Find Hotels in Ao Noi na, Thailand

While most visitors to the island turn left once they leave the ferry at Koh Samet, turning right instead reveals the peaceful white sands of Ao Noi Na. Rather than looking directly out to sea, the beach looks off the distant blue peaks of Ban Phe and the mainland. The area is experiencing a resurgence and while it's still a quiet stretch of sea there are an increasing number of accommodation options. Hotels and guesthouses can be friendlier here than other parts of the island.

The area is well-known as the home of Samet’s most unusual restaurant. Floating out in the bay, Ban Ploy Samed is reached only by ringing a small bell on the mainland. An unmanned boat attached to pulleys then whizzes across the water and lands at your feet. Visitors hop in, get hauled back out to sea, and entry is gained. Once 'on board', the platform has openings in the floor through which diners dangle their legs as they sit over the water, while hundreds of expectant fish wait underneath for any morsels that fall down.

This northern beach is suitable for visitors seeking a total getaway, although the nightlife of Koh Samet's east coast beaches is never more than a short ride away.