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Koh Chang – Beach Review – Kloi Beach (Bailan Beach & Lonely Beach) – Fourth article in the series
This article reviews beaches in the southern part of Koh Chang – the Lonely Beach which is best known to backpackers, partygoers, and nightlife enthusiasts and the nearby Bailan Beach, along with Klong Kloi Beach – of which most tourists are unaware.
♦ The first article in the series on the beaches of Koh Chang briefly reviews all the beaches with a summary on each beach and a detailed article on the same beach => Click the link
♥ At the end of the article you will find a video I took on the coasts of Koh Chang so you can get a glimpse of the destinations reviewed.
Lonely beach
Known to the Thai as Had Tha Nam (“Pier Beach”), this beach is 1 km long, south of Kai Bae Beach. Formerly, it was a secluded piece of shore that was nicknamed “Lonely Beach”, a name that has stuck to date. Today however, it is a vibrant center for backpackers and others, as well as Koh Chang’s party Center.
Lonely beach is changing its face and those who visited it years ago may be surprised by its development – the simple cabins with the hard mattresses and single bulb in the room gave way to air-conditioned, modern rooms.
While still known as Lonely beach, today the beach is hardly lonely. It offers a nice choice of hostels for the low budget travelers and allows to stay away from the beaches with standard tourism. Lonely beach is also the last stop of the joint songthaew.
The beach is divided into two parts: the northern part has a nice sandy beach, not large but still good, tree-lined with lovely palm trees. The beach is suitable for bathing and features only 4 resorts – Siam Beach Resort, Nature Beach Resort, Bhumiyama Beach Resort, and Siam Hut Resort, which is the southernmost, located right on the beach.
From Siam Hut Resort and south, the beach becomes rocky and unsuitable for bathing – in this southern part of Lonely Beach, there is a village with lots of pubs, restaurants, tattoo shops and more, which of course also features accommodations: guesthouses, hostels and simple resorts. You can move from the southern to the northern part by taking a 10-minute walk in a road that stretches near the beach.
The southern part of Lonely Beach has 2 alleys (Soi) connecting the main road and the rocky shore. Along these 2 alleys and from both sides of the main road, there are plenty of shops, pubs, restaurants, guesthouses and more.
The whole area is lively and vibrant – with noisy parties and loud music until the small hours of the night, both in the village and the northern part, where beach parties are held, recalling Ko Phangan’s parties.
Summary: Lonely Beach is the backpacking area and Koh Chang’s party zone. It mostly attracts young crowd looking for parties and chill atmosphere, with low-priced accommodation, lots of simple and cheap alcohol, away from the standard tourist crowd that fills the other beaches (especially White Sand Beach and Klong Prao Beach). The atmosphere is fun and light-hearted but may be very loud until the late hours of the night.
Important Warning: Lonely Beach island may be very tempting for drug and alcohol use – make sure to refrain from such activities as the Thai authorities treat this issue very harshly.
Bailan Beach
Bailan Beach is the southern neighbor of Lonely Beach. It is only about 1 km south, but is distinctly different, much quieter and calmer.
This is one of Koh Chang’s least developed beaches and it is designed for those looking for peace and quiet rather than the party atmosphere, hustle and bustle of Lonely Beach. The beach itself is quite small and somewhat problematic – shallow and full of rocks.
As with the rest of Koh Chang – Bailan beach also starts to show signs of development but still – it is far from the development momentum of the other beaches. You will still find here a limited number of restaurants, pubs, and shops.
You will find a few small resorts here, each containing some bungalows. To date, the best resort on this beach is the Mercure Hideaway – a hotel that built a breakwater, bringing thousands of tons of sand to form an artificial – but still nice looking – beach.
Lisca Beach – At the southernmost part of Bailan Beach, you will find a beautiful and quiet gem called Lisca Beach. It is named after a cafe / restaurant located right on the beach and adjacent to the Mercure Hideaway on its south side.
Here you will find a palm tree-lined beach with plenty of shade, sun loungers and tanning beds, tables, and chairs right on the sand and even a Thai massage.
