Thailand -take two
 

In November 2011 we cancelled our first trip to Thailand because of the floods .
We are now going to be stopping over in both directions on the way to/from New Zealand in December /Jan 2014. This is split as to 3 nights Bangkok on the way out and 1 night on the way back.
Can we reach a beach resort easily from Bangkok for two nights when we arrive- no flights?
We would still then have a further night in Bangkok before moving on and another on the way back.
I doubt that this will be our only visit ever to Thailand so we will no doubt visit Bangkok again to see and enjoy what we don't see this time.
With thanks

The nearest beach resort to Bangkok airport is Pattaya which is about 1.3 hours drive. However, Pattaya itself does not have any nice beaches and is very built up with bars and discos. Hua Hin, on the other side of the gulf, is about a 3 hours drive from the airport. More laid back, nice fine sandy beaches and a quaint little seaside town.

If you just want to swim around and are not looking for any night life or a lot of choices for restaurants, shops etc. then I suggest Koh Samed. A small island about a 2 hours drive from the airport + a few minutes on a speed boat.

hua hin is perfect..

pattaya is more of a sex driven destination..

I second the suggestion for Koh Samed (Koh Samet)--I loved it! My favorite stop on our Thailand trip. We stayed here, nice rooms, great breakfast (but small pool, if that's important). http://www.samedpavilionresort.com/

The island is not over-developed and I loved the laid-back ambiance, very relaxing.

Thank you all very much! Hua Hin and Koh Samed look perfect.
I'll let you know how we get on.

Hua Hin is great for a couple of nights. An easy train ride from Bangkok. Be sure to go to the night market at the end of town (not the one in the centre of town) for great food. You buy tickets when you enter which you can use at countless booths.

I believe the night market that asiacanuck is referring to is the Cicada market. They are only open on weekends and national holidays. Also, there is not entrance fee tickets but rather you buy vouchers for the food stalls and if you have any left at the end of the night you can cash it in.

personally i prefer the restaurants in and around town.. street food is not appealing to me on many levels..

Bob the food at the Cicada market are not street food. They are stalls setup by the hotels and restaurant from the area with proper hygiene and facilities for washing dishes and cold storage.

ok, they might pass the muster then...