Nana Beach Chumphon — Garden Bungalows and a Sea-View Pool on Thung Wua Laen Beach
If you want a beachfront stay in Chumphon that doesn't cost a fortune but still lets you walk straight across the road onto open sand, Nana Beach Hotel & Resort is the name that comes up most among visitors to Thung Wua Laen Beach. It's a 3-star resort of garden bungalows in Saphli, Pathiu district — and the detail guests mention again and again is the outdoor pool that looks directly out to sea, paired with rooms that run larger than the rate suggests. Worth saying upfront: the resort has been open for years and some corners show their age — but if your priority is location and price, it earns its place here.
Nana Beach is a beachfront resort laid out as bungalows scattered through a garden rather than a single tower. You walk from your room to the pool or the restaurant along timber paths under palm trees — the easygoing feel of an up-country Thai resort. There are 47 rooms in total, and many have been renovated with wood-panel walls, a 49-inch flat-screen TV, a sofa, and a private balcony facing the garden. Guests who land a room in the newer block tend to say it's roomier and cleaner than the price led them to expect.
The real draw is the outdoor pool that faces the sea. Sit on a lounger at the pool's edge and you look past the casuarina trees to the bay at Thung Wua Laen. There's a separate children's pool for families and a poolside bar for drinks. The beach itself sits across a small road out front — under a minute on foot — a quiet stretch of sand with clear water and far fewer people than Hua Hin or Samui. If a calm, low-key sea is what you're after, this suits.
One guest describes "swimming in a pool with a sea view first thing in the morning, then crossing the road to sit on a beach with almost no one on it" — the kind of quiet the busier beaches can't offer.
For food, the resort runs a beachfront restaurant serving Thai dishes and seafood. The fish and prawns are fresh given the Pathiu fishing coast right alongside, and many guests just eat dinner here rather than driving out. Breakfast is a buffet included in the room rate, with a reasonable spread of Thai and Western options. The limitation worth knowing: vegetarian and vegan choices are thin, so if you eat plant-based it's wise to flag the kitchen ahead or bring a few things of your own.
The location works well if you're using Chumphon as a rest stop or a ferry transit point. It's about 15 km from Chumphon town and roughly 22 km from Chumphon Airport, and the ferry piers for Koh Tao and Koh Phangan are not far. Around the resort you'll find seafood spots and beachside cafés to wander to, but this isn't a lively after-dark strip — you come here for a quiet break, not a party.
Now the honest cautions. The resort has been around a while, and although many rooms are renovated, some areas are still dated — lower-scoring reviews flag fairly firm mattresses, weak water pressure in some bathrooms, worn timber slats and a few loose grab rails around the pool, and the occasional drain smell in some ground-floor rooms. The wooden decking near the pool gets slippery when wet, so tread carefully. None of it is a dealbreaker at this price, but it's better to know going in.
Rates start around ฿1,300/night for a standard room, with larger bungalows and renovated-block rooms running roughly ฿1,800–2,500. Over long weekends and in high season (November–February, when the weather is dry and settled) prices climb and rooms fill fast, so book ahead. Against comparable beachfront stays in Hua Hin or Samui, this is considerably cheaper — and the beach out front is far quieter.
The bottom line: Nana Beach suits families or couples who want a quiet slice of the Chumphon coast on a comfortable budget. You get garden bungalows, a sea-view pool, private sand across the road, and a seafood restaurant in one place. If you expect a brand-new resort in every corner, this isn't it — but if you can accept some age and you're weighting location and price, it's a genuinely good-value choice on Thung Wua Laen Beach. When you book, ask for a renovated-block room on an upper floor.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ On Thung Wua Laen Beach — sand is a quick walk across the road
- ✓ Spacious bungalows, many recently renovated
- ✓ Sea-view pool plus a separate children's pool
- ✓ Staff friendly and attentive
- ! Mattresses fairly firm for some guests
- ! Some rooms and corners show the resort's age
- ! Limited vegetarian / vegan options
- ✓ Quiet beachfront setting, good for a relaxed stay
- ✓ Beachfront restaurant with fresh seafood
- ✓ Leafy garden-bungalow atmosphere
- ✓ Good value against typical beachfront stays
- ! Weak water pressure in some bathrooms
- ! Worn timber slats and loose grab rails around the pool
- ! Occasional drain smell in some ground-floor rooms
- 💡If you want the best room condition — ask for a renovated-block or upper-floor room when booking → some older ground-floor rooms have firmer mattresses and the occasional drain smell
- 💡If you're travelling with young children — there's a separate kids' pool and Family bungalows, but the timber decking around the pool is slippery when wet, so keep an eye on children during swim time
- 💡If you eat vegetarian or vegan — the breakfast buffet leans toward standard Thai and Western fare with few plant-based options → tell the kitchen ahead or pack a few staples