The third time I went to Thailand, I chose Koh Chang. This is where I eat, stay and play!
The first time I went to Thailand was when I went to Krabi with my bestie right after graduating from college. The second time was when I took my mother to Phuket during a winter vacation after work. This is my third trip to Thailand. I went with my colleague's family of three and my boyfriend. After all the entanglements in choosing an island, we finally chose Koh Chang. I went to three islands in Thailand three times, and my travel companions were different. But I had a great time every time. Thailand is really a tourist country with a super high cost-effectiveness. I will go again!DAY1: Home - Bangkok, charter a car from Bangkok to Koh Chang. Stay at Sea View Hotel
DAY2: Sea View Hotel
DAY3: Sea View Hotel
DAY4: One-day tour of four islands, stay at Awa Hotel
DAY5: Awa Hotel + shopping
DAY6: Charter a car from Koh Chang to Bangkok Airport, Bangkok - Home
After making a list of itineraries, I found that it was a very casual trip. I spent most of the time in the hotel. I was traveling with a second-grade kid, and I just finished a semester of work and just wanted to have a lazy vacation. So I didn't plan anything. I spent some time choosing the island and the hotel. I booked the day trip only after I arrived at the local area. I traveled in a very casual way. The hotel is the most recommended thing for the whole trip! There were also some local shops that I accidentally ate that were quite surprising. I recommend them to everyone~
★Choose Island★
As an island lover, I go there almost every winter vacation Go on vacation to an island. I have been to Krabi, Phuket, and Long Beach before. The requirements for choosing an island this time were few people, beautiful scenery, good hotels, and cost-effectiveness.
My first choice was Semporna in Malaysia, but I was stunned by the beautiful photos of the water house, and I was excited to watch the wine. There are no direct flights from Shanghai. You need to transfer and take a car. The journey is quite tiring. After all, there are not many people and convenience cannot have both, so it doesn’t matter! Continuing to look at hotels, the most attractive thing for me in Semporna is the water house. When I look at the price, it’s 2k+ per night. Well, I can accept it with gritted teeth. Then look at the details, what! Is it charged per capita? In other words, two people sharing a room cost 4k+ per night? Poverty makes me sober, Semporna, bid farewell.
After that, I fell into the tangle of choosing an island. I visited Koh Lipe, Dumaguete, Bohol, etc. one after another. The scenery was unspeakable. The common problem was that the transportation in the past was not very convenient. When I discussed it with my colleagues, the answer I received was "It's up to you." So I was stuck in the dilemma of choosing an island every day. Later, I accidentally found a post in Group 8 about a group of geese going to Koh Chang, which finally made me make up my mind to choose Koh Chang.
★Pre-trip preparation★
Hotel: Sea View Hotel, Awa Resort (both highly recommended!)
Chartered car: Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport - Koh Chang Hotel round trip, 7 seats, total 1780
There are basically three options from Bangkok Airport to Koh Chang: 1. Buy a combined bus and ship ticket at the airport 2. Carpool 3. Charter
Ufos Travel has a very detailed introduction to these travel methods. Since our flight arrived at around 2 a.m. local time, we couldn't catch up with 1 or 2 a.m., so we needed to stay in Bangkok for one night or stay at the airport until the morning. We were a group of 5 people dragging a large suitcase and a child, so we didn't want to be so tired, so we chose to charter a car, which was the most convenient way. It took less than 4 hours to drive from the airport to the pier on the day we arrived, and more than 5 hours from the pier to the airport on the day we returned. Everyone in the car was sleeping soundly, and the driver was really not easy.
Thai Baht Exchange: My best friend who works in a bank helped me exchange Thai Baht. I searched for guides before and found that most transactions in Koh Chang are in Thai Baht in cash, so we exchanged 15,000 Thai Baht for two people and 20,000 Thai Baht for a colleague's family. But we couldn't use it all. Now the 711 in Koh Chang accepts Alipay or WeChat payment, and only the hotel requires cash payment, so we don't need to exchange too much.
★Hotel Recommendation★
I was very satisfied with the hotel this time. I almost stayed in the hotel for 5 days, so I will focus on the two hotels where I have stayed. Let's go~
I booked them all through agoda, which is very convenient. You can also make special requests, such as whether you want a low-rise sea view or a high-rise sea view. My requirements were basically met. Highly recommended!
Sea View Hotel (Sea View Koh Chang)
This picture is the cover picture of the hotel on agoda, book When I showed it to my boyfriend, he said, "Don't take the buyer's show too seriously." But when I checked in, I was slapped in the face. What you see is what you live in. It's super beautiful even if you take any photo, and the view is amazing! The hotel has its own land. It has a mountain and a sea. It is very large. The vegetation and greening are very good. The attitude of the staff is also very friendly. The front desk can speak a few simple words in Chinese.
