A Beach TreatCHA AM OFFERING A NATURAL BEACH EXPERIENCE

A Beach Treat

CHA AM OFFERING A NATURAL BEACH EXPERIENCE

Have you ever wished to go to a beach completely free of umbrellas, deckchairs, tables and other things cluttering the natural beauty? Well, after the initial Wednesdays in Cha Am promotion, where the local authorities set aside a five kilometre stretch of the beach to be an ‘umbrellas and deckchairs not welcome’ space, they have now expanded this so that every weekday at the southern end of Cha-am Beach the beach will be completely open to create a more natural, and relaxed beach experience, free to be used by beachgoers as they wish – so, for example, pitching their own tent or placing their own beach mat so they can enjoy the beach as nature provided, rather than the rather more crowded experience at the central part, similar to the area on Hua Hin Beach near the Hilton, particularly at weekends.

As part of this effort, repairs have been completed to the beachfront steps, which had been damaged by seawater erosion, restoring them to their original condition. The engineering department has also been instructed to improve the area on South Cha-am beach to facilitate tourists for pitching tents, laying mats, and parking. Due to the number of people visiting from Bangkok on weekends, businesses are allowed to provide the normally ever present umbrellas, chairs and tables that have historically been there, but the hope is that local people can enjoy the beach more during the rest of the week. The main image above (Attribution: Ahoerstemeier, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons) is a typical example of what the main beach looks like on a weekend.

Cha Am is generally seen as a more traditional Thai resort area, and the ‘little brother’ of Hua Hin, but as with big brother has seen a gradual increase in interest from foreign expats and tourists who appreciate the even more laid back atmosphere, and relative lack of loud bars and other night time entertainment venues, with any that are present more sedate and limited to only one or two areas, notably Soi Bus Station. Accommodation is generally a bit cheaper, as are prices for food, drinks and other things, plus, of course, it is a little bit closer to both Petchaburi and Bangkok!

Above: Cha Am Wednesday Night Market

One of the main attractions of Cha Am, other than the beach, is the Wednesday night market (Google Maps link) from approximately 5:30pm, with stalls beginning to close from 9pm and the whole market winding down by 10pm. It is much more of a traditional Thai market than one geared towards tourists, and offers a range of foods from donuts to dumplings, from bugs to biscuits, from chicken to chillies, from cockles to cake, from seafood to sausages and from pasta to popcorn. In addition you will find electronics, cosmetics, tools, trophies, shoes, bags along with a large range of clothing. There are also outside bar and seating areas situated along the left side of the market where you can relax and enjoy eating any food you may have purchased whilst enjoying a cold beverage.

While many of the expats living in Cha Am want to closely guard their little secret, it is attracting interest, and the measures taken by the local authority to improve the beach area will make it much more attractive, as it truly is a lovely beach when it is allowed room to be! And it has that much desired, and often complained about thing lacking in Hua Hin, a road and promenade along the beach. With the two locations only being about 20 – 30 minutes apart, they are the perfect siblings, offering almost everything anyone could want from either a holiday or long term living destination, from a choice of two distinctly different main beaches (and the myriad of others between and either side), Thai markets, shopping malls, easy (and getting easier) access to/from Bangkok, a wide array of both short and long term accommodation options for every budget, wildlife, nature and spectacular scenery on the doorstep and much, much more.

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