Cox's Bazar Luxury Travel Guide: Beaches, Marine Drive and Where to Stay

Cox's Bazar is Bangladesh's beach capital: one of the world's longest natural sea beaches, a strand on the Bay of Bengal usually given as about 120 km long including the mudflats, running south from the town towards Teknaf. For a comfortable trip, fly in from Dhaka, base yourself either on the Kolatoli hotel strip (if you want restaurants and the beach on your doorstep) or at a resort down the Marine Drive at Himchari or Inani (if you want space and quiet), and come between November and March. Two things matter more than which hotel you pick: the sea is genuinely dangerous outside the short patrolled stretch, and Saint Martin's Island runs on strict seasonal rules that are under review for 2026–27.

Facts checked October 2026. Rules change — confirm on the official sources linked below before you travel.

Cox's Bazar at a glance

The beaches, from town to Teknaf

It is all one beach, but locals divide it into "points" with very different moods. Travelling north to south:

Laboni, Sugandha and Kolatoli: the town beaches

Laboni Point, closest to the town centre, is a popular gathering spot and the place for horse rides and speedboat trips. Sugandha Point sits just north of Kolatoli, and Kolatoli itself, near the Dolphin intersection, is lined with hotels and restaurants. This is the busiest part of the beach and the only part with a lifeguard service. Expect crowds rather than solitude, especially on public holidays: during the festival week of October 2026, local press reported more than 300,000 tourists in town and hotels fully booked.

Himchari: where the hills reach the sea

Heading south on the Marine Drive, the first major stop is Himchari National Park, declared on 15 February 1980 and covering about 1,729 hectares of mixed evergreen forest on hills that border the Bay of Bengal. It is known for a small waterfall and a hilltop viewpoint over the sea, and the beaches below are much quieter than in town. They are also unpatrolled, which matters (see the safety section below).

Inani: rocks, coral stones and quieter sand

Inani, in Ukhia upazila, has about 18 km of beach and is the most distinctive stretch of the coast. Instead of an unbroken line of sand you get rows of rock and sharp coral stones that look black and green, with clean water around them and wide sunset views. It is also where you will find resort-scale stays such as Sea Pearl, a world away from the town strip.

Teknaf: the end of the road

The Marine Drive ends at Teknaf, on the Naf River, where the beach is backed by the mangroves of the Teknaf peninsula. Viewpoints here look across the Naf to the hills of Myanmar. Treat Teknaf as a daytime excursion with a driver: the UK Foreign Office says it has the highest level of drug-related gang violence in Bangladesh, including kidnappings, and reports fighting in Myanmar close to the border.

Driving the Marine Drive

The Cox's Bazar–Teknaf Marine Drive runs for about 80 km along the shore, from Kolatoli Square in Cox's Bazar to Teknaf. It was built by Bangladesh Army engineers, opened in May 2017 and was declared a preserved tourist zone in 2018. With forested hills on one side and open beach on the other, it is the single best experience on this coast.

How to make the most of it:

• Hire a car and driver for the day through your hotel, so you can stop wherever the view tempts you.
• Start in the morning. Make Himchari your first stop, then continue to Inani.
• Be back before dark. The Foreign Office warns that driving at night in Bangladesh is especially dangerous.
• Carry water and small cash for snacks and tea stalls along the way.

Insider tip: Check the tide times before you set off and aim to reach Inani as the tide goes out, when more of the rocks are exposed. Then drive back north in the late afternoon, with the sea on your left as the sun sets over it.

Beyond the beach: easy day trips

Maheshkhali Island

Maheshkhali is Bangladesh's only hilly island, reached by speedboat or larger wooden boat from the No. 6 Jetty in Cox's Bazar. The main draw is the Adinath Temple, dedicated to Shiva, on the summit of Mainak Hill at about 85 m, with a 13-day fair at its foot in the Bengali month of Phalgun (February to March). The island is also known for its salt production and betel-leaf farming. Go in the morning, and check the time of the last boat back when you arrive.

