Ao Prao Sunset

During my vacation to Koh Samet, I signed up for a 400 baht sunset island cruise. Whenever you are traveling around the islands in Thailand, there is no shortage of day trip tour packages, and I think its a good idea to take advantage of them!

In the late afternoon, I and a group of fellow tourists (mostly Thai, and one German family) boarded a big motorboat and set off from Sai Keao bay, the main beach of the national park, which is in the northern part of the island, but faces south. No good for sunset viewing.

Along the way, the boat stopped out at a reef for snorkeling, as hundreds of black and white striped fish swam past. As it got into evening, they took us to Ao Prao beach ("Coconut Bay"), widely regarded as the nicest and most exclusive beach on the western side of the island, and well-known for its stunning sunsets.

Ao Prao beach

Ao Prao couldn't be more different from Sai Keao, with its hawkers, gift shops, beachfront bars, jet skis, and crowds. Sai Keao is popular, and for good reason; it's a huge beach and stunningly beautiful. It's also the loudest and wildest.

Ao Prao was the complete opposite. There were no cheap guesthouses or hostels here. Ao Prao beach was home to a few five-star resorts; an almost deserted private beachfront paradise with not a hawker nor jet ski to be seen. It was perfect.

enjoying a snack in the evening

It was raining in Rayong. Because of its microclimate, Koh Samet rarely gets rain, but we could see the storm clouds in the distance over the mainland. The boat's captain regretfully told us we might not see much of a sunset because of the weather. He needn't have worried. The clouds only made the sunset more amazing. As the sun began to fall into the sea, the captain served everyone a plate of sweet pineapple and delicious juicy watermelon.

The sunset over Ao Prao beach

After the sun had completely vanished, they took us back to the main beach where the evening's festivities were just beginning. Some people went out to join the parties, but not me. I can't see how anything could top the beautiful view and the perfect end to a relaxing day on the island.