More about traveling in Thailand's newest resort destination - Koh Chang

Part 2 of 2.

Back to Basics on the island of Koh Chang

Even more untamed nature exists on the eastern side of the island of Koh Chang where there is only a handful of small hotel resorts. Most interesting to explore is an intact grove of mangroves at Ban Salak Khok, one of two fisherman’s villages that have changed little despite the swelling number of Koh Chang visitors coming to explore the area.

At Ban Salak Khok – which consists of a cluster of wooden houses built on stilts among the mangroves – fisherman mill about, mending nets or tinkering in their colourful boats whose brows are laden with strking talismans, ribbons of cloth that give protection according to Buddhist tradition as well as bundles and garlands of flowers that appease the sea and mangrove spririts. There are also kayaks for rent on this side of the Koh Chang island, in which you can spend an afternoon prowling among the mangroves, an eerie watery maze where the only sound you hear would be the splash of your oar.

A few miles south, Ban Salak Phet is another quaint fisherman’s village set on the western scoop of the large bay called Ao Salak Phet on Koh Chang. The houses in this commune are bigger, their back terraces facing the shimmering sea. Yet, few tourists to Koh Chang make it to this village (it is a 45 minute drive from Had Sai Khao) and it is possible to sit almost alone on the back terrace of the southernmost house of the village where an entrepreneurial family serves drinks.

It is a timeless spot – the endearing view revealing an azure sweep of sea, a big blue sky, and thickly forested mountains across the bay of Koh Chang Island. The silence interrupted only by the faint rustle of the breeze and water lapping the stilts underneath. A place made for reveries.

This is what makes Koh Chang so special or “cool”: luxury, nature, and solitude all contained in one small island destination in Thailand.

Where to Stay in Koh Chang – the Top Five Koh Chang Hotels

1. Amari Emerald Cove Resort and Spa

At the time of writing, the island’s only five star resort has the best service and the plushest rooms, massive dens in pastel creams and browns, full of exquisite fixtures such as handsome lampshades, masculine writing desks and wooden TV cabinets in traditional East Asian style. The grounds also hold the Koh Chang’s largest swimming pool and the best Thai restaurant. Khlong Prao, www.amari.com.

2. AANA Resort and Spa Koh Chang

A great location on a bend of the Khlong Prao river, the view is best enjoyed from the cluster of romantic igloo-style bungalows scattered in a dense tropical forest. Although on the small side, the bungalows at AANA resort are full of light, all set in whites and creams, includig minimalist cream furniture and high-pitched rattan ceiling, as well as plunge pools on the terraces. Khlong Prao, www.aanaresort.com

3. Aiyapura Resort and Koh Chang Spa

Offering a variety of styles of bungalows nestled in a secluded location, complete with attentive service, Aiyapura Resort and Spa in Koh Chang also features a great French restaurant, and lots of facilities that include all manner of watersports and tours, and a yacht available for charter. Among the Aiyapura bungalows on Koh Chang Island, the Private Pool Villas have many luxury fixtures, including an oval bathtub, large enough for two, a digital piano, and a private pool – so much so that you might forget there’s a world outside. Klong Son, www.aiyapura.com.

4. Siam Beach Resort on Koh Chang

An informal and friendly place, with open-style minimalist rooms featuring wooden floors, cement bathrooms and funky yellow walls (that are also rigged with air con and TV). Common facilities at Siam Beach Resort are limited to a small pool behind the beach, a beach bar that reverberates with dance music, and a Thai restaurant that serves fresh, plain grilled seafood on the beach Had Tha Nam, www.siambeachresort.in.th).

5. The Spa Koh Chang Resort

By a mangrove in the Koh Chang Island’s quiet east side, this place is a veritable inland retreat. Here, everything is deliberately rustic, mostly built of aged wood scavenged from farms. The bungalows at Spa koh Chang Resort which nestle in a tropical garden complete with water cascade have wooden floors, palm frond ceilings, tasteful furniture, artistic bathrooms and spacious terraces. The restaurant serves Thai staples and healthy Western food. Baan Salak Khok, www.thesparesorts.net.