Golden Pearl Beach

Golden Pearl Beach is the main beach on Koh Jum, the quiet island between Krabi and Koh Lanta. It's a wide, open stretch on the southern west coast that runs on into Andaman Beach, the two together making up Long Beach, about 5 km of sand, with small resorts and bungalows behind it and the restaurants and shops of the south a short ride away.

The tide decides what kind of beach you get. At high water it's a long, quiet swimming beach facing the sunset, and you'll often have a stretch to yourself. At low tide the sea pulls back over rocks and sand flats, so swim at high water and wear reef shoes, and watch your feet near the cape at the end, where a stingray is not unheard of.