Ko Chang, Or Ko Lanta-trang?

[indieke]

Hi everybody. This is my first post! Fantastic forum you have here!

I have been to Thailand many times, so hope I also can help some people.

For now I need some opinion about new places to visit!

I am travelling again to Thailand, beginning of January. In fact I will be alone and with a friend from 10 th December (with maybe a stroll to see another friend in HK) and stay in Phuket, where I will rent a small Thai house.

But in January my wife will join me, and we are planning to go to Angkor. Now we have several options. The first one is to join her first in BKK. Go to a beautiful little hotel with swimming-pool in Siem Raep, where she can rest the first day by the pool, then visit the temples and then back to Thailand-Phuket, where we could spend a day or 5-6 on Lanta and visit by the same occasion "Trang-islands", like Koh Muuk. Advantage is that I can leave my heavy suitcase in Phuket, while travelling to Cambodja.

Option N° two is to let my wife come to phuket first, and stay in all these places we know very well. Then after a good week go to Angkor, and rest before going home in Ko Chang.

Of course we could do AND Lanta in the beginning and after that do Chang . But I think that is maybe too much "same-same, but different".

We are around 40, like small intimate hotels; but not a shaggy backpacker hut. A place wich is romantic and confortable, with nice eateries and some contacts with the locals.

This is the place we selected in Angkor :

http://www.bopha-angkor.com/

So if anyone could give us sugestions and help us make a choice for the island/hotel, I would appreciate very much!

Thank you!!!

[indieke]

Oh yes, if there are other sugegestions then my sugested trip, always welcome too!

[indieke]

Oh yes, if there are other sugegestions then my sugested trip, always welcome too!

Nobody have some sugestions?

[wilko]

Hi everybody. This is my first post! Fantastic forum you have here!

I have been to Thailand many times, so hope I also can help some people.

For now I need some opinion about new places to visit!

I am travelling again to Thailand, beginning of January. In fact I will be alone and with a friend from 10 th December (with maybe a stroll to see another friend in HK) and stay in Phuket, where I will rent a small Thai house.

But in January my wife will join me, and we are planning to go to Angkor. Now we have several options. The first one is to join her first in BKK. Go to a beautiful little hotel with swimming-pool in Siem Raep, where she can rest the first day by the pool, then visit the temples and then back to Thailand-Phuket, where we could spend a day or 5-6 on Lanta and visit by the same occasion "Trang-islands", like Koh Muuk. Advantage is that I can leave my heavy suitcase in Phuket, while travelling to Cambodja.

Option N° two is to let my wife come to phuket first, and stay in all these places we know very well. Then after a good week go to Angkor, and rest before going home in Ko Chang.

Of course we could do AND Lanta in the beginning and after that do Chang . But I think that is maybe too much "same-same, but different".

We are around 40, like small intimate hotels; but not a shaggy backpacker hut. A place wich is romantic and confortable, with nice eateries and some contacts with the locals.

This is the place we selected in Angkor :

http://www.bopha-angkor.com/

So if anyone could give us sugestions and help us make a choice for the island/hotel, I would appreciate very much!

Thank you!!!

You can of course leave luggage at Bkk Airport, if you need to.

Be aware that Koh Chang will be very booked up in Jan.

I assume you're flying everywhere....there is an airport at Trat which is only a short ride from the ferry terminals. You can fly from Bkk.

If you venture down the mainland coast west to Laem Sadet (Chantaburi), there are a couple of boutique hotels there...the Maldives is one - www.maldivesbeachresort.net , the other right at the end off the beach is a collection of Thai bungalows run by a Thai guy who manages a hotel in Mayfair London. It’s called Jungle Bay no web site tel: - 039 388033

There are many resorts there mostly catering for Thais at the week-ends, foreigners have not really discovered that coast yet. The beaches there are great but sometimes due to wind and tide get a lot of flotsam and jetsam.

I have posted several times my opinions on Koh Chang follow this link…

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...ndpost&p=769025

You will need transport on Koh Chang if only a motorbike but I would consider hiring a car on the mainland is cheaper but there are Suzuki jeeps available on the island.

Another possible route might be to fly Phuket, Samui, Pattaya (U’tapao) and then minibus to Koh Chang. There is also a cruise boat running from Samui to Pattaya so you could catch that and go on to Koh Chang by minibus (4hrs) or hire a car.

[indieke]

Thanks Wilco!!!!

About Chang.......

Well I think it is the problem with every single tourist place in Thailand. I knew Phuket almost 20 years ago! You can just cry your heart out! If you are laying on abeach, like Nay harn, you would not notice it so much, but if you cross Phuket from East to West, you see the island is ruined, not from Tsunami, but by men!

Everywhere there is noise, everywhere construction is going on. That nice undiscovered beach, has now a big hotel on it and another building.....

I still go to Phuket. But now I have a love-hate relation with the island. On the beach I am fine, I like to see the people I have known over the years, but the island lost all its charm!

But I am happy with your commentary. But do you think Lanta will be better. The advantage of Lanta for me is also to have daytrips to the Trang-islands, and also will have discovered that part.

The only thing I have to see is when my wife arrive is to go first to Angkor, or at the end of our trip. Problem is if I go to Angkor, it is a bit stupid to fly the last days back to phuket, but as my wife wants also a few days recovery after the sightseing....

[wilko]

Thanks Wilco!!!!

About Chang.......

