Chumphon: Rest and good food!
Thung Wua Laen Beach from Dinsor Viewpoint Chumphon
Chumphon is a somewhat sleepy, small province in southern Thailand. Tourism has missed the grand development of holiday areas. The province is sandwiched between Prachuap Khiri Khan province in the north, with Hua Hin and Cha-am as major attractions, and Surat Thani province in the south.
The capital Chumphon is 500 km from Bangkok and that is too far for a weekend trip. It is visited by tourists, but usually only for one night to continue the next day journey to popular destinations such as Phuket, Koh Samui or Krabi. Most travelers to the far south, however, rush through the province without paying any further attention.
Beach
As a result, the province remains largely undisturbed, making it ideal for holidaymakers who do not like the tourist crowds and want to enjoy peace and quiet. A holiday to it beach, which are relatively quiet all year round, with beautiful islands in the sea, perfect for snorkeling or diving.
In this context I mention the large Thung Wua Laen beach in Patieu district in the north of the province. Lazing on a pristine beach, friendly locals, no lounge chairs or umbrellas and especially no annoying sellers of food and souvenirs. The eternal masseuses are also missing on this beach. Rest and more rest is the watchword.
Chumphon,Pathio,Thung Zang Bay.Sunshine with the sea On the beautiful beach of Chumphon
The capital
Chumphon, the capital, has seen better days. In the distant past, trains from Bangkok to the south did not go further than Chumphon, so travelers to the deep south had to change here and that often meant an overnight stay.
Today the city is still dotted with old wooden shophouses, lively markets and a number of old inns, you can taste the atmosphere of heydays of the past. You can eat well in Chumphon, enjoy southern dishes from fresh fish to well-preserved local recipes. Saladaeng Road, which runs through the city, offers a variety of small restaurants serving local dishes.
Restaurants
A good example is Guang Heng, a small restaurant housed in a wooden house, where numerous curries, stir-fries and soups with rice or noodles are on the menu. It is also best known for its homemade Thai desserts, such as durian and sticky rice.
If you think you know "phad thai" well, then you should try the one in Chumphon. The phad thai, stir-fried on a quiet charcoal fire, eaten in a remarkably small venue, I have never eaten so well. It's a small business behind the station, where one lady cooks and serves herself. During the air it is always very busy there. But there are more good restaurants, such as Nam Pung in Chansom Hotel, Ban Suan Sai Tam on the river Ta Tapao, Guay Tiew Ton Mayom at Baan Saplee.
As if all this wasn't enough, Chumphon has a cozy night market at the station, where you can buy everything. Mainly to eat of course, I saw crispy fried mussels, BBQ meat skewers, sweet “bua loy” (noodles) with eggs in coconut milk, and old-fashioned Thai pancakes, crispy fried.
After dinner, have a cup of coffee at the Cera Café on Highway 1007 with a unique view of the vast land with birds and water buffalo.
Prince of Chumphon, father of Royal Thai Navy, shrine and RTMS Chumphon monument; at Hat Sai Ri beach – Casper1774 Studio / Shutterstock.com
Prince of Chumphon
Worth seeing in Chumphon is the shrine of the late Prince of Chumphon on Sai Ri beach, about 20 kilometers south of the capital. This Prince, a son of King Rama V, is the founder of the Royal Thai Navy, who died prematurely at sea in 1923. This shrine has become a real tourist spot, but also a place of worship and respect by Thai people, especially those who still work at sea today.
There is much more to see in this province, mountains in the west, national parks with waterfalls, extensive forests with interesting flora, temples and beaches. For the peace-seeking tourist, it is certainly worth considering a visit to Chumphon. From Bangkok you can take the bus or train and there is even a daily scheduled flight to Chumphon.
Adapted from a story in The Nation.
Indeed a nice place where you can relax. Years ago in 2004 we also came there because my wife's brother lived there and we had purchased a piece of land in the hinterland near the border of Myanmar. When looking at a nice piece of land by the sea, it was still reasonably affordable there at the time, we are put off by the fact that there is a reasonable chance of flooding of the lower lying land by the sea. (A kind of tsunami hazard). The houses there were regularly flooded. We then stayed on the beach at the only new hotel, the Chuan Phun Lodge, with a nice balcony, alias roof terrace and a view over the sea. We were the first at the opening with the best room, so a first. I think there is also a memorial on the beach of the invasion of the Japanese in the second world war. Came to the beach there.
On the way to the south it is quite recommended to spend a day or so there.
and then say Lung addie lives in a “jungle”…. Gringo, don't advertise too much, otherwise my peace here will be disturbed by thousands of tourists …. don't do that to me, I'm now enjoying all that goodness you describe above...not a word of it is exaggerated and.... keep it like that….
