Phangan Beaches, Chao Pao Beach, almost secret and uncrowded

Haad Chao Phao Beach is a small stretch of coastline in the west, just after Sitanu beach (aka Sritanu), if you are driving on the main road from Thong Sala to the north of the island. The main feature that makes it unlike many beaches in this part of Koh Phangan is its isolation from prying eyes..

Between the road and the sea there is a green massif of palm groves and the beach is not visible through the trees at all. The entire first line on Chao Pao is occupied by several resorts and bungalow complexes, and their guests, in fact, are the only visitors to the beach..

The content of the article

one Beach description
2 Entering the water, depth and waves
3 Sun beds and shade
4 Beach photo
five Infrastructure
6 Houses and hotels on the beach
7 How to find the beach
eight Beach Map

Beach description

Chao Pao Beach is very short - it stretches for some hundred meters, but it is a very pretty one hundred meters, and there are very few people here. The reason for the low population, as it seems to me, is that all tourists who are not aware of the existence of the beach rush past it. But what can I say, I myself constantly skipped it on a scooter, not paying attention to a small section of the forest near the road.

And only later in the hotel, looking at the map, I realized that there was a miniature and unknown beach nearby. Reconnaissance of the area showed that the sand on Chao Pao is fine, light, small stones and shells are often found in it, especially in the strip where the waves stop rolling on the sand.

In general, I would say that the location of Chaopao is very convenient from the point of view of a beach holiday. If this is your goal in itself and you settled here, then within walking distance you will have as many as three beaches: Chao Pao himself, and also Sitanu (aka Sritanu) and Ao Niad (aka Zenbich). There is a nuance: you cannot go straight along the coast to them - Chaopao is limited by hammer stones on both sides.

And also these beaches are on the same plane as the main road, that is, not on the slopes. If you go along the main road, then there are no descents and ascents, and this is important when walking. If you stand on Chaopao facing the sea, then Zen and Sritanu will be on the left hand, and on the right, behind the hill, he will hide Haad Son beach and its Secret Beach, but it is difficult to walk there through the hills, and there is no particular point in running there every day.

Entering the water, depth and waves

Entering the water is a minus of Chao Pao beach, but I would not say that the rest of the beaches in the west of Phangan can boast of something else. The coast smoothly goes under the water, forming a very flat bottom, and the entrance to the sea is long and shallow. Finding a place three meters from the shore with a normal depth, so that your feet do not reach the bottom when swimming, you will not be able to.

Tellingly, even the tide does not save the situation - at low tide, you have to walk 8-10 meters towards the horizon, and only then the depth allows the sea to rise to the level of your shoulders, but no more. Simply put, the depth here is standard for the entire western Phangan and is great for those vacationers who come with small children - for them there is paradise and splendor..

Sun beds and shade

I noticed sun loungers in the territories of the resorts, near the bungalows, but as for the shade - a lot of trees grow on the beach, and there are enough places where you can hide from the sun. Although, it should be noted that the forest does not grow as a solid wall, therefore, in some places there are gaps, where there is nowhere to hide.

Let me remind you that the problem of the shadow will bother you at most until lunchtime, and then the sun rises at its zenith and starts to set looking in your face - Chaopao is in the west, remember?

Beach photo

View of the left half of Chao Pao

The beach ends with cliffs at the bar, but behind them there are a series of small sections of sand

The view is straight forward, as you can see - no rocks or stones

View of the right side of Chao Pao

And in the approach - the far right flank of the beach

All shade on the beach is along the sand and grass border

Sea depth - hospital average

Infrastructure

The infrastructure of the beach itself includes resorts and several coastal cafes and massage pavilions aimed at the laziest guest (with appropriate prices), a little more amenities and services are located at a distance, on the main road.

In principle, if you did not come here to spend the winter, but for a short vacation, then the infrastructure of the resort and the beach is quite enough to spend all two weeks in one place without getting out. Beach, sea, cocktails and massage - all this is on Chao Pao.

There are no shops on the Chao Pao beach itself, although for such a short beach it would be more nonsense than the norm. All retail infrastructure is located either on the main road opposite the beach, or on it, but closer to Sitanu beach.

But near Sitanu there is already everything you need for independent living, even if you are staying in a rented house with your own kitchen: bike rental, shops, exchange offices, a 7-Eleven mini-market, fruit and vegetable shops, two yoga centers, etc. ... In time, from Chao Pao to walk here for about 10 minutes, no more.

The sights of Chao Pao are the same as those on Sritana or Ao Niade: Sweet Water Lake (a former tin mine, which was flooded with fresh water) and Sritanu Buddhist temple, although it is decent to walk to it in distance. All other sights and interesting places in Phangan will have to go by vehicle.

Houses and hotels on the beach

Chao Pao Beach is a thing in itself. Short, secret and not crowded, and the whole coastline is occupied by good resorts. Here, for example, two main ones with excellent ratings - Paragon Resort & Spa and Seaflower Bungalows .

By and large, there is no difference where to stay in the Chao Pao beach area. Even on the road, even on the beach itself, because everything is so compact there that the location of the hotel does not make the big weather. Except for the case when it is extremely important for you to live on the shore.

If you are driving from Thong Sala, there will be a Hut Sun Bungalows sign on the road towards the end of the beach. It's no longer worth settling down, because the slide begins towards Had Son.

Behind the shooting location - typical beach bungalows

Hotels near Chao Pao>

Be sure (and I insist) to check for discounts or special offers on the excellent Roomguru service. He will quickly and easily show you discounts in all existing booking systems. In Asia, for example, there are a lot of offers on Agoda.com, which are much more interesting than for exactly the same hotels on Booking.com.

For the lazy, here are the direct links to the hotels listed above:

How to find the beach

FamilyMart can serve as a reference point, near which there is a road leading directly to the beach, through the Paragon Resort & Spa. In general, going to the beaches through the private territories of the resorts is a normal situation for Koh Phangan..