Well I think it is the problem with every single tourist place in Thailand. I knew Phuket almost 20 years ago! You can just cry your heart out! If you are laying on abeach, like Nay harn, you would not notice it so much, but if you cross Phuket from East to West, you see the island is ruined, not from Tsunami, but by men!

Everywhere there is noise, everywhere construction is going on. That nice undiscovered beach, has now a big hotel on it and another building.....

I still go to Phuket. But now I have a love-hate relation with the island. On the beach I am fine, I like to see the people I have known over the years, but the island lost all its charm!

But I am happy with your commentary. But do you think Lanta will be better. The advantage of Lanta for me is also to have daytrips to the Trang-islands, and also will have discovered that part.

The only thing I have to see is when my wife arrive is to go first to Angkor, or at the end of our trip. Problem is if I go to Angkor, it is a bit stupid to fly the last days back to phuket, but as my wife wants also a few days recovery after the sightseing....

I'm afraid I don't know Lanta.......

I agree that development has spoiled many islands in Thailand; the great shame about Koh Chang is that it has been opened up more recently and is simply going the same way as all the others.

the Thai authorities have missed an opportunity to set up a first rate ecologically friendly island that would have attracted good money from around the world but instead they've gone for the lowest common denominator, with virtually no forward planning at all.

[mayacan]

Been to both Phuket and Chang. Koh Chang is no where near the build up up of Phuket. There are still so many undeveloped places on Koh Chang. Even the main beaches on Koh Chang are no where near the madness and crowds of Phuket. If you want sex, drinking, partying, and higher prices, go to Phuket. If you want smaller crowds, peacefulness, nice quiet beaches, lower prices, and a place where you can still find a nice a party or two, try Koh Chang. You can still visit near by lslands for scuba & snorkeling, and you can still find a quiet waterfall or two, and lush tropical jungle. The local still seem to be friendlier too....

[indieke]

Been to both Phuket and Chang. Koh Chang is no where near the build up up of Phuket. There are still so many undeveloped places on Koh Chang. Even the main beaches on Koh Chang are no where near the madness and crowds of Phuket. If you want sex, drinking, partying, and higher prices, go to Phuket. If you want smaller crowds, peacefulness, nice quiet beaches, lower prices, and a place where you can still find a nice a party or two, try Koh Chang. You can still visit near by lslands for scuba & snorkeling, and you can still find a quiet waterfall or two, and lush tropical jungle. The local still seem to be friendlier too....

Well our trip is normally planned.

We start in Anghkor, go back to BKK to take a plane to Trang. 3 days in Ko Hai, then 4 nights on Lanta, and then 4 nights before we leave Phuket. I hope i made the right decission. I was not scared away of Ko Chang, still an option for next year, but on lanta the hotels on long beach are builed and in Chang I heard that people were scared away, of all the building going on.

Thanks for your feed back, info about Lanta and Hai always welcome!

[meadish_sweetball]

Been to both Phuket and Chang. Koh Chang is no where near the build up up of Phuket.

Not yet, no... far from it. But it is heading in that direction, and rather fast.

There are still so many undeveloped places on Koh Chang. Even the main beaches on Koh Chang are no where near the madness and crowds of Phuket. If you want sex, drinking, partying, and higher prices, go to Phuket. If you want smaller crowds, peacefulness, nice quiet beaches, lower prices, and a place where you can still find a nice a party or two, try Koh Chang.

I don't know about 'peacefulness' and 'nice quiet beaches'... the beaches are pretty crowded all around the island during the high season, and the roads are very busy with SUVs from Bangkokian families on holiday from the big city. Like you say, nowhere near Phuket, but still pretty crowded.

You can still visit near by lslands for scuba & snorkeling, and you can still find a quiet waterfall or two, and lush tropical jungle. The local still seem to be friendlier too....

The snorkling is still pretty impressive, but considering how some major operators handle it (i.e. very disorganized and without proper information to Thai as well as foreign tourists), the coral around Koh Chang may not be around for much longer.

[wilko]

Been to both Phuket and Chang. Koh Chang is no where near the build up up of Phuket.

Not yet, no... far from it. But it is heading in that direction, and rather fast.

There are still so many undeveloped places on Koh Chang. Even the main beaches on Koh Chang are no where near the madness and crowds of Phuket. If you want sex, drinking, partying, and higher prices, go to Phuket. If you want smaller crowds, peacefulness, nice quiet beaches, lower prices, and a place where you can still find a nice a party or two, try Koh Chang.

I don't know about 'peacefulness' and 'nice quiet beaches'... the beaches are pretty crowded all around the island during the high season, and the roads are very busy with SUVs from Bangkokian families on holiday from the big city. Like you say, nowhere near Phuket, but still pretty crowded.

You can still visit near by lslands for scuba & snorkeling, and you can still find a quiet waterfall or two, and lush tropical jungle. The local still seem to be friendlier too....

The snorkling is still pretty impressive, but considering how some major operators handle it (i.e. very disorganized and without proper information to Thai as well as foreign tourists), the coral around Koh Chang may not be around for much longer.

Koh Chang cannot develop in the same way as Phuket and Samui as it simply hasn't the infrastructure. The nature reserve and topography prevent the construction (ever) of a road system that crosses the island. therefore all development has to take place in a thin ribbon around the edge. The road installed is unable to cope with the new levels of traffic and there is no opportunity to install drainage and power systems appropriate for the island. this means that at the current rate the island will become far worse than other major islands not due to sheer numbers but a lack of ability to deal with the small amount of tourists it has already. This will bring about enormous pressure to develop the other quieter beaches..