Samae Beach: Your Weekend Beach Getaway
If you’re in Bangkok and you’re looking for a weekend beach getaway, Koh Larn’s Samae Beach will present itself proudly. It’s white sandy beach, clear emerald water, and the soothing sea breeze make it one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Pattaya.
According to kohlarn.com, Samae Beach welcomes 800 to 3000 people a day during high season. It’s a little over half a kilometer in length with 10 to 20 restaurants serving up all your stomach can take. There are also 15 bungalows and a 100 room resort for those wishing to stay for a night or two.
Getting from Bangkok to Pattaya
If you’re coming from Suvarnabhumi Airport, taking a bus is a cheaper alternative to using a taxi. You can purchase a ticket on the first floor – gate 8 – and cost 120 baht. The Bangkok Airport Bus to Pattaya operates 7 days a week and leaves the airport terminal every hour from 7:00am to 10:00pm.
The trip is about 2 hours and passengers can choose among the three drop off points: North Pattaya, Central Pattaya and South Pattaya intersections.
Alternatively, you can also depart at Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekkamai) or at Northern Bus Terminal (Mor Chit). Ekkamai is very accessible via BTS station, and buses departing at Ekkamai have a 30-minute interval from early morning to early evening. From Mor Chit, which is busier than Ekkamai, buses depart every hour to Pattaya.
Getting from Pattaya to Samae Beach, Koh Larn
Ferries and speedboats depart at Bali Hai Pier at the end of the (in)famous Walking Street, but I heard you can also depart at Na Baan Pier, a much smaller pier. The trip from mainland Pattaya to the island of Koh Larn via a ferry is 45 minutes.
If you prefer a faster trip you can rent a speedboat. It takes 15 minutes to the island and cost 300 to 400 baht per person.
Expect a 50 to 100 baht beach chair when you arrive at the island. There are restaurants lining the beach, but if you want a much more comfortable treat without leaving the comfort of your beach chair, you can also place an order from people manning the beach. Also, the foods are pricey so I recommend to bring your own food if you’re travelling on a budget.
Things to do
Samae Beach has a lot of interesting activities to offer other than swimming in tropical waters. You can enjoy banana boat, jet ski, snorkeling, parasailing and more.
Other expenses
I don’t have information of the cost of a bus ticket if you’re departing from either Ekkamai or Mor Chit. But if you’re departing from Suvarnabhumi as I mentioned above, the cost of the ticket is 120 baht.
As for our hotel, we stayed for two nights at Chaiyapoon Inn at Central Pattaya. It wasn’t special but the room was decent nonetheless. We paid 2,180 for a family room with two queen sized beds.
Since it’s a touristy place, expect to be charged like a royalty by taxi and songtaew drivers. We took a taxi from Central Pattaya to Bali Hai Pier and we were charged 200 baht. In Bangkok, that same distance would perhaps cost me less than 100 baht. In our experience, meter was not an option only 150 or 200 baht fare right upfront.
Final thoughts
Samae Beach is now a favorite. Firstly, the sand is a little grainy but soft; giving a nice feeling when you walk barefoot. Secondly, the see breeze also helps to somewhat ease the heat of the sun in leaving burns on your skin. I would highly recommend this beach to any traveler to Pattaya as it fulfilled all the basics of a nice beach.
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