Sam Roi Yot

Sam Roi Yot is a district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province in central Thailand. It is a small place that hasn’t been overdeveloped like its near neighbour Hua Hin. People come here for the national park, marshlands and birdwatching.

After a flight just shy of 11 hours, with Eva Airways from Heathrow to Bangkok, we spent another four hours in an air-conditioned taxi (courtesy of Thai Happy Taxi) on bustling Friday night motorways in the pitch black, before arriving at the sleepy seaside resort of Sam Roi Yot.

Sam Roi Yot is about 45 kilometres south of Hua Hin. The place has a locals destination feel. We are staying at the 11-room Long Beach Inn which opened in 2005 and is run by the most convivial Bram.

Bags tossed into a very spacious first floor room with mountain view. We headed out straight away about 9.30pm and found not a lot going on (end of rainy season) before we stumbled on Arjuma Beach restaurant on the main beach road.

Dinner served by friendly Noi and her team comprised of two Pad Thais, spring rolls and three large, cold Chang beers (5% ABV) – for the grand total sum of about a tenner. (Guess why we like Thailand so much).

picture of Pad Thai and Spring Rolls
Pad Thai and Spring Rolls

A morning stroll in 30C heat revealed a rough sea, still boiling after a tropical storm and breaking onto a vast beach flanked by jagged mountains. The beach is around 4 miles long and we were the only people on it

Rough seas after a storm . Sam Roi Yot

Weather for the time of year is always important to assess when you go away and this area is just coming out of the rainy season, so hopefully we will get a dry trip.

With a blustery wind making the palm trees dance, we adjourned to the calmer sanctuary of the Long Beach pool and hit the sunbeds. 

Pool at the Long Beach Inn, Sam Roi Yot
Pool at the Long Beach Inn, Sam Roi Yot

Plenty of little flies did their best to bug us, but they are little blighters not biters. Some were disposed of into the eager snapping jaw of the hotel cat who joined us for a sunbathe. Bram said that the flies would be gone within 2 weeks. He was right, each day we were bothered less and less by them.

For dinner we had to return to Arjuma Beach restaurant. We only had big Thai notes when we ate there previously, fresh from the fee-charging ATM. We were trusted to settle up that bill with our next meal. Be aware of this and withdraw the largest amount you can as the fee is fixed.

We therefore returned and did just that, with me compelled to have a Massaman pork curry which was one of the best I’ve had in this country. 

A Massaman – ironically meaning ‘Muslim’ – contains red-style curry paste, whole spices, roasted peanuts and, crucially, potatoes and a good one tastes great.

Handle them with care though, I think in my case they are addictive. 

Details and Pricing

  • Flights to Bangkok from the UK can be found from around £600+ depending on time of year / Airline.
  • Accommodation was booked via Expedia but Long Beach Inn has its own website and appears on other booking sites, so check which offers you the best deal.
  • The transfer from Bangkok to Sam Roi Yot cost around 5500THB using Thai Happy Taxi we have used them for several pickups in Thailand and they have always been on time and reliable with decent cars. We would fully recommend, they are very responsive on email and send you confirmations with driver details etc
Massaman and Green Curry
Massaman and Green Curry