The Koh Chang Experience

[bonlondon]

I want to drive a pick up truck there ....do I encounter difficult elevations and hair pin turns on my way there (before I get to pier)? If I take ferry for 150 BHT and take my truck to island, can I get to the fancy hotels without encountering hairpin turns? Do they have wireless internet for laptop at the hotels?

Edited May 28, 2013 by bonlondon

[Daddee]

will cost more to take truck on ferry, have no idea how much.

 

plenty of trucks driving around on island...  yes to internet, but I changed hotels in part because the one I had booked did not have theirs working well enough... so ask first...  

[Piece Corp]

Once I went down to Bang Bao for breakfast after a morning rain. On my way back, a truck on the road in front of me couldn't make it over the apex of a steep climb and started spinning it's wheels at the top. I was on my motorcycle and immediately stopped, worried that the truck might begin to roll back down the hill and roll over me. It was so steep that after i stopped I started to slide backwards on the wet pavement.

 

One of the guys in the truck got out of the cab and jumped into the back of the pick-up and looked to be doing some kind of dance, like the funky chicken. It was enough to shift the weight that the truck could barely get over the top of the hill. The locals are very good at dealing with it, but you cannot get to the resorts without encountering some hairy turns. So take it slow in low gear, and leave enough room in front of you.

[Wil]

I was thinking of going to the Island and have been doing some research but this thread has it all.

Cheers for posting and will be going when I next visit in Sept/Oct

 

Wil

[Daddee]

I went for five nights, stayed in a little bungalow on white sand beach, had a massage girl with me from Pattaya, never went too far from the beach, and since I don't drink didn't hang out in the bars... just ate, swam, got massages, fucked, read books, then repeat.

 

lovely place, will definitely go again!

[Piece Corp]

A guy posted this YouTube of the stretch from the Pier, I have driven this many times.  Be sure to watch the inevitable conclusion.

 

 

[frankstain]

I had to do that trip from the ferry by holding on to the back rails of the baht bus as the driver crammed so many people onto the benches and then just as I was about to sit 2 more girls came over and he put them on board and like a gent I gave them my seat. It was my first time there but I knew it was a hell of a rise over the mountain to whitesands beach. My knuckles were white for the whole duration and I had to practically peel my fingers away from my grip of the bar. Roll on October, cant wait to get back

[Atlas]

Thanks for the report.

 

Is it better to take a girl with you ? 

[Piece Corp]

Thanks for the report.

 

Is it better to take a girl with you ?

 

It's not a problem finding a girl there but quality is hit-and-miss. If you're particular, it's best to bring your own girl.

[themosch]

I want to drive a pick up truck there ....do I encounter difficult elevations and hair pin turns on my way there (before I get to pier)? If I take ferry for 150 BHT and take my truck to island, can I get to the fancy hotels without encountering hairpin turns? Do they have wireless internet for laptop at the hotels?

I took my car , Toyota vigo, three times so far on a ferry to the island and riding on koh chang isn't a problem at all. There is only 1 steem hill just after you leave the ferry towards white sand beach but if a songtaew full with tourist can cope with it your car sure can do the same !! 

But i always rent a bike to drive around the island and leave my car on the parking of my hotel. Especially at night and out for a drink! Much easier to park at every stop a motorbike!

[northstate2]

Great info!

I stayed there for just over a week with my tirak was really nice. Stayed white sand beach area buffalo bill guesthouse/restaurant 700-800 baht a night.

 

I almost died on that corner on the last picture of the roads. Let my girl drive up the hill but she didn't corner hard enough and we ended up in the ditch on the other side of the road! Luckly no one was coming the other way or we would be road kill.

 

I can recommend another island right below koh chang called koh mak. The water is the cleanest I have seen in thailand.

It is a great place to take a girl and relax. Can get there from the same piers as koh chang but take a speedboat for about 500 each. You can book a minibus from pattaya.

Bring cash though as there is no atm. but can use credit card to get cash at tourist center.

http://www.baan-koh-mak.com/test/en/main is where I stayed. And will stay there again I am sure.

Clean water..

Titties

Beach seafood BBQ every night!

If anyone has questions about koh mak send me a message. Also I will try to make a trip report soon.

Cheers

Thanks for the Koh Mak tip - will try that next time ;-) What is the standard of the hotel Baan Koh Mak? Hard to judge from the small photos on their website ...

[Lucky]

   Thanks for the great report Piece Corp. I've been down there a couple of times lately and I really enjoyed the trip. My first trip I stayed at the Keeree Ele hotel on White Sand Beach. Great location and it was OK and inexpensive but that is about all I can say about it. My second trip I stayed at the KC Grande, expensive but well worth it. It's also on White Sand Beach right in the middle of the action. Both my trips I rode my motorcycle down there, a nice ride to an excellent destination. 

[greenthumb420]

Thanks for the Koh Mak tip - will try that next time ;-) What is the standard of the hotel Baan Koh Mak? Hard to judge from the small photos on their website ...

