Post: #1

I decided to stop in Thailand on my way back to China and am currently in Bangkok. I will have to fly out by the end of March but until then I have basically nothing to do, so I figure now is a good time to decompress from the urban, polluted and crowded scene in Shanghai and find an out of the way beach somewhere.

Specifically, I'm looking for a place that is accessible from Bangkok without hopping on a plane, and offers a combination of beaches and jungle. I'm not sure if such a place exists, but if it does, that's where I'd want to go. It would be nice if hotels there were relatively cheap and it wasn't overrun by Western tourists, but that's negotiable. My goal is to do some snorkeling and scuba diving, hike in the jungle, and maybe ride a scooter in the backcountry rather than game, so a vibrant night scene isn't a priority.

Any suggestions? There is a shit ton of Thailand info here and I've spent hours going through it and have a few options in mind, but I'd like to hear any recommendations based on my specific parameters.

Post: #2

Krabi might be good. Plenty of tourists but it has nice beaches and jungle. That part of Thailand is one of the most beautiful places on earth if you avoid the islands that have been turned into trashy trinket shops.

You can rent a longtail boat and a guide(better than a tour group because you're free to go where you want) and go explore the islands that haven't been wrecked by tourism.

Rent a kayak or three-wheeler and explore the jungle. You can do the elephant trek but that's a bit touristy/restricted, better to stick with the kayak in my opinion so you can go where you want.

Most of the popular places there will be overrun with tourists, but it's not hard to go off into the jungle or take a longtail boat out to an empty island and be alone.

Post: #3

Khao Sok national park.

Koh Lanta down the far end of the island.

Post: #4

Koh Tao is nice. Most people there are westerners though followed by Burmese migrant workers. Thai people are actually in minority. But the westerners arent that bad. Not a lot of sex tuorists and Russians like in Pattaya or Phuket. Rent a motorbike and you can find nice bungalow in the jungle. Accomendation isn't very expencive. Nice for the diving and snoorkeling sairee beach will have lost people mostly backpackers but some of the other beaches are very quite. takes a while to go from Bangkok though. Lompraya bus and boat is the best way to go.

Post: #5

I'm interested in the parameters set by OP too. Trying to do my own research, but it's like drinking from a firehose.

I'll be in Vietnam and Cambodia, too, during this trip. Would tourism be less congested in these places? Or is there a pay off in terms of safety?

Post: #6

Try Koh Phayam in Ranong Province. Super quiet, hardly any tourists, no 7/11s. Only 2 resorts even have air con there. Off the grid and super cheap. If I needed some time for quiet introspection, I’d go there. 1 hr flight to Ranong from DMK.

Go November to April. Outside of those times it’s too quiet to the point that half the restaurants and resorts close up.

If you can deal with just a fan and no air con, check out Chomjan resort. Right on the beach, great food and wildlife, and only 800-1k baht per night.

That island is like I imagine some of the more popular ones must have been like in the 80s and early 90s. Go soon before it gets ruined!

Post: #7

Great thread guys!