Cha Am

Cha Am is a low-key beach town on Thailand's Gulf coast, 25 minutes north of Hua Hin and about 3 hours from Bangkok by road. It suits families and slow travellers who want sand, seafood and not much else. November to April is beach season, when the sky stays clear and the sea is calm enough for swimming. Most visitors give it 2 days, often as one stop on a longer Gulf-coast beach break rather than a destination on its own.

• Long, casuarina-lined Cha Am beach — deck chairs for around ฿100 ($3) a day, banana boats and horse rides from about ฿300-฿500 ($8-$15) per ride
• Fresh-off-the-boat seafood at the fishing-pier end of town — a full seafood meal for two runs roughly ฿500-฿900 ($15-$25)
• Santorini Park's Greek-style shopping village and rides, 10 minutes south — entry plus a few rides costs around ฿500-฿900 ($15-$25)
• Day trip to Hua Hin's night market and Maruekhathaiyawan teak palace, where entry is about ฿150-฿200 ($5)
• Golf at one of the courses scattered around Cha Am and Hua Hin — green fees run roughly ฿1,800-฿3,200 ($50-$90) for 18 holes, one reason the area is a long-running favourite with golfing tourists

Cha Am has no airport. The nearest are Bangkok's two airports, around 3 hours north by road, or the small Hua Hin Airport 25 minutes south with a handful of domestic flights. Most visitors arrive by private car or a shared van from Bangkok's southern bus terminals, costing roughly ฿180-฿250 ($5-$7) for the van or ฿2,500-฿3,000 ($70-$85) for a private transfer. A slower option is the State Railway's southern line, which stops at both Cha Am and Hua Hin for around ฿100-฿150 ($3-$5) — cheaper than the van, but closer to 4 hours.

Cha Am rarely stands alone on an itinerary. It's usually one half of a Hua Hin beach base — many travellers sleep in one town and day-trip to the other — or a short weekend add-on before flying home from Bangkok, since it needs no flight of its own.