Bangsean Beach

So close to Bangkok that it’s almost a suburb, Chonburi town is no island idyll. But the main beach stretches for kilometres – all fluffy white sand shaded by coconut palms.

Best of all, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport is reachable in under an hour. Since there are scores of beach cafes and restaurants, it’s a good spot for a half-day hole-up by the sea, before cabbing it back for that dead-of-night flight.