Visitor Guide to Pearl Beach
2025 – 26 Update
✔ No beach – despite the name. But only 5 minutes by scooter from White Sand or Klong Prao beaches
✔ Some good value accommodation in well run small resorts
✔ Has a large supermarket and is home to the island’s only Post Office and only Honda scooter dealership
No Sand? That’s no problem on Pearl Beach
Head a kilometre south of the International Clinic on White Sands and 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. Some resorts & some online booking sites like to lure customers to the resorts here by just classifying it as part of White Sand Beach. It’s not.
There are some good, small bungalow resorts here with sunset views and is a convenient option, midway between White Sand Beach and Klong Prao Beach. Providing you are willing to hop on songtaew or rent a scooter to get to a good beach. If so, then you will save money on accommodation by staying in this area.
The elephant in the room is the name . . . . Pearl Beach . . . . which 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 doing a ‘hula’ just thinking about it.
In reality, there is no beach, other than a stony shoreline. The story goes that the beach was named after the new born daughter of the first Thai/Western couple move to the area. Matt at ‘Paradise Palms‘ will give you the full explanation.
Where to Stay and Eat on Pearl Beach
The good news is that there are some very nice bungalow resorts on Pearl beach with sunset views, plus modern, value for money pool villas and also some good options if you want to rent a bungalow cheaply for a few weeks.
The lack of good beach and no large resorts in the vicinity means that you usually have no problems finding a sensibly priced room. The resorts are quieter and often better value than on the busier beaches. Some resorts even throw in free scooter hire to entice guests during low season.
So before you write off Pearl Beach for lack of a sandy beach, bear in mind that many resort owners seem to make more of an effort when it comes to offering well priced accommodation and great service for their 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, there is some pretty good snorkelling off a small coral reef just offshore. You will definitely see far more fish here than if you try to snorkel off the sandier west coast beaches.
The easiest way to access the sea is at Kai Mook Resort. ( Head down the road adjacent to the Honda Scooter shop and stop at the end ). There’s also a small, rocky peninsula here which you can walk out on and get good views north along the coastline up past White Sand beach. The resort itself has recently been rebuilt by the local owners.
Alternatively, there’s also sea access at the campsite adjacent to the Lotus supermarket at the north end of Pearl beach. You can pitch your tent for 100 Baht and enjoy a great sunset view. There’s also a small restaurant plus shower and toilet facilities.
Nearby groups of expats has bandied together and built ‘The Pearl Luxury Pool Villas‘, ‘The Elegance Pool Villas‘ and ‘Koh Chang Luxury Pool Villas’ – which appears to be named for search engines rather than humans. The first of these identical pool villas opened in late 2018 and the most recent in mid 2023.
These all provide spacious accommodation for couples and families who want more for their money than a similarly priced hotel room can offer. No views, as they are clustered close together, but they are quiet, good value and come with a small private swimming pool and all the conveniences of home including Netflix.
If you want a more spacious holiday rental with garden, also check out Suphattra House and Villa Tippawan, both of which offer more privacy and are on Airbnb.
Further north by the sea, The cosy, wooden ‘Remark Cottages’ closed permanently in early 2018 but has since re-opened as ‘Ban Na Kai Mook’ bungalows. Nice location however, the huts are beginning to show their age.
The family orientated ‘Penny’s Bungalows’, good value ‘Paradise Palms’ and stylish ‘Saffron on the Sea’ are all pleasant places to stay by the sea. Paradise Palms, in particular, has been one of the top rated B&B’s on Koh Chang for well over a decade on Tripadvisor and has had the same owners for over 20 years.
For value for money and longstay options, ‘TP Hut’ & ‘Macura Resort’, along a paved track on the inland side of the main road. These cater for people who hop off the pick up truck taxi just before it rounds the corner at the northern end of Pearl beach proper. TP Hut can also do good long stay deals and it’s a nice location, nestled at the food of the hill.
Likewise, near the entrance to the huts, the new ‘7 Senses‘ has a pool and modern bungalows for rent. No relation to the better known Six Senses resorts, they’re a bit posher. But 7 Senses has better reviews – it’s one of the top rated places to stay on the island. )
Then you have ‘Elephant & Castle’ and ‘Baan Ton Rak’. Both also well reviewed, not so much for the location as for the ambiance and the expat hosts who go out of their way to take care of guests and make them feel at home. And in the same area is Rose Garden Resort where you can get a Fan bungalow for under 800 Baht/night and AC for not much more.
These aren’t places for your average backpacker, or for people wanting direct access to sand. Just for anyone looking for a quiet, convenient, moderately priced place to base yourself for a week or two.
The area has one large resort – Koh Chang Resortel, which has the largest swimming pool on the island. Unfortunately, it was one of those places that very few people know of or bothered to consider when looking for 3 star accommodation. It closed and has been up for sale since 2023. The pool, pictured above, even includes concrete starting blocks. The type last seen at the Moscow Olympics in 1980.
Adjacent to the Resortel lies Privilege Resort. This offers spacious, value for money bungalows. Unlike many resorts these are spread out over a large area and not clustered together. So there’s plenty of open space and also a small pool near the sea.
For those with a large family or looking for a place for a group of friends to stay, then ‘Inspiration Villa’, a large standalone beachfront home is a great spot. It’s hidden away, out of sight of the main road, but is the only beachfront holiday home by the sea in this part of the island. You’ll find it listed on Airbnb.
Map of Pearl beach
This is just the highlights to help familiarize yourself with the area.
