Nai Yang

Nai Yang lies just south of the airport runway on the northwest coast, within the boundaries of Sirinat National Park. A belt of casuarina trees runs the length…Nai Yang lies just south of the airport runway on the northwest coast, within the boundaries of Sirinat National Park. A belt of casuarina trees runs the length of the beach, and the park status has kept development low and set back from the sand.

The southern end holds the main cluster: a run of open-sided Thai seafood restaurants and bars directly on the beach, a small village strip with convenience stores and rental shops, and a handful of hotels. The northern end runs quiet towards the airport headland, where the shallow reef offshore gives fair snorkelling in calm months and is a long-standing kitesurfing spot in the monsoon.

Nai Yang is the usual choice for visitors wanting a beach within ten minutes of the airport, and it draws a strong Thai domestic weekend trade to the beach restaurants. Everyday shopping is at Thalang inland, and the Sirinat park headquarters and the Mai Khao turtle beach are just north. Swimming is best November through April.