koh samet Archives - Beachmeter

You would think that beach sunsets get boring after a while…

Well, they don’t. It’s just like chocolate – the more you engage with it, the more you want it again and again. And like salt water, sand between the toes, and the symphony of the waves, we can never say no to a beautiful sunset at the beach.

We looked through our old photo albums and decided to bring the best beach sunsets snapshots back to life. Before we show you what we found, let’s start off with a little video of a mesmerizing beach sunset.

Our top Beach Sunset Snapshots

These beach sunsets are from Selingan Island in Malaysian Borneo. The sea was very calm and the temperature was perfect. The small island is situated in the Sulu Sea north of Sandakan in the state of Sabah. The island is also known as Turtle Island, since the island is home to a turtle hatchery. Every single night the endangered green and hawksbill turtles come to lay their eggs on this little island.

These dramatic sunsets are also from Borneo. They are from a beach called Pantai Dalit, which lies in front of the luxury resort Shangri La’s Rasa Ria Beach Resort & Spa, not far from the Sabah state capital of Kota Kinabalu.

We travel to the South Island or Te Waipounamu of New Zealand. These beach sunsets are from Haast Beach. If you look carefully, you can see that the sun sets right behind a small group of islands in the horizon, giving a stunning light effect on the evening sky. The islands are called the Open Bay Islands.

A bit further north on New Zealand’s South Island west-coast, you will find the Paparoa National Park with a stunning and rugged coastline. These beach sunsets are taken just south of the famous Pancake Rocks.

Photo Credits: Erik Sellgren – see more of Erik’s amazing photographs here.
We sail to the Gulf of Thailand to find a great evening sunset on Koh Samet. The island is one of the nearest beach getaways from Bangkok, so weekends are generally busy here with Bangkokians escaping the city hustle and bustle. Here young men play football on the beach, as the sun sets over the island.

Photo Credits: Erik Sellgren – see more of Erik’s amazing photographs here.
The sun sets and offers its last evening light rays on a longtail boat. The image is from Si Phan Don, an archipelago of islands located in the Mekong River of southern Laos.

Even Goa’s notorious party beach, Anjuna has quiet stretches with ample opportunities for great beach sunset photos. The waves can be a bit rough here at times, so you may stick to a few family shots on the beach or a quiet walk along the shore like the little fellow here. Anjuna Beach used to be a central hangout for the hippies of the 60’s and 70’s.

We end the beach sunset tour in the Nordics. Here we are on the wide sandy beach just south of the town Blokhus in Denmark. The large sand dunes make fantastic viewpoints and comfortable seating areas.

We hope you enjoyed this little beach sunset photo tour. Send us your best sunset photos, and we will share it on our Facebook page.

The history of Beachmeter

The idea of a Beachmeter was born after several experiences showing that two beaches on the same island can be worlds apart.

First impressions of Koh Samet

More than a decade ago, I visited Koh Samet for the first time. I went with a dozen of people on a weekend trip, and while I had a joyful time there, I did not find Koh Samet ranking anywhere near my top beach destinations in Thailand. Too many people, too noisy, not the best underwater visibility etc.

Koh Samet made an epic comeback

A couple of years later, I joined a couple of Bangkokian friends to Koh Samet. I didn’t expect too much because of my previous experience, but my friends knew the owner of one of the resorts further down south on the island. Who would say no to cheap beaching with good friends? We arrived at the resort, and immediately I sensed that this was not the Koh Samet I thought I knew. What met us was a small isolated beach, only a few people, a little boat anchored 30 meters out – a perfect haven of all the things I was looking for.

Our days were spent the following way: We got up late in the morning, found our table and base for the day, and throughout the day we would order food and sample delicious Thai food in-between sun-bathing, swimming, and making silly jumps from the little boat. At some point, a Sang Som (Thai whisky/rum) would appear on the table, and we would enjoy the evening Thai-style with eating, drinking, games and laughter long into the night.

While I could go on about the joys of beachlife with Sang Som and my deep connection with this combination, my point is that my perception of Koh Samet changed, and the island since became one of my favourite islands in Thailand. The beach lecture is this:

Don’t judge a destination by a single beach!

Same-same, but very different

Countless times, I experienced that the beach destination experience is highly dependent on tourist season, weather, expectations, personal preferences, and perhaps most importantly, the particular beach you are visiting. I experienced that even on the same little island, the beaches vary a great deal on characteristics such as accommodation options, visitor types, activities offered, suitability for swimming, surfing, snorkelling etc., entertainment and shopping options, price level, beach facilities and numerous other qualities.

Simply, this is why we need to build a Beachmeter.