E-MAGAZINE -- BLISS ON THE BEACH by Jim Algie - A News Room Guide to Idyllic Island Escapes and Beach Holidays

BLISS ON THE BEACH
A News Room Guide to Idyllic Island Escapes and Beach Holidays

For that perfect holiday beside the sea, Thailand overflows with options, each with aquamarine water, beaches of crystalline sand, and sunshine aplenty. Whether you want a more secluded perspective on paradise, to enjoy the creature comforts of Phuket or Koh Samui, or the castaway, sea gypsy experience of the more remote islands, like the archipelago and national marine park of Tarutao, it’s easy to find the destination that’s right for you.

Other hotspots are action/adventure beaches such as Krabi for rock-climbing, and Koh Tao for its splendid diving. Islands like Koh Pangan and Phuket also have an upbeat nightlife with cosmopolitan clubs, cabarets and live music bandstands.

For family folks, from Asia or the West, two of the other most enduring destinations are Pattaya and Hua Hin. The former has an abundance of attractions fit for the whole family, whereas the latter is more serene and regal. For those families who want more togetherness and tranquility on holiday, the newest wave in five-star accommodation is the pool villa; the name is derived from the fact that each villa has its own private pool. To soak up some local culture along with some sunshine, try Rayong, Koh Samet, and Cha-am, which are as popular with Thais as with foreigners.

BEACH PARADISE AND MARINE NATIONAL PARKS
KRABI

Photos © Tourism Authority of Thailand

Krabi ranks high among perennial beach favourites in Thailand. Its symbol is the limestone crag. Nature’s exclamation marks, these towering monoliths punctuate Krabi’s inland geography, rise hundreds of metres out of the sea, and frame the province’s most memorable sunsets at Railay Bay.

Around Railay the surreal outcroppings form a natural obstacle course for rock-climbers. More than 600 routes have been bolted. Most are enhanced by scintillating vistas of sea and sand.

The town of Krabi (a great spot to sample southern Thai fare, some of the spiciest food in the land) is also the launching pad for ferry trips to the province’s two other beach bonanzas, Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi.

KOH PHI PHI

Photo © TAT

The latter destination is actually two islands: the uninhabited Phi Phi Leh, and Phi Phi Don, scene of all the action and accommodation. The islands were put on the international map when The Beach was filmed there in 1999; the scenery threatened to outshine the movie’s star, Leonardo Di Caprio. The latest news is that, in order to keep pollution at bay in this national marine park, the district chief wants to ban all jet-skis, banana boats, and parasailing. Clearly, marine conservation, and keeping the peace, enjoy paramount importance in these parts.

KOH LANTA

Photo © Pimalai Resort & Spa

The nearby Koh Lanta is experiencing a groundswell of popularity with some 100 resorts along its sandy, western strip. During the high season from November to April, the island, with a population of 20,000, is accessible from both Phi Phi and Krabi. Though the nightlife is getting more raucous, it is still sufficiently peaceful to enjoy a quiet and romantic midnight stroll while drinking in the salty tang of the sea breeze, the moonlit whitecaps, and the star-encrusted sky.

KOH TAO

Photos © TAT

For aquanauts keen on experiencing the rapture of the deep, dive sites around Koh Tao are sunken treasures. Coral reefs glitter with the iridescence of soft coral, the red and orange of Gorgonian sea fans, and purple anemones. Marine creatures are no less colourful, from clownfish to schools of giant barracuda, and that leviathan among fish: the whale shark.

Some spots in the Gulf of Thailand, such as the Chumpon and Southwest Pinnacles, may be reserved for seasoned underwater explorers, but Tao also teems with rookie divers taking that first plunge.

TARUTAO MARINE NATIONAL PARK

Photo © TAT

For reality TV, it seemed perfectly realistic when the ultra-popular show Survivor decided to shoot a series in the Tarutao National Marine Park in southern Thailand. Like so many of the country’s islands, this archipelago embodies our tropical beach fantasies: water like melted emeralds lapping at strips of sun-glazed sand, which are shadowed by coconut palms, and an infinite horizon of sea fading into sky that inspires feelings of freedom. On islands like Koh Lipe, a buoyant sea gypsy culture also exists.

NEWCOMERS

KOH CHANG

Photo © TAT

After Phuket, Koh Chang is Thailand’s second largest island. Thanks to a major push-start by the national government, dozens of infrastructure projects have paved the way for more convenient travel. But the island’s rugged interior is still in touch with its prehistoric roots.

Koh Chang’s rising status as a beachfront hideaway has as much to do with the airport recently built in Trat province as it does with the fact that more than 70 percent of the interior is untouched rainforest. The Than Ma Yo Waterfall (actually three separate cascades) is one of the most photogenic spots. You can also ride a lumbering elephant into the primeval jungle, populated with wild boars, or let the breeze blow back your hair on a daytrip to some of the 47 islands in this archipelago. The more opulent bungalows are at White Sand Beach (Hat Sai Kaew); down at the other tip of the island, there is a boisterous backpacker community at Lonely Beach, where you can stay in a tree-house.

