Best beach destination Thailand?
 

My partner and I are planning 2 weeks in Thailand Jan 2019 after spending 2 months in the European winter.
We'll have 3 nights in Bangkok and 8 nights at a beach destination.
What I'm after is something that has a beautiful beach, I don't like the beach to be too crazy - I like to be able to relax. We also want the option of being able to take a break from the beach and walk around a town/village, explore markets and try lots of different restaurants. We like walking.
In the evenings we like to be able to go out but we're not into partying and staying out until the wee hours.
There seems to be so many different options and I'm a bit overwhelmed trying to decide where our best beach will be. After going there we will be heading back to Singapore to fly home to NZ.

Suggestions and help please! Thanks :)

I think Patong Beach in Phuket is the best beach for you to visit in January, where you can relax and you can visit near by village and restaurants, if you visit this beach you will enjoy your trip and feel relaxed for sure.

At that time of the year, the greater Phuket area is likely to be your best option. tralamo is either pulling your leg or knows nothing about Patong. Patong is the "craziest" beach in the greater Phuket area; non-stop partying, sex tourists, noisy bars.

You might want to start by looking at hotels on one of the big booking sites Find something in your price range and that looks good to you. travelfish.org has good summaries of the various beach areas in the Phuket area, including Krabi, Ko Lak and Koh Lanta.

I agree with Kathie’s summary of Patong. Unless you are male, middle aged and in search of drugs, drink and prostitution (or all three) avoid the place like the plague!

I would avoid Phuket which is overflowing tourists ( unless you are looking for a really exclusive/expensive hotel) in favour of one of the smaller islands like Koh Lanta, Koh Yao all on the anadaman, rather than gulf coast. Khao Lak is another thought. Not an island but only a couple of hours drive from Phuket airport. Beaches are ok but not amazing, but i5 does have easy access to a wide range of restaurants, bars and markets.

Alternatively, skip Thailand and fly to Langkawi further south which has some amazing beaches and easy access to Singapore

Just to relax and take it easy look over Hua Hin including the nearby area. Not the best beach but this area ticks off some of your requirements. Also this beach city can be reached from Bangkok by bus, train or private transportation. (Cheaper than Phuket, Phi-Phi and Ko Samui.)
https://www.fodors.com/world/asia/th...places/hua-hin
https://www.fodors.com/world/asia/th.../places/cha-am
Tourism Hua Hin - Cha am Chaam Cha-am Information

Reserve the last night back in Bangkok if you fly home from there. You can do a final look at the city and position yourself for an easy ride to the airport. Lots of time to work things out.

Good luck.

I think Hua Hin is the blandest of all destinations in Thailand..... but that might be what you're looking for?

Andaman Cost probably has the best beaches - I like Koh Lanta.

Thanks everyone. Koh Lanta looks lovely I found a nice hotel in long beach - do you know what is around there? Ideally it would be village with lots of shops markets and restaurants?
Im getting the feeling if I want a really nice beach we will have to be somewhere quieter... my partner will get quite bored!

Some beaches in Phuket are good choices for you: Patong, Kamala, Surin and Karon.

Koh Lanta is a good choice, quieter than many islandsa and a wide variety of beaches. This site may help you choose the righ5 area for you https://www.kolanta.net/koh-lanta-beaches-areas/it is a long time since we have been but , as I recall Long Beach was the area with all the dive shops and backpacker accomodation ( the latter may have changed) Travelfish provides a pretty good rundown of te areas on the island https://www.travelfish.org/location/...krabi/ko_lanta

thabks - we have booked mandarava resort and spa (with free cancellation) and that is on Karon - I didn’t want to miss out on a good deal while we decided but I’m thinking it might be our best option!

Ok that’s great, Karon Beach is the third-longest beach on Phuket Island and also very popular as holiday destinations in Phuket. Here you can also find good choice of dining, shopping and nightlife entertainment as well. Also, beautiful Buddhist temple hosting a bi-weekly market so all the best for your journey.

I really liked Kata Noi in Phuket and Laem Tong beach in Phi Phi.

I heard great things about Ko Kood island too. Planning to go there next time.

If you visit Philippines instead of Thailand then i am going to tell you something about the places to visit which are its beautiful beaches in the Philippines.
you can enjoy the best beach resorts in the world, with your family or all alone. The beautiful waterfalls among the mountains and lakes between the greenery and the most naturally beautiful environment.

Koh Lanta will offer you the unspoiled beach with white sand stretching along the seashore because this place is not like other touristic spots (Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui). You can dive into the peace and tranquility here and there is no doubt that you will truly feel regret when leaving it. There are town villages on the island (Salanda and Lanta Old Town) where you and your beloved can enjoy the traditional lifestyle and rainforest beauty - a charming retreat from modern life.