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Beach Expenses: The Daily Cost of Beaching in Thailand

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Thai Baht bank notes and coins, 100 baht, 20 bath, and 10 baht coins, THB
How much does it cost to stay at the beach?

Are you wondering how much money you might spend per day on a beach holiday in Thailand? We decided to plot down our beach expenses during a normal 24 hours of beaching in Thailand. We stayed in a comfortable but by no means luxurious hillside bungalow resort at Koh Phangan’s Thong Nai Pan Beach (หาดท้องนายปาน). The beach is in the north-eastern corner of Koh Phangan, but the same prices can easily be found in most of Thailand’s other beach destinations.

Expenses – A day at the beach

A list of daily beach expenses in Thailand including accommodation costs, meals, kayak rental, and snorkeling mask rental

24 hours of comfy beaching for 2 persons: 2,955 Thai Bath

So our beach expenses during 24 hours ended at 2,955 Bath.  Divide this by 2 persons, and the daily cost at the beach is just under 1,500 Bath per person per day (approx. USD 45). We certainly did not suffer, and we did not particularly attempt to save money. Bear in mind that daily beach expenses could cost far less, if your budget is tight and you are willing to cut down on comfort. A simple bungalow or a private room in a budget guesthouse can costs you as little as 250 Bath per room – even a few steps from the beach. If you opt for the local street food, your meal can easily cost 50-60 Bath. Needless to say, your 24 hours at the beach can end up costing you a lot more if you take the luxury road.

We were curious to see what Lonely Planet’s “Thailand’s Islands & Beaches” had to say about the daily budget for traveling in Thailand:

Budget travel expenses in Thailand as advised by Lonely Planet's Thailand's Islands & Beaches

Spot on LP!

Not far off huh!

In the above example, we stayed at Thongtapan Resort. It’s perhaps the last resort on Thong Nai Pan beach to retain the original beach bungalow feel. The bungalows are mostly made from natural materials, they are clean and spacious with private bathrooms, and they even have air-condition, should you want to cool down. There is no pool. Who needs a pool with the pleasant and inviting sea a few steps away, anyway?

We hope our list of expenses have given you a rough idea about the beach expenses you can expect while traveling in Thailand. In our humble opinion, there are very few places that can compete with the value for money you get here. Obviously, the tourist numbers in Thailand indicate that we are not alone in this assessment.

Wai Chaek, Koh Chang’s Robinson Crusoe Beach

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Old rusty boat on the deserted Wai Chaek Beach (Haad Wai Shak) of Koh Chang, Thailand
Our Wai Chaek expedition turned out to be something special.
EXPEDITION FACTS
Date:  Unknown, May 2014
Time: Morning
Deadline: 4 hours later (hotel check out)
Starting point: Khlong Kloi Beach, southern Koh Chang
Armour: Kayak, camera, ½L of water
Weather: Clear blue sky, calm water
Mission: Hunt down Koh Chang’s Wai Chaek beach

The evening before, we had spotted a long yellow strip on our Koh Chang map on the very south of the island. On the map it said “Wai Check Beach”. According to the map, no roads let to the beach, but since we were already on Khlong Koi Beach just a “map inch” away, we decided to check it out the following morning.

Finger pointing on map showing Khlong Kloi Beach and Wai Chaek Beach (หวายแฉก) in southern Koh Chang, Thailand

Only an inch of kayaking on the map

Our idea was to rent a kayak, visit the beach in the morning, and get back in time for check-out at our resort at noon. We paddled along rocky shores of the island with the sun beating down on us with increased intensity. After about half an hour of intense paddling we arrived at a small bay. The beach was covered with rocks and pebbles, so we decided to continue on for another 15 minutes. We arrived at another bay where we stopped to cool down in the sea and try to figure out if this was Wai Chaek Beach.

We hoped it wasn’t, because this bay was also filled with rocks and pebbles, and didn’t look like the long sandy beach portrayed on the map. We decided to continue for a bit. Because of the curves of the island and the cliffs sticking out of the water, we could only see as far as the next little cape along the island. Every time we passed a new cape, we were disappointed to see that there was no beach to be found. The sun felt a little more merciless, and we began to doubt that we would get to the beach in time – if it even existed.

