Howdy all. Some first hand advice/ suggestions please.

I'm contemplating a short, about 4 day, beach holiday. A few friends have suggested Phuket, but I'm thinking Phuket is becoming too commercialized ? I have never traveled to any of the southern islands or beaches. I have visited Pattaya on several occasions, but don't wish to go again.

I'll be on somewhat of a budget, so 3 star accommodation is all I'm looking for.

What I "think" I'd like would be.... Reasonable beach. Ok bar or restaurants. Maybe a night market to wander. Oh, I'll be taking a friend so no need to offer suggestions re lady access.

Thanks in advance.

Hotel Villa Bali, Laem Mae Phim, near Rayong. Good selection of cheap restaurants and a great beach. Good mix of Thai and farangs, mostly Thais.

Chao Laos beach near Chantanburi. 4 hrs from bkk

I would suggest Prachuap Khiri Kan, about 90km soth of Hua Hin.

Great beach at Ao Manao.

Lots of reasonable hotels , guest houses.

Great night markets, and a weekend "walking street"on the sea front.

Not crammed with too many visitors.

I'd rephrase the question:  Where in Thailand are there pristine, clean beaches to have a 4 day holiday at? 

1 minute ago, connda said:

I'd rephrase the question:  Where in Thailand are there pristine, clean beaches to have a 4 day holiday at? 

Plenty of such available.

1 hour ago, imaderbyfan said:

I would suggest Prachuap Khiri Kan, about 90km soth of Hua Hin.

Great beach at Ao Manao.

Lots of reasonable hotels , guest houses.

Great night markets, and a weekend "walking street"on the sea front.

Not crammed with too many visitors.

 

1 hour ago, imaderbyfan said:

I would suggest Prachuap Khiri Kan, about 90km soth of Hua Hin.

Great beach at Ao Manao.

Lots of reasonable hotels , guest houses.

Great night markets, and a weekend "walking street"on the sea front.

Not crammed with too many visitors.

Cha Am is on the same category but closer to BK.... minutes before Hia Hin. Very busy during the weekends with Thai families and students. Very calm in week days. Many beach front hotels, condotels, and resorts with afordable rates. Great fish market and fish food restaurants. Big night market in town.

I'd say Phangan ( not on Had Rin ), but 4 days isn't long enough. Such a short time period rules out most of the decent beaches. A reasonable alternative is Mae Nam on Samui. Close to round the island transportation, and a wide variety of accommodation.

Chaweng is the best for sand, but overbuilt and too expensive, Lamai if you want a night life, and don't need good sand.

Could have changed, but wasn't much in the way of night life on Mae Nam when I stayed there.  Loads of restaurants though and bound to be a market in the village.

 

Whatever, if you don't want to go back to Pattaya, don't go anywhere near Patong. and I never found any better beach on that island.

If you really want to go to Phuket, the beach with the Fantasea show was acceptable, but only just.

10 minutes ago, Muzarella said:

 

Cha Am is on the same category but closer to BK.... minutes before Hia Hin. Very busy during the weekends with Thai families and students. Very calm in week days. Many beach front hotels, condotels, and resorts with afordable rates. Great fish market and fish food restaurants. Big night market in town.

I never got to Cha Am. Is the beach better than Hua Hin?

About one hour drive from Phuket airport - Khao Lak with some adults only hotels, so great for a romantic stay, great beaches pristine sea, etc

what about koh chang--nice beaches, not much else to do there

some nice beaches  on islands around krabi area---

NO!

What's with people and Phuket?

 

The place 10 times worse than Pattaya.

 

Anywhere else, but Phuket.

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I never got to Cha Am. Is the beach better than Hua Hin?

No! ( I get it right this time)

Then I rule out Hua Hin or Cha Am. No point going for a beach holiday on a rubbish beach, or in the case of Hua Hin, one that is full of horse poo and largely encroached by the condos. 

8 minutes ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

What's with people and Phuket?

 

The place 10 times worse than Pattaya.

