Cha Am Information

While Cha-Am successfully caters for foreign tourists, it remains a Thai resort, with a large majority of Thai tourists. So if you are looking for the "real Thailand", for an "authentic experience", well this is it! However, the sea isn’t really crystal clear, so if you want to do some diving or snorkelling, you should go further down south, to an island like Ko Tao or Ko Pha Ngan. Please also note that there is hardly any nightlife in Cha-Am. There are much better places elsewhere if you are after partying and nightlife action.

Thai people visiting Cha-Am usually come from Bangkok for the weekend. So the beachfront is very quiet during the week, and gets more animated during the weekends and national holidays. No need to say, Cha-Am is THE place to go if you are travelling with your Thai wife or Thai family. They will love it and they will feel comfortable here, which is not always the case in other popular resorts. Cha-Am is also ideal for western families, as there are a lot of activities for children and no bar scene like in Pattaya or Phuket. Expats and long term tourists in Cha-Am are mostly retirees from Northern Europe (Scandinavia, Netherlands...).

Attractions

Phra Pit-thawanWat Neran Chararam − Buddhist Temple (Wat) with the big Statue of the sixarmed Phra Pit-thawan
Rat Charoen Tham Temple
Nong Chaeng Temple
Nong Ta Phot Temple
Cha-am Khiri Temple
Sai Noi Temple
Huai Sai Tai Temple
Maruk Khatayawan Temple

Phra Ratchawang Maruk Khatayawan : Summer Palace of King Rama VI. build in the year 1923.

Mrigadayavan Palace - 10 km south of Cha Am is the summer palace built by King Rama VI usually referred to as "the Palace of Love & Hope" The building consists of a two storey golden teak pavilion, with a series of connecting halls

Getting around Cha Am beach

Cha am is a fairly spread out town, getting around it is made much easier with some form of transport. The beach road itself is some 6 km long and from the beach it’s a further 2 km to the main town with the wet market and shops.
You could spend all your time strolling along the beach road, where you can find all the restaurants, shops and bars you need, but if you want to go anywhere else, especially to see some of the attractions outside of town, some wheels are essential.

Motorbike taxi’s are the easiest way of getting around town. They charge about 20 Baht per person for most places in town. If you want to go further afield you will have to negotiate a price. Being a tourist, the drivers may try to charge you a bit more so you will need your negotiating skills.

Taxi’s can be organised by your hotel or you can hire one from near the Methavalai hotel or at the bus stop on the main road. They are usually made up of a mixture of cars and minivans, and you wouldn’t know they were taxi’s apart from the hand written signs. Again, negotiate the price!

Hire your own motorcycle or scooter.

There are plenty of places to hire your own motorcycle along the beach road for about 200-300 Baht per day ( cheaper for longer periods - again you will have to negotiate a price ).

Legally you need an international motorcycle license to drive in Thailand, but it is rarely enforced. Be prepared to pay a bit of "tea money" if stopped.

Also, helmets are a legal requirement too. You will however ( in Cha am ), see very few people wearing them as the police rarely enforce this law. In Hua hin it’s a different story. But wear one for safety!

Check if they are insured, and that you have insurance too, otherwise you may be facing a large bill if you do have an accident.