Mainland Beaches - Fewer Western Tourists
Are you looking for miles of deserted beaches fringed
with coconut trees? Well, they are here. Just drive
along the coast south of Hua Hin. Actually, nowadays
it's south of Pran Buri and skip Prachuap town.
The beaches are mostly fine sand and clean water. Periodically
you will run across one like the few kilometers north
of the Thapsakae pier, which has coarse brown sand
and fine gravel .. and even cleaner water.
Facing reality may not be the stuff of memories and
bragging rights, but when you're looking for a place
to sleep, it can get pretty compelling. And some of
those deserted areas won't have accommodations. The
areas that have accommodations will also have a tourist
here and there.
But you can minimize your exposure to tourists and
weekenders by doing most of your beach-hopping on weekdays
.. assuming those weekdays aren't holidays. You can
also usually negotiate a better rate.
One problem in finding great beaches .. you can't do
it from the seat of a bus hurtling down Phetkasem Highway.
The local trains are a bit better, but some serious
scouting by motorbike or rental jeep is in order.
Actually, the very best way to find great beaches is
to hire a small fishing boat and troll the coastline.
That method has its own challenges and any number of
rewards as well.
A good start on the Gulf is Thapsakae. You can find
good beaches and bungalows. Continue down to Bangsaphan
province, specifically the Ban Krud area. Continuing
south, avoid the areas around Bang Saphan proper. The
beaches and water are dirty. About 30 km farther south,
around Bang Saphan Noi and Bang Burd, you can find
reasonable beaches again.
Chumphon is a mixed bag. Thungwualen is a good beach
with lots of bungalows and guest houses. Sairee beach,
near Chumphon Town needed a really good cleaning last
time I went through.
Kanom is near to the Don Sak ferry to Koh Samui and
in northern Nakorn Si Thammarat. It has okay beaches
and a variety of accommodations. Sichon, farther south,
is possibly better.
Southern Hotels
