Before all those who come to Thailand, both on vacation and for the winter, the question arises of where to go, to which resort. It is clear that, most likely, everyone will go to the sea to have a rest, so we will talk about sea resorts. Of course, there are those who are indifferent to the sea, in this case you can go north to Thailand in Chiang Mai.
All information about Thailand is collected in my travel guide How to travel to Thailand. If you have any questions, then first of all, take a look there..
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Where is the best place to relax in Thailand
Despite the fact that I am a fan of quiet and non-touristy places, I also love civilization with all that it implies. Therefore, I visited all the popular Thai resorts, somewhere I just relaxed, and somewhere I lived for several months. So, at the moment there are several resorts where Russian tourists usually come: Pattaya, Phuket island, Krabi, Koh Samui and Phangan islands, Koh Chang island, and Hua Hin. There are other places, but they are less well known..
When choosing where to relax, do not forget to look at my post about Thailand weather by month, as weather conditions in certain months, including the behavior of the sea, can be strikingly different from each other.
Pattaya
If you go on a regular tourist package, then in most cases it will lead you to Pattaya or Phuket. Less often, they go to Koh Samui, because it is more expensive. For this reason, Pattaya is the most popular, there are the cheapest tours. I was in Pattaya for several weeks, but did not live, it is too noisy for me and the beaches are not very.
If you love parties, nightlife, bars, carrots (girls for sex), then this is the place for you. No, this does not mean that the whole city is buzzing with nightlife, but here it is most of all in Thailand. If you don't need it at all, then just avoid several central streets in the evening and at night. And, settling on the outskirts, you may not even see this nightlife. In addition to low prices, Pattaya attracts many by the fact that there are a lot of Russians, and therefore the corresponding infrastructure: Russian cafes and food, Russian gardens and schools, Russian shops. In principle, ordinary cafes also have a menu in Russian, and sometimes there are even Russian-speaking Thais. Someone will really find it easier among compatriots, and it will always be easy for winterers to find a company, both with children and without. In general, Pattaya has the most infrastructure after Bangkok: shopping centers, supermarkets, hospitals of all chains, Tukkom electronics store, water park, amusement park, mini Siam, bot garden, etc..
The nature and terrain in Pattaya is pretty ordinary, everything is flat. City beaches, unfortunately, are dirty and not everyone can swim there, I would disdain. There is a way out of this situation - to go to the beaches in the vicinity of the city or to the island of Ko Lan, it takes only 30 minutes to sail by ferry..
Pattaya beaches overview
Overview of the beaches of Koh Lan
How to get to Pattaya
Pattaya Central Beach
Phuket
The next most noisy and number of Russians is the island of Phuket, they predict the fate of Pattaya, but I did not notice it. Phuket already has a real ocean, beautiful beaches and beautiful mountainous landscapes. Yes, there are a lot of tourists here during the season, no less than in Pattaya, but most of them are concentrated on Patong Beach and its neighbors: Karon and Kata. On the beaches of Bang Tao and Nai Harn, where winterers usually live, there are a lot of people only during the peak season (December and January). It is here that it is worth stopping if you are coming for a period of more than a month. Actually, I have already wintered on these two beaches 2 times. But if you just go to rest, then I recommend choosing between Karon, Kata, Kamala and Naithon, in descending order of civilization.
Phuket also has enough entertainment and parties. But the main thing here is trips to various islands, of which there are a lot in the area, both just for beaches and beauty, and for snorkeling. And if we talk about nightlife, then you should look for it in Patong, there is also everything there, although less and less unbridled compared to the sex capital of Pattaya. By the way, it is on Patong that the beach is dirty and less beautiful (than all the others), but you can swim. However, no one bothers to live on a quieter beach, and come to Patong to have fun in clubs or shop in shopping centers. Although you can go to shopping centers in Phuket Town, they are all concentrated on the main highway. The hospitals are all right here too..
If I was asked where I would go on a tour or on my own, to Phuket or Pattaya, I would definitely choose Phuket. Moreover, there is an international airport here and you can fly by direct flight from Moscow.