Patience and perseverance are central to hunting expeditions, so we continued. After curving around yet another island cape without a beach on target, we decided to paddle to the next rock and turn around from there, if Koh Chang bid us yet another stretch of rocky island coast with no beach. Just as our turning point approached, the spectacular view of a long, sandy, palm-fringed beach appeared. Wai Chaek Beach! What an absolutely wonderful view. The beach lay outstretched before our eyes with nobody in sight to take away the feeling of arriving at an absolutely deserted Robinson Crusoe beach.

We lost time on the beach, in the sea, and while investigating the beach from all possible corners and angles.

 Mission accomplished.
 Deadline not met.

  • Wai Chaek?
    The beach is somtimes spelled Wai Shak, Wai Chek or Wai Check. Surely, there are more transliterations out there. In Thai, luckily, Wai Chaek Beach has always been spelled หาดหวายแฉก.
  • Is there no other way to get there?
    Yes, a few days later we found our way on a small bumpy path guided by our GPS. Without this aid, we would never have found it. As the main road on Koh Chang is a reverse U-shape, you have to go all the way to the northern tip of Koh Chang and then down along the eastern side. We zig-zagged along bumpy dirt roads and barely visible paths to get there, but apparently, there is a bigger road leading to Haad Wai Chaek. Ask the guys at Ting Tong Bar on Lonely Beach, Koh Chang.
  • Is there accommodation at Wai Chaek?
    Yes and no. First, define accommodation (yes, it’s that “rustic”). Travel Fish recently (2015) reported that the bungalows are now closed, and that it was unclear whether this was a temporary situation. We checked this information by contacting the owners of Ting Tong Bar who also run the bungalows at Wai Chaek. They informed us that we could just let them know when we desired to visit and they would open. So, if you plan to spend some nights at this beautiful place, be sure to contact them first either directly at the Ting Tong Bar on Lonely Beach, Koh Chang or through their facebook page.You will find some simple bungalows on a hill at the western end of Wai Chaek Beach. They were in the middle of adding a few more bungalows when we came. The old bungalows actually hardly qualify as such. They are more like shaky shelters with no facilities whatsoever. The newly build ones are equally simple but bigger and better built. You get a mattress and a mosquito net. Toilet and shower room (the cold water scoop style shower) are shared. They serve meals there, and they managed to cook really delicious food for us. There is a nice chill-out area with wooden chairs a few hammocks and a superb sea view. Electricity, not much. If you need to charge any electronic device there is a plug at the bar cum restaurant cum reception. Air-con, fan, tv, hair-dryer – forget about it. Lighting at night? – nope, but you get a kerosene lamp. Amazingly, however, they do manage to keep cold drinks in the bar.
  • More information on Wai Chaek?
    A fantastic resource on Koh Chang, explorekohchang.com has an interesting story on finding the beautiful “Haad Wai Chek”.

Here are a few images of the Wai Shak Bungalows. This should get you an idea of whether spending the night here is for you:

In short, if you plan to stay at Wai Chaek Beach, you have to love the simple, back to nature kind of experience. The beach is stunning, the sand is smooth, the sea is clear, and you are likely to have a 400 meter beach to yourself. If Robinson Crusoe beach charm is your thing – Wai Chaek Beach will send warm sun rays of bliss through your entire being. That’s what it did to us.

Guide: Which Thai Mobile Phone Company should you use?

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Thai Mobile Phone Companies with Thai tourist sim cards (AIS, DTAC, and TRUEmove)
Do you want mobile phone signal on your island hopping in Thailand? We tested the options, see the results here.

Before you buy a Thai sim card, be sure you buy from the company that best suits your needs. In our previous post, we argued that there are several good reasons for acquiring a Thai sim card for your stay in Thailand. However, the further you get away from the cities and popular vacation spots, the harder it is to stay connected. If you stay on Koh Samui, Phuket or Hua Hin there will be no such issues. But are you island hopping to Koh Kud, Koh Mak, Koh Muk or Koh Kradan you need to use the right Thai mobile phone company.

