'''Khanom''' (????) is a small town in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province.

Understand

Khanom is unspoiled by tourists and a little bit off of the beaten path, but still fairly easy to get to. It is a small, quiet fishing town with lovely beaches. It is a great stopping point when travelling through southern Thailand. Nai Plao Beach is the main area with a few hotels and restaurants.

Get in

By mini-bus - You can get to Khanom from the nearest cities of Surat Thani (an hour north of Khanom) or Nakhon Si Thammarat (an hour south of Khanom) for about 80 baht.

By taxi from Donsak Ferry Pier (which is the ferry to/from Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan).

Get around

The best way to get around is by motorbike. The town and beaches have very little traffic so it is safe to ride a motorbike around to get to the local attractions and to check out the different beaches.

See

The beaches are nice and practically deserted. There are 2 caves in the area, a few waterfalls, a nice paved road up Dat Fa Mountain.

Do

Relax, see some of the natural, unspoiled attractions in the area. Hike or mountain bike through the jungle to the waterfalls and caves or kayak and swim off of any beach.

Go to the Wednesday morning market in town and see the variety of fruits, veggies and fish and other local merchandise.

Buy

With over 40% of its villas sold, '''Nai Phlao Royal Residences (www.thairoyalresidence.com)'''is the hottest property available. Consisting of 35, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom villas located directly on the white sands of Nai Phlao Beach, and the Gulf of Thailand, this investment opportunity is moving quickly. [I think this is pretty clearly some self-promotion, no?] The resort, which will be called '''Saksit, the Sanctuary Villas at Nai Phlao Beach''', will open Phase I in the first quarter of 2009.

Eat

  • "'''Khula Bhula Cafe'''", located on the beach road, is the coolest place in town, a lovely small cafe with a lot of characters that offers eclectic selections of food, from all-day international breakfasts, sandwiches, salads, to real coffee, smoothies, and Italian homemade icecream.
  • '''One More Beer''' - a great selection of both American and Thai food.
  • Khanom also has a great selection of fresh seafood.

    Drink

    Sleep

    There are hotels/resorts/rooms from about 300 baht to about 5,000 baht a night. Not much need to book ahead yet, this may change in the next year or two after Khanom is discovered.

    '''Baan Thong Ching Resort''' ,the eco-friendly new resort, is made up of self standing bungalows built in the Thai style.If you want to escape from the madding crowd or unwind from the stresses of modern life in an unspoiled beach setting, this is the resort for you and your friends or family. Tel +668 7 915 8822 , www.baanthongching.com

    Get out

    There are mini-buses that leave from Khanom every hour from about 6am until 4pm to Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat. There is also big bus and a VIP bus that goes to Bangkok every day at 5:30pm. It arrives in Bangkok about 12 hours later in the morning.

    Khanom is in between 2 bigger cities and about 20 mins away from Donsak Ferry pier, which has ferries to Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan.