Tri Trang Beach

Tri Trang is a quiet bay a few kilometres south of Patong, at the end of a long road over the headland. It is one of four beaches on this peninsula, with Merlin Beach, Paradise Beach and Freedom Beach, and was once also called Emerald Beach or Crystal Beach. For years it felt almost abandoned, a place where locals came for weekend barbecues.

Today the Rosewood resort sits behind much of the beach but has kept the frontage mostly intact: one row of chairs, palm trees planted after the 2004 tsunami felled the old casuarinas, and plenty of space. The old Tri Trang Resort and its restaurants at the other end have been demolished; the HideOut Area at the northern end is now the only place to eat on the sand.

At low tide the sea uncovers rocks and coral, so swimming is best at high tide, when there is plenty of sandy water and the snorkelling is at its best. The sun sets behind the cape, but dawn colours are beautiful, and a row of small cafés on the road to Paradise Beach looks out over the whole bay towards Patong.

Tri Trang is calm but not ideal for small children: the seabed is rocky, the water gets shallow with rocks and coral at low tide, and there are no lifeguards. Families staying at the nearby resorts can swim here at high tide in water shoes.

• Swim at high tide only, in water shoes.
• No lifeguards reported.
• Food on the sand at the HideOut Area.
• Resorts nearby, such as the Marriott Merlin Beach, have kids' clubs for guests.