AIS, DTAC or True Move

There are three main suppliers in Thailand, who all offer sim card packages for tourists. The three operators offer similar products and prices. What is more important, is where you are going to use the phone and for what. Will you use 3G or 4G, and do you want to stream movies and use your smartphone as a WiFi hotspot? Or do you want the best coverage in the entire country? If you are in bigger cities it doesn’t really make much of a difference. We have tested all three mobile service providers in Thailand and done a bit of follow-up research. This is how AIS, DTAC, and True Move compare:

Which Thai mobile phone company? Comparison of AIS (12Call), DTAC (happy), and TRUEmove

For the purpose of island hopping and exploring all corners of Thailand, we definitely recommend AIS (12Call). Prices do not differ much between the mentioned companies, and for a lot of beach aficionados it is nice to have the option to communicate with friends and family, and check your email without burning a hole in your pocket.

Bear in mind that Thai mobile phone companies constantly look to upgrade their coverage, adjust their rates, launch promotions, and provide better and faster internet. So remember to keep yourself updated before you buy.

For those who want a little more detail, we recommend the web page http://opensignal.com/. They give nice overviews of coverage with their country maps. You can zoom in on you favourite beach and see which carrier you should use. Take a look at this:

AIS (12Call), DTAC (Happy), and TrueMove Network Coverage Maps

NEW Update!

Thai Cellular Phone Signal Coverage Maps as of July 2017:
Thai Cellular Phone Coverage Maps as of May 2019:

As you can see, the coverage has significantly improved over just a couple of years. Especially TrueMove has improved their coverage throughout Thailand. If you are going to remote islands or rural regions in the country, we still recommend that you research the mobile coverage before you buy your Thai sim card. On OpenSignal, you can type in the exact location of your stay and quickly learn which Thai phone company suits you best.

Working on Remote Desktop from the Beach?

And while enjoying yourself on your favourite beach, what if work interrupts? Get a quick remote access to your online private work space from anywhere on any device with citrix vdi from www.CloudDesktopOnline.com with add-ons such as Office 365 Enterprise E3 and Hosted QuickBooks Cloud from Apps4Rent. Don’t make work the excuse for not going to the beach!

Have you ever thought “Thailand is too touristy for me”?

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Khao San Road in Bangkok Thailand in the evening with tourists, food stalls, markets, and illuminating signs.
“Naah, Thailand is too touristy for me”

For all of those who love to travel to Thailand, there is almost equally as many who avoid the country because it is “too touristy”. Tourism is a quirky fellow, full of contradictions, stereotypes, dreams, and …tourists.

Most people have a preferred balance between novelty and familiarity. The former is exciting, provocative, challenging, and sometimes uncomfortable and stressful. The latter is safe, convenient, and relaxing, but not very mind-expanding. As tourists we juggle along this spectrum when it comes to holiday choices.

Figure showing tourist motivations regarding novelty vs familiarity

As much as we like to think travel is about the opening of horizons, learning experiences, and a journey into the unknown, in reality what most tourists seek is the following formula:

Tourist Holiday Success Formula

Homely convenience — daily worries + pampering, sun, and fun + a sprinkle of exoticism

Most holiday seekers want to relax and reload their batteries in a comfy, fun, and not too challenging environment. This is why all major international tourism destinations offer familiar conveniences and tourism experiences. This is sometimes called a “Tourism Bubble”, i.e. a zone of comfortable familiarity in the midst of a foreign destination with different language, values, traditions, lifestyles etc.

Is Thailand too touristy?

Thailand has loads of tourism destinations that fit this equation. But far from all regions and areas in Thailand are full of tourists. If you think Thailand is too touristy, it is probably because you decided to go to the touristy areas. The areas where there are a variety of hotel options, international restaurants, stable WiFi connection, major attractions, brand shopping, English speaking staff, and easy transportation. This is what most tourists desire, but rarely can you have these elements without a significant amount of other tourists seeking the same. The relationship between “touristy” and positioning on the “novelty vs. familiarity” scale can generally be illustrated as follows:

Figure showing the tourist dilemma of avoiding tourists and touristy places

How to avoid the most touristy places in Thailand

The good thing about Thailand is that it’s fairly easy to get away from the most touristy areas, and you don’t have to compromise too much on comfort if you don’t want to. Do you want to find that calm beach with unobstructed views of the sea and only the sounds from the wind and the rolling waves? You might be surprised that even on popular islands like Phuket and Koh Samui this is not that difficult. You might have to take a longtail boat to get to your beach, you might have to sit 20 minutes on the back of a pick-up truck, or you might have to traverse a small hill to get there. But that’s not too much of an effort if your desire is to get away from the crowds. Needless to say, traveling in the low season, will also greatly enhance your chances of avoiding tourist crowds.

