Which is the best beach on Koh Chang?
White Sand Beach (Had Sai Khao)
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers, Couples, and Families
Looking for: Shopping and nightlife
With a budget of: Baht 600 – Baht 13,780 per room per night
Where you will find: Chang Buri Resort and Spa, Cookies Hotel & Restaurant, KC Grande Resort and Spa, Koh Chang Lagoon Resort, Mac Resort Hotel, Plaloma Cliff Resort, White Sand Beach Resort
A long strip of powdery sand that slopes gently into the sea. Casuarinas and palm trees line the beach while forested hills lurk in the background. During low tide, the beachfront becomes much wider and consequently attracts lots of beachgoers. The northern end is sandy and quiet, while the southern end is more pebbled. It is the busiest area of Koh Chang with numerous accommodations, commercial establishments and restaurants. The beach is a hub of many activities, such as taking a stroll while watching the sunset and various sports activities. However, the currents can be strong during the green season (May-Oct) so extra caution is advised.
Kai Mook Beach ( Pearl beach )
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers, Couples, and Families
Looking for: Peace and quiet
With a budget of: Baht 700 – Baht 4,500 per room per night
The small stretch of beach is mainly comprised of pebbled sand with corals on the sea bed that resemble pearls giving the beach its name which means pearl. Much of the commercial establishments in the area are those that will fill the everyday need of the locals such as the Post Office, a print shop and the Telephone Organization of Thailand to name a few. It is a quiet and peaceful place that allows for snorkeling among fishes because of the nearby coral reef. However, please bear in mind that the pebbles on sea bed may be slippery at times.
Laem Chaichet
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers, Couples, and Families
Looking for: Peace and quiet
With a budget of: Baht 900 – Baht 3,800 per room per night
Where you will find: Coconut Beach Resort, Koh Chang Thai Garden Hill Resort
Laem Chai Chet is sometimes considered by some locals as the Northern part of Klong Prao Beach. The area has a small cape with a rocky curve that rounds into a secluded bay, thus very peaceful. The bay has a wide sandy beach that slopes gently into the sea. An ideal spot for onshore fishing, sunset watching and swimming. The fishing pier at Laem (cape) Chaichet is a perfect viewpoint of the Klong Prao Bay.
Klong Prao Beach
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers, Couples, and Families
Looking for: Shopping, nightlife, peace and quiet
With a budget of: Baht 799 – Baht 16,270 per room per night
Where you will find: Amari Emerald Cove, Barali Beach Resort Resort and Spa, Magic Resort, V.J. Hotel and Health Spa
The Klong Prao estuary runs in the middle thereby splitting the beach into two. This is a long wide sandy beach lined with coconut trees and home to the popular Klong Plu Waterfall. It commands a spectacular view of the islands west of Koh Chang and the Chaichet cape. The fine, sandy beach is also ideal for children as it doesn’t get too steep and there are not much dangerous currents either. High-end resort developments have grown rapidly, although the beach itself does not get too crowded. Restaurants, spas, massages, clinics, a dentist, convenient stores, tour & dive operators, a bakery, opticians, internet cafes, an airstrip, laundry, a takeaway pizza shop and a host of shops line the main road.
Kai Bae Beach
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers, Couples and Families
Looking for: Shopping and nightlife
With a budget of: Baht 600 – Baht 26,720 per room per night
Where you will find: The Chill Koh Chang, Garden Resort, Kai Bae Beach Resort, Koh Chang Cliff Beach Resort, Siam Bay Resort
Kai Bae Beach is the last major beach on the west coast after Klong Prao. It has a sandy beach with many palm trees providing plenty of shade. It is believed to be where the first tourists to Koh Chang were accommodated in the local families’ houses. Once a sleepy area, Kai Bae has become developed with the emergence of upscale resorts. At Kai Bae Village, you will find small commercial establishments. Dive shops provide rental for gears to explore the sea and islands especially during the dry season (Nov-Apr). At low tide, you can walk in chest-deep water to Koh Man Nai from the beach.