KHAO LAK

Photo © TAT

This is another up-and-coming hotspot on the world’s tourism barometer, thanks to its wide range of upscale accommodation, a family-friendly ambience, and because it is an epicentre of ecotourism activities.

Located on the Andaman side, two of Khao Lak’s premier attractions are its wealth of high-end resorts and the 125-square-kilometre Lam Ru National Park. The park is a nature lover’s nirvana with mangroves and estuaries, hills, beaches and wild, misty waterfalls; it also provides shelter and sustenance for an array of wildlife including Asiatic black bears, gibbons, drongos and hornbills. For a real jungle experience, rent a tent or bungalow inside the park.

TRANG

Photo © TAT

Trang province, some 828 kilometres south of Bangkok, has a long coastline serrated with secluded bays and inlets. From here, you can venture forth to the tiny and coral-ringed Koh Ngai, and Koh Muk, famous for its ‘Emerald Cave’, or the largest island of the bunch, Koh Libong, which has three Thai-Muslim fishing villages and plenty of sea grass where sea cows come to graze.

ACTION-ADVENTURE BEACHES

Photos © Tourism Authority of Thailand

The castaway epic, and TV series like Survivor, pivot on adventure. And so do many a beachside holiday. Along the Samui, Phuket and Samet waterfronts, thrill-seekers can go para-sailing, banana-boating, or join the jet-ski set. Inland, the bigger isles and beach resorts like Pattaya have everything from go-karts to shooting ranges and bungee jumps. Trekking through the rainforest is also a mainstay for visitors to Koh Chang.

But many beaches also have their own adventuresome specialties: Krabi for rock-climbing; Koh Tao for scuba-diving; and Phuket for yachting.

Now vacationing daredevils can add two new thrills to their Samui itinerary: kite-boarding, and the so-called ‘Canopy Adventure’, where neo-Tarzans glide over the treetops while attached to a cable (similar to those paratroopers use to practice sky-diving) with a hornbill’s-eye-view of the jungle.

BEACHES WITH NIGHTLIFE

Photo © TAT

To cap off a day spent soaking up the sun, or in hot pursuit of exhilaration, there is no shortage of entertainment options, from the sizzling dance floors of Koh Pangan and Lanta to Samui’s live blues and salsa, and its assortment of English-style pubs. Or just enjoy the razzle-dazzle of shopping, dining and drinking around Phuket’s Patong Beach.

For older travellers, the larger hotels usually have their own ritzy nightclubs and lounges, where you can lend an ear to the chart-topping tunes of yesteryear. And karaoke clubs with a wide selection of songs in both Thai and English are also a big hit with visitors and locals alike.

Many bungalow complexes have their own al fresco beach bars. Along the shorelines of Samet and Pangan, the bigger venues have mats and candle-lit tables laid out, and fire-juggling shows to wow their clientele.

ETERNAL FAVOURITES

PHUKET

With more than two million arrivals per year, and an international airport, Phuket remains Thailand’s most popular island. Phuket’s considerable charms include water sports like diving and boating, the neon nightlife of Patong Beach, and the Sino-Portuguese ambience of Phuket town, which now boasts the first cineplex on any Thai island.

Phuket also hosts two of the country’s most colourful events. Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, in late November to early December, reels in million-dollar boats from across the seven seas. Mid-April, around the time of the traditional Thai New Year, motorcycle enthusiasts from Southeast Asia rev up for Phuket’s Bike Week; they also sponsor charity events and a beauty pageants.

SAMUI

Photo © TAT

Samui is still running second in the Thai tourism sweepstakes. Its two most dazzling beaches, Chaweng and Lamai, have all the comforts, fast-food franchises, nightclubs and theme pubs of any big city, but a growing number of visitors are coming for ‘healthy holidays’. These entail classes in yoga and meditation, spa treatments, Thai-style massages, and detoxification. For urbanites with high-pressure jobs and frazzled nerves, Samui is an idyllic place to unwind.

KOH PANGAN

Photo © TAT

Even more esoteric treatments, from New Age to the wisdom of old sages, and martial arts, are available on the neighbouring island of Koh Phangan. Still the favorite haunt of budget travellers bound for a Thai beach, Phangan’s main claim to fame is the Full Moon Party. Over the Christmas and New Year season, expect up to 20,000 revellers to descend on Had Rin Beach for a hard day’s night of dancing and carousing. Many big-name DJs also attend to put their own special spins on dance-music grooves.

POPULAR WITH LOCALS: SHORT DRIVE + DELICIOUS LOCAL FARE

Beach holidays can offer as much cultural immersion as relaxation. This is especially true of Rayong, Koh Samet, and Cha-am, with their tradition-soaked fishing villages and seafood staples, which lure busloads of locals.

KOH SAMET

Photo © TAT

Only 223 kilometres, and a 40-minute ferry ride from the capital, is Koh Samet, the nearest island getaway for city-weary Bangkokians. Which means there’s a high tide of humans washing up here most weekends – equal parts Thai and foreign – while during the week the beaches empty out so you can feel like more of a castaway on Survivor, with better access to cable TV.

No matter which island or coast visitors head for, they can be assured that there is fun fare for the whole family, and a highly developed infrastructure in place to ensure that all you have to worry about is your suntan and your waistline.