Island Guide

Klong Son

Travel guide for Klong Son, Koh Chang

An overlooked area near the ferry pier. But there’s a fishing community and the valley is well worth exploring.

Klong Son – Fishing Village, Beach and Valley

2023 – 24 Update

✔  Beautiful bay, but the beachfront is owned by property developer

✔ Great area to explore by scooter or bicycle and see local life including a thriving fishing community

✔ A Chinese shrine that’s home to the island’s guardian spirits

✔ Two cement works and two 7-eleven minimarts

A few minutes after leaving the ferry pier you’ll pass through Klong Son village. You probably won’t even realise you are passing through it as the pick-up truck taxi won’t stop and you’ll see very few obvious signs of tourism by the main road.

Klong Son is still very much a local area for local people.

This isn’t an area of the island many people will head to if they want to holiday on Koh Chang, but it is home to a small fishing community; the best elephant camp on the island ( if that’s your thing); a shrine to the spirits who look after the fortunes of Koh Chang; some good jungle trekking;  a nice little multi-tiered waterfall; a huge luxury beachfront housing development with disc golf course and Klong Son valley makes for a very nice spot to live should you wish to make your home on Koh Chang without breaking the bank. It is very diverse and really does have something for everyone.

And if you need a place to park a car for no real reason, there’s a public parking area that no-one uses as it’s nowhere near anywhere you’d want to park.

Accommodation on Klong Son beach 

There is a kilometre long crescent beach with views out across a beautiful bay flanked by two peninsulas. However, you won’t see it from the roadside. The beach lies about 1km from the road and there are no obvious ‘This Way to the Beach’ signs.  There are two small resorts on this beach, Little Sunshine and Peninsula.  Both of which are located beachfront in the Siam Royal View housing development.  Also in the same development are Marina Sands Resort, which has very spacious condominium style rooms and is located by the development’s marina and The Boathouse, a boutique guesthouse a stone’s thrown from the south end of the beach.

Aiyapura Resort was the first luxury resort on the island and is located on the southern peninsula of the bay.  They have two small, man made, beaches outside the hotel to ensure that well heeled guests weren’t found waist deep in silt from the mouth of the river following attempts to enjoy a romantic evening stroll along the shore.

But on the plus side the Spa is rated as one of the best on the island, the views across the bay are excellent and it is a good place to get away from it all or for a honeymoon. Ex- Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra was also rumoured to have a residence within the resort which also had the good fortune to open just after he announced plans to develop the island in the early 2000s.

Away from the beach, you’ll find a couple of new value for money resorts.  Feel@Chill is located on the road leading from the 7-eleven in the centre of the village to the fishing pier. Nearby there’s the cosy Havana, which has several rooms and is a similar price (From around 1,000 Baht/night) Both offer new AC bungalows in a garden setting and with a pool.  Both are far better value than you’ll find in the busier beach areas.  Evergreen Resort is located in the valley, around 1Km from the main road and has great views of the surrounding hills plus well maintained bungalows in a landscaped garden

Obviously, they aren’t ideal if you want a beach within easy walking distance.  But if you prefer to base yourself in a quiet spot with more of  a local atmosphere, don’t need a lot of nightlife nearby and plan to use a scoter to get around then they are excellent choices. 

Map of Klong Son

This is just the highlights to help familiarize yourself with the area.

Blue Haven Bay ( aka Siam Royal View)

In the past this beach at the northwestern tip of Koh Chang, went by a multitude of names. The Tourist Authority map gave the name as Klong Son Bay, a locally printed guidebook didn’t give it a name, a roadside sign gave the name as ‘Chang Noi Beach’, and in a magazine for Thai travellers it went by the names ‘Son Bay’ or ‘Premwadee Beach’. (Premwadee was also the name of the aging, rundown resort at the northern end of the bay.)

However, now we’ll call it Chang Noi Beach as the entire length is now owned by a property developer, Siam Royal View.  The development is also known by then name Blue Haven Bay – which for some reason conjures up images of a caravan site in a dull northern English seaside town. 

