Koh Chang is a small island in the Gulf of Thailand, close to the border with Cambodia. We came here back in 2015 and really enjoyed our stay so when our original itinerary for this trip got cancelled due to the spread of coronavirus and Thailand was the only viable option, we didn’t hesitate and left Cambodia to spend what turned out to be our last few days of the trip in this beautiful place. The island is very accessible from Bangkok too, if you have a good driver you can be at the ferry port in about 4 hours after leaving Bangkok airport. The ferries leave every 30 minutes to an hour, depends which one you happen to get. Because of this, the island looks a bit more developed now but there is still plenty of unspoilt scenery to enjoy.
If you’re coming from Cambodia, you can buy a van or a bus ticket that will take you all the way to the island however the transport on the Cambodian side involves cramped minibuses and bad roads so when you add a very arduous border crossing and the delay there having to wait for other people in your van, it may be easier to rest in Trat and then make our way to Koh Chang the following day which is what we did. The journey was one of the hottest ever, I’m surprised the thermal scanner at the border didn’t kick off when I was going through as I must have been about 8000 degrees. The van which drove us to the border didn’t have air con either so all things considered I was pleased we stopped in Trat and enjoyed a shower and a cold room for the night. We bought the ferry ticket as well as the taxi to the port from our guesthouse in Trat (Residence House, £16 per night, good location, clean and with a small balcony). The ferry ticket plus the taxi was approx. £4.50 per person so very reasonable.
We were promptly picked up the next morning and driven to the port. After a short wait we got on the ferry and departed for Koh Chang. The ferry takes around 45-50 minutes to reach Koh Chang. The only transport available on the island are shared pick up trucks. The fares are fixed depending on where you are going. We were staying in Kaibae beach and ended up paying about £2 each for about half an hour ride. The drivers know most of the hotels and we got dropped off right in front of ours which was handy.
The hotel we picked was Awa. Given the dwindling tourist numbers and the virus crisis we got an amazing deal, it was just over £40 per night in one of the best (if not the best) hotels on the island. The design, the service, the quality were all incredible and I can really recommend it as a great holiday choice. The only downside was the beach which was a little rocky but there were plenty of proper beaches nearby you could walk to.
We came to the island with no firm plan, just hoping to relax and escape the developing news stories and while the news turned out to be unavoidable, it is a perfect place for relaxation. There are plenty of beautiful beaches all around the island and you can take your pick where to spend your time. There are bars and restaurants on the beach but also many places to eat, drink and shop just behind the beach on the main island ring road (these tend to be a little cheaper).
We ended up visiting two beach areas: Klong Koi in the south and the Klong Prao which was a walking distance from our hotel.
Klong Koi was about half an hour’s drive away from where we were staying. We got there just after a huge downpour of rain so the beach was quite empty which was lovely. There are no upmarket places on this stretch, most places were guesthouses or small hotels situated on the beach. Lots of eating options along the beach too. The beach is really long and the water good for swimming (not too many tocks). It was a really nice day out 😀
Klong Prao beach was very close to where we were staying, took about 20 minutes to walk over there through Dewa Hotel. This is definitely my favourite beach on Koh Chang. The sand is lovely and white and the beach long and pristine. There are a couple of upmarket hotels at the southern end of it (Dewa and Vayna) but the rest of the beach is pretty much just beach restaurants and small guesthouses. We spent the day in the Family restaurant and in Mandalay. We also had two seafood dinners in the Family restaurant. The food was delicious every time and you get to see an amazing fireshow there too if you come for dinner. During the day, you don’t have to pay for chairs as long as you buy food or drink.
Other than the amazing squid Pad Thai we had a lot of delightful meals in Koh Chang. We particularly enjoyed the food in a little restaurant on the main road called Khow Jaw. The prices were very reasonable and the fishcakes out of this world!
