There are plenty of outdoor activities in and around Cha Am to keep you and the kids thoroughly entertained. You may need to venture a bit outside of Cha Am to expand your experience, as there’s only one beach in town. Golf is king around here, and plenty of nature parks provide the chance for a taste of tropical Thai flora and fauna in a safe environment.

Cha Am Forest Park
This modest nature preserve is part of the royal park area and makes a quick and easy getaway to check out the natural side of this region of Thailand. The highlight of the forest park is a long-time resident, Magilla the monkey. She’s actually a gibbon, but she’s quite a hit. Best of all, you can rent ATVs for guided tours that take you over bumpy trails and shallow streams for an adventure.

Cha Am Nature Trail (Khao Nang Phanthurat Park)
If you enjoy hiking, this is the place to go around Cha Am. Its 3.5-kilometre long nature trail is incredibly scenic, passing through nice forest sections showcasing the flora and fauna of the area before giving you a great coastal view at the top of the hill. Tropical birds, butterflies and wild monkeys are common sightings, just be sure and wear shoes with a grip, bring water and plenty of bug repellent.

Golf
Cha Am, and its neighbour Hua Hin, is the centre of the Thai golfing universe. The kingdom’s first course, Royal Hua Hin, was built here in 1924 and today there are at least six international quality golf courses to choose from within minutes of Cha Am. Golfing in Thailand is a wonderfully laidback and inexpensive experience. Everything can be rented at the courses and everyone is welcome.

Huai Sai Wildlife Breeding Centre
This part of the royal conservation project is the perfect place in Cha Am to see rare species of native wildlife. There are three sections to the park. The first area features several species of deer while the second a big aviary with eagles, hornbills, parakeets and free-range peacocks wandering throughout the grounds. But the monkey section is the most popular, featuring gibbons, macaques and langurs, both enclosed and romping wild on little moat-enclosed islands.

Spas
This part of Thailand is famous for its beachside resort spas. All of the top resorts feature excellent in-house spas, while a handful of independent spas capture the rest of the market. You can go high end and truly pamper yourself, or just get a pleasant inexpensive massage or facial.

Water Sports
Cha Am’s larger resorts provide their own water sports equipment rentals and activities, but its main beach also has plenty of small operators that rent jet-skis, windsurfing boards, and even Hobie Cat boats. You can also bounce across the water on a banana boat or take to the skies by parasailing. Snorkelling and diving aren’t popular around Cha Am, but anything can be arranged in Thailand.

Although Cha Am itself offers slim pickings for culture junkies, just along the coast are some real highlights. The Thai king’s summer palace is in Hua Hin, so lots of royal sites are located in the area. Petchaburi is a gem of a city, and offers all the Thai culture you’ll need, while neighbouring coastal fishing villages have so far managed to avoid the tourism and retain their traditional feel.

Khao Luang Cave
One of Petchaburi’s highlights that is worth checking out is the Khao Luang Cave. The scene outside the cavern is a riot of rowdy monkeys looking for handouts (or just new friends). But once you enter the subterranean cave the scene turns still and serene, punctuated by more than 170 images of the Buddha, some of them quite old. Guides are available outside the cave to give you a tour for a small fee.

Nightlife
While most of Thailand’s beaches are notorious for their untamed nightlife, Cha Am is not one of them. If you want to have some fun after dark you’ll need to travel the short distance along the coast to Hua Hin; the maze of little lanes between the main Deachanuchit, Poolsuk, and Damnoenkasem roads near the beach are simply packed with hole in the wall bars of every flavour.

Petchaburi
The nearest town to Cha Am with any real depth of Thai culture is Petchaburi, less than an hour north of Cha Am. It is one of Thailand’s oldest towns, dating back centuries, and has always held an important place in Thai history and with the royalty and the military. A tour of its famous three hills and many temples make an excellent daytrip from Cha Am. The collection of temples and palace buildings atop the three hills is a landmark of the city and offers plenty to absorb.

Phra Nakhorn Khiri
This summer palace in Petchaburi was built by King Rama IV in 1858 on a striking hill overlooking the city and the sea. Its unique architecture mixes elements from Thai, Chinese and European styles, giving it a unique look and feel. Antiques and period art can be viewed in the Phra Thinang Phetphum Phairot Hall. You can get to the hilltop palace by walking a four-kilometre path or by taking a funicular railway. Phone: +66 3242 8539

Puek Tien
This small beach town 18 kilometres north of Cha Am is known throughout Thailand for its statues situated right in the sea depicting various characters from the stories of one of Thailand’s most famous poets, Sunthon Phu. He wrote the epic poem “Phra Aphai Mani” in the early 1800s and remains very popular among Thais. Locals come here to picnic, swim, ride horses and hang out, giving it a real Thai feel.

Cha Am epitomises the predictable dining scene of Thailand’s many tourist beach destinations. In general, it caters to visitors more than locals, specialising in the fresh seafood caught each day in neighbouring fishing villages. Besides the nightly fish barbecue on the beach, you can be assured of finding staple Thai rice and noodle dishes at virtually every restaurant. Things close rather early in Cha Am, however, so don’t expect a late night out.

Every hotel and resort, no matter how grand or humble, has an in-house restaurant. For an upscale meal, simply head to the more exclusive resorts in Cha Am. Otherwise, you can find simple but tasty choices at any of the other resorts along the beach. For a vastly greater range of dining choices, head along the coast to Hua Hin, where its open-air seafood restaurants are legendary. Hua Hin also has a fun night market with lots of food stalls, while Dechanuchit Road in the north side of town has plenty of authentic local eateries.

Avid shoppers will not be impressed with the shopping scene in Cha Am. Hua Hin offers slightly better options, but in general this is a beach resort town with little more than often overpriced souvenir trinkets. The one place where you will find ambiance and decent handicrafts is in Hua Hin’s night market.

Shopping choices in Cha Am and Hua Hin cover all the standard Thai souvenirs like T-shirts, sarongs, hammocks, and other travel knickknacks. The one thing that Cha Am is known for are locally crafted decorations and dolls made from coconuts and seashells. A traditional weaving technique called kommapat is unique to this region of Thailand; kommapat products make a great buy.