Hat Chao Samran

Hat Chao Samran is a Gulf of Thailand beach in Phetchaburi that Thai kings used as a retreat since the Ayutthaya period — the name means roughly “royal leisure.” King Rama VI built a palace here, completed in 1918, though it was later dismantled and its materials reused to build the Marukhathaiyawan Palace further down the coast. What’s left today is a working local beach: free to enter, open 08:00-18:00, with pine trees along the back of the sand providing shade that most Thai beaches don’t bother with.

The pine treeline is the beach’s defining feature — a strip of shade running the length of the sand that keeps the ground cool even on hot afternoons, with walking paths threading through it. The water is shallow and calm, the sea floor sloping gradually rather than dropping off, which makes it a genuinely easy beach for young children. Seafood vendors grill fish and serve som tam right at the waterline, and on weekends the smell of charcoal and the sound of portable speakers carry down the beach as Bangkok and Phetchaburi families set up for the day.

Unlike Hua Hin, about an hour further south, Chao Samran has no resort strip and no night market — it’s a day-trip beach for Thai families rather than a foreign tourist base. Weekdays can leave you with long stretches of sand to yourself; weekends fill with picnicking groups from Bangkok and around Phetchaburi.

Insider Tip: If the royal history interests you, Phra Ram Ratchaniwet — better known as Ban Puen Palace — is a short drive away in Phetchaburi town and gives a fuller picture of the province’s royal architecture than anything left standing at the beach itself.

Cool season (November–February) brings the most comfortable weather, though the pine shade makes this a workable beach even in the hotter months. Convenience stores are limited near the sand, so bring sunscreen and drinking water rather than relying on finding a 7-Eleven nearby.