If you want to reach the more secluded islands in Thailand, they are mostly within a day’s travel combining local transportation and boats. It is likely that you will need to be more flexible regarding your accommodation, meal, and facility options.

So if you tell yourself that Thailand is too touristy for you, ask yourself where you would like your holiday to be on the “Novelty vs. Familiarity” spectrum. If you are willing to go slightly off the beaten track on your journey, you can easily avoid the most touristy areas regardless of whether you are looking for cultural, natural or historical experiences.

If you want to learn more about the issue, take a look at this great article from Khiri Travel called “This Place is too Touristy“. It sheds light on the dilemma of tourists wanting to avoid touristy areas, while still wanting to see the major sights and attractions.

We can also recommend an article by China Williams in The Independent with a few tips on finding some hidden treasures in Thailand: “Thailand’s secrets: Blissfully quiet beaches, traditional villages and architectural wonders.“

Hotel WiFi: Want to stay online on your beach holiday?

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White sea foam spilling onto a beautiful deserted beach and wifi logo
Two great resources if you want to stay online on your next beach visit.
Read on…

If you are one of those who believe that computers, tablets, and smartphones don’t belong at the beach, think about this: What if being online enables you to prolong your beach stay?

To many beach lovers, staying an extended period at the beach requires a stable internet connection to keep the inbox in check, and to be able to respond to urgent matters. The problem is that the further away you are from the big cities, the lower is the probability of a good internet connection. Consequently, you might out of necessity avoid beach escapes to destinations off the grid. A shame if you want that castaway beach experience.

A lot of beach resorts promise internet availability, but often the connection is weak or entirely missing for long periods. So what do you do, if you need internet?

We would like to present two great resources for checking your hotel WiFi and internet options at your beach destination before you choose your hotel and holiday location.

1) Hotel WiFi Test
This website is dependent on travelers contributing to a growing database of internet availability and speed at hotels. If you stay in a hotel, don’t forget to visit the Hotel WiFi Test website and take a speed test of your hotel’s internet connection. Now other fellow travelers can see the results of the internet speed test and use this information in their choice of hotel.

Hotel WiFi Test comparing United States, Europe, and Asia in terms of WiFi quality and free availability.

Hotel WiFi Test map showing worldwide country performance of WiFi quality and free internet availability

These figures give a very broad overview of internet quality and free availability in hotels worldwide. If we look at the worldwide hotel WiFi ranking of Southeast Asian countries specifically, the ranking is currently as below.

WiFi ranking by country and city:

Country
 Singapore: 16th
 Vietnam: 20th
 Thailand: 26th
Malaysia: 41st
Philippines: 47th
Indonesia: 48th
Cambodia: 50th

City
 Singapore: 12th
Bangkok: 22nd
Kuala Lumpur: 24th
Pattaya: 45th
Jakarta: 47th

 Laos and Myanmar are not represented in the top 50.

This data still does not give much insight to the WiFi quality and availability at a specific destination, and there are still large gaps of missing data at your favourite Southeast Asian beaches. Therefore, we encourage you to contribute to the database when you travel to the islands and beaches, so we can all benefit. Hotel Wifi Test also has apps for smartphones and tablets, and they are continuously developing their services, so be sure to check how they can help you.

2) WiFi Map
The other resource we would like to bring to your attention is the WiFi Map application that works with both iPhone and Android. This app will show you the available wireless networks in your area and provide you with their passwords. The app uses your mobile’s GPS function to determine your location and then advise you on available networks in your proximity. Needless to say, you must be within reach of the WiFi in order to connect, and the passwords might not always be up to date. The information is uploaded and updated by users, so you too can contribute by sharing information. Download the free app for iPhone or Android. An upgraded version is also available.
WiFi Map smartphone application showing wireless networks in your proximity along with passwords

Pigs in Paradise: The Swimming Pigs of Exuma

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The swimming pigs from Exuda in the Bahamas
If your day is a little gray, if you need some inspiration, if you are not sure you can do it… Then just remind yourself that even pigs can swim!

