Looking for beaches in Krabi and/or Phang-Nga not yet overdeveloped (if possible!)

[stargazer9999]

 

Hi.  I’m trying to get information and possibly recommendations for visiting Krabi in 2024.  I usually vacation in Chumphon when the pollution season strikes the north.  Next year I plan to extend that trip by three weeks and I was thinking of spending the time in Krabi and/or Phang-Nha.  I don’t think I’d like Phuket because of over-development. 

 

The beach we stay at in Chumphon is 2 kilometers long and has many decent restaurant choices within walking distance.  It’s also has a good sized beach width even at low tide.  Many beaches like in Pattaya don’t have much of a beach to boast about.  It’s mainly a beach for locals but more foreigners have been visiting in the last few years.  Most people only transit through Chumphon on their way to Ko Tao so it’s not too touristy which is what we like.  In fact, I like most areas south of Hua Hin heading towards Chumphon.

 

Ideally, we could find something similar in Krabi or Phang-Nga but perhaps not.  Things we like on our beach:  jet skis are outlawed, no buildings are more than 2 stories, there are nice views of the beach while driving down the road (not blocked by hotels), there are many reasonably priced restaurants available including decent western food, it’s safe for kids, and it’s not too noisy at night but there are places to go for a beer if you want.

 

Ao Nang seems to be mentioned a lot on this forum but the Google Street view doesn’t look too pretty.  Are there better choices?  Is it all an overdeveloped mess like most Thai islands?  Are there nature hikes outside of national parks?  I’m sure we can find a suitable resort but I’m concerned about the general environment driving around the area.  If there’s not a lot of free nature locations to be found and it’s really just a big tourist hustle we might opt to remain on the east coast where things are mellower.

 

Any thoughts on any of this are appreciated.  Thanks!

 

[EVENKEEL]

On 11/29/2023 at 12:06 PM, stargazer9999 said:

 

Hi.  I’m trying to get information and possibly recommendations for visiting Krabi in 2024.  I usually vacation in Chumphon when the pollution season strikes the north.  Next year I plan to extend that trip by three weeks and I was thinking of spending the time in Krabi and/or Phang-Nha.  I don’t think I’d like Phuket because of over-development. 

 

The beach we stay at in Chumphon is 2 kilometers long and has many decent restaurant choices within walking distance.  It’s also has a good sized beach width even at low tide.  Many beaches like in Pattaya don’t have much of a beach to boast about.  It’s mainly a beach for locals but more foreigners have been visiting in the last few years.  Most people only transit through Chumphon on their way to Ko Tao so it’s not too touristy which is what we like.  In fact, I like most areas south of Hua Hin heading towards Chumphon.

 

Ideally, we could find something similar in Krabi or Phang-Nga but perhaps not.  Things we like on our beach:  jet skis are outlawed, no buildings are more than 2 stories, there are nice views of the beach while driving down the road (not blocked by hotels), there are many reasonably priced restaurants available including decent western food, it’s safe for kids, and it’s not too noisy at night but there are places to go for a beer if you want.

 

Ao Nang seems to be mentioned a lot on this forum but the Google Street view doesn’t look too pretty.  Are there better choices?  Is it all an overdeveloped mess like most Thai islands?  Are there nature hikes outside of national parks?  I’m sure we can find a suitable resort but I’m concerned about the general environment driving around the area.  If there’s not a lot of free nature locations to be found and it’s really just a big tourist hustle we might opt to remain on the east coast where things are mellower.

 

Any thoughts on any of this are appreciated.  Thanks!

 

I was just at Ao Nang 2 days ago. We had beachfront hotel 5 star at top of beach road. Was slow paced, but at bottom end traffic was nuts, lots of tourists