🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Samae Beach sits on the western side of Koh Larn and is one of the longest beaches on the island, running about 700 metres. The draw is the fine white sand and the emerald-green water that turns genuinely clear on a good-weather day. The beach hits a nice middle ground — not so empty that it feels lonely, not so packed that you can't find a spot to lie down. It suits anyone who wants to settle in for a long lazy day, sip a coconut, wade in the shallows, and pick up a watersport or two if you're after a bit more action.
Why Samae Beach
- Long beach, white sand, clear water — the middle section is shallow and easy to wade into, good for kids and anyone who isn't a strong swimmer.
- There's a snorkeling spot — around the rocky headland you'll find coral and small fish to look at on a clear-water day.
- Plenty of photo spots — a green wooden walkway running along the rocks, yellow-and-black floats, and a small cave you can walk into at low tide.
- The facilities are all there — canvas sun beds, umbrellas, beachfront restaurants, restrooms, and accommodation across a range of price points.
Want more out of Koh Larn? Book tours & activities
Booking online ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide is usually cheaper than the gate and skips the queue. Pick only the experiences you actually want — prices and availability are shown live on each site.
Snorkeling over coral right off the beach
What a lot of people love about Samae Beach is the snorkeling you can do straight from the shore — no need for a boat ride out. The zone with coral and fish to look at is around the rocky end of the beach, where the water is fairly shallow and beginner-friendly. If you can bring your own mask and snorkel it's better value, because while some spots rent gear, the price and cleanliness of the kit vary from shop to shop.
How to snorkel safely and enjoy it
The water around Koh Larn turns murky on some days depending on the weather, especially after rain or during windy, choppy spells. When it's murky you won't see much of the coral, so aim for the early morning when the sea is calm and the sun isn't harsh yet · watch out for stepping on coral or sea urchins — beach shoes help — and never touch or break the coral.
Chilling on the beach — sun beds, umbrellas, restaurants
If you've come purely to lie around, Samae Beach does it well. There are canvas sun beds and umbrellas to rent all along the sand, running about 100–150 THB per set per day (some shops fold it into the food you order). The beachfront restaurants serve made-to-order dishes, seafood, som tam, and coconut water. Food on the island runs a touch pricier than the Pattaya side because of the cost of shipping it over, but it's reasonable enough.
- Sun bed + umbrella, around 100–150 THB per set per day
- Made-to-order dishes around 80–150 THB each, seafood priced by size
- Coconut water / drinks around 40–80 THB
- Restrooms and showers available, 10–20 THB per use
Watersports
Samae Beach has watersports if you want to dial up the excitement — jet skis, banana boats, and parasailing (the parachute towed behind a boat). There's less of it on offer than at Tawaen Beach, which is the main beach, though. Prices are negotiable and shift with the season; roughly, jet skis start in the high hundreds and run into the low thousands of THB per ride, while banana boats and parasailing are in the hundreds per person.
Check the price and the safety gear before you ride
Before any watersport, get a clear price — per ride, per person, or per minute before you get on the boat, and look over the life jackets and equipment to make sure they're in good shape · parasailing and jet skis carry real risk, so pick an operator that looks legit, and don't ride when it's windy and the sea is rough.
How to get to Samae Beach
There's no boat running directly to Samae Beach from Pattaya. You take a boat to Na Baan Pier (or Tawaen Beach Pier) first, then catch a songthaew (shared pickup truck) across the island. It's the standard route for anyone visiting Koh Larn.
- Boat from Bali Hai Pier, Pattaya — the ferry is around 30 THB and takes 30–45 min, or a speedboat is around 150–200 THB and takes 15–20 min (the ferry runs roughly 7:00–18:30, departing every 1–2 hours).
- Songthaew across the island — from Na Baan Pier to Samae Beach is around 20–40 THB per person and only takes a few minutes.
- Or rent a motorbike — about 200–300 THB/day on the island, so you can ride around to several beaches (ride carefully — some stretches of road are steep and narrow).
Best time to go and a few tips
- Go early — it gets busy on weekends, with packed boats and long waits, so heading out early means an easier boat ride and grabbing a sun bed before they fill up.
- November to February — cool, pleasant weather with a calm, clear sea, the best stretch for snorkeling.
- Weekdays — the beach is far quieter and you get the natural feel at its best.
- Check the tide table — if you want to walk into the small cave by the rocks, you'll need to go at low tide.
Help keep the beach beautiful
Samae Beach is beautiful because the nature here is still intact. Do your part — take your trash back and bin it properly, don't drop it in the sea, don't step on or collect coral, and use reef-friendly sunscreen if you can, so future visitors still get to see clear water and healthy coral like this.
Plan a full Koh Larn trip across every beach
See the Koh Larn travel guide →