Nang Thong is the most popular beach at the Khao Lak resort. Lots of pensioners holiday here, usually strolling along the sea and down the main street. I personally liked the beach – or rather the entire stretch of coastline, including Bang Niang. Further north it becomes somewhat less appealing.
Beach Overview
Unlike Bang Niang, which borders it to the north, the Nang Thong area stretches lengthwise along the sea and highway. All the infrastructure is mainly concentrated along the highway too. The easiest way to reach the shore is via Nang Thong Road, which starts from the main road where there’s a traffic light and leads to the sea.
Large and expensive hotels and resorts line the shore. The strip of sand on the beach is quite wide – in some places it ends at concrete terrace walls of hotels, whilst in other spots there’s simply a small embankment with palm trees growing on it. The overall length of Nang Thong beach is about 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometres). Generally speaking, Nang Thong is a lovely quiet area – it’s clean, plenty of greenery, and not particularly crowded.
The southern part of Nang Thong is sometimes called Sunset Beach, where several resorts with large grounds are located, including Khaolak Sunset Resort. Perhaps that’s why this stretch of beach got its name. There aren’t many people there and it’s beautiful. From Nang Thong you can walk along the shore either north (there’s a river which you can either ford or cross on a mini-ferry) or south to Sunset Beach.
Swimming
Black boulders jut out from the sand on the shore and in the water, adding to the picturesque landscape. The entire beach consists of small coves, curves and occasional rocks. The sand is yellow, fine and sometimes coarse in places, with small inclusions of pebbles and shells.
The shore slopes into the sea at an angle, so the depth increases quickly during high tide. At low tide the beach width increases to quite impressive proportions. You can swim, but starting from about 33 feet (10 metres) from the shore.
Near the lighthouse that stands on land, a river flows into the sea, but it’s better not to swim near it – walk 330-650 feet (100-200 metres) to the right or left instead.
Sunbeds and Shade
Sunbeds with umbrellas from beach cafés are set up along practically the entire length of the beach. At some of them you can use these for free when ordering food, whilst at other places you need to rent a sunbed. The beach is bordered by various trees along almost its entire length – mainly casuarinas (in the north), palms and occasionally broad-leaved trees.
These create natural shade on the beach in the morning and first half of the day. During midday the sun rises high and the shadows from trees almost disappear, and towards sunset the sun shines from the direction of the sea.
Near Khaolak Sunset Resort the beach is bounded on the landward side by a rocky headland and vegetation-covered hill, and there are no trees or natural shade directly on the beach during the day.
Beach Photos
Amenities
Shops are mainly located on both sides of the highway – that’s where you’ll find 7-Eleven, McDonald’s, banks, cafés, tour agencies and so forth. There are also cafés and small shops on the main Nang Thong Road leading to the sea, and on Soi 1 running along the coast. But generally there’s not much there – you need to head to the highway.
In the northern part of the beach there are endless massage shelters, simple beach cafés and sunbeds with umbrellas.
Among the attractions in this area there’s a Chinese temple, as well as two lighthouses – one on land, the other in the sea about 330 feet (100 metres) from shore. The large boulders jutting out from the sand on land and in the sea could be called a distinctive feature of the beach. They add character to the place.
Accommodation
Budget hotels and guesthouses are mainly located along the main highway. As for beachfront hotels and resorts, in the northern part of the beach where it borders Bang Niang, there’s the excellent and popular La Flora Resort. Among those closer to the village centre, I can mention several well-rated hotels, which I’ve listed below:
- La Flora Resort & SPA
- Khaolak Bhandari Resort & SPA
- The Leaf Oceanside
- Moracea by Khao Lak Resort
- Sensimar Khaolak Beachfront Resort
- Khaolak Bay Front Resort
- Khao Lak Sunset Resort
- Khaolak Wanaburee Resort
- Khao Lak Palm Beach Resort
How to Find the Beach
If you’re travelling from Phuket, after passing Khao Lak beach and descending the highway from the hill, you’ll immediately arrive at Bang La On village, which adjoins Nang Thong beach.
You can drive to Khaolak Sunset Resort by car or motorbike – there’s parking there. The security guards aren’t very keen but do let you onto the resort grounds. You can walk there freely along the beach from the north. Generally, the village’s main street (Nang Thong Road) runs perpendicular to the highway and ends at Soi 1, which runs along the coast.
On this waterfront street near the lighthouse there’s a large car park. You can freely stroll along the entire beach from north to south and back again.