Chang Noi Beach at Siam Royal View

Lining this beach are swish, cookie cutter villas.  The majority of plots by the beach have been sold and villas built on them.  But away from the beach construction is still ongoing as plots sell steadily.

Most owners rent their houses through Airbnb and so during high season it is quite busy.  There aren’t many luxury villas for rent on the island and if you want one by the beach then this is your best and only option. 

Whilst I’m personally not a fan of large housing developments, I can see the attraction.  It’s safe, has great views and the developers take care of all the worries associated with having a house built abroad. There are restaurants on site, a couple of large swimming pools and a marina.

So whilst living on this development won’t be a place to get away from it all, it is unlikely that your neighbours will be drinking Mekhong whisky and singing karaoke songs until the early hours. But if they are, they’ll be singing in Russian or Chinese, not Thai.

Inside the Siam Royal View development one owner has made his beachfront homes into a small resort called   ‘Little Sunshine‘, a very nice place to stay if you are looking for a homely boutique resort with personal service as good as you will find in any luxury hotel.  And increasingly, owners are renting their villas out to visitors.  So if you’re looking for a holiday home for a week or two you’ll find loads on Airbnb.  Peninsula Resort opened in 2016 and has just nine tastefully designed rooms which open out onto a garden leading to the beach.

But even if you aren’t planning on buying a home during your holiday you could do worse than visit Siam Royal View / Blue Haven Bay and play around on their 9 hole pitch and putt golf course, which is dotted with water features and comes complete with astroturf on the cambered greens to make it a tough challenge for even experienced golfers. 

Alternatively, the same course has been fitted out for disc golf.  Frisbees can be rented near the entrance and the course hosted it’s first competitive (and so far only) PDGA tournament in October 2018.  There’s also a very good restaurant and beachfront pool where you can relax.  At the south end of the beach, the Shambala Beach Bar also hosts regular beach cricket matches which are well attended by expats.

The bay itself is very shallow, at low tide you have to walk a few hundred metres to get deep enough to swim, but it is very sheltered and safe for kids to play on. It’s a great bay for canoeing, you can find a couple more small beaches on the southern peninsula and there are two islands at the mouth of the bay.   The largest Koh Chang Noi has good snorkelling off the southern side and a deserted sandy beach on the north.   You will also see some huge boulders, not found anywhere else on Koh Chang around the shores of the northern peninsula.  You’ll find kayaks for rent for 100Baht / hour by the main swimming pool.

As more homes at Siam Royal View are completed, more shops and services catering to expats will spring up. But at present, Klong Son is still a sleepy little village. Which is good, as it’s also the only place on the west coast without a tailor’s shop or a souvenir shop of any kind – unless of course you’re looking for a kilo of assorted vegetables; a 13,000 BTU aircon unit or a 4 metre long length of redwood as a reminder of your stay on the island.

Fishing Boat in Klong Son

Around Klong Son Village

The 7-eleven at the crossroads in Klong Son is in the centre of the village.  Nearby there’s a huge building, which has been under construction since 2018.  If it’s ever completed it will be home to an indoor adventure park for kids.  It is owned by Aiyapura Resort who used to have a trampoline park at their resort.

Take the road towards the sea and you can follow the winding road past homes and a local clinic.  You’ll end up either at the village temple or at a small parking area at the start of a pier, depending on which fork you take near the end of the road.

The pier is still home to a small fishing community. There are no fancy seafood restaurants or souvenir shops on the pier. For now you can still see the locals in their boats doing what they have done for generations e.g. sleeping, talking, drinking cheap whisky, preparing boats for heading out to sea and staring at outsiders who wander into their midst.  The influx of money just a few hundred metres away has bypassed people living on the pier. 

From the end of the pier you’ll see along the estuary into the bay and also across to Siam Royal View and a sandbar that is overgrown with Casuarina fir trees.   About 10 years ago the estuary was dredged and the area around the pier filled in on one side.  This dramatically increased the number of boat moorings, and is more practical for the locals.  It also makes for some good photos. Fishing may be small scale but there is always something to watch. 

