used to sound of longtailboat. It is certainly a place for a longer and romantic holiday. so mucht to see and do in the surrounding area. Greetings Hanke

Phi Phi Islands

Paradise Lost. Hell is other people and that's the core problem in Thailand's stunning today. Since 'The Beach' movie was shot here a couple of years ago visitors have flooded the limited land area while the few families owning most of Phi Phi Don - the only island with accommodation - have gone on a massive, competitive building spree to host the hordes and extract their green. Turquoise waters are spoiled by ranks of longtails speedboats and their oily residue, exquisite lagoons waft plastic bags from rock to rock, coral withers, tranquil seashores endure the endless roar of unsilenced engines, and insatiable, destructive development continues...

Phuket

Phuket beaches are similar, mostly with soft sand, clear warm water and enclosed in pretty bays, so pages are organised by accommodation available, e.g. best big budget, best isolated...Each section has one large picture followed by three small ones.

Phuket is the largest of Thailand's islands and the country's most popular sand and sea destination, though much of it is tourism of the package kind. Access is easy via the international airport, and roads are excellent. Recent development has spoiled a lot of the sights and tranquility of the island, but brought reliable power and water supplies, comfortable hotels, cold beer and good varied food to the beaches - and isolationists can still find secluded spots. Phuket town/port has no beaches or significant night life, but good local craft shops and a lively market. It's a useful transit point for inter-island ferries to places such as Phi Phi Don, Ko Lanta or Krabi. The beaches worth lying on are all on Phuket's [pron. Pooket] west coast, with the busiest and being Patong in the centre. Bugbog researched and photographed all 11 beaches during December. This is the start of the best season in Thailand but weather was often unusually cloudy, very hot [over 30C] and all the island's west shores had 1m - 2m waves, making sea lazing hazardous for adults and dangerous for small children. These kind of waves are not uncommon at this time of year. Unfortunately the waves tend to rise suddenly for a short distance, so they're not wonderful for surfer dudes, but rideable. Phuket is not a cheap island by Thai standards. Backpackers on a tight budget or travellers seeking a quieter life would fare better on other islands such as Ko Lanta or Ko Samet.

Ko Lanta

Although the port area is cramped and the island's only road [down the centre] is a dusty, pot-holed mess strung with cables, bars, restaurants and net cafés, Ko Lanta's beaches are big, clean, relaxed and served by a string of efficient mid-range bungalow operations - some with pools. The sea is warm and calm but hardly azure, and though there are no concrete skyscrapers on the horizon, neither are there the gorgeous limestone karsts [rock pillars] of the Krabi and Phi Phi areas. Visitors arrive at the north of the 25km[15m] long island via ferry boats [recommended] from Phuket, Krabi or Phi Phi Don, or by road/ferry. The beaches are on the west side and the best are the first two - Khlong Dao and Phra-Ae. These are long and wide, with yellow-white sand and the best hotels back directly on to them. About halfway down the island hotels get much cheaper, tattier and even 'hippyish', with great ambience but sharp rocks in the sea make swimming tricky. The island has sufficient facilities to keep seekers of interesting cuisine happy, though dance crazies might find a limited number of venues.

Tour Thailand

วันเสาร์ที่ 16 มิถุนายน พ.ศ. 2550

Thailand's beaches

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Ko samet

Pattaya

Samui

Khao Lak

Krabi

Thailand's beaches

Thailand's beaches

Thailand's beaches

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Koh Samed

Pattaya

Ko Samui

Khao Lak

krabi beach

Phi Phi Islands

Phuket

Ko Lanta