Cha-am

Cha-am is its own town, in Phetchaburi province rather than Prachuap Khiri Khan. The Tourism Authority of Thailand calls it Phetchaburi’s beach town, relatively undiscovered by international tourists. It says the town’s beach road runs parallel to the sand, so tall hotels and small bungalows alike face the sea, and that it is low-key and laid back, especially on weekdays.

South of the town, as far as the provincial line near Hua Hin Airport, runs a strip of large resorts. Several carry the Hua Hin name but have Cha-am addresses, and Mrigadayavan Palace, King Rama VI’s teak seaside palace, stands among them.

We list six places here, and they cover the range almost end to end. You And Me Guesthouse, near Cha-am beach, is around ฿870 a night, and I Calm Resort is a three-star nearby at around ฿1,700. Siambeach Resort, at the Hua Hin end of the strip, is around ฿2,906, and Springfield @Sea, a five-star with a pool complex at the northern end, around ฿3,976. VALA Hua Hin and Devasom Hua Hin Resort are the other five-stars in the resort strip, at around ฿4,884 and ฿7,339.

The two additions sit either end of that strip, and the location scores say which is which. Siambeach, nearer Hua Hin, scores 9.1; Springfield, further north and away from the town, scores 8.5, joint lowest of our six here. Both average 8.95 across the two platforms, level at the bottom of our Cha-Am picks, though in an area topping out at 9.3 that is a narrow band rather than a gap.

No smoking on the beach. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources lists Cha-am among 24 beaches where smoking is banned, and says it provides designated smoking areas on them. The penalty is up to a year in prison, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both. Our guide to Thai laws has the detail, including why the list may since have changed.