Ao Nang Beach is the town's front room: a curving strip of sand backed by restaurants, shops, and tour desks, with limestone cliffs closing the view at either end. Longtail boats line the shore, which makes swimming less idyllic but travel very easy.
The beach is best at sunset, when the day-trip crowds return, the heat drops, and the cliffs catch warm light. For a full beach day, use Ao Nang as the departure point and go somewhere quieter.