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Accommodation
There are dozens
of places from 8,000 baht/night 5* hotels down to 100 baht/night wooden huts all
vying for your business with varying degrees of enthusiasm, efficiency and
marketing savvy.
Putting myself
in your shoes, a 29 baht flip flop on my left foot and a $99 Timberland on
the other, I've selected a handful of budget to mid-price resorts in which I'd
stay if I were visiting Koh Chang.
The real top-end
luxury hotels
were ruled out because this site is more for visitors planning their own holiday
rather than heading to Koh Chang as a package tourist. Also out were any
resorts that offered accommodation in soulless concrete boxes. So, the
criteria were quite simple: value for money, friendly staff, style of resort and
overall vibe/ambience.
The 'Six of
the best' are . . . .
Backpacking
beach party animal.
Nature
Beach Resort, Lonely Beach. 300 - 500 baht/night. Well run backpacker
resort at the centre of the white, powder sand, Lonely Beach. Israelis
have stayed here in the past so they're used to culturally insensitive behaviour.
Go ahead put your feet on the table, shout at your waitress, argue over over
a two baht discrepancy on your bill . . . the staff will still smile. The
beachfront restaurant serves good, but not great, Thai & Western food
and a beach bar ensures that it's never too late to get a beer or cocktail in a
bucket. (If you need your 8 hours sleep a night get a room away from the
bar.)
Honourable mention: Oasis Bungalows, Lonely Beach.
A new 15 bungalow resort on the hillside overlooking Lonely Beach. Ensuite
huts for 300 baht/night, nice & quiet but only two minutes walk to the bars and
with great sea & sunset views from the restaurant.
Budget 'old
skool' backpacker vibe.
Thalé
Bungalows, Klong Prao Beach. 200 - 250 baht/night. The beach is
split in two by a river estuary. At the very northern tip of the southern
section you'll find this small (12 bungalows) resort which is run by Thai guys
who are as laid back & chilled as the Dalai Lama on ice. Definitely nothing fancy, the rooms are
small, showing their age and none are ensuite. However, the laid back
atmosphere, excellent restaurant, and peace and quiet this resort offers ensures
they receive a steady stream of visitors. These comprise mainly of
more adventurous backpackers looking for an alternative to the now
commercialised Lonely Beach, young bohemian Bangkokians and Thai students in
search of their first joint.
Comfort ,
convenience, cold beer & live football.
15 Palms,
White Sand Beach. 900 - 1500 Baht/night. You want a western run establishment, aircon bungalows a stones throw from a busy beach,
and a large beachfront bar
showing live Premier League action then 15 Palms is for you. Everything
you need is within 5 minutes walk away: a choice of good restaurants, live music
bars, beer bars, ATMs, a 7-11, there's even a dive shop and tour agency next to the
roadside entrance. A place social animals who want some home comforts will
enjoy.
Unique
location and views.
Bang Bao
Sea Huts, Bangbao. 1,500 - 2,500 Baht/night. Bangbao is a
fishing village at the southern tip of Koh Chang. It's also home to
several dive schools and some great seafood restaurants. At the southern
tip of the pier that runs through the centre of this stilt village are Bang Bao
Sea Huts. Don't let the word 'hut' fool you. These are extremely
comfortable airconditioned, ensuite bungalows. Inside the furnishings are
made entirely from wood. When you step out of your front door you have the
sea beneath you and in front of you. The views over the bay and out to the
southern islands are pretty spectacular. The lack of nightlife in Bangbao means
you're far more likely to be woken up by the sound of a fishing boat returning
from a night of squid fishing than you are by your neighbours returning from a
night of non-stop partying.
Rooms with a view: Sea view Hotel, Kai
Bae. Check out the new hotel rooms. These glass fronted rooms
have the best sunset and sea views you'll find on Koh Chang. (In the
majority of beachfront hotels only a handful on rooms actually have sea views.)
What makes the views so good is that you're on a slight hillside and look down
onto the beach and also a nearby island with several other island sonly a couple
of kilometres away, add to this the sun going down and it's pretty much a
picture postcard view. These rooms are good value, well appointed and I
really like the glass walled bathroom which allows you to soak in the shower or
tub whilst you watch the sunset.
The compact &
bijou boutique hotel.
Keereeta,
Pearl Beach. 1,500 - 3,500 baht/night. A small Mediterranean
styled (with a few Thai twists) hotel which has some of the nicest hotel
architecture to be found on Koh Chang. The rooms are all individually
furnished so you I can guarantee you won't feel as though you're staying in a
Holiday Inn. The rooftop offers great sunset views to the rear of the
hotel and of the mountainous inland to the front. Keereeta is located
roadside and the nearby shoreline is stony. There are a handful of
restaurants and other small resorts nearby but that's it - except a large Thai
orientated pub - as far as nightlife goes. Therefore this isn't a place for
beach lovers or party goers. But if you want quiet sophistication with a personalised touch when you return from a day out then this is for
you.
Got a spouse &
kids? Need a family hotel?
Tropicana
Resort, Klong Prao Beach. 3,500 - 7,500 baht/night. The
mid-sized, Balinese influenced Tropicana is at the southern tip of Klong Prao
beach and is a great place to stay if you plan on taking a family holiday
on Koh Chang. The beach outside isn't the best on the island but it is
very quiet and safe. Kayaks can be hired and 30 minute paddle over the flat bay
will bring to to the first of four small uninhabited islands which offer good snorkelling. The beach itself is more suited to early morning jogging than
sunbathing as the sand is compact, rather than powdery. Near the hotel
you'll find loads of rockpools at low tide - which are fun to explore with young
kids. The rooms are huge and many of them have both indoor and outdoor
bathrooms. There are all the expected comforts - satellite TV, aircon,
minibar, pool, open air beachfront restaurant etc etc.
Also worth a look: Paradise Resort,
Klong Prao. Salmon coloured bungalows on a great stretch of beach.
Avoid the newer roadside bungalows which are a bit cramped together. All
the conveniences you need, comfortable and sensibly designed rather than trying
to be luxurious and failing. Good size pool, kids play area, quiet beach
and within easy walking distance of a supermarket, beachfront restaurants and
banks, tour agencies etc.
++++++
None of the
resorts listed on this page have paid to be listed . . . although it'd be nice
if they did. :-) And I'm not best mates
with the owners either. I just like these places, it's as simple as that.
One more . . .
Best place run by
the guy who does this site
Baan Rim Nam, Klong
Prao. Comfortable rather than flash. We've only got 3 ensuite,
aircon bedrooms in our renovated fisherman's house built over the river estuary.
It's the only place of it's type on the west coast of Koh Chang. If you
want to have no beer bars, souvenir shops or tailors shops within eyesight -
then it's the place for you.
The rooms have big bamboo beds with coil spring mattresses, the bathrooms are
western style and there's a big deck over the water where you can laze in the
daytime and barbie seafood in the evenings. The beach is 2 minutes walk or canoe
paddle away. More details here.
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