Top 6 Best Thailand Beaches & Islands for Travelers

Mentioning should-visit countries in Southeast Asia, one of the first answers is undoubtedly 'The Land of Smile' - Thailand. Not only famous for inviting local life and diversity of cultural beauty, Thailand is also endowed with the richness of natural gems, especially beautiful sandy beaches and dreamy islands, some are proudly praised as among the prominent Southeast Asian destinations for any beach lovers. For those who are seeking Thai places for amazing beach retreats, our travel list below offers the most significant beaches and islands that should not be missed when travelling here.

1. Phuket - the world's famous holiday destination

For any foreign travelers, Phuket is definitely the must-have stop in their bucket list of Thai's beach vacation. In most itineraries of Thailand tours, Phuket stands as one of the prominent travel destinations for all guests with numerous lovely sandy beaches all around the island as well as a wide range of things-to-do along with great service available all the time. Many famous beaches in Phuket could be easily listed such as:

- The hustle and bustle beach of Patong where you can fully enjoy music and party. As the most popular beach in Phuket, Patong Beach keeps busy all day with an array of available service including water sport, dining, club, beach bars, etc.

- Less-touristy beach of Kata Noi where houses the upscale Katathani Resort. Quieter than Patong Beach, Kata Noi is a perfect spot to soak up the tropical ambience of Phuket with soft white sand,,crystal clear water, and lovely backdrops of lush greens.

- Freedom Beach - a hiden gems of Phuket beach while not too far from Patong, probably the busiest area of Phuket. The beach is an ideal hideout with captivating serene beach vibe because the place is still not packed with too many bars and restaurants. Coming to the Freedom Beach, you can fully enjoy the calmness without being distracted by the noise or other crowds. 

- Banana Beach - a secluded beach wonder set in the small Koh Hey (Coral Island, Koh means Island in Thai) that is pretty close to the southern tip of the big island of Phuket. With just a short boat ride from main island of Phuket, Banana Beach is a new and fresh hideaway from Phuket’s main landmarks where visitor can contemplate tropical breezes, delicious food, and lovely beach vibe. Read more about Phuket Thailand here...

2. Koh Phi Phi (Phi Phi islands)

To the North of Andaman Sea sets the islands group of Koh Phi Phi, an attractive archipelago that became well-known all around the world through its unforgettable appearance in the movie "The Beach" of super star Leonardo Di Caprio. Koh Phi Phi consitsts of many beautiful islands, but the most famous among them named Koh Phi Phi Don, Koh Phi Phi Leh. Still, the islands here are all wonderful tropical paradise with calmly turquoise sea water, a lot of alluring virgin beaches with white soft sand, and breathtaking limestone formations. Visiting Koh Phi Phi, don’t forget to take your time lying on the beach of Lo Dalam, Ton Sai, Long Beach on Koh Phi Phi Don, and, of course, the notable Koh Phi Phi Leh’s Maya Bay, where surely give you a feel of secluded enjoyment with white-and-yellow sunlights, dreamy white sand, crystal water, and stunning skyline of the bay right in your eye sight.

For more exciting experiences in Koh Phi Phi, made sure that you’ve checked it out some of our recommendations such as: kayaking, boat trips around the islands, diving, etc. Read more about Interesting activities on Phi Phi Khai Nok Islands & Maya Bay...

3. Koh Samui

Beside world-famous Phuket or Koh Phi Phi, Koh Samui- Thailand's third largest island is also an ideal place for amazing beach vacation due to pristine scenery, lovely tropical ambiance, and also a wide range of service varying from accommodations, dining to wellness, entertainment, and leisure activities. Same as Phuket, Koh Samui offers worldwide travellers an incredible array of sandy beaches and picturesque bays around the island. The famous beaches here including Chaweng Beach, Lamai Beach, Bophut Beach, Maenam Beach, and Choeng Mon Beach are all great ideas to chill out. Each one has its distinct beauty of white-sandy beach, azuring clear water as well as scenic tropical vibe, which made them an inviting collection of any beach retreats when in Thailand. Read more about Koh Samui Thailand here...

4. Koh Phangan and Koh Tao

Being the sister islands with the bigger Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao invite people here to experience more special feel of the true beach life. While Koh Phangan is famous for bustling full moon parties each month and also all-night music parties in the other days on the beach of Haad Rin, Koh Tao has several beautiful beaches such as: Sairee Beach, Sai Daeng Beach, besides its renowned popularity as a superb diving destination. Also, stunning Koh Nang Yuan, just about 20-minute boat ride off Koh Tao’s northern tip, is an ultimate sandy beach (not realy a beach but a sandbars connecting three small islets), as it only visible to traveller at low tide only, surely deserve you a chance to witness at least one time in your whole life. Read more about Amazing Beaches in Koh Tao here...

5. Koh Samet

If Bangkok and Pattaya give you fast-paced vibe of mass tourism centres, a day trip to Koh Samet could be a great alternative during your Thai tours, where you could find the tranquility while not too far from these two main hubs. Most of Koh Samet’s beaches locates along its east coast and some are still unspoiled. As a favorite escape for locals, especially on the weekend, Koh Samet is known as the place for relaxing, such as leisurely strolls on the seaside, snorkelling, or just merely sunbathing on the nice sandy beaches and comtemplating drinks from beach bars, etc. Read more about Koh Samet Thailand here...

6. Islands in Ao Phang Nga (Phang Nga Bay)

Not only being the home to the well-known James Bond Island (Koh Tapu), Phang Nga Bay also houses numerous other islands where could make any beach lovers overwhelmed by the dream-like scenic beauty here. Taking an island-hopping tour, you can get the chance to admire the surreal beauty of Phang Nga Bay, from taking a fun-filled sightseeing journey, having fun on white powdery beaches that scattering around the islands, to enjoying swimming into the turquoise-blue sea water, or doing snockelling to see lovely marine life & beautiful coral reefs offshore at several common stops like Tup Island, Chicken Island, Poda Island.

With these outstanding landmarks, some of Ao Phang Nga's destinations are undeniably regarded as the prominent romantic places for couples when in Thailand such as Railay Bay (a smaller part of Phang Nga Bay further to the South, located in Krabi) or top-notch beach resorts with the maximum privacy and calmness in Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai, etc. For thoses who are into hightlights on the beaches, make sure that you make a visit to Phra Nang Beach. Possessing the unique location amid magnificent moutain cliffs and densely lush coconut groves on the seaside, Phra Nang Beach is praised as one of the prettiest beaches in Railay Bay. Leisurely sunbathing on the beach or taking a deep dive into the clean of clear water at Phra Nang Beach, you can fully indulge in the happy vibe of this little paradise.

Endowed with countless islands, peninsulas, and archipelagoes with distinctive natural beauty as well as wide-ranging service, Thailand is truly a prominent beach destination for any travellers. The list of Thailand places above shows you some of notable stops for beach vacation all around the country, which are likely to be the utmost highlight during your trip here. If you’re still not ready to plan a long-day excursion in Thailand, make sure that you’ve taken a look all of our recommendations and travel tips. Or else, you can share with our Asia Tours Experts so that we can help you to create a customized Thailand Tour as your personal wish right now!