There is also an overgrown concrete chedi near the pier, most fishing villages have these, you’ll see a similar one at Dan Mai on the east coast. The spirits here basically guard over the fishermen and, providing they are kept happy, the fishermen will live, thrive and survive during their time at sea. 

klong son temple

Not far from the start of the pier, close to the signposted Manee & Family guesthouses.  These were two of the first guesthouses on the island.  A leftover from when visitors arrived by fishing boat from the mainland.  They are at the start of a long concrete footbridge that leads along the side of the estuary towards the river mouth.  This was built to provide additional boat mooring and also easier access to several homes in the area which are built on stilts near the shore.  This is also worth taking 15 minutes to walk along and explore.

After photographing the pier you’ll might as well head another 400 metres along the road to the temple. This is a proper working temple with lots of monks and stray dogs running around. Nothing spectacular but it’s the oldest on the island and doesn’t get many tourists visiting.  There’s a nice mural above the door of the viharn (the fancy temple building) which depicts Buddha visiting Koh Chang and petting an elephant.  That may not have happened.  But is a sign that fake news has been around for longer than you think.

Into the Valley

The real highlight of Klong Son is the inland valley. Head inland by taking the inland road at the 7-eleven crossroads. Following this road will bring you to Jungle Way bungalows, Baan Kwan Chang elephant camp and Klong Jow Laem waterfall. Jungle Way is an alternative for travellers who want an old fashioned backpacker vibe in the heart of the jungle. Baan Kwan Chang is, in my opinion, the best of the elephant camps on Koh Chang.  If you must ride an elephant then this is the best place to do it. 

The small waterfall, which you reach at the end of the road into the valley, is rarely visited and has numerous levels – at least 9 or 10, I lost count last time I visited.   You have to pay 40 Baht to walk through land belonging to a restaurant with a couple of bungalows to rent.  Then it is just a matter of following a footpath.  The path up the levels zig zags across the river and isn’t easy to follow, often simpler to walk on the river bed.  it’s nothing spectacular, but it’s an easy walk and you can swim in a couple of the pools.

Heading into the valley, the weird white building you see by the bridge over the river is a Russian Orthodox Church.  Worth a look inside even if you aren’t Russian or even an orthodox Christian.  

There’s not much in the way of culinary delights in Klong Son, but you should try Blues Blues Art Cafe.  It is located on the road into the valley not far from the church.  Very good food and some funky decor with unique artwork and sculptures all of which are made by the owner and are for sale.  

 

Siam Royal View Houses

Heading further inland, you’ll pass by the remains of Koh Chang’s only semi-legal cock fighting arena and what was a large breeding centre for fighting cocks. A decade ago this area was packed every Monday with Thai guys admiring each other’s cocks.  

The road up here makes for an interesting drive / motorbike ride ( You’ll need your own transport as the pick-up truck taxi’s don’t run along this road.) .  The road was paved back in 2008. You start out by passing the local school and numerous houses of varying standards of design and construction quality. After crossing the river the road passes through more rubber plantations and fruit farms with a smaller number of private homes by the roadside.

Visit between May – September and you’ll find the roadside lined with all manner of Thai fruits hanging from the trees – Pomelo. Durian, Rambutan, Longan, Mangosteen, Jackfruit etc are all farmed here.

This area is the starting point for guided jungle trekking with walks taking you up the hillside on your right. On the left hand side, if you keep your eye’s peeled, you’ll also see a small sign for ‘Koh Chang Animal Project‘ run by Lisa the Vet who has been taking care of Koh Chang’s stray and unwanted pets in addition to providing much needed medical care for sick and injured animals for over 20 years. Look for a couple of new houses built on the left hand side of the road and a garbage bin with ‘LISA’ painted on the side.

Also nearby in the valley are two other organisations, Happy Dogs and Animal Voice, that also care for stray dogs. 

Another kilometre or so further on and you’ll pass Jungle Way on your right and a few hundred metres further on, you’ll reach ‘Baan Kwan Chang’ elephant camp,  the first and the best of the elephant camps on the island. Friendly, non-pushy staff, quiet location in the valley surrounded by jungle and fruit farms it’s a great place to head to to just feed the elephants and pet them if you prefer not to ride them. 

