After leaving Laos, overnight bus-ing it to Bangkok and stopping there for the weekend (to watch the footy), I came down to the small village and beach of Ban Krut; its on the upper part of the southern gulf about 5 hours from Bangkok (100 km before Chumphon).
Its a long bay of a beach probably several kilometers long, lovely and quiet with a few cheap guesthouses and a few resorts that cater to the locals. A relaxing place with a range of good tasting, very cheap thai food aswell, heres views of the beach and the Som Tam (spicy papaya salad) that i had for my lunch.