Yes Lung Addie, I understand you! But mass tourism will not come for the time being, too far from Bangkok and no airport. In fact, you must have your own transport to get there. Been there myself several times, indeed as a break on the way to Phuket. Even a few months ago, out via Chumphon and back via Ranong. We have ten miles. overnight from Chumphon in a simple but fine, family-run hotel on the 'boulevard' by the sea. The beach chairs were free, we enjoyed our drink on the beach right in front of the hotel and the sea was good for swimming. Tasty seafood, but (and now I'm reassuring Addie) one afternoon and night in Chumphon is enough for us and the next morning we continue rested to Phuket.
Thanks for the dining tips in Chumpon.
I have one more question: does anyone know a good hotel or guesthouse in Chumpon?
One with good connection by boat to Koh Tao. Thank you in advance
No airport in Chumphon? Misinformed… the airport is 4km from my house in Pathiu. There are two flights to Don Mueang per day with Nok Air and the “normal” price is about 1400THB. From the airport there is transport to Chumphon city, Paknam (Lompraya pier), Thung Wualean, where that beach with walking avenue is ….. and yes, you need to have transport if you want to see something, but where not? Last week we made a two-day motorbike tour with 7 people from Hua Hin …. they want to do it again… were impressed by the beautiful varying landscape here. You can really relax here, tour around in peace, but for some a pity: the "nightlife" for that you have to go elsewhere…. This is Thailand…
LS Lung addie
Yes Addie, you are right. Thought the nearest airport was Surat Thani. Nevertheless, it will not be a storm with tourists to go to Chumphon with Nok air. To answer your question where you do not exactly need to have your own transport, I will mention Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket Patong as examples. And while I thought you weren't encouraging Gringo to further promote Chomphon, in my opinion you are now really promoting Chomphon! Credit me, nothing to stop but in your first reaction you didn't want to disturb your peace by tourists.
Stayed at the Novotel for 10 days last November with my lovely wife.
Wonderful rest for a few older people. Walk about in the morning
the beautiful golf course and in the afternoon by planting coconut trees.
Dear Maria,
If you want to go to Koh Tao from Chumphon, it is best to stay in the vicinity of the train station. The Novotel is indeed very beautiful but is a long way from Chumphon itself, on the road to Paknam. There is transfer from Novotel to Lomprayah Pier.
From Chumphon the easiest way is to go to Koh Tao with “Lomprayah”, high speed catamaran… price 800THB and two sailings per day. The bus to the pier departs from the station at 06.00:11.00 and XNUMX:XNUMX. Tickets on sale just next to the station exit.
There are several hotels in the immediate vicinity of the station. A good guesthouse is " Fame ".
If you come by train: leave the station, straight ahead until the first lights, turn right and 150m further along the other side of the street is Fame.
If you come by car, take the 3201 ( Airport ) in Ta Sae and follow it to Chumphon …. you arrive at the same intersection of the station.
@Leo Th... I don't need to promote Chumphon. Chumphon is and will remain a “transit town”. You can consider Chumphon a bit as the gateway to the deep South. Most tourists make a stop here if they want to go to the deep south, Koh Samui, Phuket … from BKK. They are then halfway and have already completed a day trip by car or train.
The Airport is mostly used by Thai people. Many work in BKK and in the past, before the airport reopened, it was difficult for them to come to their families for a weekend. Now that is possible because they are in Chumphon in a good hour from BKK.
Those motorbike tours are still the result of articles written by me here on the blog: ” on the road ” … permanent residents in Thailand sometimes want to explore the region, in a different way than lying on the beach somewhere in Thung Wualean or hanging out at the umpteenth market. Every region in Thailand has its charms, both the major tourist attractions and the ordinary "flat" country. My peace will not be disturbed because I live in “the jungle” …. and no tourists come there.
LS Lung addie
I always stay at the Euro Boutique hotel in Chumpon on my trips from Pattaya to Phuket.
Is down the street from the nightmarket, also the street that goes straight to the station.
Excellent parking space, good rooms with air conditioning, etc., simple breakfast, and that for 590 bath pn
Also the many authentic restaurants with delicious food and incredibly low prices
can I endorse.
Yes Gringo, Chuphon, home of Lung addie. Since the article was first posted, about a year ago, little has changed. I just have a comment about what the source of the article (The Nation) writes: “the town is littered with old wooden shophouses” has been wrong for a very long time, almost 20 years. After the passage of Hurricane Gay in 1989, most of these wooden buildings were destroyed. The sea poured into the city and in some places there was up to 3m of water in the streets and houses. After the reconstruction, these buildings were replaced by stone houses.
Chuphon is what you can call a sleepy town, but with all the necessary facilities a modern person needs to lead a quiet life.
Chumphon is primarily a student city known for its many schools. Students from all over the South come to Chumphon to study. Bangkok is far and Chumphon offers an alternative. Especially the faculty of the university where Sealife is studied has a very good reputation.