 

Anywhere else, but Phuket.

Had Rin is worse than Patong.

Bali?

1 hour ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

What's with people and Phuket?

 

The place 10 times worse than Pattaya.

 

Anywhere else, but Phuket.

We are talking about beaches in this thread. Are you sure you don't wanna rethink this? 

I always love and enjoy going to Koh Chang the island has a nice vibe.

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I never got to Cha Am. Is the beach better than Hua Hin?

Any beach is better than HH....

 

2 hours ago, Ninni said:

No! ( I get it right this time)

Yes. Considerably.

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I never got to Cha Am. Is the beach better than Hua Hin?

Much better. 

1 hour ago, Destiny1990 said:

I always love and enjoy going to Koh Chang the island has a nice vibe.

Noooo! Koh Chang sucks!

If you want to keep the nice vibe, don't freaking tell anyone. Do you really want the moron tourists to invade the island like Phuket?

 

Koh Chang sucks. There is nothing to do and have dirty beaches. It's crowded and plenty of Chinese, Russian and Indian tourists. Very expensive also. Scams in every corner. Roads are dangerous as well.

Don't bother to come, you'll be very disappointed!

4 hours ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

What's with people and Phuket?

 

The place 10 times worse than Pattaya.

 

Anywhere else, but Phuket.

Phuket have nice spots like Rawai or Nai Harn

6 hours ago, connda said:

I'd rephrase the question:  Where in Thailand are there pristine, clean beaches to have a 4 day holiday at? 

1st photo is Sam Roi Yod, Prachuap, 2nd one is Thungwaelen (Cabana) Beach, Chumphon. Photos aren't the "Beach chair and local touts removed, photoshop kind" - they actually look like that in real life. I'm a Thungwaelen man myself: Malibu Bar has some great live music.

 

(Edit to add: Jetskis are banned at Thungwaelen - probably Sam Roi Yod too?) 

Edited January 31, 20188 yr by SABloke

10 hours ago, simple1 said:

About one hour drive from Phuket airport - Khao Lak with some adults only hotels, so great for a romantic stay, great beaches pristine sea, etc

There is no where else in Thailand that I think of worse than Khao Lak with all the people that died there in the tsunami. One place in Thailand that for sure has ghosts. The true stories of the survivors are horrible as well.  No go. Thai people almost always won't holiday there. 

Edited January 31, 20188 yr by alex8912

34 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

There is no where else in Thailand that I think of worse than Khao Lak with all the people that died there in the tsunami. One place in Thailand that for sure has ghosts. The true stories of the survivors are horrible as well.  No go. Thai people almost always won't holiday there. 

Ghosts?! I can't even...

How can you compare Pattaya's filthy stinking beaches to the beaches in Phuket...obviously haven't ventured far from the bar scene to make that assumption.

10 hours ago, csabo said:

We are talking about beaches in this thread. Are you sure you don't wanna rethink this? 

 

Phuket ten times worse than Pattaya ? You must be joking if you are talking about beaches , or youve never visited Phuket !( no, I don’t live there) . Stop talking crap, apart from Patong ,  there are many lovely beaches where the water is blue and clean, the sand clean as possible, and when you go for a lovely stroll in the evening there’s are no packs of rats running everywhere looking for the waste food thrown by all the Thais who picnic on the beach ! For other information, yes, there’s Krabi also, and Kao Lak to the north of Phuket. Koh Chang has lovely beaches and a clean beautiful blue sea, easy to get to by bus or car. Phuket also has very cheap flights with Air Asia . Cha am and Hua Hin do NOT  have nice beaches or beautiful blue seas, but are near to BKK. 

go to koh samet

6 hours ago, alex8912 said:

There is no where else in Thailand that I think of worse than Khao Lak with all the people that died there in the tsunami. One place in Thailand that for sure has ghosts. The true stories of the survivors are horrible as well.  No go. Thai people almost always won't holiday there. 

Are you twelve years old?