Discovering Bang Saen: A Favourite Thai Weekend Beach Escape

Thailand is blessed with many seaside destinations, many of which attract huge numbers of overseas visitors with hotels, bars and restaurants catering to their tastes. However, I was about to discover Bang Saen, an extremely popular resort among Thais that I'd only vaguely heard of, just an hour from Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Bang Saen

Learning About Bang Saen

The first time I came across the name Bang Saen was when Port FC organised a supporters' bus to an away game at Chonburi. The coach was due to arrive in the resort during the afternoon, giving passengers time by the sea before kick-off. I’d considered going along, but a heavy Saturday night put pay to the idea. It wouldn’t be too long before I made my first visit.

By then, Taew and I had become a couple, enjoying the occasional night away together, as well as a longer trip with friends and regulars at her ‘Brothers and Sisters’ bar as we went to a place called Saisalai in Nakhon Pathom province. When Taew told me about Bang Saen, it sounded just the job, so I booked a room with a balcony on the seafront.

My First Visit

The resort was not back up to full capacity, still recovering from the pandemic, while work was ongoing to upgrade the long promenade. It was a simple enough journey from Minburi, giving us time to enjoy lunch at a waterfront restaurant before driving up the steep roads to Khao Sam Muk Viewpoint, where wild apes clambered onto the car.

We checked into our room and enjoyed a walk at night to the local night market to stock up on freshly cooked food and drinks to take back to our room. The following morning was an eye-opener as rather than going to a restaurant for breakfast, Taew parked along the road by the sea, found a sala (a thatched bamboo shelter) and waited for attention.

There was no parking fee if you sat down to eat at the adjacent sala. We were shown a menu full of freshly caught seafood, which was cooked to order and served beside the beach. It was a wonderful way to start the day. It was a wonderful way to start the day, before we headed back to the capital via a shop that made its own toffee cake and stopped at Café on Saphan in Chonburi.

Meeting the Locals of Khao Sam Muk Viewpoint

A Busy Bank Holiday

It was less than a couple of months later before we returned, this time on a Thai Bank Holiday Sunday. What a transformation. The place was absolutely packed, with parking at a premium. We’d already been to a wildlife and theme park several km inland and given it up as a bad job before getting snarled up in the seaside traffic.

Bang Saen was at its best with the sun shining as the many bars and restaurants, some leaning towards a western influence, were busy. We followed the pattern from the previous occasion, enjoying walks and buying food and drink to take back to a similar room overlooking the bay.

Bang Saen at Night

Before 2022 was out, there was time to visit Bang Saen at night. Taew had suggested that she close her restaurant early one Saturday and we head with friends to sit on the beach and eat and drink. That turned into an experience which I’m not entirely sure we’ll ever repeat.

Arriving after midnight, the bars and clubs were teeming. I suggested we go inside one, but the others were intent on setting up camp under a sala for the night. That would have been a great idea, apart from the high winds, which were making things rather chilly. I’d insisted on taking extra layers along, which I was told weren’t needed. Now the others wanted to borrow some.

We had a music player and bought food and drink from 7/11 and any other vendors who came along. It was surprisingly busy with others, some of whom I suspected were university students in the town, deciding that the promenade was as good a place as any to party.

It was somewhat of a relief when the sun came up, and the temperatures rose slightly. Before we headed off, I indulged in some fun that I should have kept well away from. Vanity and an eagerness to impress are a dangerous concoction. Nevertheless, despite being a non-swimmer, I put on a life raft and got inside an inflatable boat with Taew, which was dragged around the bay by a speedboat.

Looking back, the fact that I'm here to write these memoirs is something of a relief, even if it did give the others a good laugh. We hung around, ate some more and enjoyed the view and each other's company. When I went to see Taew the following day, she told me that a Thai Navy ship had sunk in storms during the very night we had been sitting on the beach. Suddenly, the experience felt rather more adventurous than it had at the time.

Vanity and an Eagerness to Impress - A Dangerous Concoction

A Further Visit

Around 7 months later, my brother, his wife, and son visited Thailand. We collected them at Suvarnabhumi and took them to Sri Racha, where we had booked an excellent hotel for a couple of nights. The plan was to stay in Bang Saen, but there was nothing available.

The reason became apparent the following day as we took them to the resort to see the monkeys and to enjoy lunch on the beach. A motor race had been staged through the streets over the weekend, with many barriers still in place while the temporary grandstands were being taken down.

A Chilly Night on Bang Saen Beach

In Conclusion

Bang Saen is often overlooked by Western tourists, yet it remains one of Thailand's favourite weekend seaside destinations. With its long promenade, excellent seafood, lively atmosphere and relaxed charm, it's easy to understand why. Every visit has given me different memories, from peaceful mornings by the sea to unforgettable nights with friends, and it's somewhere I'd happily return to again.

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Thanks for reading.