Bang Saray Beach

North to south along the beach

North end, toward Pattaya

The quietest stretch, with almost no restaurants or shops. Bring water and shade.

Middle and the village

The fishing pier, the seafood restaurants, the evening market and most of the bars and deckchair places, with a marked swimming area off the sand.

South end

The older part of the fishing village, with stilted houses along the water.

Bang Saray is where you go when Pattaya's main beaches have worn you out. It's a fishing village and a 3 km beach about 20 km south of central Pattaya, half an hour or so by car, in Sattahip District. The sea is almost always calm and shallow, there's a marked swimming area, and the shade comes from the trees along the seawall, so plenty of people bring a camping chair and settle in under them. Look back up the coast and you get the Pattaya skyline from a distance, which is a nicer way to see it than being in it.

The village is the other half of the reason to come. Fishing boats still work from the pier in the middle of the beach, the seafood restaurants along the road are why so many Thai visitors drive down just for dinner, and there's an evening market every day. The road behind the sand has Thai and Western restaurants, bars and a few deckchair places, and it's quiet by Pattaya standards, which is the point. The stretch toward Pattaya, at the north end, has almost nothing on it and is the quietest part of the beach.

Two things to know before you swim. A few meters out the bottom turns silty in places, so the water clouds up on the rare days with waves, and from March the tide goes out a long way, leaving a wide flat of wet sand at low water. On calm days it's clear and easy, with a very gradual slope that suits kids.

Weekdays are close to empty. On weekends Thai families arrive in groups for picnics and seafood, and the beach and the road get busy, so I'd come midweek if you want space. If you're staying a few nights, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden is just across Sukhumvit Road, Columbia Pictures Aquaverse is a few minutes north, and Viharn Sien is about 7 km away.