23 Best Hotels in The Gulf Coast Beaches, Thailand

Ban's is set up for diving, so this is an ideal place to do your scuba certification, but it's a fine place to lay your head even if you don't plan to dive. Discounts are available if you sign up for a dive course, however. The resort is divided into two sections. An elegant upper zone has updated villas and a pool, while the rooms in the older wing are a lot cheaper and nearer to the lively, legendary restaurant/beach bar.

A cheaper alternative to Pattaya's five-star palaces, this centrally-located hotel has amenities like flat-screen TVs, refrigerators, safes, and hot showers—a great value for money.

These two-story bungalows set in a tropical garden have a modern look and a luxurious feel, with white walls and much polished wood. The resort has two pools, one spilling into the other below, and landscaped grounds with several fountains and sculptures. It's next to Lonely Beach, which is beautiful but rather small and, its name notwithstanding, often crowded.

This Tanote Bay resort makes a perfect base for snorkeling because of the colorful coral, interesting fish, and small reef sharks that cruise around at sunset. Discounts are available if you sign up for a dive course, so this is an ideal place to do your scuba certification. Set in a landscaped garden on the hill above the bay, the accommodations are a stylish blend of natural wood and painted, curvaceous concrete walls. A pickup-truck taxi makes the run to Mae Haad five times daily, and a taxi-boat for trips around the island is available from the Mt. Reef Resort at the south end of the bay.

This serene hotel is on the beach but with easy access to the rest of Hua Hin. The accommodations range from clean and simple standard rooms to expansive sea-view duplexes. The feel of the place is distinctly modern—minimalist but comfortable. There are two pools, one with a poolside bar, and the restaurant is decent. Facilities at this family-friendly property include a game room and a playroom.

Cascading down a jungle-clad hillside at the southern end of Haad Salad, Cookies Salad offers something for everyone. In the budget category, basic rooms in a modern block have amazing views and outside hammocks. Family cottages are more luxurious with king-sized beds and chic outdoor areas. A lovely swimming pool puts the icing on the cake. 

On a pier that juts out over the water, this guesthouse is unlike any other in Hua Hin. The Cape Cod–blue planks of the pier match the color of the trim around the whitewashed walls. Rooms have kitschy (or tacky, depending on your taste) touches like seashell-framed mirrors and sand-encrusted lamps. Two large houses claim prime real estate toward the end of the pier, with private decks ideal for sipping afternoon drinks or watching the sun rise.

These simple wooden huts directly on the beach at the "quieter" northern end of Haad Rin East are the best deal in the area—for the best location. Opt for one of the beachfront bungalows and request hammocks for the porch.

On one of the main streets leading to the public entrance to Hua Hin Beach, Jed Pee Nong has bungalows clustered around a swimming pool and standard rooms in a high-rise building. Rooms have huge beds and not much else, but the price is hard to beat. The terrace restaurant facing the street stays open late.

There are many strings of bungalows on Kai Bae Beach, but this property is the most established and reliable. Very simply furnished, the one-room bungalows here all have air-conditioning. Some of the resort's rooms are in the adjacent building, and the bungalows are closer to the beach. Plenty of restaurants are within an easy stroll.

On the quieter northern end of Sairee Beach, this resort is a good place to get your scuba certification. The colorfully painted, traditional beach huts made of bamboo and coconut timber were built to 21st-century standards, including spacious sunken bathrooms with stone floors. Deluxe rooms have amenities like phones and minibars. Much cheaper and more basic fan rooms are also available. (Note: Rooms 304 and 403 are adjacent to the sometimes noisy restaurant and beach bar.) Guests at neighboring resorts, including Koh Tao Cabana, are welcome to take scuba courses here as well.

The bungalows and restaurant at this well-landscaped resort in northern Koh Phangan are built of wood, thatch, and bamboo in traditional southern Thai style. The bungalows, each with a private balcony, sit amid lush tropical gardens shaded by coconut and other trees. Popular with travelers wanting to laze away soaking up the sun, casual Longtail is right on Haad Thong Nai Pan Yai.

An ocean-view room with a hot tub and private balcony—or if not that, a poolside beachfront bungalow—is the way to go at the Mac. This is a friendly place, and there's a nightly barbecue on the beach.

Lodging options are few in Chumphon, but this centrally located hotel has comfortable rooms and provides a reasonable level of service. Only a short walk from the night market, the Morakot Twin has rates among the lowest in town.

This three-story hotel in a quiet alley near the night market is an excellent deal, with spacious rooms that feature amenities like hot showers, flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, and silent air-conditioning. Some rooms have balconies. The atmosphere is chatty in the tastefully decorated lobby featuring Buddha statues, paintings of flowers, chandeliers, and natural stone.

Although it doesn't quite achieve the effortless cool it's striving for, Punnpreeda is still a fine place to stay. Rooms, all of which have balconies, are decked out in pretty colors and have walls that look like hardened clay. Framed by palm trees, the sparkling pool gazes out at the ocean. For those looking for nightlife, there's a shuttle to Chaweng twice each evening.

The cottages at this small resort on one of the island's quieter beaches have glass sliding doors and peaked roofs, and bathrooms have showers with glass ceilings. Dine alfresco under hanging gardens, or walk down the beach and enjoy fresh seafood at the beachside restaurant across the channel from Cape Fahn Hotel.

This nine-room guesthouse near Cha-am's train station offers excellent value for money—and you can check in even if you arrive after midnight. Khun Meaw, the general manager, is affable and incredibly helpful, and offers scooters for rent. In-room amenities include a flat-screen TV, refrigerator, desk, private bathroom, and free Wi-Fi.

Of the guesthouses on northern Koh Phangan's Haad Kuat (Bottle Beach), this one on the beach's western end is the best, though it lacks most amenities besides a restaurant. Huts are on the hillside and have large wooden decks overlooking the water. The bungalows higher up the hill, duplexes, have the best views. The restaurant has comfortable seating, either at standard-height wooden tables or low tables surrounded by triangular pillows. The staff frequently hangs out with the guests in the evening, when the music is turned up, the lights are turned down, and cards and beer bottles cover the tables. The beach is great for swimming.

Unassuming yet comfortable, this is one of the best options on Thung Wua Laen Beach. Beds are generously proportioned and comfortable, and the best rooms come with balconies overlooking the azure ocean. The hotel's excellent seafood restaurant—Krua Talay—is another plus.  Credit cards are accepted here, but at 3% surcharge.

This modern high-rise offers everything you need for a Surat Thani stopover as you prepare for your onward journey. Rooms overlook the Tapi River. The hotel's restaurant, with a predominantly Thai and Chinese menu, is among the city's best, and the dim sum is excellent. The local tourist office is a few blocks away.

If you want to be lulled to asleep by the sound of the surf, stay in one of this trio of boats that have been converted into bungalows. They're air-conditioned and sit on the beach overlooking the rocky coast. The resort also has standard rooms, but these are rather bare-bones and not as comfortable or as novel as those in the boats.

The island's biggest hotel is comfortable enough and has a central location. It's often full on weekends but nearly empty during the week. The pool is great for an afternoon dip after touring the island.