Thong Ta Kien Bay

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Travelling from Chaweng Noi southwards, you'll pass by a couple of smaller bays before arriving in Lamai proper. In order from north to south, you'll hit Coral Cove first, followed by Thong Ta Kien (also known as Crystal Bay). We like Thong Ta Kien Bay -- we like it a lot. Clear waters, beautiful sand and enough shade -- even on busy days.

But it is more than just the sand sea mix. Thong Ta Kien's location is excellent. It is far enough away from the "scene" to be quiet, but not too far that a night out requires a level of planning akin to ascending Everest.

The sand is dust-like, white, and squeaks up between your toes and quite reasonable snorkelling can be found offshore amid huge boulders that protrude from the clear water.

Accommodation wise, there is a range of options -- certainly enough to satisfy most budgets, even if the cheapest of the cheap leans towards dire. While it is true that if you're on a tight budget, perhaps a day trip is a better idea, those in the mid-range to more expensive budgets should be well-satisfied.

Most of the restaurants are attached to the various resorts, though you're just a short ride away from Lamai or Chaweng Beach. A few high end restaurants take advantage of the views from the Ring Road above Chaweng Noi and Coral Cove, especially near the lookout point and at Elephant Rock, a huge boulder on a bend next to the road, midway between Chaweng and Lamai, that offers sweeping views across the bay.

This area does gets a fair flow of daytrippers, and not without cause. If you're not planning on staying here, at least try to visit on a day-trip -- that's something very easy to do as it's a 30-second stroll to the main road.

These three small bays are mostly void of vendors so make for a more relaxed day, although you may want to bring some snacks and water if you don't want to buy from resorts. An added plus is that one can snorkel in peace without being ridden over by a jet ski.

Get orientated with a map of Thong Ta Kien Bay, Thailand

Thong Ta Kien Bay reviews

Backchat from the Travelfish community

The Best Beach on Koh Samui!

My wife and I just had an absolutely amazing holiday on Thong takian beach. This beach absolutely knocks spots off the other beaches on Koh Samui - and thats saying something. It is absolutely STUNNING! The huge granite boulders reminded us of the Seychelles. The sea here is as clear as a swimming pool and the sand is the really white powdery soft type.

We stayed at Crystal Bay Resort which was a delight. The owner/manager is a great guy from Holland and he made us feel really at home. Its a 3 star kind of place and the rooms are very good value indeed. We had a seaview room which had as you would imagine had gorgeous sea views.

We ventured into Chaweng (15 minutes drive) and Lamai (5 minutes drive) a couple of times but we were always happy to get back to the lovely Crystal Bay.

There are only 4 or so resorts on this beach and they understandably book up very quickly. But if you can't get a room its definitely worth a day trip.
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By tomyumgoong (dabbler)
Written on 13th October, 2012 after a visit to Thong Ta Kien Bay in September, 2012
Laid-back Paradise on the Busy East Coast

Chaweng and Lamai are a bit too busy and commercial for a some travellers. No problem - scenic Thong Ta Kien is situated between the two and is much more relaxed.

We are talking about maybe 300m of white sand between two high headlands with a backdrop of steep rainforested hills. The water is very clean. That attractive shot you see in the top left of this page is at high tide. At low tide levels a section of rock and sand is exposed in mid and far sections of the beach but the area closest camera is sandy and deep out into deep water.
Snokelling is okay but you will not see great coral in this area.

There are four places to stay along here, all far removed from the mega-resort style. Prices range from flahspacker (for a lower midrange room) to true midrange. Samui Yacht Club is the flashest and certainly looked inviting. My Thongtakian Resort lived up to its positive reviews. The other two looked okay with maybe closeness to the road being a problem at Crystal Bay.
BTW, longtail noise was absent from this bay.

There are some nice restaurant/bars higher up the coast road towards Chaweng. That beach and central Lamai are only 10 minutes away by songthaew. Actually you can walk to the northern end of Lamai in about 10 minutes.
- Sights & activities
- History & culture
- Scenery & environment
- Eat & drink
- Traveller's scene
- Romance
- Value for money
- I'll be back (or not)
By tezza (dabbler)
Written on 7th September, 2009 after a visit to Thong Ta Kien Bay in August, 2009

Also reviewed by tezza: Ao Phang Nga National Marine Park, Coral and Raya Islands, Haad Nopphara Thara, Haad Sai Khao, Kanchanaburi, Khao Lak, Ko Bulon Lae, Ko Kho Khao, Ko Kut, Ko Lipe,

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