The valley is a nice spot for a peaceful, cheap home, but bear in mind the land being ‘sold’ to foreigners here rarely has any title deeds and all 99 year leases or even 999 year leases are total bullshit, aren’t legal in any way and you will be screwed if you decide to ‘buy’ one.

The road eventually ends at ford crossing the river that is dry most of the year. Head across the river to the small restaurant. It is from here that you can walk to the waterfall where you will find several pools where you can swim, about 15 – 20 minutes walk away.   It’s an easy walk to the river from where you have to clamber along the river bank and head upstream  and enjoy a (usually) very private swim. You can’t get lost. Just follow the blue water pipes that local use to supply water to their homes from the river.

Anyone adventurous reading this might also like to try to find Koh Chang’s weirdest swimming pool, built on the hillside close by. Head 100 metres back from the ford across the river and you’ll see an overgrown track leading up the hill on the right.  Take this.  It forks in a couple of places but just keep to the right and go until the end.  Around 300 metres walk.  There you will come to this small waterfall and man-made pool.  You’ll probably hear monkeys and may well see snakes.  I wouldn’t swim there or if you do, make sure you make enough noise to frighten off any creatures that might be lurking. ( As of mid 2023 the track leading to the pool is extremely overgrown, I don’t think anyone has been there for years.) 

Chinese Shrine , Klong Son, Koh Chang

After making back to the main road in one piece, why not survey the accommodation options? This will take about 30 seconds.

Riverside Resort and the more luxurious Koh Chang Grand Orchid provide roadside rooms well away from the sea for people who put price well before location in their choice of holiday accommodation. The Grand Orchid is a beautifully designed place with Lanna (northern Thai) style architecture, but nowhere near the beach and the only view is one of the nearby cement works.

The Riverside has older AC rooms for 750 Baht all year round, no need to book in advance. If you are driving and don’t really care where you stay so long as it has AC then it’s fine for a night.  On the access road to Siam Royal View you’ll find a couple of places with bungalows to rent either nightly or long term. These are value for money and can often be had for around 800 Baht / night.  

Klong Son is also home to a large gas station with a 7-eleven and a branch of the popular Amazon coffee shops – which are found in all PTT gas stations around Thailand.   Not far from the gas station is a new public parking area which someone in power deemed essential for the island to have.  It never gets used.

One new addition roadside is Tan Jeep Rental.  The only place on the island you can hire reconditioned, open top jeeps.  Safer than a scooter and more fun than a regular car.  There are five for rent.  Tan also runs trekking tours and his wife, Nancy has a small restaurant making Cambodian style dishes, fruitshakes etc at the same location.

As far as food goes, there’s a good choice of foodstalls early morning and in the evening in the area around the 7-eleven in the centre of the village.  Plenty of meats on sticks and other goodies. For proper food, the best choice is Khun Tee’s restaurant.  Which is midway between this 7-eleven and the PTT gas station. Very good Thai food and some Western options too. 

Heading out of the village, towards White Sand beach, Kebab Station offers proper British style Doner kebabs, beer, a pool table and live sports on the big screen.   If you’re staying in the area and need somewhere to watch football or sporting events, it’s worth checking out in order to avoid having to go over the big hill to White Sand beach.  

Meet the Spirits

The only thing now remaining to do is to go and see what the future has install for you by paying a visit to the Shrine of the Godfather of Koh Chang ‘Chao Po Koh Chang’ who, along with his wife, ‘Chao Mae Koh Chang’ take care of the spiritual needs of Koh Chang residents 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  

In the past, farmers and fishermen who faced problems would go to the temple to make an offering and seek faith and guidance from the statue of Chao Po Koh Chang. Apparently, there are plenty of success stories of prayers being answered, fortunes revived or made after making an offering at the temple. So who am I to knock it.  (Although I prefer to save my offerings for the Google search algorithm which probably brought you to this site.)

The temple is on a hilltop midway between Klong Son Village and Ao Sapparot ferry pier. You’ll see the parking area and steps leading up near the roadside on the right as you travel up the first small hill after leaving the pier. In early 2011 a swathe of hillside was cut down and levelled to make it easy for people to drive all the way to the shrine without having to walk 100 metres. 