Ramu's Buddhist temples

Inland from Cox's Bazar, Ramu is home to many Buddhist temples and monasteries. Look for the 100-foot reclining Buddha at the Vipassana meditation centre, the Ushai Ching Rakhine temple, built of wood more than a century ago, and the temples at Ramkot and Lamarpara. Many of Ramu's temples were rebuilt by the army after mob attacks in 2012. Dress modestly, remove your shoes where asked and keep your voice low inside the shrines. Short of time? The Aggmeda Khyang in town is a large Buddhist monastery whose sanctuary stands on round timber columns.

Saint Martin's Island: the rules for 2026

Saint Martin's, described as Bangladesh's only coral island, lies about 9 km south of the tip of the Teknaf peninsula, and tourism there is strictly limited. Under the notification of 22 October 2025 for the 2025–26 season:

• Season: open from 1 November to 31 January; closed to tourists from 1 February to 31 October.
• November: day trips only, returning the same day.
• December and January: overnight stays allowed.
• Visitor cap: an average of no more than 2,000 visitors a day.
• Tickets: sold only through the Bangladesh Tourism Board's online portal. Each ticket carries a travel pass and a QR code; tickets without a QR code are invalid.
• Ships: permitted only from the BIWTA jetty at Nuniyachhara in Cox's Bazar. Routes from Teknaf and Inani are banned, and small boats, trawlers and speedboats may not carry tourists.
• On the island: no lighting, loud noise or barbecue parties on the beach at night; no motorbikes or sea bikes; no polythene; no entering the keya forests or collecting keya fruit; no harming coral, turtles, birds, crabs, starfish or seaweed. Single-use plastics are discouraged, so carry a refillable bottle.

What may change: on 12 October 2026, Environment Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo said the government would reassess the length of the season, the daily visitor limit and the departure point for tourist ships for 2026–27. Tourism is scheduled to resume on 1 November, and the ministry said final decisions would be announced after the review. Until the 2026–27 notice is published, avoid non-refundable bookings.

Insider tip: Under last season's rules November was for day trips only, and operators found so few takers for the long crossing that ships stayed docked until December. Plan for December or January, when overnight stays are allowed, and book your ship ticket and room together.

Where to stay: pick your stretch first

The right stretch of coast matters more than the choice between two similar hotels.

Kolatoli to Laboni: the convenient choice

Sayeman Beach Resort sits on the beachfront at Kolatoli, on the Marine Drive. The family behind it has run Hotel Sayeman since 1964, when it was the town's first privately owned hotel; the current resort opened in January 2015, with most rooms looking out over the sea and an infinity pool deck above the ocean. It won the South Asian Travel Awards' leading beach resort category in 2019 and again in 2024.

Long Beach Hotel, in the Kolatoli hotel zone, is about a five-minute walk from the beach and has a swimming pool with a jacuzzi, a sauna and steam room, and a gym. Seagull Hotel, also in the hotel zone by the sea beach, has a swimming pool and suites as well as standard rooms.

The trade-off here is noise and crowds at peak times. Browse more options in Kolatoli and across all Cox's Bazar hotels.

Himchari and Pechar Dwip: nature on the doorstep

Mermaid Beach Resort is at Pechar Dwip, beside the beach just off the Marine Drive near Himchari, with beach bungalows, suites and villas, a café serving Italian food and a second restaurant. Its sister Mermaid Eco Resort is about a kilometre away. You will need a car to get into town, which is the point of staying here: you are well away from the crowds of the hotel zone. See more hotels at Himchari and along the Marine Drive.

Inani: the resort option

Sea Pearl Beach Resort & Spa, at Jaliapalong on Inani beach, is about 40 minutes' drive from the town. It opened in September 2015 and spreads over more than 15 acres, with a private beachfront, the Pearl Spa, several restaurants and a large water park with a wave pool. It was marketed as Royal Tulip Sea Pearl until the franchise with the Louvre Hotels group ended, so you may still see the old name on booking sites. Compare it with other resorts in Cox's Bazar and hotels at Inani.

Insider tip: "Sea view" covers a lot of ground in Cox's Bazar. Before you book, check whether the room faces the sea directly, which floor it is on, and whether the hotel sits on the sand or a few minutes' walk away. For public holidays and long weekends, book weeks ahead.

Our 5-star hotels in Cox's Bazar page lists every top-end property we cover; our review methodology explains the ratings.

