Beach Life

Sooo, I'm living on one of the most beautiful islands in the world, I'm working but still have lots of free time....and I'm a BIG fan of the ocean, so what better way to spend the last few weeks than exploring the many stunning beaches of the island.

Here's my potted guide to the beaches so far:

Haad Salad

This is my local beach, just a 10 minute walk or 3 minute bike ride downhill from my house and the Yoga Retreat

North End

taken from Haad Salad Resort decking

very quiet today

There is lots to love about Haad Salad, it is on the west coast and therefore is a wonderful sunset beach. It is very quiet, even though the resorts are plentiful nowadays. It does attract families with small children as the water is shallow, still and safe. You can snorkel further out to sea, but at this time of the year it is very shallow, so it's not a swimming beach, it's more of a paddle out and lie or sit down.

Some Haad Salad sunsets....

Haad Khom

North facing, alternatelvely known as Coconut Beach, this is a beautiful setting, very quite and has a little more breeze than the west facing beaches, and a little more trees to sit under. - Obviously you are taking the ultimate gamble when you place yourself under the coconut trees though!!!!

outlook towards west/Choloklum

outlook north, towards Bottle Beach

I liked this beach for a read and felt in solitude here, the water was also still shallow but you can swim out to snorkel and sometimes the serenity was spoilt by snorkel boat tours going past blaring western music out. You can also catch a small fishing boat here to Bottle Beach, but I'm saving that trip for a day off.

Secret Beach

Not so much of a secret as there is a big sign on the main road here saying so, but this is still a very quiet beach, mostly populated with a younger crowd, possibly as the beach bar shack plays awesome music all day long. The sea here is not the best, again shallow, but has more of a clay based base, but I really like this beach and I like the music aspect of it.

I'm also mentioning here Koh Raham, not a beach itself, but a really cool bar and restaurant which has many rope swings, hammocks and steps down from the end of the venue into deep water where you can swim (yay!) and be joined by many many tropical fish, so fab for snorkelling too.

from Koh Raham looking back onto Secret Beach

loving the hammocks 

sunset props 

Haad Chao Phao

So wrap up this post, I have to mention possibly my favourite beach bar (so far) which is awesome for sunsets - I think I'm going to have to post a sunset post all of it's own! 

The bar is called Pirate Bar and it is just tucked away in the south end of the beach, almost hidden by the rocks. It has a lovely little deck that juts out in the sea, so you feel like you are on a boat, and it is directly opposite the sunset at this time of the year. 

Later on some evenings they have DJ sets here, and they have a sand dance floor and a huge wall of speakers. I've been to a couple of parties, but being the diligent yogi that I am I have left them early before they have got too busy or too raucous! 

SO WHEN ARE YOU BOOKING YOUR FLIGHTS?????