This is the preview of the amazing short documentary film “When Pigs Swim” by Peter Nicholson:

 

These pigs in paradise live on a couple of the Exuma islands in the Bahamas. Here there are more than 360 small islands with sugar white beaches and clear water. You might see vacationing celebrities and millionaires here, but what you wouldn’t expect to see on your perfect postcard beach are happy pigs swimming around you and enjoying beach life.

Whenever a boat arrives – usually with tourists eager to experience the pigs in paradise – the pigs swim out to greet the visitors, hoping that they will be rewarded with a few handfuls of yummy food.

It is uncertain how the pigs got here. One theory states that sailors dropped them off on the islands, expecting to come back later to the islands with pigs ready to be domesticated. Another theory sees the pigs as shipwreck survivors. A third, and perhaps the most probable theory is that the pigs were relocated by local villagers in the 1990’s due to stench complaints. Whichever way they got here, they are an amusing sight, and you can’t help but feel happy learning about this wacky phenomenon.

If you are also intrigued by the pigs in paradise, you can find more images, background stories, and information on the When Pigs Swim official website, and don’t forget to like their Facebook page for the most recent updates.

Not recommended: All-inclusive resorts in Southeast Asia

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All-Inclusive resort from Southeast Asia with a big pool, sun umbrellas, sun chairs, palm trees, and a pool bar

You may associate all-inclusive holidays with Caribbean holiday packages, but the concept has slowly gained it’s share in Southeast Asia.

All-inclusive resorts
offer package deals where 3 daily buffet meals, unlimited snacks and soft drinks, and sometimes certain alcohol types and brands are included in the price. Some resorts offer free activities and kids’ clubs on top of that.
The concept of all-inclusive holidays was first developed by Club Med more than 60 years ago. The idea was – and still is – to give customers a worry-free and convenient holiday, where the total price of the entire holiday experience is pretty much known. There is no need to bargain for prices, no need to carry money anywhere inside the resort premises, and no need to worry about where and what to eat. There are plenty of water sports, games, and activities for the kids, and professional staff to watch over them.

In other words, the scene is set for you to treat yourself and your loved ones to some massive indulging. If you like to know more about the benefits of all-inclusive holidays, you can check out this article by Jenni from the magazine Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia. In case we didn’t manage to portray the benefits of all-inclusive holidays, we decided to make an advertisement… but something went wrong half-way:

Benefits of all-inclusive holidays or “no thanks”?Benefits of all-inclusive holidays and reasons not to buy all-inclusive holiday packages

More and more resorts in Southeast Asia are offering all-inclusive packages, but in most cases, we don’t recommend buying an all-inclusive holiday. Southeast Asia is such a joy to experience. It’s easy, convenient, fun, and safe compared to many other travel destinations. There are exciting sights, beautiful nature, spiritual and historic monuments, great and varied food options, and lots of impressions waiting for you to explore right around the corner. So why would you spend your holiday in this exciting setting by staying within resort walls and alienating yourself from the culturally rich society you are visiting?

Collage showing local life in Southeast Asia with a quirky restaurant, dried seafood on sale at the market, a small street shop selling snacks, local nightlife with SangSom and soda, and local musician playing traditional instrument.

Would you miss out on these great experiences by staying within resort boundaries?

On top of that, there is the problem of what tourism researchers call “leakage”. For an in-depth exploration of tourism leakage, see our post “Tourism Leakage – This is how little your money contributes locally!”

In short, leakage refers to the phenomenon that none of the tourism dollars you spend are benefiting the society around you. Your flight, your travel agent, and your resort are most likely foreign or non-local companies that extract their profits from the destination. None of your tourism dollars stay locally – thus the term leakage. Why is this a problem? Your host society has to pay for the extra stress you put on water, infrastructure, nature, and energy resources, food prices rise, and that old favorite picnic spot at the beach might very well be reserved for resort guests. Bummer.

There are good reasons, especially for families, to stay at all-inclusive resorts, and of course all-inclusive hotel operations who contribute to society and run with sustainability in mind do exist. But the mentioned benefits of all-inclusive holidays are less relevant in Southeast Asia, since this area serves as an ideal region for individual travelers to collect  unique memories.

If you like to read more about the issues concerning all-inclusive holidays, have a look at this great article from responsibletravel.com: Should all inclusive resorts be banned?