3-star hotels in Sugandha

Sugandha sits between Laboni and Kolatoli, but it behaves like neither. The beach entrance is narrower, the hawker density is perhaps a fifth of Laboni's, and the hotels are mid-sized blocks and small guesthouses rather than a continuous beachfront wall. The sand is the same wide, grey-gold Cox's Bazar beach, a single 120-kilometre strip, but with a fraction of the footfall, which shows in how clean it is by mid-afternoon. The first two hours of the day are the argument for staying here: fishing boats come in, the tide leaves a clean sheet of sand, and there are no horses, no photographers and almost no people.

These hotels sit along New Beach Road, Kolatoli Road, Kolatali Road and Lighthouse Road, and in Block A and Block B, all within the Sugandha area. Sugandha suits a trip of three nights or more: couples, solo travellers, families who want space and quiet, and photographers. It is a poor fit for a single night or for anyone who plans to be out after ten, since the local kitchens close by nine and the area goes genuinely quiet.

Getting there and around

CNGs pass on the main road constantly during the day but thin out late. From Sugandha, a CNG to Kolatoli for dinner takes about five minutes. If you are coming back from Kolatoli after ten, expect to pay double and to wait, or take the driver's number when he drops you off in the evening and call him for the return. Cox's Bazar railway station is one of the searches people make for this area.

When to go

Go for the first two hours of the day. The fishing boats come in along this stretch, the tide leaves a clean sheet of sand, and there are no horses, no photographers and almost no people. Walking north towards Laboni at dawn you will pass net crews hauling in, crabs working the wet sand, and kites going up before the heat arrives. The area is genuinely quiet after about nine in the evening.