By the roadside
On the roadside in Pearl Beach, you’ll also see several of new shophouses 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 long term.
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. The office of Whitesands Publications, who produce the best maps of the island guide is located adjacent to the Post Office. It’s worth picking up a copy of their map at the Post Office.
A Honda scooter dealership is nearby. And a vegan restaurant also opened, to the delight of vegans. ‘Everflow’ does some delicious vegetarian food, cold pressed juices and smoothies. It’s hidden away, adjacent to a car wash and so isn’t the easiest place to find. See their Facebook page for info: https://www.facebook.com/everflowkohchang/ and on the opposite side of the carwash is Royal Cafe, for all your non-vegetarian coffee needs.
Behind the Post Office you’ll also see the old office for the NT ( National Telecom ) If you need an ADSL / Fibre optic internet connecting, this was the place to visit. And also the place to go to complain when your new internet connection stops working. Which will happen if you use NT. Then you’ll be back every few days for the next month or two until eventually they set a date to fix it. By which time you’ve signed up with another , far better, customer friendly and efficient ISP. Such as AIS or True.
But I digress. On with the tour . . .
Nearby, down this and the adjacent side street, you’ll see several large, modern homes. Pearl Beach is one of the few areas on the island where it is still possible to buy a small plot of land with good title deed on which to build a home. It isn’t cheap, figure on 5 Million Baht for a small plot. Which is why many of the houses are rather posh (for Koh Chang). And it is a convenient location to have a house. One of the real estate agent ads amused me by claiming this area was the ‘Beverly Hills of Koh Chang‘. There’s still a while to go before that is the case.
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 closed and partially obstructed by shophouses which have stood largely empty since being built in 2009. Although a couple of years ago one was rented and is still in business as 595 Hostel.
Opposite is the boutique Keereeta Resort, which was the first boutique resort on Koh Chang and has a couple of dozen very nicely appointed rooms in various designs, but not much English spoken. A pity, as the design and layout is nice. They also do weekly and monthly rentals.
Further south, a couple more places to eat can be found near the Post Office and a couple of dirt tracks lead from the main road towards the sea. There used to be a handful of budget bungalow resorts down here but they have now closed.
The remaining highlight of this shopper’s paradise is the Big C supermarket. Lotus was the first large supermarket on the island and Big C followed a year later. Lotus closed in 2024. But Big C has a cheap in-house bakery, good selections of fruit & vegetables plus some imported goodies.
If you have visited Koh Chang in the recent past you might remember the Tesco Lotus supermarket on Pearl beach. As mentioned that has now closed and several small bars and restaurants have sprung up on the land.
Two which are worth trying, even if you aren’t staying in the area, are Shane Koh Chang Indian restaurant and Manpu Seafood. Shane has been cooking up Indian food on Koh Chang for many years, previously at Taste of India on White Sand beach and now in Pearl beach. Manpu Seafood does some great seafood noodles along with popular Thai dishes as well as seafood. It’s a good place to grab a quick lunch or light meal.
Behind these by the sea is where you’ll find one of my favourite places for coffee, cocktail or lunch – Tastory – . A stylish little place with outdoor seating by the sea and also indoor if you want to cool off.
Another beachfront spot that’s been popular for many years is the restaurant at ‘Saffron On the Sea’ . There are only half a dozen tables, some undercover and some under the stars. Plus, good food, peaceful setting and no loud music.
Finally, in late 2019, Le Jaojom , a beachfront coffeeshop / bistro opened on Pearl Beach. It’s a very Instagram worthy place which also has excellent smoothies, coffee and, in the evening, cocktails. The building is a bamboo structure with a large glass walled aircon seating area plus a covered terrace. These face a garden which opens to the sea. Very nicely done and well worth visiting. There’s also a good food menu, go for the Tasting Menu rather than a la carte. You’ll be able to try more things and it’s good value for money.
Hotels on Pearl beach
These resorts and bungalows are in the Pearl beach area and are all bookable 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.
Macura Resort – Large bungalows in a garden setting on the inland side of the main road – 1,700 Baht
Elephant & Castle – On the hillside with sea views. Fan and aircon bungalows plus popular restaurant. – 800 Baht
Saffron on the Sea – Bungalows in a shady tropical garden by the sea. Good cocktails at the restaurant. – 1,500 Baht
Paradise Palms – Cosy beachfront resort with just a handful of bungalows by the sea. – 1,500 Baht
Elegance Pool Villas, Koh Chang Luxury Pool Villas & The Pearl Pool Villas – Virtually identical, just with different owners. Modern pool villas with home comforts, sleep up to 6 people – 7,000 Baht/night
7 Senses – Modern, nicely designed, spacious aircon bungalows with a pool – 2,000 Baht
To Sum Up . . .
Pearl Beach doesn’t look spectacular at first glance. There’s no soft sand, no beach bars, and not much to photograph for Instagram. But it grows on you.
It’s convenient, calm, and quietly sociable. A place where there’s still a sense of community, cafés know your coffee order by day three, and the sea is always just down the lane. Many repeat visitors to Koh Chang end up staying here after tiring of busier beaches. It’s a great compromise between being near the action and escaping it.
If you can live without the sand, you’ll gain peace and practicalitythat most beach resorts have long since lost. Pearl Beach is the understated middle child of Koh Chang’s west coast. And, sometimes, the middle child is the smart one.
More details and Reviews of hotels and resorts in the Pearl Beach area
Next: Moving on to North Klong Prao Beach
