Best beaches to visit in Thailand

Checklist of key points for best Thailand beaches

What’s with Phuket

• Andaman Sea
• Most developed island with international airport
• Some of the top six star resorts in Thailand on beautiful beaches
• Somewhat pricey but all the comforts you’d expect of a major tourist destination
• One our of three visitors to Thailand come here
• Also accessible by land
• Top standard medical care
• Sex change capital of Thailand
• Go island hopping near Phuket
• Pearl of the South

What’s with Ko Phi Phi

• Andaman Sea
• Excellent diving and snorkelling
• Lots of development after tsunami
• Popular for singles

What’s with Ko Samui

• Gulf of Thailand
• Thailand’s second most popular island
• Resorts from economy to luxury
• Chawang, Lamai, Mae Nam are beautiful beaches
• Boutique spas and hidden jungle getaways
• Busy island with a million visitors a year

What’s with Ko Samet

• White sand beaches some of the best in Thailand
• About an hour after Pattaya
• Small island
• About 7kms from mainland
• It’s a national park
• Good weather normally all year round

What’s with Ko Chang

• Tropical marine national park
• Abundance of wildlife and marine life
• Over a dozen bays and beaches
• Large jungle on island, waterfalls, elephant riding
• Near the Cambodian border
• Best preserved tourist destination in Thailand

What’s with Ko Tao

• Turtle island
• Gulf of Thailand
• Haven for divers, with 25 dive sites near the island
• Popular singles scene
• From quiet beach to busy beaches

What’s with Ko Pha Ngan

• Gulf of Thailand
• Home of the Full Moon Party
• Infamous for its parties
• Over a dozen bays and beaches
• Popular singles scene
• 70% mountainous
• Producer of coconuts
• Powder soft white sand

What's with Hua Hin and Cha Am

• Gulf of Thailand
• King’s Residence
• Near Bangkok about 2 hours drive
• Excellent golf courses
• Thailand’s oldest beach resort
• Good for families

• Long beach

• Thailand has some of the finest and most enjoyable beaches in all of South East Asia.  Here are some of our favourites that we recommend:
  1. Ko Samui  - Ko Samui is very well known and the two best known beaches there are Chaweng and Lamae  But there is a more secluded beach known as Silver Beach, better known by its official name, Tong Takien.  It’s suitable for families and well worth a visit if you’re on Ko Samui Island, which is located in the Gulf of Thailand.
  2. Phuket – Phuket is highly developed, and if you’re on a beach the chances are that you will be surrounded by scores of other holidaymakers and plenty of touts selling you anything from squid, friend chicken, shrimp, watches, clothes, and much more.  Most of these items are going to be a lot cheaper if you take the time to go to a proper market, particularly in Bangkok, but if something catches your eye there and then, they’ll be pleased to oblige.  Surin beach is one to watch out for in particular, where you can enjoy a nice swim in the sea.
  3. Ko Phi Phi -  Ko Phi Phi is comprised of two islands, and not far from Krabi on the Andaman Sea.  It’s about a two-hour ferry ride from Krabi.  The beach to look out for is Tonsai Bay, which is extremely stunning.
  4. Ko Samet – Ko Samet is about an hour past Pattaya on the Gulf of Thailand, and it has a famous beach known as Diamond beach, with a second name of Crystal Sand Beach. It’s a really beautiful beach not far from Bangkok, and popular with city dwellers on the weekends who need to escape the bustling metropolis to enjoy sand and sea.
  5. Krabi – Krabi has its own excellent beach, called Ao Nang.  You need to get to the southern part of it to enjoy the best scenery there.  Krabi has all the restaurants and services you would ever need, and faces the Andaman Sea. Venture further south and you will find Noppharat Thara, which is a national park with its own spectacular beach scenery. This is an ideal family beach, and you can walk to three islands just offshore when the tide is low.
  6. Ko Tao – This is the island to get away from it all, and also a diver’s paradise. The beach to visit here is Sairee beach, where you can feel like you really are in another world.
  7. Prachuap Khiri Khan – Near the border of Myanamar is one of the best and least tourist visited beaches in Thailand called Ao Manao, or Lemon Beach. Great for family holidays this beach is well worth a special visit, and one of Thailand’s jewels.
  8. Ko Chang – Elephant island as it is called is the second biggest island in Thailand and located near the border of Cambodia. There are a great selection of beaches on its west coast.  The White Sand beach is one of the most popular on the island.
  9. Pattaya – the beach in Pattaya is not one of Thailand’s finest by any stretch of the imagination, but you can take a short ferry ride to one of the nearby islands and enjoy much better beaches for swimming and splashing about. Pattaya is well known for other things that may or may not appeal: be fully aware of what to expect before setting out.
  10. Hua Hin -  Hua Hin is a developed resort with some fine hotels and a long stretch of beach.  The more commercial beach isn’t that great, but it is still highly popular among visitors and suitable for families.  There are some other nearby prettier beaches to be discovered, and Hua Hin is a great place to relax in one of its fine resort hotels.  People come to Hua Hin because it’s a great town and it’s well maintained, as it’s the main residence of the King of Thailand.