Toei Ngam Beach

Toei Ngam Beach sits inside a Royal Thai Navy area in Sattahip, part of the Pattaya coastal stretch of Chonburi, and access is controlled at a military checkpoint rather than open to the public. Multiple recent visitor reports describe foreign tourists being turned away at the gate — even when travelling with Thai family members — with staff citing a Thai-nationals-only policy. There’s no fee for those who can get in; the restriction is about eligibility, not cost.

Watch out: Don’t plan a trip here as a foreign visitor without confirming current access first. Reports of refused entry are recent and consistent across several independent accounts, and access rules vary between the different navy-controlled beaches around Sattahip — a policy at one doesn’t necessarily apply at the next one along the coast. If you do go, expect to hand over a passport or ID at the checkpoint in exchange for an entry pass, standard procedure at Thai military facilities.

For visitors who can enter, the beach is described as clean and quiet, with soft sand, calm clear water, and the toei (screw pine) trees that give the beach its name. The Marine Corps Command maintains the grounds, and there’s little of the commercial development found at Pattaya’s main beaches — no long strip of beach bars or vendors, just a stretch of coastline used mostly by naval families and Thai day-trippers.

Insider Tip: If you’re a foreign traveler in the area and want a comparable but fully open beach, Pattaya Beach is roughly 25 minutes north and has none of the access restrictions.

Public transport doesn’t run directly to the beach, so a car or motorbike is the practical way to reach Sattahip from Pattaya or Bangkok. Bring cash, as vendors here don’t take cards, and expect the gate to close for the day around 18:00.