Many come to Thailand to bask under the scorching sun, get into the Thai culture, try some tasty and flaming spicy food, and maybe even adventure up a mountain or two. There is plenty of that here plus some in this magical country full of wonder, tradition, and beauty. However if you ask any beach bum in the world what they want to do when they are on holiday, they are likely to tell you they want to see an epic beach. This is pretty much a given. Well, I’m one of those beach bums.
After living in Thailand for over two years I find myself returning to one beach town that I just can’t get away from. It has charm, a beautiful beach, mountains, gorgeous views, and everything else that one could need without the higher price tag that the more developed beaches here suffer from. I am prepared to share this beach with you as not many know about it, but let’s try to keep this just between us, alright? The beach I speak of is Prachuap Khiri Khan.
A funky name indeed, but there is nothing funky floating in the water or washing up on the sand here. The beach of Ao Manao in Prachuap is clean and nice! The beaches are lined with trees to provide shade, the water is clear blue and cool, and there are excellent seafood stalls just behind you. As you are nestled between karst mountains on each side you will enjoy the peace and quiet that this beach brings you. When is last time you heard the waves crashing on shore without the background noise of someones radio, screaming children, or drunken loud mouths ruining your zen-like state of mind that you so much enjoy when you go to the beach? Yea, that’s what I thought. It’s hard to find a beautiful beach in Thailand that hasn’t been taken over by every tourist on the planet, but this spot is not traveled by most.
The actual town provides all that would need as well. There are markets, restaurant, small bars, 711’s, and everything else you need. The town is set on the beautiful Ao Prachuap which is a nice bay lined with a pathway to walk along. The accommodation is cheap and so is the food.
While in town you will notice a charming little temple perched on top of a mountain. Climb the 400 or so steps it takes to make it to the summit, hopefully unscathed by the cheeky macaque monkeys that call this very mountain home. The views are spectacular and the breeze feels amazing after all those steps. On the other side of this mountain is another mountain. It doesn’t appear to have a temple on top because it’s so high, but it’s there. Come to this mountain, located within the army base, to find dusky leaf monkeys who are cute as ever. They stay at the base of the mountain while the few people with enough stamina make the challenging climb to the top to experience even more breathtaking and awesome vistas.
This ultimate beach looks like the gorgeous and famous beaches of the Krabi province, but has nearly none of the tourists stopping by. Many people here are “off the beaten-track” type travelers. I ended up here for 3 months and then for another month when I came back and got sucked in again. Prachuap is my happy place that I will return to soon!