Getting there

By air

Four domestic airlines fly between Dhaka and Cox's Bazar: Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, NOVOAIR and Air Astra. Flying is by far the quickest option. The airport is changing fast. Its runway is being extended from 9,000 ft to 10,700 ft on land reclaimed from the Bay of Bengal (more than 90% complete in September 2026), and a new terminal began trial operations on 28 September 2026, handling domestic passengers. The government says international operations will be inaugurated, most likely in the first week of November 2026, but as of mid-October no airline or route had been confirmed. For now, international visitors should plan to connect in Dhaka. Our Dhaka airport guide covers the transfer.

By train

The railway reached Cox's Bazar in December 2023, and from 26 October 2026 three trains run from Dhaka's Kamalapur station:

Timetables change, so check before you travel. The official ticketing site can be awkward with foreign cards; your hotel or a local agent can book for you.

By road

Buses from Dhaka take about 9–12 hours depending on traffic, and Cox's Bazar is about 150 km south of Chattogram. If you go by road, use a private car with a driver and travel in daylight.

Beach safety: read this before you swim

The Bay of Bengal here is open sea, and people drown every year, including several young visitors at Himchari in October 2026. Know the facts before you go in:

• Lifeguards cover only a fraction of the beach. As of October 2026, the Sea-Safe service has 27 lifeguards for about 5 km between Kolatoli and Laboni Point. Beaches further south, including Darianagar, Himchari, Inani and Teknaf, are outside the patrolled stretch.
• Hidden channels form in the sand. Local reporting in October 2026 counted at least 20 hidden channels at Kolatoli, Sugandha and Laboni, and around Himchari and Darianagar. Red flags mark dangerous spots, and many people ignore them.
• Quicksand is a danger during the ebb tide, so take care on soft, wet sand as the water drops.
• Inani's coral stones are sharp. Wear sandals or water shoes on the rocks.

Swim only where lifeguards are on duty, never where a red flag flies, never alone and never at dusk. Keep children within arm's reach.

Insider tip: If you stay at Himchari or Inani, your stretch of beach is outside the patrolled zone. Unless your resort confirms it has its own lifeguards on duty, treat the sea as a place for paddling and long walks, and do your swimming in the pool.

Dress, alcohol and local sensitivities

• Dress modestly away from the pool. The Foreign Office advises men and women to dress modestly in Bangladesh, with women covering their shoulders and legs in public. Keep swimwear for your hotel's pool area and cover up on the public beach and in town.
• Alcohol is limited. It is served only in government-licensed bars, and the Foreign Office notes that you may need a liquor permit. Don't assume your hotel serves alcohol; ask before you book. Never buy black-market spirits, which have caused methanol poisoning.
• Ask before photographing people, particularly women, and at religious sites.
• The Rohingya camps. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees live in camps in Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas, in the south of the district. The Foreign Office advises caution there, notes that you may need permission to travel to the area, and says there is no sign that foreign nationals are being targeted. Kutupalong, the camp complex that houses most of them (about 687,000 people at the end of 2024), lies roughly 12 km inland from Inani beach. Do not try to visit the camps without authorisation; if you want to help, work through humanitarian agencies recognised by the government.

For the wider picture, read our guide to whether Bangladesh is safe for tourists.

When to go

• November to March is the season: dry weather, cooler days and a calmer sea. December and January are also when Saint Martin's allows overnight stays.
• April and May are hot and fall in the pre-monsoon cyclone season, which in the Bay of Bengal peaks in May.
• June to September brings the monsoon and rough seas, and the Foreign Office notes that flash floods and landslides have affected Cox's Bazar.
• October and November are the post-monsoon period. November is usually pleasant, but it is also the peak month for cyclones, so watch the forecasts.

Public holidays, Eid and weekends (Friday and Saturday in Bangladesh) bring big domestic crowds, and hotels can sell out. Our best time to visit Bangladesh guide covers festivals and the weather around the country.

Next steps

• Compare Cox's Bazar hotels and resorts, or go straight to the 5-star list.
• Read the Cox's Bazar destination guide and browse places to visit around Cox's Bazar.
• Planning a romantic trip? See our Bangladesh honeymoon guide.
• Add a contrast: the Sundarbans by boat or the tea country around Sreemangal.
• Sort the paperwork with our visa guide and first-timer's guide.

We choose and rank hotels independently; see how we rate.