Where to stay, north to south
Distances are road kilometres from Cox's Bazar town. Prices are the cheapest double we tracked this month.
Most trips fit one of three shapes
The cheapest nights are the wettest ones
November to March brings clear skies, calm seas and Dhaka families. April to October brings the monsoon — and the bargains.
Median nightly rate for a double. Prices peak during Eid holidays and December–January, when Dhaka empties onto the sand.
What people actually ask about
Three days covers the highlights. A week lets you reach Inani and the St Martin's ferry.
If you only do six things on this coast
Everyone photographs the sunset. The hour after dawn is when the fleet lands, the tide has raked the beach flat and the strip is empty — walk north from Sugandha and you will pass net crews and almost nobody else.
Eighty kilometres of sea on one side and hills on the other. Stop at the Himchari viewpoint, then reach Inani’s coral stones before the day-trip buses at eleven.
The same rupchanda that costs 800 taka on Hotel Road costs 400 in the New Beach Road lanes. Agree the weight and the price before it goes on the charcoal.
A thirty-minute boat from the town jetty, then a stepped path up through the stalls to the shrine, with salt pans and the channel below. Confirm the last boat back before you climb.
Forest, macaques, a viewpoint over the whole bay and a waterfall worth the walk only between July and September. Go on a weekday — Fridays it belongs to half of Chittagong.
Rakhine handloom, lacquerware, blankets and bamboo, ten minutes inland from Laboni. Opening prices run about double; halve the first number and walk away once.
Day trips you can take from a room on the strip
Every one of these works from Kolatoli or Sugandha without changing hotels. Times are one way.
Beach-hop south, or push all the way to Teknaf
Popular hotels right now
The coast as it actually looks
Fishing fleets, beach football and the long walk south. No infinity pools.
See what is actually beachfront — and what is a rickshaw ride away
Hotels cluster along the Marine Drive from Kolatoli to Inani.
Local prices, before anyone doubles them
Nothing here has a meter or a price list. These are the rates locals pay — at roughly 120 taka to the dollar — and knowing them is the difference between a good day and a fleeced one.
Full breakdown in the getting around and food guides.
Eight things nobody tells you first
Cash, clothing, water, the surf and the road after dark — the practical realities of a Bangladeshi beach trip.
Before you book
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Read the Cox's Bazar guidesHow cheap can hotels in Cox’s Bazar actually get?+
Outside the winter peak (November–February) and Eid holidays, doubles in Sugandha or Jhilongja start around $18–28 a night. On Maheshkhali Island and in Ramu village, guesthouses stay under $25 most of the year. Even Kolatoli rarely passes $45 for a decent double off-peak.
When is the best time to visit?+
November to March: clear skies, calm seas, comfortable heat — and the highest prices, especially over Eid and the December–January school break. April to October is monsoon season: hot, sticky and stormy, with rates a third lower and the Himchari waterfall at its fullest in July and August.
Where should I stay on a first trip?+
Kolatoli or Sugandha. Kolatoli puts you in the middle of the beachfront, the grills and the noise; Sugandha is ten minutes north, quieter and cheaper, still walkable to the sand. Both make easy day-trip bases for Himchari, Inani and Ramu.
Do I need a car?+
No. Local buses and shared CNGs cover the beach road from Kolatoli to Inani, public ferries reach Maheshkhali in 30 minutes and Kutubdia in an hour, and motorcycle rentals fill the gaps to Himchari and Ramu. A car only earns its keep if you are chaining several inland stops in one day.
What does "every booking removes a tonne of CO₂" mean?+
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Is this the actual booking site?+
No. This site is a curated front door: the area guides, the price tracking and the maps live here. Bookings happen on app.impt.io, a search engine aggregating over 8 million hotels worldwide at the same price or better.