Few people in Thailand have ever heard of the island Koh Phayam off the Andaman coast, so you can be sure this particular beach is remote and uncrowded as well as beautiful. For beach beauty, both of Koh Phayam's two long stretches of sand in west-facing bays are hard to beat, even by the high standards along this Andaman coast. The southern beach, Ao Yai, wins the crown with deeper water, more big trees and foliage above the sand and unblemished, natural views. Ao Yai even gets a small but nice surfing swell out of the Indian Ocean, and has an embryonic surfing scene.
Koh Phayam is largely a backpacker destination, requiring quite a long trip through the southern province of Ranong, plus a boat ride. However, a few more upmarket resorts have now opened here. There was one swimming pool on the island in 2012, and the five resorts offering air-con rooms were in the minority, by far.
As the beach map of Ao Yai shows, there is a series of small, cheap bungalows along the sand, virtually all well hidden in the forest. These struggle for electricity, with most getting a generator-driven supply for the evening hours only. Cut off times vary with different bungalows. No rooms could be booked on-line as of writing at the end of 2013, and even the most comfortable bungalows on this beach at Phayam Lodge required a trail of e-mails back and forth. The island's better accommodations with air-con rooms are found on the northern beach, Ao Khao Kwai South, in Buffalo Bay Vacation Club and Payam Cottage Resort , with the latter having that first-ever swimming pool.