They have only bungalows but they were nice and clean and looked new with concrete floors.

Best thing was they have floor to ceiling shutter windows that open up and let the sea breeze in. We had the one closest to the beach which was a plus. 

Friendly staff. The beach and views were about the best you can get on the island. Wishing I was there now!

[kantutero]

Great report and pics. 

 

Did anybody dive there?  How was the quality compared to say Koh Tao?

[Thebeamoys]

Thinkiing of going there in May stay at kc resort any one stayed there before

[themosch]

I want to drive a pick up truck there ....do I encounter difficult elevations and hair pin turns on my way there (before I get to pier)? If I take ferry for 150 BHT and take my truck to island, can I get to the fancy hotels without encountering hairpin turns? Do they have wireless internet for laptop at the hotels?

no problem at all with taking your car on the island. fares and info on ferry see : http://www.kohchang2.com/koh_chang_ferry.html

a few steep hills but no problem!!!

[jaynewcastle]

Great thread & pictures.  Thanks for posting everybody

[Atlas]

Great report...pity I had already gone by the time you posted ;)

 

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Tapatalk

[Piece Corp]

Hadn't been to Koh Chang for a few years, long overdue for a visit.

 

 

I booked my favorite property, the Amari Emerand Cove, for 2300 baht per night, about one-half the usual off-season rate.

 

 

It's especially beautiful at night

 

 

The resort was at only 10-20% occupancy, most of the guests were Russians. 

 

 

I spent a lot of time swimming in their awesome 50 meter lap pool, hammering down mango daiquiris at the Pool Bar. They also have a Jacuzzi Pool and Children's Pool.

 

 

The resort had 24-hour room service, convenient for ordering pizza for the midnight football game.

 

 

A full-body Tantra massage from Maneerat massage is something I always look forward to on my visits to Koh Chang.  Unfortunately, the masseuse trained to do the Tantra massage was on holiday for 4 days, quite a disappointment.  My resort included a free 60 minute oil massage with the booking, which was a very good massage, but was no substitute for the 90 minute full-body Tantra.

 

 

The bar scene was very quiet.

 

 

Girls didn't have much to do besides facebook photos

 

 

At the largest bar area near the Chon Buri Resort at White Sands, there were only a few girls and customers in the afternoon.

 

 

In the evening, things picked up with 60-70 girls but still only a few customers.

 

 

At the second largest concentration of bars, near the Sir Henry Morgan Pirate Pub at Kai Bae, business was also very slow.

 

 

Since this is off-season, it rained a bit

 

 

It had been 10 years since I'd made a visit to Klong Plu waterfall.  You have to walk about a quarter km through the mud and across slippery rock to reach the waterfall.  After I set-up my tripod, it started to pour.

 

 

I really enjoyed the time, it was very relaxing.  My regret is that I didn't book for at least a couple weeks, I may never see that rate again. 

 

[Piece Corp]

I had such a great time at the Amari last month that I decided to book again for the last week of October (rates raise significantly on Nov 1st)

[frankstain]

I had such a great time at the Amari last month that I decided to book again for the last week of October (rates raise significantly on Nov 1st)

 

Will we get another report? nice to see photos, brings back some memories. The bar area in Whitesands can be hit and miss in the afternoon, some hang around the bar eating and getting a bit tipsy to help the flirting and confidence levels then get changed a bit later on(most seem to live behind the complex). Would usually see a few walking past paddy palms down the hill towards the complex whilst enjoying a happy hour pint of Singha. I may have to go back for 3 months and miss the winter here in the UK

[jaynewcastle]

Thanks for posting all the pictures, I'm going to Ko Chang for the 1st time in Feb 2015

[malifax]

going back again myself in Dec for a couple of weeks wonder how much it will have changed

[Piece Corp]

Yesterday was overcast so I went down to Bang Bao, the hairpin turn at Lonely Beach is a hair-raising experience on a scooter.

 

 

I walked all the way to the end of the pier.

 

 

It seems larger than when I last last here, there's even a hospital and pool hall

 

 

Had some dinner

 

 

On my way back to the Amari, I got wasted away again in Margaritaville and sent a post card to my mum.

 

[Piece Corp]

What a difference a month makes.  Whereas the Amari was nearly empty at the end of September, by the end of October it's nearly full, mostly Russians.  I booked the cheapest room I could find  (2700 baht) and was initially assigned a mountain-facing room.

 

 

The biggest problem was I couldn't use the Wifi.  I complained to reception and they upgraded me to a seaview room.  The room was identical, but a much nicer view from the balcony.  Agoda had these listed for over 5000 baht for these dates.  First time I was glad my internet didn't work, makes up for all the other times.

 

 

THE POOL BAR

 

Not a swim-up bar, but drinks are 50% off during 3:00 - 6:00 happy hour.  You can get a Long Island Iced Tea for 141 baht, including service charge, and without enough caffeine to keep you awake at night,  Other signature drinks included Passion Fruit Mojito  (seeds get stuck in the straw) and Mango Daiquiri.

 

 

Lovely sunsets