The hotel has two residential buildings, one is a low-rise building facing the sea, and the other is a high-rise sea-view room on the mountain. My colleague's family lives down the mountain, and we live on the mountain. We recommend the one on the mountain more, as it is closer to the breakfast restaurant. , dining is very convenient, and there is an observation deck to watch the sunset. There are fewer people in the swimming pool on the mountain, and the scenery is better. Therefore, it is recommended to choose high-rise housing.
The hotel has two restaurants. Breakfast is served at the restaurant on the top of the mountain. If you live at the bottom of the mountain, you need to take a small cable car up the mountain. The small cable car is also a very novel experience. There are 4 stations in total, connecting the mountain and the bottom of the mountain, but they are open It's very slow, usually you have to wait about 10 minutes. Twice, the guy in the hotel drove a car and saw us waiting for the cable car and asked us where we were going. He drove us directly and was super warm and friendly.
Hotel dining view
Room interior (stolen official photo) is the same as the real thing
Room sea view (Stealed official picture) is no different from the real thing
Bathroom (bathtub and shower room are separated)
Breakfast
The hotel's breakfast has many types, is very rich, and changes slightly every day. It is served from 7:00 to 10:00, so you can sleep in safely before getting up to eat.
Hotel Beach
The hotel has a private beach and also provides kayak rentals. You can rent a small boat and paddle to several uninhabited islands opposite. Considering my rowing skills, I was afraid that I would not be able to come back if I rowed out, so I didn’t try it. Friends who are interested should not miss it!
The view from the hotel lobby (the swimming pool at the bottom of the mountain)
The swimming pool on the mountain (less people, beautiful scenery)
Pool on the mountain
Highlight
Sea View Hotel is great but it also has shortcomings, that is, the geographical location is relatively remote. There are no convenience stores such as 711 around, and it is quiet but deserted. Fortunately, the hotel will provide a free one-way shuttle bus, which runs three times a day at 10:00, 13:00 and 16:00. It takes guests to the nearest 711, where you can buy food and buy them. You need to take a taxi back. It doesn’t matter if you miss the shuttle bus. You can contact the front desk to help call a taxi. Taxis on Koh Chang are charged per person. The price between the beaches is basically 50B per person. If it is further away, it is 100B per person. It is still very conscientious. You can also choose to rent a motorcycle and drive it by yourself, but the road on Koh Chang is the steepest mountain road I have ever seen in Thailand, and the road is also relatively narrow. It is not recommended to drive a motorcycle by yourself. It is quite dangerous. We often take taxis. Screaming one after another, the cars on the road were driving very fast.
Ah, one more thing! Watch out for the monkeys! There was a reminder at the front desk when I checked in, and a reminder was posted on the glass door of the balcony, but I didn't take it to heart and went out without locking the balcony door. As a result, Brother Monkey visited me that day. After dinner, I went back to the room and saw a bag of snacks dropped on the floor, and a banana peel on the computer keyboard. I never thought it was a monkey, and asked my boyfriend how he could throw banana peels around. . . Later, I realized that Brother Monkey had come, and I was afraid that it was still in the room. The two of them carefully checked every possible hiding place. So never forget to lock your balcony door!
Ava Koh Chang Resort
It is close to the sea view hotel, just near the 711 where the hotel's shuttle bus takes guests to, but it is more lively than sea view Quite a few, there are many restaurants around, the 239B buffet barbecue recommended by many people is right next to it, and shopping is also very convenient. The hotel has guest rooms on both sides of the road, with sea view rooms on one side facing the sea and mountain view rooms on the other. When I made the reservation, I read reviews that said the sea view room was relatively humid. In addition, I was satisfied with the sea view in the sea view two days ago, so I booked a mountain view room. There was a musty smell when I first entered, so I opened the balcony for ventilation and sprayed some fragrance. The decoration of the hotel is very unique, and the swimming pool and sea views are also good. However, the shower water in the bathroom is relatively small, and the room is very close to the road, so at night It's a bit noisy when sleeping, but overall it's within acceptable limits. There is a girl at the front desk who can speak Chinese. It is very convenient to communicate and the service attitude is also very good. The variety of breakfast is a little less than that of sea view but it is not bad. It is served until 10:30, which is perfect for me who stays in bed.
Mountain view room balcony
Room interior
Pool
Seaside lounge chair
★Foodie review★
1.SAO THAIFOOD AND SEAFOOD
Environment: ★★★
Serving speed: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★★
Value for money: ★★★★★
For the first dinner in Koh Chang, I accidentally walked into a local " Food stalls”. My original intention was to go to Friend Seafood, which is a favorite on Dianping.com, and I took the 16:00 shuttle bus from the hotel. But I arrived early. Friend Seafood didn’t open until 18:00. I didn’t have the patience to wait for more than 2 hours, so I just walked around nearby. While walking around, I found a few food stall-like restaurants on the other side of Friend Seafood. I couldn't find the ones reviewed on Dianping.com, so I sat down with the attitude of giving it a try. It turned out that the food was quite delicious and the price was reasonable. Super affordable.
