Ao Nang Beach Portrait

Just another of my Ao Nang Beach sunset shots, this time in portrait. The clouds came out with such an awesome 3D effect.

Taken on: 16th August, 2009. Copyright: All Rights Reserved - See michael_gaylord's page of Flickr

Read more about Ao Nang

We've never been great wraps on Ao Nang. There is nothing particularly Thai about it, and the beach is pretty ordinary. The town is itself is full of tailor shops, travel agents, a scattering of girlie bars and really bad Italian restaurants. Sounds tempting?

Still, Ao Nang isn't quite as 'in your face' as Ko Phi Phi, which courts a younger crowd. The tourism industry here is focused on package tours and family vacations, and good deals on decent rooms for long-stays are their speciality. About 80% of the tourists taking advantage of such deals are Scandinavian and continental Europeans, so Anglophones might end up feeling a tad out of place.

The beach is situated along a westerly-facing stretch of Phra Nang Bay, named after an ancient, mythical Thai queen. There's a headland to the east, featuring a large, majestic lime stone mountain -- Phu Khao -- that gives the area much of ... Read our complete Ao Nang travel guide

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