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SUNRISE BEACH
In a five-minute stroll from Walking Street you’ll arrive at our favourite beach in Koh Lipe, Sunrise Beach! Actually you should start every day here with a beautiful sunrise! Sunrise Beach is a one and a half kilometer long and beautiful beach on the east side of the island. Here you will find many bars, restaurants and resorts. The water is wonderfully clear and has a pleasant temperature. Get up early to enjoy the sunrise because this is where the day begins!
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
The north of Sunrise Beach
A walk from north to south on Sunrise Beach takes about twenty minutes. By the way, only count on half an hour as you will stop every now and then for a photo or mental picture. In the north you have a wider stretch of beach which leads to the north side of Koh Lipe. We were also dropped off near this spot when we arrived at Koh Lipe in July 2018. Here you have a floating pier and a meeting point where you can check in if you have to leave the island again. On this side you have a clear view on Koh Adang and you can’t snorkel that far from the coast.
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
The south of Sunrise Beach
Walking towards the south of Sunrise Beach you will pass several restaurants. On this coast you will still find affordable hotels but most of them are resorts with a reasonable high price. You almost sleep on the beach. On Sunrise Beach you find many longtail boats that are used for a snorkeling trip or transport to another beach. If you keep walking south you will arrive at our favorite spot of the island. Go past the rocks at Kathalee Beach Resort & Spa and end up at the Ten Moons Lipe Resort. Here you will find a very small bay and with a bit of luck you and a few other lucky people will have the beach all to yourself! Enjoy the warm seawater and the powdery fine sand! On a clear day you can also see the island of Koh Tarutao and the Malaysian island of Langkawi.
YUMMY
At Ten Moons Lipe Resort all the way south of Sunrise Beach you can have an excellent and not too expensive lunch (for where the location is situated). We ordered a Massaman curry, cashew chicken, rice for two persons and some drinks. Plus as bonus two fantastic chocolate shakes. For all this we payed around 800 baht. A bargain for this lunch with a spectacular view!
Image: ThailandMagazine.com
Sleeping on Koh Lipe
If it doesn’t matter if you’re staying at Sunrise Beach and you don’t want to spend too much money on a quality accommodation including breakfast and friendly service then The Noi Guest House & Restaurant is the place to be! The rooms are cleaned daily and in the rooms you will find a refrigerator, hot water and air conditioning. In addition, you can choose from several breakfasts including an egg or toast with jam. Upstairs there is a kind of living room where you can relax. The Noi is located near Walking Street they offer a fetch and bring service from anywhere on the island of Koh Lipe.
Image: Booking.com
Ten Moons Lipe Resort
The Ten Moons Lipe Resort is a super fine resort located at our favorite spot on Sunrise Beach. You’re in a secluded spot on the beach but still close to the hustle and bustle. From the restaurant you have a fantastic view of the sea and the food is good! Add the friendly staff and you are in heaven. Ow how could we forget add that you can lie in the sun in front of the door of your resort did we already said heaven?
Image: Booking.com
Wapi Resort
Just like the Ten Moons Lipe Resort, the Wapi Resort is located on Sunrise Beach. Here you can take a dip in the swimming pool if you’re tired of the salty water. You can enjoy breakfast and lunch here and the staff is extremely friendly. In about five minutes you are on Walking Street where you will find several eateries. At Wapie you can borrow bikes for free to explore the island. Nice service!
Image: Booking.com
What to do at Sunrise Beach
Besides starting your day with a beautiful sunrise you easily will fill a day at Sunrise Beach. You can snorkel on several places (in the north of the beach in the direction of Koh Adang). And in the south of Sunrise Beach near the two small islands Koh Usen and Koh Kra. If you don’t have your own snorkel with you, you can rent it on the beach at various locations for a daily price of 100 baht.
Besides snorkeling and cooling off in the clear water, Sunrise Beach is also an ideal place for lunch and reading a good book in the sun. For 100 baht per day you have a sun bed with a pillow and a nice soft towel. So the ingredients for a relaxing day at Koh Lipe are; a few hundred baht per person for lunch, renting a snorkel, a sun bed and a one and a half litre bottle of water from the Seven Eleven or other supermarket at Koh Lipe. Because behind Sunrise Beach is the small village of Tupoh where you can buy street food and drinks here and there.
In the village Tupoh live mainly the Chao Lay who are also called Sea Gypsies Chao = people and Lay = sea). The Chao Lay is a collective name for the indigenous and original inhabitants of Koh Lipe including the Urok Lawoi
PLEASE NOTE!
At low tide the coral at Sunrise Beach is almost completely exposed. Therefore, be careful. Respect nature and make sure you enjoy reading that book, playing a game on the beach or having a drink somewhere at low tide.