Phuket beaches overview
How to get to Phuket
Phuket, Nai Harn beach
Koh Samui and Phangan
If nature, beautiful island beaches are important to you and at the same time you want fewer people, then it makes sense to think about resting on the islands, in particular on Koh Samui or Phangan. They are located in the Gulf of Thailand not far from each other. Samui is larger and close in popularity to Phuket, that is, there are a lot of people, but still less than in Phuket, and there are almost no bags. In addition, there are very few beaches even in season, for example, Maenam or Bang Po, I spent the winter on them, like many. Considering that the island is small, you can get to the supermarket from anywhere in 20-30 minutes by bike or car. At the same time, if you need nightlife, cafes and restaurants, then you can go to Chaweng Beach. Of course, he is far from Pattaya or Patong in Phuket, but for many, this is enough.
Getting to Koh Samui is more difficult than to Phuket, you will need either a bus + ferry, or an additional flight. It takes a little longer to get to Koh Phangan, since planes do not fly there and either sail from Koh Samui, or also from the mainland by ferry. Perhaps this is why there is not yet such a large flow of visitors here..
The infrastructure on Samui, in principle, is enough for everything, there are several large shopping centers with supermarkets, and a couple of hospitals from large chains. But the island of Koh Phangan is less civilized, but 3 supermarkets have already been built there too. Phangan is also known for its Full Moon Party and the fact that all sorts of informals go there: yoga lovers, raw vegetarians, etc. However, if you do not visit their parties, then you will not see them.
Overview of the beaches on Koh Samui
How to get to Koh Samui
Koh Samui, Mae Nam beach
Koh Chang
Chang Island is much closer to Bangkok than all other islands, it takes 5-7 hours to go. In my opinion, everything is in order with nature and beaches. The infrastructure is normal for a resort holiday, but not quite suitable for wintering, because there are no normal hospitals and very few normal housing per month. Well at least there is a supermarket now, otherwise it was not so long ago. But still, the island is more suitable for a couple of weeks. Therefore, I just came here, did not spend the winter. Although some still live here.
On Koh Chang there are both beaches, where there are many vacationers, and those where there is almost no one. But in general, the island is not very large and you can drive through its main part in an hour. For privacy, I would put it somewhere between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.
Koh Chang beaches overview
How to get to Koh Chang
Koh Chang, White Sand Beach
Krabi
The Krabi province has only recently begun to attract Russian tourists. Europeans, I suppose, have long chosen it. Usually people come here for natural beauty, and although it is not an island, Krabi is called the country of a thousand islands, because some rocks resemble scenes from the Avatar movie. In my opinion, these rocks have not left anyone indifferent. And you can settle in so that they will be visible from the hotel window. True, for this one must live closer to the sea. I lived 5 km from the coast and from the window of my house there was a rather ordinary view.
The main and, one might say, the only resort is the village of Aonang. All winterers live in it and in its environs, as well as those who came just to rest for a couple of weeks. But this village also serves as a transshipment point for those who are going to sail on Railay Peninsula, whose beaches are in the TOP of the beaches. Actually, sailing there is only 10 minutes from Aonange, so you can live in the village and swim on the Railay at least every day. But you can immediately settle on Railay at the hotel. True, the place is quite deaf, with practically no infrastructure, it may be enough to live for a few days. Just keep in mind, in the afternoon on Railay in the season there is simply darkness for the people, everyone comes with excursions..
Overview of the beaches in Krabi
How to get to Krabi
Krabi, Ao Nang beach
Hua hin
Hua Hin is poorly suited for recreation. They usually go there to spend the winter, and those who understand why they need it go. On the one hand, from Bangkok to Hua Hin is as quick and easy to get as to Pattaya, but the beaches there are not for everybody's taste, far from being a bounty. No, they are not dirty, as in Pattaya, and there are not many people, just shallow, waves and wind. It is rather good to go here to learn kiting than to swim and sunbathe. But on these beaches you can walk perfectly (trampled sand), which I did in one of my winter quarters almost every evening, there you can just walk for kilometers.
Hua Hin is located on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand and is the king's summer residence. The nature here is simple, but in my opinion a little better than in Pattaya. Plus the contingent is different, there are no package tourists and tourist excitement. You can call it a calm resort for Europeans. The infrastructure is more than enough: several shopping centers with supermarkets, several large hospitals, a water park and an amusement park near Cha Am.
Hua Hin beaches overview
How to get to Hua Hin
Hua Hin City Beach
P.S. It is convenient to search for and choose air tickets on Aviasales.ru and Skyscanner.ru, and I myself use these services in my travels..