Chumphon is also a very prosperous province as well. Although there is little or no industry, the residents have a very good income, well above the average of the Thais from other provinces. The income mainly comes from palm oil and rubber plantations. Then there is also the sea with a very important source of income: especially scampi and squid from wild catch. The shrimp farms are only for export and parts of Thailand where there is no sea.
Chumphon also has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Thailand.
Lung addie loves this area, really wouldn't want to trade for any other location because I have everything I desire here and readers of this blog will have already noticed that from Lung addie's contributions to this blog.
Well,
My brother-in-law and his family live in Chumphon and we also regularly go on "visits" with Nok Air and then also to Thung Wua Laen beach, a beautiful beach where almost no one is, because there are "rumours" that (after some children drowned were), evil spirits live and a Thai is terrified of that.
The family sits anxiously under the trees, right next to the road and of course I just swim in the sea.
There were regular jellyfish, sometimes even a lot.
Furthermore, a beautiful beach with illegal structures with food on the other side of the road.
Dear Gerrit,
Thung Wualaen beach is the main beach resort of Chumphon province. During the week it is very quiet, except for a few farangs, who live here permanently, hardly anyone on the beach. However, it can be quite busy on weekends and holidays. Regularly the road, which runs along the beach, has to be made one-way. The beach people are Thai people.
The jellyfish are a seasonal phenomenon. Worse are the biting sand fleas that are active all year round at Thung Wualaen Beach.
The "illegal structures" are not those on the other side of the beach road, because they are all on private property. It is the structures between the beach road and the beach that are rather illegal because that strip belongs to the public domain. There is even talk that these will have to disappear in the near future, but we are not there yet.
The beach road, which was in a pitiful state, was provided with a new top layer a month ago and demarcated parking spaces were provided. Where the 'Funcky Bar' used to be (an illegal construction between the road and the beach), a bicycle shed has now been built.
The story of the "evil sea spirits" does not refer to Thung Wualaen Beach, but to "Coral Beach", 25 km further north. I once incorporated this story into a story here on this blog. In the meantime, people are trying to revive Coral Beach, after being closed and abandoned for 8 years. Coral Beach is also one of the most beautiful beaches (a real bay) in the area. The “Nordic Group” has started a major project there. The restaurant, kitchen, bar, terraces and swimming pool have been completely renovated. The construction of a new condominium is in full swing. I go there every Friday, around 15.00 p.m., together with my Thai neighbour, for a pint to round off the busy “retirement week”. So I see the slow evolution of this beautiful beach. Until a few months ago we were usually the only ones present, now some people are already coming, often tourists who find their way there via the “Pirate” from Thung Wualaen. The owner of the Pirate, Fon, is the girlfriend of one of the Norwegian initiators of this project. How will it evolve there??? I will keep the readers informed, as well as the construction of the new Lomprayah pier here in Pathiu.
In the meantime I have some more info about New Nordic Coral Beach. This giant project has been completely silent for almost 2 years. The restaurant has been closed since December 2019 and the construction of the condos has come to a complete standstill. According to my information, New Nordic would have pulled out of the project with huge financial losses for the investors in this project. The bare buildings are there but have not been finished inside, so they are completely unusable.
Concerning the Lomprayah pier: this project has also been at a standstill for several years. The pier is there, but that's all. No buildings... just nothing. One of the major problems there would be: too little draft to receive larger boats.
We'll see what happens next.
Last year I slept in a euro boutique hotel. With the station at your back, the first crossroads where the tourist office is on the left corner, straight ahead, about 300 to 400 meters on the left into a corridor the width of a car, as the hotel is a little behind and cannot be seen from the street but there is a sign with the name on it. To eat again to the street, link about 50 meters on the left side, simple restaurant, nice and cheap but the menu is in Thai. A little further you have another hotel and there you sleep in sea containers that are of course furnished and there was also a small swimming pool.
I like living there
Don't need all that fuss
Live between the fruit gardens eat every morning 30 Bath and then my coffee and then walk the dogs and enjoy my day
Dear Marc,
where do you live in Chumphon? Chanwat or Muang Chumphon? I myself live in Pathiu and here you will have to put very little between the teeth for 30THB. You don't even have water soup for it. With a lot of luck you have a coffee for it.
Lung Addie where I live is langsuan hadyai
Now the price for my food two years later has risen 30% to 40 Baht 555 and what has also risen sharply is the fruit I live in the fruit region
And they are certainly prosperous here in hadyai, I even think they have about the average of the Netherlands or Belgium (durian)
Give me the real Hat Yai, or that big city in the deep south.
That jungle is nice for a day trip, but after that I prefer to be in the inhabited world. Chumphon City is nice, and I could stay there for a long time, when the far south loses its luster.
Whatever I want to say
Immigration office is very very helpful