Nopparattara Beach is the quiet alternative to Ao Nang beach – it’s actually the same beach, just further away from Ao Nang town and progressively less crowded the further you go
Nopparattara Beach is a direct continuation of Ao Nang. One crosses over a low promontory and one is there. It has a very different atmosphere though. It is about 2km long, very open and lined with pine trees. At the far western end it is national park and pleasantly forested. The long seafront is lined with resorts and hotels but they are spread quite thin. As one nears the western end there is no development at all since it is already parkland.
There are a handful of hotels scattered along Nopparattara Beach’s perimeter road – the Ao Nang Buri resort, Srisuksant Resort, View Son, Sala Talay and Chaya Resort.
Nopparattara is where local Thai people come on Sunday to picnic. They sit under the trees and party with spicy salad and fruit whilst the few foreigners who make it this far up the beach stretch out in the burning sun and grill themselves to a leathery cacogenic khaki. It is a curious combination. The beach is very shallow shelved and at low tide one can walk out to nearby limestone islands. At low tide local people wander the beach intently searching the sand looking for crabs.
