Pearl Beach, Koh Chang: 2011-12 Update

A kilometre south of the International Clinic, you’ll reach ‘Pearl Beach’. This beach is also marked as ‘Hat Kai Mook’ the Thai name for ‘Pearl Beach’ on quite a few maps and some online booking sites like to lure customers to the resorts here by just classifying it as White Sand Beach.

Ahhhh . . . . . ‘Pearl Beach’ the very name conjures up images of coconut palms swaying in the sea breeze whist g-string clad couples stroll on a sun kissed expanse of pure white sand. I’m almost doing a ‘hula’ just thinking about it, book me in now.

In reality, unless there’s some error in the translation I’m at a loss as to how this ‘beach’ got it’s name other than a local entrepreneur thought that ‘Stony coastline with a severe lack of sand’ wasn’t going to encourage tourists to spend their hard earned eurodollars here. (In fact, the story goes that the beach was named after the new born daughter of the first Thai/Western couple move to the area. Call in at ‘Paradise Palms’ for the full explanation.)

There are some very nice bungalow resorts here with sunset views an also some good options if you want to rent a bungalow cheaply for a few weeks. The lack of good beach means that you usually have no problems finding a sensibly priced room here, far better value than on the busier beaches. So, if you are on a budget and are willing to hop on songtaew or rent a scooter to get to the beach and back. Some resorts even throw in free scooter hire to entice guests.

Down on the shore, a couple of resorts have created mini artificial beaches for guests to laze on but the stones underfoot make walking along the beach or wading into the water difficult. On the plus side, pretty good snorkelling off a nearby coral reef is possible and you will see far more fish here than if you try to snorkel off the main west coast beaches.

But before you write off Pearl Beach, bear in mind that as the beach isn’t so great, many resort owners seem to make more of an effort when it comes to offering decent, imaginative, well priced accommodation and good service. The cosy, wooden ‘Remark Cottages’, uniquely styled ‘Keereeta’, family orientated ‘Penny’s Bungalows’ and the good value ‘Paradise Palms’  are all  nice places to stay. Not for your average backpacker, or for people wanting immediate access to sand but if you’re on holiday and are looking for a quiet, moderately priced place to base yourself for a week or two then you could do far worse.

The area has one large resort – Koh Chang Resortel, which has the largest swimming pool on the island, but is one of those places that very few people know of or bother to consider when looking for 2-3 star accommodation. Even the roadside sign is barely noticeable.  The pool, pictured above, is the largest on the island and even includes concrete starting blocks – they type last seen at the Moscow Olympics in 1980.

On the roadside you’ll also see plenty of new shophouses being constructed in the area surrounding the Post Office. The Post Office not only does a roaring trade in stamps, but you can also rent a PO Box cheaply if you are staying on the island longterm. A print shop, KCP, is also nearby and although pricey compared to the mainland, is cheaper than most internet cafes if you want to get any photocopying or printing done whilst on Koh Chang. They also make menus, business cards, signboards etc for a lot of businesses on the island.

If you’re looking for a location for a business & home the shophouses in this area are a good bet providing you don’t require any walk in customers. Dive Supply, purveyor of snorkeling and diving equipment, has a shop in this area and the office of Whitesands Publications who produce a printed quarterly guide to the island is adjacent to the Post Office.  They also run a large second hand bookshop ‘Books Thailand’ out of the same office.  A new Honda scooter dealership has also opened to the delight of the locals. Behind the Post Office you’ll also see the main office for the TOT, the telephone company. If you need  a landline installing or ADSL internet connecting, this is the pace to visit.

The aging concrete monolith that is ‘Sky Bay’ pub, which was Koh Chang’s top i.e. only, Thai style nightclub, also sits slowly crumbling on the inland side of the road. It is now partially obstructed by unrented shophouses that have stood largely empty since being built in 2009. Nearby both ‘Sanaes’ and ‘The Elephant and Castle’ will do you a proper English food if that’s what you’re craving.  But the best of the roadside restaurants is ‘Hungry Elephant’, that has a stellar reputation for decent steaks and mainly French food.  Like all the better places to eat, you wont find them advertising for custom as word of mouth and recommendations fill tables.

Opposite the boutique Keereeta Resort, which has a couple of dozen very nicely appointed rooms in various designs, but not much English spoken, is ‘Hungry Elephant’ a small restaurant that doesn’t look much from the outside but is in fact rated very highly for its French & Western cooking by many longterm expats.

Further south, more places to eat can be found near the Post Office and Dive Supply, Sunrise Bungalows have a popular BBQ buffet nightly where you can eat all you want for around 149 Baht.  At the opposite end of the ‘beach’  ‘Kawah Kaweh ‘ is a little roadside coffeeshop with some funky decor and, more importantly, good coffee from the north of Thailand.

A couple of dirt tracks lead from the main road towards the sea and down here you’ll find several foreign owned bungalows and bars in a nearby cluster. ”Northern Lights’ welcomes Harley Riders and anyone else with a love of outdated machinery; and ‘Sunrise’ and ‘Peace Bungalows’ also have cheap rooms for rent – popular with long stayers.

But there is one reason why every visitor to Koh Chang should head to Pearl Beach and that is for a meal at Saffron On the Sea – one of my favourite restaurants on Koh Chang. There are only half a dozen tables, some undercover, some under the stars, an open kitchen, cracking food, lovely peaceful setting, friendly owners and no loud music. It’s quiet, you can have a conversation, the food is as good as anything you’ll have anywhere and it’s the kind of place you are happy to wait half an hour for food to arrive as you know it’s being made specially and not pre-prepared. We stay there for hours sometimes. Try to grab the table in the gazebo by the sea and laze in the hammocks listening to the waves lapping against the shore a you sup your cocktail or beer. Probably the best place for a romantic meal on the island.

Google Map of the Pearl Beach area

Details and Reviews of hotels and resorts in the Pearl Beach area

Next: Moving on to North Klong Prao Beach