BEACH
The beach north of Songkhla is wide and extensive, so long that you could run an entire marathon along this coastline. You will pass small villages, fishermen, rice fields, banana plantations and more beautiful nature. This beach is characterized by soft sand, good swimming waters, and a tranquil atmosphere.
The beach is not developed for Western tourism. The many fishing boats and beautiful rugged long beach really let you experience what Thailand was like before it became touristy.
WHERE TO STAY
Along the coast from Songkhla to Ranot, are only a few locations with overnight accommodations. We noticed about 10 stays during our 4-hour drive along the entire coast. At Sathing Phra, 40 kilometers north of Songkhla, we found some stays near each other.
Ao Thai Resort is our favorite stay along this beach. It is well organized and feels relaxing due to its beautiful garden. They rent out scooters and bicycles making it possible to discover the neighborhood. Close by is the mid-range Sunshine Home Stay. If you’re on a budget, a Thai family next door offers wooden bungalows for 800 baht. Sathing Pura Resort is located 1 kilometer south of Ao Thai Resort. This stay is 100 meters from the beach. Lastly, they don’t clean the beach! You will be the only western tourist.
If you prefer a nice pool, drive 32 kilometer south to Hadd Kaew, a hotel with more than 200 rooms. From here, it is 8 kilometers to Songkhla. If no congress is going on, this hotel is good enough to enjoy beach life and relax at the pool. You need your own transport to get here, and they don’t rent scooters.
Most stays have a restaurant, although you can also go to the food stalls in the surrounding area.
PLACE
Songkhla is a province in southern Thailand, known for its rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, and a blend of traditional and modern attraction. If you like going to “undiscovered” places, Songkhla is a good place to go. Because of violence in the Deep South Songkhla has not seen much tourism in the past, although the city and the northern coast have not seen much of this violence. In the past, Songkhla was considered unsafe by various travel advisories, but since 2014 it is considered safe enough for tourism. We visited the area and added 2 beaches to our database.
WHAT TO DO
The city is located on a headland and is surrounded by the Gulf of Thailand and Songkhla Lake. This lake is the largest inland lake in Thailand. You can go bird watching in Khu Khut, go to Parkan Waterfall or take a boat trip on the lake, a special experience for nature lovers. The hill of Khao Tang Ku (2000 meters) is known for the relics of the Buddha and offers great views of the area.
Although it is a nice bustling city, we only noticed one other tourist during our stay in Songkhla town. You can explore the historic old town with its well-preserved architecture and charming streets. It is definitely worth seeing are the beautiful Chinese-Portuguese houses in the pleasant shopping streets! Another attraction of Songkhla is the National Museum located in the eastern part of the center in a mansion dating from 1878. You can also visit Chedi Ong Dam and Chedi Ong Khao, known as the black and white Stupas. The city beach is Samila Beach, where a striking bronze statue of a little mermaid overlooks the sea. This definitely makes for a good vacation photo!
TRANSPORT
Songkhla is located 30 kilometers northeast of Hat Yai. You find good connections with low-cost airlines from Bangkok to Hat Yai. Hat Yai is very well connected to major cities by bus or minibus. There is even a train station with trains to and from Bangkok, a journey of about 17 hours.
Our suggestion is to rent a car at the Hat Yai airport. Otherwise, you can take a minibus from Hat Yai to Songkhla and if you stay outside the town take another minibus to Sathing Pra. Get dropped off the main road and take a motorbike taxi for the last few kilometers. A taxi from the airport costs 500 baht to the city and up to 1000 baht to Sathing Phra.