Lonely Beach (Tha Nam Beach)
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers and Couples
Looking for: Shopping and nightlife
With a budget of: Baht 400 – Baht 7,400 per room per night
Where you will find: Nature Beach Resort, Siam Beach Resort, Warapura Resort
Tha Nam Beach is popularly nicknamed as the Lonely Beach. It features fine white sand on the northern end and some stones at the south. Formerly a backpacker’s haven, the once deserted beach derives its name from the total privacy it shares, while the fine white sand and swimmer-friendly waters are key attractions. Few accommodations are available ranging from budget huts to the more deluxe resorts. The cheap huts still remain though and the place is still loud and fun thus making it not as lonely anymore. Small shops, restaurants and bars line the main road which becomes the focal point for guests who love to wine, meet and greet at nightfall. The beach has a so-called ‘tattoo artists row’ which is a line of more than half a dozen tattoo shops side by side.
Bailan Beach
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers and Couples
Looking for: Peace and quiet
With a budget of: Baht 1,162 – Baht 6,709 per room per night
Where you will find: Mercure Koh Chang Hideaway
It is relatively untouched by development although things have started to change over a few years. The road that travails through Bai Lan Beach has seen minimal development and the area has retained the peaceful, nice and easy feeling although there are quite a few bungalow resorts that have sprung up as well. It is a small bay of mostly sandy beach with some expired corals. The forested hill is also the site of Koh Chang’s first adventure park. It is also where the island’s first herbal sauna is found.
Bangbao Beach ( Klong Kloi beach )
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers and Couples
Looking for: Shopping and nightlife
With a budget of: Baht 399 – Baht 9,265 per room per night
Where you will find: Chivapuri Resort
A well-sheltered bay with a small and quiet beach. It is a fishing community where residents still live in houses built on stilts and are connected by wooden bridges. There are a growing number of tourist shops, scuba dive outlets and seafood restaurants offering a good selection of seafood. New bungalows have sprouted amidst the grove of coconut trees. Located on the southern tip of the island, it is a perfect springboard for snorkeling and diving at nearby islands with dive operators and boats abound. Good seafood restaurants and souvenir shops at the fishing village. Take caution when getting to Bang Bao as the southward road from Bai Lan is steep and winding.
Than Mayom Beach
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers and Couples
Looking for: Peace and quiet
This beach is situated on the eastern side of the island. It is scattered with rocks and the seafront is muddy. A good spot to catch the sunrise and good viewpoint. The headquarters of Koh Chang Marine National Park is located in nearby area close to Than Mayom Waterfall.
Kong Kang Bay
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers and Couples
Looking for: Peace and quiet
With a budget of: Baht 2,352 – Baht 11,760 per room per night
Local community on the East coast with a nice sandy beach ready to attract visitors interested in rural lifestyle of agriculture, fishing and orchards of tropical fruits. Known to be the first settlement on Koh Chang, the villagers still maintain their way of life making it another authentic fishing village although there is a luxury resort with a sailing club nearby. There is an abundance of seafood and tropical fruits and one of the finest beaches on the east.
Salakkok Bay
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers and Couples
Looking for: Peace and quiet
With a budget of: Baht 2,352 – Baht 11,760 per room per night
It is a local fishing and agricultural community with a canal leading to the estuary. Fishing boats anchor along the canal flanked by mangrove forests. Fresh seafood from daily catches prepared by the locals who form a self-sustaining organization that runs a restaurant to serve visitors at reasonable prices. Occasionally, firefly tours and kayaking can be arranged with the friendly villagers.
Long Beach
This place is suitable for: Solo Travelers and Couples
Looking for: Peace and quiet
With a budget of: Baht 300 per room per night
Salakphet and nearby Ban Rong Than are two biggest communities on Koh Chang. Both are ideal shelters for fishing boats. Rong Than village on the west of the bay is the main residential area for the community. Accessibility is possible from the east coast. At the south end of the bay is a small beach with a memorial commemorating the sea battle of 1941 between the Thai and French navies. A marker on the waters near Salakphet indicates the location where the French and Thai navies fought.