Khao Lak Holidays

from £ 797 pp

With off-shore islands and national parks for neighbours, Khao Lak holidays are as much about adventure, as they are the beach.

Rustic charm

When people hark on about Khao Lak, they’re referring to a big chunk of Thailand’s coast, north of Phuket. But these two are chalk and cheese. While Phuket’s dressed to the nines, Khao Lak’s wiped off its make-up – leaving behind greenery and chilled-out beach resorts. Days out are sorted, too. This neck of the jungle – part of the pretty Phang Nga Province – is national park-central.

Contoured coast

Khao Lak’s beaches come under national park territory, so the watersports are on ice. This frees up the waters for swimming and jet-ski-free selfies. Bang Niang’s the busiest of the lot, with biscotti-coloured sands and a street stuffed with diving centres, restaurants and bars. But there are escape-it-all spots dotted all over, too, like the cove cut into the greenery of Khao Lak Lam Ru National Park.

The green and blue

This place is a daytripper’s dream. Chilling off-shore, you’ve got more islands than you can count. You can whizz over to the Similan Islands in an hour and a half for top-notch diving. A bit further away, you can swim with whale sharks in the Surin Islands. Or just stick to dry land and visit Khao Sok National Park – home to elephants, lakes and waterfalls.

At a glance

Go scuba diving in the Similan Islands
Nod off on the white sands of Coconut Beach
Pick a national park to explore

20-kilometre coast

Twenty-twenty vision isn’t enough to see from one end of the Khao Lak coastal region to the next. This stretch of shore is 20 kilometres long and one beach blends into the next. The Khao Lak seaside faces west, too, which means the beaches here are in prime positions for sunsets.
The big beach

Although it’s sometimes hard to work out where one beach starts and another one ends in Khao Lak, Thai Muang Beach is probably the most entitled to the name of Khao Lak’s biggest beach. It’s 13 kilometres long and protected by national park status.
The secret beach

Tourism is almost in totally absent in Ko Miang, one of the Similan Islands that lies off the coast of Khao Lak. The most it amounts to is a few stilted bungalows on the beach and a couple of dive boat moorings a hundred or so metres from the shore. The beach itself is untouched, save for the odd tent that springs up now and again. You can charter a long tail boat for the day from one of the companies in Bang La On and ask your captain to take you here.

Bargain Buys

If you’re after a bargain, make for the market in Ban Niang. It’s open every afternoon and evening, but the best days for stopping by are Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. You can haggle over everything from clothes and jewellery to spices and edible bugs.
Mid-Range Buys

You’ll find a decent selection of clothes, swimwear and souvenir shops around the bigger beach areas and in Khao Lak Town. There’s a small shopping plaza in Nang Thong, too, with stores selling, clothes, jewellery and hand-made crafts.
Designer Buys

You won’t find Gucci or Prada in these parts, but tailors are ten-a-penny, so you can have a bespoke outfit whipped up in just a few days. And, unlike in the UK, a made-to-measure outfit won’t break the bank. You can pick a design from the tailor’s books, or bring a photo and ask them to recreate it.

Laid-back evenings

Most of the big hotels in Khao Lak have their own restaurants, often with beachfront settings. Look out for hotels showing Thai cultural shows for a night of traditional music and dancing. In Bang Niang there’s a Thai Boxing stadium, where you can catch electrifying Muay Thai matches each Friday.
Lively evenings

For a late night, head for Khao Lak Town, AKA Bang La On. You’ll find plenty of bars, plus a few live music venues. In Bang Niang, there are a handful of late-night bars along Jerung Street, Soi Bang Niang and the main highway.

Pad Thai

You’ll find this noodle-based dish on the menu everywhere from street stalls to top Thai restaurants. There are loads of variations, but you’ll usually find the noodles stir-fried with eggs and fish sauce, and garnished with meat, prawns or tofu. The whole lot is topped with a sprinkling of crushed peanuts and a few drops of chilli oil.
Massaman curry

This sweet and slightly spicy curry is made with beef or chicken, which is cooked in a mixture of spices, coconut milk and curry paste. It’s bulked out with potatoes and roasted cashews or peanuts, and served with rice.
Sang Som

This aromatic rum is one of the biggest drinks in Thailand, and you’ll find bottles of it lined up in most bars. It’s won international awards and the makers are so proud they put gold medals on the label to celebrate. Drink it neat, or pour it over ice and mix with fresh juice.
Seafood

Thanks to a prime seaside spot, Khao Lak’s restaurants offer up some of the freshest seafood going. Have yours grilled on the barbecue, baked in a banana leaf or served in a creamy coconut sauce. Fish cakes cooked in a fragrant herb-and-spice mix are a regular on the street food scene.
Tom yum

This soup is practically a national dish, and brings together sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours in typical Thai fashion. The centrepiece is usually prawns or chicken, served in a broth of tomatoes, fish sauce, lemongrass, galangal, chillies and lime leaves.