Best Beach Hotels in Thailand

For guests who enjoy trying a little of everything when on holiday, the Anantara Bophut Resort is ideally placed to do just that. Popular with both couples and families, in-house facilities are excellent. Rooms, although not as large as some other resorts, are tastefully decorated, and seamlessly blend traditional with contemporary. Of its three excellent restaurants, the Full Moon Samui is the piece-de-resistance with its many seafood, international and Thai speciality dishes. Amongst its many facilities, the exceptional spa and wellness centre is an experience not to be missed. Add to that being next door to the Fisherman’s Wharf at Bo Phut and only a short taxi ride from Chaweng’s bustling night life makes the Anantara Bophut Resort a fantastic base.

Located along the tranquil Tubkaek Beach with sweeping views of the Andaman Sea and limestone cliffs, Banyan Tree Krabi is a luxury all-pool suite and villa resort with 72 residences. The resort’s contemporary Thai-inspired design combines natural stone and wood with elegant modern touches, creating a calming atmosphere that complements its beachfront setting.

Guests can dine at Saffron, the signature Thai restaurant, enjoy international dishes at The Naga Kitchen, or savour fresh seafood at Beach Grill. Serenity Spa offers a range of holistic treatments inspired by Thai traditions, complemented by hydrotherapy facilities, while the fitness centre is well-equipped for strength and cardio training.

The resort features a large outdoor infinity pool overlooking the ocean and a dedicated kids club. Each villa has a private pools and the option of personalised butler-style service.

Close to the famous Hong Islands and within easy reach of Krabi town and Ao Nang, Banyan Tree Krabi offers a luxurious retreat surrounded by natural beauty and soft sandy shores.

36 cube-shaped villas give a modernist edge to this palm-lined beachfront in Phangnga province. Designed by VaSLab Architecture, the all-pool-villa hotel was commissioned in 2008, with unusual deviated walls, tilted roofs, green walls, rainwater recycling and custom-made furniture by Anon Pairot Design Studio. Casa de la Flora offers round the clock butler service, spa, fitness suite, direct beach access, minbars, mountain bike hire and watersports. Charming afternoon tea is served daily, with dinner taken at the Thai waterside eatery La Aranya -and the cocktails here are epic with variations as imaginative as the resort’s architecture. This chic design property is well suited to discerning couples and adult visitors.

Set among tropical gardens in the Kao Takiap area the Hyatt Regency Hua Hin is known for its royal legacy, golf courses and stunning beaches, and close to a shopping village, the hotel boasts an award-winning spa, gym, tennis court, water slide and several pools. Air-conditioned rooms and suites sport balconies, flat-screen televisions, free WiFi and iPod docks, coffee makers and mini-bars, with a business centre, laundry service and free parking also available. To complete their all-round sense of well-being, guests can choose between five restaurants and bars, including a beach location and a pool-side bar.

The Banyan Tree Samui resort nestles on the edge of the Lamai jungle. From its secluded position overlooking the Gulf of Thailand this plush five star, 88 room complex whispers tranquillity. With its private beach, three restaurants, three lounges, indoor and outdoor pools, top quality spa, wellness and fitness centres with personal service, guest don’t need to even leave the complex. However, for those wishing to explore more of this idyllic island, water and road shuttle transport is readily available.

Built right into Kata Beach, this sleek aparthotel exudes a modern and minimal Balearic style and is the fanciest you’ll find in the neighbourhood. 34 apartments come with expansive terraces and infinity pools beside the ocean, some suiting couples, others catering to families and groups, with Natuzzi furnishings and Snaidero kitchens. While the resort is right on the coast, it borders a rocky beach (hence the name), however, those in search of sand need only take a five-minute stroll to the main area of Kata Beach. The hotel also has a Mediterranean poolside eatery.

The hotel’s limo will transfer you from the airport to Cape Nidhra, where you can settle into your suite with its own plunge pool, extra large bed and terrace with sea views. Dine beneath a soft white teepee on the beach, or at Rocks Restaurant, which serves an all-day menu of cosmopolitan seafood dishes. The eatery is set beside the ocean-front infinity pool with overwater cabanas and padded cream loungers. And you can enjoy sunset drinks on an outside sofa at the bar. The resort also has a steam room and sauna, the Cape Spa, a reading room and a golf buggy to chauffeur guests.

Set on a private 100-metre white sand beach, the Conrad is built into a cliffside proffering panoramic vistas. Book a villa on stilts, with your own 10-meter infinity pool and spa bathroom. Dine on fine farm-to-table cuisine crafted with ingredients from the onsite organic farm. Take yoga classes on the beach, sunset boat tours, go kayaking and snorkelling and let the kids burn off some energy at the Little Explorer’s Academy. Or book an excursion from the hotel to nearby attractions, like the Samui Elephant Sanctuary, the Samui Zip Line and the Santiburi Golf Course.

With a whopping seven swimming pools (and a swim-up bar), including an infinity pool with panoramic ocean views and a private beach, you’ll be spoilt for choice for a swim at Sri Panwa. Indoors, you can play pool, table tennis and board games. Dine at the Baba Pool Club, or on street food from around the world at Baba Soul Food, and on contemporary Japanese dishes at Baba IKI. The award-winning Cool Spa provides five-sense tropical wellness experiences in its four large treatment rooms, plus there’s a private salon and a floating yoga deck.

Set within 10 acres of tropical gardens that open onto a secluded stretch of white-sand beach, The Sarojin in Khao Lak offers a serene, highly personalised escape that captures the essence of barefoot luxury. Boutique in scale, with just 56 residences housed in low-rise residential style buildings discreetly dotted around its lush gardens. Dining is central to the experience, with two main restaurants and imaginative private dining options, including candlelit meals beside a waterfall and castaway-style dinners on a secluded sandbank. Guests can shape their stay around their own rhythm, whether that’s sunrise yoga, unwinding in the open-air spa, or beginning the day with a champagne breakfast served until 6pm.

Set on a 58-acre plot on the north-east of the island, the resort was once a coconut plantation and continues to use the fruit’s fibres in its architecture. It’s home to Thailand’s only sea pool (open seasonally), as well as two beaches, a beachfront infinity swimming pool and a swim reef where you can spot more than 50 species of fish. You’ll find a Muay Thai ring, tennis, basketball, volleyball, mini golf, swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling, jogging, cooking classes, a Ritz Kids programme and multiple restaurants onsite. Plus there’s an entire Spa Village, with eight treatment suites, a yoga pavilion and a lap pool with cabanas. 175 bedrooms, suites and pool villas are decorated in neutral colours.

Set right on the edge of the powdery white sand of Nai Harn Beach, this cool and contemporary resort commands one of the most desirable positions on the whole of Phuket. The hotel originally opened its doors to guests in the ‘80s and has received a large number of international celebrities over the years. The infinity pool is set with floating sun loungers where guests can unwind and take in stunning views as the sand slowly gives way to the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea, where a wide range of aquatic activities are just waiting to be enjoyed.