Sunrise Beach runs the length of Ko Lipe's east coast and is the prettiest of the island's three main beaches. The sand is whiter and finer than at Pattaya Beach on the south side, the water has a luminous turquoise quality, and Ko Adang's forested wall rises across the narrow channel. It catches the morning light beautifully, hence the name.
Sunrise is the right base for a calmer stay on Lipe — the bars and noise of Walking Street are a five-minute walk away, but the beach itself is residential and reasonably quiet. Snorkelling straight off the beach is decent; better is to walk down to the rocky point at the southern end and snorkel from there. At the north end, the long sandbar that emerges at low tide makes for an easy wade across to Ko Kra, the little islet just offshore, when the tide is right.