Thailand’s Best Beaches Aren’t Where You Think They Are
Millions of tourists flood to Phuket and the southern beaches every year, which is a pretty nice choice, but there is a whole coastline of unspoiled soft sand, beach forest parks, offshore islands, and tranquility, far away from the crowds and easily reached from Bangkok.
The best part is that much of it is virtually deserted, even in the high season, with barely a human being to be seen for kilometers. Having said that, don’t imagine that there’s nothing to see or do around those beaches, far from it.
Exploring The Hidden Beaches
This story is based on our road trip in 2025 along the coast of Prachuapkirikhan province south as far as the provincial capital, driving almost exclusively on beach side roads, and we invite you to take a trip with us that may surprise you, and change your mind about Thailand’s mainland coast.
We’ll start our journey at Cha Am and Hua Hin, but there’s at least 100 kilometers to our destination, and the beautiful beaches continue on well past there.
Where Are These Beaches?
Well, that’s a good question. The short answer is the East Coast facing the Gulf of Thailand, starting more or less in Cha Am (Phetchaburi province) and Hua Hin next door in Prachuapkirikhan province, the province we’ll be talking about today. Then we’ll be heading south.
Around Royal Hua Hin
The area has some lovely beaches, Cha am is a small quiet town with a clean sandy beach, which is not wide, but opens up on each side of the town to long stretches, forming a continuous line of golden sand right through neighbouring Hua Hin.
In Hua Hin there’s a waterside mountain topped by a temple (Khao Takiab, meaning Chopstick Hill), and everything you’d want in the way of hotels and resorts, from modest home stays all the way up to the best 5 star hotels. Hua Hin has become a popular retirement choice for some expats, and holidays for tourists – but not in the numbers to be overwhelming.
The beach from Hua Hin town to Khao Takiab is quite wide and usually very quiet. with soft white sand, good for walks, swimming, or even jogging, together with a bit of peace and quiet. You’ll also see some horses available for rides. There are lots of very pleasant resorts that stand right next to the beach, with no road to cross. There’s plenty to see and do in the area, but we’re here for the sand and still have a long way to go.
Getting to historic Hua Hin Railway station is an easy train ride from Bangkok, avoiding traffic bottlenecks on the edge of Bangkok. This could be a good place to start your journey south with us.
Let’s Hit The Road
Once we leave the town behind everything changes, sometimes in dramatic ways. We’re going to show you the wonderful coastline going south, and the best way to do that is to stay off the main Petchkasem Highway, and follow the beach roads. We’ll only drive along the main road as far as Paknampran, stopping off on the way at this very special and relaxing park.
Suan Son Pradiphat Beach Park
Hidden inside an army base, Suan Son Pradiphat Beach Park is halfway between Hua Hin and Pranburi, on Petchkasem Highway. This beach forest park is beautifully managed by the Royal Thai Army and is usually open to the public.
The name “Suan Son” means “Pine Garden,” named after the dense, shady forest of pine trees that line the coast, giving it a unique atmosphere.
The park has a wide safe beach, perfect for family swimming. It’s easily accessible and there are well-organized facilities, food courts, open-air restaurants, and affordable bungalows if you want to stay overnight. It actually has its own railway station too (Suan Son Pradipat Station), making it an easy day-trip from Huahin.
Paknampran
From the fun Suan Son, we move on to Paknampran, a small fishing village at the mouth of the Pran River. This village doesn’t have much to offer (except this quirky temple with fabulous views) but is more or less the true beginning of the beach-side roads which will take us all the way down to the town of Prachuapkirikhan, a couple of hours south. However those two hours would be non-stop, and there’s too many great spots on the way that we can’t just drive by.
A few kilometers north on the other side of the Pran River is the Pranburi Forest Park, which is a huge mangrove reserve with long elevated walkways, and boat rides through the mangrove maze. It’s a little bit of backtracking but worth it if you’ve got the time.
