Located just north of the airport is Mai Khao beach, an incredibly long and mostly deserted stretch of sand. Mai Khao is the longest beach on the island and also the most deserted. If you really want to get away from it all this is the beach for you.
Mai Khao is part of the Sirinath National Park, which also includes Nai Yang and Nai Thon, the next beaches along to the south. The area was declared a national park in 1981 to protect the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles that lay their eggs here from November to February.