We spent 10 days traveling to Koh Chang a few months ago and really loved the experience! In fact, being that Koh Chang has long been a tourist staple, we expected crowds, noise and all the general unpleasantries that go along with busy holiday destinations. However, we were thrilled to be wrong in our assumptions, since Koh Chang turned out to be a paradise destination for us and we can’t wait to go back.
We flew to Trat Airport for this trip from Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok. Service to the tiny Trat Airport is only provided by Bangkok Airways, since the company runs the entire facility there. We were fortunate to get a great fare of only 480 baht per person (about $14 dollars at the time) for the trip! Upon arrival after our short flight, we got on the public transport bus to the pier and ferry service which would take us to Koh Chang Island. The trip took about 25 minutes over some winding roads. We waited about 20 more minutes for the next ferry and then hired a song thaew to take us to our first resort.
It should be noted that you can bring both cars and motorcycles across on the ferry to Koh Chang and we recommend it, since it is a big island and worthy of extensive exploration that is impossible without adequate transportation. Of course, you can hire a car or motorcycle on the island by the day, week or month at very fair rates.
Our first destination was located about 2/3 of the way down the west coast of the island, just past Kai Bae Beach. Sea View Resort and Spa was a perfect place to start our vacation here and we really loved the vibe. Our superior seaview room set us back 3700 baht ($112) per night, which was the most expensive of the trip. However, the value was excellent, since the resort was truly lovely, with sprawling mountainous grounds featuring lush gardens filled with exotic flowers of every color and organic design. The property was huge and took several hours to fully explore. The beachfront area was also heavenly and offered swimming, snorkeling and water sports activities for the whole family. We loved the food and service at Sea View Resort and found the staff to be both friendly and highly competent. We definitely recommend this choice of accommodation for travelers to Koh Chang! Just know that there is not much to do outside the resort within easy walking distance. If you want to explore afield, you will definitely require a motorbike.
After leaving Sea View Resort, we moved up the west coast northwards to our next destination at Klong Prao Beach. Barali Beach Resort provided us with a premiere deluxe room for 2700 baht ($82) per night. The room at Barali was nicer than at Sea View, including an interesting indoor bathroom enclosed in a glass wall that made you feel like you were outside, while not compromising your privacy or allowing mosquitoes inside. The sunken tub and rain shower were nice touches here. The resort was pleasant, with large grounds and a fine pool. However, the location of the resort was its best feature, since Klong Prao Beach turned out to be a very special place. The beach and Gulf of Thailand were amazing and very picturesque. Since the beach is long, it was the perfect place to walk in the morning and evening to take lots of photos of the natural perfection of Koh Chang. One of the great things here was the selection of fine small beachside restaurants that featured some great food and drinks at truly bargain prices. We ate a literal feast each night, with wine, for under 1000 baht. It was a great time that we still talk about today!
After leaving Klong Prao, we continued north up to White Sand Beach to our third stop at The Erawan Koh Chang, where we paid a bargain 1900 baht ($58) per night for a deluxe seaview room. This hotel was across the street from the beach, but the seaview was quite awful. It would better be described as a roof view, since the roof of the building across from us dominated our vantage point. However, the room itself was lovely and was actually one of the best of our trip in terms of comfort, newness and layout. Erawan did not offer much in the hotel for us. The rooftop pool was overcrowded and exposed to the brutal sun all day. The restaurant was very basic. However, Erawan had one thing going for it… It was right in the middle of the action on White Sand Beach, which was refreshing after days spent in isolation further down the island.
We loved the beachfront evening scene here, with tons of eateries and bars open along the shore. Although we did not stay at 15 Palms across the street, we highly recommend it for food and drink, as we ate here several times. The prices, service, selection and quality were unmatched in White Sand Beach and we MUST stay with them next time we visit Koh Chang.
After some partying in town, we had one more stop on our trip. Since we loved Klong Prao Beach so much, we decided to head back there to stay at Dewa Resort, where our 3000 baht ($91) per night deluxe room turned out to be laid out in high style. What a beautiful room, with a huge bathroom that spanned the entire length of the room. It was a real treat! Dewa has a huge and interesting pool and an awesome location on the beach in the far Southern corner of Klong Prao. The breakfast was fine and the location allowed us to eat dinner at the local places beachside each night at a far lower cost than at the resort. We really loved our stay at Dewa and recommend it, as well.
Check out more photos from this trip on our FB album for Koh Chang!
Koh Chang has so much to do and see. We spent much of our time in the water (no surprise here, since it was crystal clear) and some time walking around and hiking. However, there are many mountains, waterfalls and other things to see, as well as some isolated beaches and the entire east coast of the island, as well. Next time we return (which will be soon) we are going to drive and really get to know this wonderful island in all of its glory. It was nothing like we imagined in terms of crowds or noise and provided us with an amazingly satisfying trip of a lifetime!
Thank you Koh Chang and see you again soon!
Where to Go Now?
Come back to Koh Chang with us! We have a full collection of YouTube videos starting here with: Koh Chang Thailand Island.
You can also read our full 2019 Koh Chang review when we return to explore more of the island!
We loved Koh Chang so much that we just returned from our second trip there! Look for our new installment of Koh Chang reviews soon! We would love to hear about your experiences on Koh Chang too. What was your best hotel? Restaurant? Activity?