Keep it quiet sandrabbit, don't want too many tourists coming to spoil our secret.

with sparkling white sand curving between palms and crystal clear water

Sure , 30 years ago maybe ..... I just wonder if they know what is crystal water ... check in Maldives, Polynesia, Caribbean , great barrier reef of Australia . I remember clear water also in Thailand ..but that was long ago .

He said, ecosystems underwater are pristine. ??? look this is not for the sake of Thai bashing but this guy must be a life long member of the Tall Story Club.

And also behind the sparkling sand there are piles of rubbish just of the beaten track.

I love Samet, but I know the other side of it..... Telling porky pies from a local governor is sick, better not say anything than this, promotion is one thing, con the tourist another.

Well to begin with it was not a governor it was

"Pisanu Kemapun, chairman of the Rayong Hotels Association"

Are you sure of your other facts. I don't think most tourists go to the beaches to wander off in the back trails.

Just a guess on my part. I am really interested in a beach this year to take my son to. Last year it was Krabi and that was a disappointment to both him and myself. Pattaya is off my list as is Phuket. Cha am might be the place to go.. But I would really like to here the truth about the beaches in Rayong

Cha am was okay to good a couple of years ago. Don't know about right now. And things can turn sour, here, fast. Huahin was markedly better a couple of years ago than it is today. But I still go there for the city and environs. And there are places all between Huahin and Cha am. And even south of Huahin. It won't be long before it's all just another gash in the seaside, I fear. So, beaches are still okay, I think. Just don't go in the muck and debris infested water.