absolutely correct. There is a place in southern Thailand called Ao Nang that fits the bill exactly like you are saying. This was a gravel road with beach access 20 years ago with a few bungalow operations. These days it is all high-rise hotels with huge prices (relatively speaking for Thailand) and bad traffic. Pollution is becoming a problem and they do not have the infrastructure to deal with it. Also, most of the inhabitants are foreigners.