In late 2013 a new, large meeting hall was opened next to the temple. When you are here you’ll also hear many passing drivers beeping their horns three times to say ‘Hello’ to the spirits as the drive by. The temple is unlike Buddhist temples on the island in that it is a 100% Chinese design – dragons, peacocks, bling and so forth, which gives away the ancestry of the original Koh Chang residents.  They were sailors who made their way here from southern China.  There’s another very similar shrine, but on a smaller scale, in Dan Mai village on the east coast.

Outside the temple you’ll see plenty of concrete elephants of all sizes plus figurines depicting likenesses of the Godfather and his wife.  He looks a little like an oriental Colonel Sanders in some. Offerings of sugarcane (for the elephants) and Fanta or Chinese tea plus fruit (for the humans) are laid out on pedestals in front of the likenesses. On either side of the doorway into the temple there’s a large brass bell and a large traditional wood/animal hide drum. Feel free to give these a good whack three times.  Chinese Spirits, like Chinese tourists, love a lot of noise.

Inside you’re confronted by a smoky room full of large statues, Chinese style murals and incense sticks. You’ll see more offerings of fruit / food / flowers laid out on the table directly in front of you and incense sticks burning in a number of different spots. It’s best just to loiter in the background and leave the spiritual gubbins to others, unless you have a Thai with you who knows their way around the art of praying to Chinese spirits.  They will point you in the right direction and show you how many incense sticks to put in which holder and in which order after you have prayed for profits.

But one thing that you can do, and better still is pretty idiot proof to do,  is to get your fortune told. Pick up one of the bamboo containers which sit on the table of offerings to the spirits.   You’ll notice these hold dozens of thin sticks, each of which has a number written on the end of it. Kneel down. Hold the container chest height at a 45 degree angle and start to shake it vigorously. One of the sticks will eventually vibrate out and fall on the floor.  

See what number is written on it. Go over the the wooden cubby holes on the left wall of the shrine, pick the piece of paper that corresponds to your number your fortune is written in Thai, Chinese and English. Good luck. And the beauty of it is that if you get a fortune that isn’t particularly good then you are allowed to burn it and repeat the process until the correct fortune is predicted.

If you don’t ride a scooter then by far the best way to see the Klong Son area is by bicycle.  There is an excellent ‘Slow Cycling‘ trip run daily by a friendly Thai guide called ‘Chat’ who also owns Pajamas Hostel in Klong Prao.  He runs tours with small groups, less than 6 people, that takes in all the sights around Klong Son from the beach to the valley, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see how the villagers live.  

Finally, yes that really is a mini-version of the Bayon (Angkor Wat) that you see when you head into the valley.  Behind the walls are three bizarre concrete treehouses owned by extremely wealthy Europeans.  There’s a photo of it below . . .

 

Hotels in Klong Son

These resorts and bungalows are all located in the Klong Son area and call be booked on booking.com.   The price shown is a typical high season nightly rate.  It may well vary and expect it to be higher at holiday weekends and during peak season.  Here are some good choices to get you started on your search for accommodation.

Aiyapura Resort – The largest 4* resort in the area, occupying a prime location with panoramic views across the bay – 3,000 Baht

Little Sunshine Resort – Lovely beachfront boutique resort with a great reputation for quality service – 3,000 Baht

Feel@Chill Resort – Value for money budget resort with pool, AC bungalows and artistic decor – 1,500 Baht

Evergreen Resort – Inland from the main road.  Surrounded by fruit trees, very nice, new (2017) small resort with pool and good value bungalows – 1,500 Baht

Peninsula Beach Resort – Upmarket beachfront rooms and use of  adjacent Siam Royal View facilities – 5,000 Baht

Phet Rean Thai Resort – Teak wood bungalows in a garden setting in the valley. Five minutes walk to shops – 1,200 Baht

More details and Reviews of Hotels and Resorts in Klong Son

Next: South to White Sand Beach

Koh Chang Island Guide For Independent Travellers