BEACH
The beach of Hat Son Onn north of Nakhon Si Thammarat is 7 kilometers long. The beach remains nice and wide even at high tide, and the swimming conditions are good all day long. This place is still undiscovered. Hat Son Onn boasts natural beauty with its soft, golden sand and blue waters. The beach is surrounded by coconut palm trees, creating a picturesque tropical setting.
The beach of Hat Son Onn is constantly developing. Ten years ago, you found only a few places to stay along this beach, but in recent years stays have been added. Fortunately, the beach is long and still feels very peaceful.
WHERE TO STAY
We stopped at the upper range Beach Walk Home Stay and fell in love with the place. Be amazed by the furniture and decorations in this resort. Moreover, there is a beautiful clean swimming beach with a creatively designed restaurant and amazing rooms and bungalows.
The Beach Walk Home Stay has bungalows for every budget: from nice, simple bamboo huts for 800 baht, to nicely decorated rooms for 1800 baht, to exclusive bungalows for 3000 and 5000 baht. A little further away from the beach you find a second building with a swimming pool between palm trees, next to a fishpond.
If you can’t find a room here, just 300 meters north there are some mid-range stays. We find Tharadol Resort a good alternative. One and a half kilometers north of Beach Walk Home Stay are 3 alternative options: Seava Beach, Loma Beach Resort and Simork Lake and Beach Resort. We recommend checking the booking sites to see what appeals to you most.
You find several restaurants in the area.
PLACE
The beaches near Nakhon Si Thammarat are still empty and are a good place to visit if you don’t want to be bothered by other tourists. The beaches are long and along the coast you will find small villages. This is a perfect place to walk or drive around and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. You can plan day trips to waterfalls or visit one of the fruit farms, and at night you can join a fishing boat.
North of Nakhon Si Thammarat we found 2 good beaches with some facilities that are 30-50 kilometers from the airport. South of Nakhon Si Thammarat we explored the coast between Pak Phanang and Ranot. This coast is 70 kilometers long and the beaches are very basic. There are many windmills and there are often stone breakwaters offshore.
WHAT TO DO
Nakhon Si Thammarat, the second largest city in the south, is a blind spot for most tourists focused on Ko Samui and Ko Phangan, a hundred kilometers to the north. That’s a shame, because it is truly a fascinating city. Nakhon Si Thammarat is known for its excellent cuisine and traditional crafts, and this is the best place to view Thai shadow puppets.
TRANSPORT
There are direct flights from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat, operated by AirAsia and Nok Air. There is a good bus and minibus connection to Trang, Phuket and Songkhla. Heading north, minibuses run between Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani that drop you off on the highway near Plian. From here it’s another 6 kilometers to Hat Son Onn.
If you are going to Tha Sala, the minibus will stop there. In town, you can rent scooters to reach the beach or take a taxi. The southern coast is difficult to reach by public transport, so our suggestion is to rent a car at the airport.