Once back on beach road, you’ll be at the true start of our journey. You may see the very Balinese style Golden Pine Beach Resort, where we based ourselves on this trip, and near Pran’s Corner restaurant, not far from the Three Palms local landmark.
Pran’s Corner is a very enjoyable place to have a drink and a good meal, it’s inexpensive, has a wide menu, fresh seafood, live music and a friendly atmosphere. Service is very laid back as this is the countryside after all, there’s no rushing anything here but you’ll enjoy it.
Just meters away in the evening, a fresh seafood market with about a dozen stalls appears on the side of the road. It’s freshly cooked to take home or eat on the little promenade by the sea.
This is a good choice for an overnight stop, but it was the one place on our trip where there’s no beach, none at all, and the sea comes right up to the low breakwater next to the road. Swimming isn’t advised here, but the Golden Pine Resort has a cool infinity pool overlooking the ocean.
Whether we stay a night or continue our exploring, we’ll head along the shore road, and it’s not long before a decent beach begins to appear next to us, and will get even better as we go.
Pranburi
Pranburi is a popular resort town, mainly with Thais, not as busy as Huahin but has plenty of accommodation for all budgets, some of it right on the sandy beaches, as well as plenty of bars and restaurants. The beach road here gets narrow and the sea disappears for a little while behind some of the unusual but attractive architecture of the many high-end resorts along the road. The stand-out of them all is the Maroc, behind a high but elegant wall hiding a chic Arabesque beach hotel, a bit beyond our budget!
We follow a few twists and turns to stay by the shore, and we’re soon driving alongside some pretty nice seaside areas, until we reach the massive granite rock of Khao Khalok (“Skull Mountain”), which is the perfect place to stop and relax.
Khao Khalok is worth a story on its own, and that’s exactly what we did not long after we enjoyed some time there.
I suggest you take a look at that story to see the beautiful beach, weird formations, and the climb to the amazing viewpoint, and then come back here to follow the rest of our trip to Prachuapkirikhan town, with a few surprises on the way.
We also made a video (with English subtitles) which will let you see more of Khao Khalok:
The Incredible Three Hundred Peaks of Samroiyod
I hope you enjoyed the story and video about Khao Khalok, it really is a lovely spot. Where that video started is where we continue south. The beach with the seafood stalls, which looked a bit muddy in the video, will see a startling change within a kilometer or so. It quickly becomes a tree lined 8 kilometer long stretch of perfect sand, with several inviting islands just offshore. This is Samroiyod Beach, one of our favourite Thai beaches.
There’s quite a few low-rise hotels and guesthouses amongst the woodlands opposite the beach, but as it was low season during our trip (a rather dry and sunny “rainy” season) most were closed. We only found one that was open, called the Dolphin Bay Hotel, where we had lunch but didn’t stay over night.
Between Khao Khalok and Samroiyod village the sea is called Dolphin Bay, and during high season and festivals, opposite the Dolphin Bay hotel, there are activities such as ATV rides, music, food stalls, water sports and other entertainment, but those fun activities still leave a vast length of unspoilt quiet sand to relax on, while in low season there’s almost only the sound of the sea and the songs of birds.
Here the road turns away from the sea to make room for a government office (they must enjoy the views everyday), and we had no choice but to use a highway for a short distance, with the jagged peaks of Samroiyod National Park looming high in front of us. Samroiyod means Three Hundred Peaks, and they’re visible from a long way off. More on that a little later.
Challenging Phraya Nakhon Cave
We headed to see a fairly well known phenomenon at one end of this awesome national park, Phraya Nakhon Cave. It’s not ‘unknown’ but it is unusual, and there are beaches involved too. It’s quite an adventure getting up to the cave, starting at Bang Pu beach where the ticket office and some Thai style eateries can be found.
Bang Pu beach is pretty big and sandy, but enclosed by mountains on each side. It’s not known for beach recreation but as a starting point for climbing up to Phraya Nakhon Cave. To get to it there’s a choice; from the National Park ticket office we could trek over the side of a mountain to get to Laem Sala beach, where the trail to the cave begins, or take a boat from Bang Pu beach to Laem Sala, then take the trail.
