Khanom – Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

Posted on Jul 31, 2016 in Places

A quiet, sleepy seaside town in Nakhon Si Thammarat (but just south of Surat Thani), Khanom is a delight. The town itself has all the necessary amenities (banks, shops, etc) with a great deal of local flavour rather than westernised tourist restaurants.

The main beach, just a few blocks east of the town, is miles long and the sand is mostly soft with just a bit of shell grit and seaweed but not enough to deter swimming at all. The water is clean, not too rough when we were there but as with all coastal spots, I’m sure it changes at different times of the year. Bungalow operations and small hotels are scattered along the length of the beach but not too close together to take away from the serenity. As we were on a road trip and just passing through, we decided to stay at a place just back from the beach called Sea Mountain. It was a gem and if you don’t feel the need to stay on the sand, I would definitely recommend it. (Hotel review >here)

There are also a number of smaller beaches that are just as nice but as it’s spread out over a large area, transport is a must.

Food:
We had a quick lunch (& refreshment) at the Sandy Bar just in front of Sea Mountain – the food was tasty and service was friendly.

In the afternoon, we set off exploring and were lucky to come across the local markets and wished we didn’t fill up on lunch! I’m a huge fan of street food and this one didn’t disappoint – prawns, oysters, crab omelettes… we were certainly full when we left.

After a few hours exploring, we stopped for a cleansing ale at a spot called CC’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. It’s a bit further down the beach (south) from the main town and although we drove, I expect it would be a good 20 minute walk on the sand from the Sea Mountain area. Service was a little slow but friendly and the pizzas we shared were delicious (who would have thought a mussaman curry pizza would be a thing!)

Who would it suit?
Independent travellers, backpackers, families and friends looking for a laid back Thai experience.

Visited July 2016