best beaches in thailand

OK so this is a really old post but hey I think I'm going to thailand and once there I'll look for some nice low key beach and buy a surf board of snorkel and just kick it for a while sure I love to travel and will hit the road in SE Asia but it's always nice to interupt your travels with a few weeks of "vacation". Or even start your trip by being stationary for a few weeks and customize your self to the local culure without the hassle of traveling. So yeah SE Asia folks, where are the nice kinda out of the way beaches where I could find some cheap accomidation and lay low for a few weeks?

Well, we just left the southern tip of Ko Chang, in the Bang Bao Fishing Village area. Very quiet. Snorkeling and kayaking were our chosen activities. There are a bunch of "hut" accom ($5/nt) but we went a little crazy and spend $18/nt on this kickass new place called The Mangrove. I'd LOVE to spend a few weeks in this area. Great seafood, the people seem super chill, there's stuff to do, etc. Further north you can find Lonely Beach (which didn't seem very lonely when sitting at the bar on the beach), Kai Bae, and White Sands is furthest north and the busiest.

PC

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Also, keep an ear out for other islands. The ones you named (Samui, Phuket, Samet, Phi phi) are also some of the most touristed. It's still possible to find the quiet spots, but most islands also have other nearby islands that aren't on the big tourist scene and should be pretty quiet and empty.

For example, on Ko Chang like PC was saying, we stayed in the south, near the village of Bang Bao. Farther north there are loads of resorts, and Lonely Beach, for example, is hardly lonely at all. You'd have to work to get some time and space to yourself there.

Just south of Ko Chang too, there are some other islands that don't get too many visitors. Ask around, see if you can find a boat, and you can really get some solitude and empty beach.

Cheers, Anthony

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Hiya Laura

Also in Thailand at present (9th week). Left Phuket last week, touristy, as are most places we've visited unfortunately, but Kata beach is lovely. Also touristy, but good beaches are Samui/Krabi and Phi Phi. Phi Phi good for snorkelling and if you go on a trip to Phi Phi Don, fantastic snorkelling. Hoping to avoid the crowds in Malaysia in a week or two. You'll have a fantastic time!

Snazzy,

When you getting to Malaysia? I'm heading there on 1/21 myself.

PC

Check out my new RTW blog:
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/claudia

I spent several weeks in the south and found places like Phuket, Samui, Phi Phi etc to be quite touristy. The farside of Ko Phangan, was great but even there if you want to avoid the crowds take off before the full moon party. By far my personal favourite for price, for accomodations, for food, and activities (incredible snorkelling) was the Island of Ko Muk. Ko Muk which can be reached by boat from Kantang or Pak Meng (we came from Pak Meng). The best beach would be Hat Sai Yao and has several places to stay at. We went past the first(main) place to stay and headed for a place about 50 meters back from the beach we had heard about. We had a great time with the folks there and spent a week, very magical and very inexpensive.

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When you getting to Malaysia? I'm heading there on 1/21 myself.

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Hi PC

We were heading to Kuala Lumpur on the 4th Jan, but got waylaid due to the price of tickets (holidays so alot more expensive) and are now in Singapore for a week or two. Whereabouts are you heading to in Malaysia? Read some of your blog, Ko Chang sounded great, may visit on our hundreth stopover in Bangkok(!!!)

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Also in Thailand at present (9th week)... Hoping to avoid the crowds in Malaysia in a week or two.

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Be sure to keep us posted about Malayisa. I'll be there in June (prolly not the best time to go but that's my holiday). I'll be looking for a dive school as well -- any thoughts or recommendations?

-eb

Free your mind, your ass will follow. - Oliver Stone

Snazzy,

I am crossing the border on the 21st and then just heading south from there. No definate plans as of yet... just heading south slowly to Singapore and maybe flying somewhere from there...

PC

Check out my new RTW blog:
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/claudia

PC- so are you in southern thailand? i am in Ranong at the moment. heading to phuket tomorrow i think... not that i really want to go to phuket... but the ranong bus station only has so many options. i might go to malaysia too, i dont know anything about it. i honestly dont know where i am headed.

i'm here b/c i did a visa run to burma.. and then i spent 5 lovely days on Koh Payam (since the post is about beaches in thailand) i just happened onto it through ads in ranong... and a guy i met at immigration. b/c its not in my guidebook. small island off the west coast of thailand near the burma border. definitely not crowded... there were times i felt i was the only one on the beach... those few times that i got out of my hammock. its really pretty at high tide. at low tide... the water goes wayyyyy out and you can practically walk across the entire bay if you dont mind the mud in your toes. there is a small village around the pier where you can get toothpaste and a few other groceries... and use the internet at jacked up rates, if you walk the 20 minutes. some trecherous motorcycle taxi service is available.

there are 2 main bays. aow kaokwai where i stayed and an even bigger beach on Ai Yao, which i never made it to. i stayed at vijit bungalows for 100B/night (single bungalow w/ squat toilet, and shower). its fairly isolated... the beach was fairly long and i think there were only a few other bungalow operations on that particular bay... not really close to mine at all. food is pretty much limited to the the bungalow restaurants. mine had a nice atmosphere... prolly quite good food if you like thai food. and i was even able to manage even though i dont really love it.

you can take a ferry from Ranong or if you call them they will pick you up. (077)-820344 or (077)-834082 according to the card they gave me.

basically to stay at vijit you dont need shoes. and anywhere you dont need shoes is cool w/ me. honestly i'd still be there, but i had to come back to the mainland to spend a lot of time chained to a computer getting my graduate school applications in order. all the work i put in today... sheesh! i need a drink!

cheers!

-helga

"Live hard, love hard, play hard, fight hard, and die hard."
from Living Life the Viking Way

PC - definately meet if we can, we're still in Singapore and loving it - but thinking about HK for the New Year. Mean't to be brilliant. Whaddya think?