Cha-Am Shopping

Beachside

On the Beach Road you will find an abundance of souvenir goods, particularly items made from shells. This is also the place to head for disposable beach attire. Items such as flip flops, sarongs, T-shirts, hats and shorts can all be found but for the most part these stalls cater to the local market so don’t expect anything in the way of ‘high fashion’. What this stretch of shopping is good for are Thai tokens and remembrances or ‘khong fak’. It’s definitely a place to go to buy gifts that are representative of the country’s innate craft-making abilities such as homeware goods, lamps, garlands, wind chimes and figurines. 

Cha-Am Night Market

In Thai this is known as a ‘talat nad’ and is open everyday in the same spot except for Mondays and Wednesdays. The market moves around, so on Mondays it is further down the junction of Narathip Road by the Family Mart. On Wednesdays it can be found down at a junction near the train station which is why people may refer to it as the ‘Train Station Market’.

Popular mainly with locals, you can buy clothes, DVDs, CDs and cutesy accessories here. Other than this there are a fair few food stalls and Fridays are usually the busiest days when more traders turn up. This market is not necessarily loaded with things that you would want to buy but it has a great atmosphere and is a good way to interact with the locals and gain an insight into the Cha-Am market experience.  

Cha-Am Wet Market

This market is just for food and while it is a common occurrence for Thais to experience such as environment on a regular basis, for most westerners it is quite insightful, if not a little stinky. This is where locals come to buy the ingredients for much of the stuff you will eat when in Cha-Am – fish, vegetables, meat and fruit. Open everyday between the cooler hours of 06:00 and 10:00, it is definitely worth taking a trip down to. Food markets are a good way to learn more about the culture of a place and this one in particular promises a pretty cool start to the day.

Premium Outlet

If you are looking to buy branded clothes at discounted prices then the Premium Outlet should be your first port of call. Stocking brands such as Naf Naf, Lacoste, and Jaspal, G200 you should expect to find a few steals here. Some items are discounted as much as half of what you would usually pay. Some stuff even competes with the prices you would pay for counterfeit brand-name goods in Thailand’s markets.