Menu
Crazyly recommend this fish! Super delicious
2.Boogie Chicken
Environment: ★★★★
Serving speed: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★★
Value for money: ★★★★
"Zhou Dongyu Roast Chicken Restaurant" mentioned in many guides said that Zhou Dongyu liked to eat its roast chicken when he was taking pictures of Chinese restaurants. Near the white sand beach, the taste is okay, and the roast chicken is worth eating.
Appearance of the store
Seat C for roast chicken
3. An unknown store near the AWA hotel
Environment: ★★★
Serving speed: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★★
Value for money: ★★★★★
Another restaurant that can’t be found on Dianping, it’s near the AWA Mountain View Room On this side of the building, near the 299B buffet barbecue, there is a roast chicken stove at the entrance of the store. It is super cheap. The final meal for 4 adults and 1 child only cost less than 50 yuan per person. Surprisingly, the taste is also good.
I forgot to take a picture of the store, I only have the menu cover on my phone haha
I recommend the fried minced pork at the top! It is not recommended to order the white soup on the lower left, it is too sour
4.299B Self-service BBQ hot pot
Environment: ★★★★
Dish type: ★★★★
Taste: ★★★★
Value for money: ★★★★
Let’s focus on this store, which is mentioned in many guides. It's still near the AWA Hotel. The sign is very obvious, 299B. You can see it at a glance when passing by. It is also open at noon but there are very few people. One day I passed by and looked at it and didn't want to go in. It was very lively in the evening, the store was full, and there were quite a variety of dishes. We mainly ate shrimp and shellfish, and the children were very happy eating the French fries, haha.
The charge is 299B for adults and 199B for children (I forgot a bit). It includes the barbecue grill and all dishes. Drinks and hot pot are charged separately. Adding a hot pot seems to be 89B. Overall, the price/performance ratio is very high.
The big tank at the door is full of live shrimps, just catch them!
The shrimps that have just been fished out are still very alive and it is difficult to put them on the plate. You can throw them into the ice box next to them to cool down
Barbecue
Hot pot is different from what we eat. The soup looks like water but in fact It has a bit of flavor, and there are about 5 kinds of seasonings to choose from
One-day trip to the sea
This is the only strictly planned itinerary in this trip, and I ended up going to the sea in one day. Three of the five people fainted, which further strengthened our belief in having a leisurely vacation in the hotel.
First of all, you can choose to travel on a large wooden boat or a speedboat when traveling to Koh Chang. The advantage of a large wooden boat is that it is relatively stable, but because it travels slowly, the sailing time is relatively long, and there are many people on the boat, and the environment is not very good. Speedboats are faster, have fewer people, and have a better environment, but they are prone to seasickness.
Secondly, you can choose a three-island tour, a four-island tour, or a five-island tour when going to Koh Chang. In comparison, it is more moderate to choose a four-island tour.
We originally booked a four-island tour by speedboat on Taobao. We waited in the hotel lobby to be picked up according to the time sent by customer service. After arriving at the pier successfully, we found that the boat arranged for us was a large wooden boat. We immediately called the local Chinese customer service , saying that there were no speedboats that day, so we were asked to go out to sea first and refund the price difference when we came back. The attitude of the customer service is still very good, and once you arrive, you can only get on the boat first. Facts have proved that we were so dizzy even on the big wooden boat that we would have vomited and passed out if we were on the speed boat. . . It was actually pretty smooth, but my colleagues and I were still dizzy. The colleague was just slightly dizzy, but the person sitting in front of her vomited, and then she became ill. I had no problem taking the boat and snorkeling at first, but after snorkeling and getting back on the boat, I started to feel dizzy and a bit lost. Among the five people, only my boyfriend and my colleague’s little boy didn’t feel dizzy at all and the food tasted delicious.
The big wooden boat has two floors, with people sitting on the second floor and a dining place on the first floor. When I first got on the ship, my boyfriend complained that the environment on the first floor was a bit dirty and he would rather be hungry than eat the food cooked in this kitchen. As a result, he was so hungry after snorkeling that he went downstairs to eat. When he came back, he told me that it was very fragrant and delicious.
Getting ready to sail
Arrived at the snorkeling spot, the boats on the first few islands did not dock
There are many small fish, but to be honest, the water quality is not as good as other islands I have been to before
You can go ashore on the last island
The sun was already setting when I came back
Generally speaking, there are not as many entertainment activities in Koh Chang as in Phuket, and it is more troublesome to get to the island. The water quality is not as good as that in Boracay, but the hotels are really great, there are relatively fewer people, the prices are relatively low, and the food is quite in line with Asian tastes. If you want a cost-effective and leisurely vacation, Koh Chang is worth a visit.
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