The fun began for me when I opted for the boat trip as it cuts about an hour off the trek. The boat cost 400 Baht for up to 6 people, on top of the 40 baht Park entrance fee (200 Baht for non-Thais}, Visitors taking the boat need to consider a couple of things; have footwear suitable for a climbing a steep rocky trail, take your footwear off on the beach as you have to wade out to the boat, and at Laem Sala beach (which is lovely) you’ll be wading ashore, so keep your footwear dry until you’re back on dry land. And take drinking water with you!
As this story is mostly about beaches, I could’ve spent a relaxing few hours on this pretty and shallow Laem Sala beach, shaded by pine and other trees, with views across the Gulf of Thailand. There’s a few basic facilities, and a short 2 minute walk away from the path used by climbers, the beach is deserted.
At this point we’ll show you a short edited video of what it’s like to make the effort to climb the steep trail to reach the absolutely stunning cave, and the Pavillion that’s strategically placed inside.
If you’d like to see the complete step-by-step climb, you’ll realise it is quite an effort, but rewarding.
Samroiyod
If you’ve got any energy left, it’s time to move on, past the magical mountains of Samroiyod, where there are some very scenic drives, hidden sandy coves, and a vast wetland which attracts a diverse variety of birds and other wildlife. There are boat rides you can enjoy, or walk the very long raised boardwalks to get a closer look. Samroiyod is one of Thailand’s most underrated national parks but is a must-see.
Just outside the park, there’s a maze of narrow winding country roads, and of course we got stuck in rush hour traffic as farmers drove hundreds of buffaloes along it to their evening pastures. But this is modern Thailand, even in the wilds, as the herdsmen were all on motorbikes!
With limited time now, we cruise casually along the lovely beaches at Kuiburi, lined with stylish resorts and cafes, some right on the beach with tall trees swaying gently in the breeze while holidaymakers relax in their shade. Unfortunately we can’t stop at every beauty spot as we have a date with history later.
Keep heading south, with the city of Prachuapkirikhan in sight, set on three of the most beautiful bays along this coast line. Even here we don’t stop until we get to the air force base known as Wing 5, a military base amazingly set in one of the most picturesque locations in the country, and with a story to tell.
Certain parts of the base are open to the public, but the Military Police are quite watchful and you must park in allocated spaces, and not just where the prettiest views are. First we make our way to Khao Lom Muak, an imposing jungle covered granite outcrop guarding the access to two bays and the home for both monkeys and langurs, although they keep to their own separate territories.
The mountain is opened several times a month for trail runs, or more accurately, rock climbing in several sections. It’s a popular adventure but very challenging. However, we weren’t there to climb more mountains but to feed the langurs which are gentle and friendly, unlike monkeys. They have a particular fondness for oranges and enjoyed a feast while we and a few other visitors interacted with them. In this video we wrongly called them Gibbons, but take a look to see how cute they are.
Why We Came And Why You Should Too
There were two main reasons for coming to Prachuapkirikhan city, one was to revisit Ao Minao (the evocatively named Lemon Bay) which my partner had visited over 30 years ago, and had described it as his favourite and most serene beach he’d been to. It’s one of three wonderful bays which includes both the city and the airbase.
He was a little disappointed as the road and beach area had previously been completely untouched, with tall trees and soft grasses leading to a pristine sand beach curving right around the the bay.
For me, not having been here before, I thought it quite pretty. Right in the center of the beach road was a food court, toilets, and an information center, plus beach umbrellas and loungers on the edge of the water. The rest of the bay was almost as he’d described it, very picturesque, empty, and well worth seeing.
So, the second reason for coming to the Air Force Wing 5 Base was to see the actual place where an extraordinary event took place on 8th December 1941, on these very bays and beaches.
As always, you can watch our video too
So that’s the end of our road trip, but if you have the time and energy, keep exploring, you’ll always find sometimes out of the ordinary! And thanks for joining us on this little adventure.