** Right next to Lisca Beach are the Koh Chang ziplines (TreeTop Adventure Park)
Summary: Bailan Beach is Lonely Beach’s incredibly quiet little brother. It is less suitable for families and those looking for a good beach with a convenient bathing option at sea. Rather, it is suitable for backpackers who are looking for peace and quiet but would still like to be close to the nearby party scene of Lonely Beach (only 1 km away). It fits those who want to spend a long time on a low budget island, and those who plan on scuba diving and fishing off Bang Bao Beach about 6 km to the south.
Klong Kloi Beach (also known as Bang Bao Beach)
As we continue south from Lonely Beach and Bailan Beach, the road will curve towards the east. After the bend, there is a junction and a right turn will take us to one of Koh Chang’s best-known attractions – Bang Bao Village and the island’s great pier, which once was a fishing village. Today, it is a popular tourist attraction with plenty of different shops, restaurants etc.
♦ An article about Bang Bao Village can be found in this link = <Click the link (Coming soon)
For most of Koh Chang travelers – who bother to leave the beach where they stay and tour the island for a little while – Bang Bao Fisherman’s Village and Pier are the southernmost points. They are unaware of the fact that if they continue for just one km east – they will arrive at one of Koh Chang’s most interesting, surprising, and unfamiliar beaches – Klong Kloi Beach (also called Bang Bao Beach).
For the time being (2020), this is also where the western road ends, and does not connect to the eastern side to form a circular route – even though this plan has been discussed for years. This means Bang Bao beach is the last beach you encounter as you head south in the western road – which also ends there.
Unlike the other beaches in this series of articles, that are found along the west coast of Koh Chang, Klong Kloi beach is on the southern side of the island which has certain advantages as we will learn later.
♦ Be careful not to confuse the beach with the heavily toured fisherman’s village and pier as both have the same name. They are located one kilometer west of the beach.
Klong Kloi Beach is about 25 km from Sapparot Pier and untill several years ago, there was nothing on this beach, that belongs to a family of fishermen. Today however, you can find here resorts, restaurants, and bars.
The entire beach is about one and a half kilometers long and a small stream divides it into two parts – in the western part, about 800 meters of beach, there is a relatively wide and sandy beach with several resorts, beach restaurants, simple bars and of course massage places. Decorated with trees that shelter from the sun, the beach has lots of sun-lounges, parasols, and a very pleasant, calm atmosphere. The seawater is clean and there is a beautiful view of the small islands in the southern side of Koh Chang.
Here you will find a small number of resorts of various levels, mostly simple and humble ones, but also good-quality resorts with a swimming pool and other luxuries.
As you can see on the map, Klong Kloi Beach is within a bay in the southern part of Koh Chang. It is protected on both sides from the stormy weather of the monsoon season, so you can bathe all year long.
Another advantage is that Klong Kloi beach slope is not shallow and moderate, as on most other beaches. This makes Klong Kloi Beach the deepest beach on Koh Chang Island – a fact that allows for comfortable swimming even during low tide.
Apart from those staying in one of the beach resorts, Klong Kloi also welcomes daily visitors who come to enjoy a few hours on the beach in its pleasant atmosphere. For some of them, Lonely Beach is too crowded, while others come from the nearby fishing village or Bailan Beach.
Travel to and from Klong Kloi Beach – The beach is relatively isolated. If you don’t have a vehicle (car or scooter), note that while during the day you won’t struggle to find a songthaew to visit other areas, when it comes to evening and night transportation – prices will jump up.
Note: Remarkably close to Klong Kloi Beach and west of it is a tiny beach called Hat Sai Noi – with a few bungalows, bars, and restaurants on the beach, it is considered Koh Chang’s hippie beach.
The eastern part of the beach, of about 600 meters, is completely occupied by the Koh Chang Boat Chalet – an exceptional resort that covers a large area including lagoon, unusual buildings and even a large 7-deck ship that used to be a hotel – it is currently closed and inactive.
Summary: Klong Kloi Beach (or by its other name – Bang Bao Beach) is one of Koh Chang’s unfamiliar beaches, but a pleasant one, more suitable for the holidays in most seasons than the other Koh Chang beaches.
The bohemian beach atmosphere is something special and the beach is suitable for those looking for a good, beautiful beach, with a romantic atmosphere, away from the tourist crowds that fill White Sand Beach and Klong Prao Beach, or the hustle and bustle of Lonely Beach‘s backpackers and music.
