Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 777

every evening. Be extremely careful when
swimming here, however, especially
around Siam Beach Resort at the far
northern end, as the steep shelf and
dangerous current result in a sobering
number of drownings every year; do your
swimming further south and don't go out
at all when the waves are high.

Tours Tour agents or your accommodation can book you on
popular snorkelling trips or a visit to an elephant camp.
Among dive outfits, long-running BB Divers, with o ces at
Bang Bao, Lonely Beach and Hat Sai Khao ( T 039 558040,
W bbdivers.com), charges B2900 for certified diver day-
expeditions (2 dives) and B14,500 for the four-day PADI
Open Water course. Well-organized Kayak Chang at Amari
Emerald Cove Resort , Hat Khlong Phrao ( T 087 673 1923,
W kayakchang.com), offers one-day kayaking trips (B2200,
return transport from your accommodation included), as
well as expeditions of up to 12 days.

10

Bang Bao
Almost at the end of the west-coast road,
the southern harbour village of Bang Bao ,
much of it built on stilts off a kilometre-
long central jetty, is the departure point
for boats to the outer islands, has several
famous seafood restaurants and is also an
increasingly popular place to stay. hough
it has no beach of its own, it's only 2km
east to long, sandy and little-developed
Hat Khlong Gloi, which offers great views
from its small beach cafés.

ACCOMMODATION
HAT SAI KHAO WHITE SAND BEACH
It is only possible to walk along the beach to the listings
below, just two of ten or so similar resorts in the same
area; enter via the KC Grande Resort and walk a few
hundred metres north.
Rock Sand T 084 781 0550, W rocksand-resort.com.
With a smart restaurant jutting over the water below, and
ten percent discount for single travellers, this is great value
as prices also include breakfast and wi-fi. The fan rooms
with shared bathrooms (cold showers) are in a brick
building, and another couple of hu ndred baht gets you a
bungalow with hot shower. Double B700
Star Beach Bungalows T 084 345 1079 (no advance
reservations), W starbeach-kohchang.com. Breezy, cheerily
painted plywood huts, with good mattresses and hot
showers, perch precariously on a steep rocky hillside, above
a decent beachside restaurant. Double B600

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
The main pier for Ko Chang is near Laem Ngop, about 20km
southwest of Trat. The main services to Ko Chang are the car
ferries, which operate from two piers, Tha Centrepoint (to
Tha Dan Kao; 45min) and Tha Thammachat (to Ao Saparot;
25min). Departures are roughly hourly during the day in high
season, every 2hr for the rest of the year. Fares are competitive
and change frequently: expect to pay around B80/person one
way. Songthaews meet the boats and deliver passengers to
the main beaches (B50-150 per person). Tickets on tourist
buses and minibuses to Ko Chang (notably the shuttle from
Trat Airport, for B470/person) often include the ferry crossing
and transport to your accommodation.
To Laem Ngop The piers are served by share-taxi
songthaews and a/c minibuses from Trat bus station and
Th Sukhumvit (allow 60-90min before your boat leaves
for the vehicle to fill up and get you to the pier). There are
also plenty of long-distance buses and minibuses direct to
Laem Ngop, bypassing Trat town.

HAT KHLONG PHRAO AND HAT KAI BAE
★

The Hut Khlong Phrao T 039 551632, W hutklongprao
.com. Where the river meets the sea and all of the thatched,
woven-bamboo and en-suite bungalows are situated on
the beach; this is an excellent budget option wi th a g ood
restaurant and a peaceful backpacker vibe. Double B500
Baan Rim Nam Hat Khlong Phrao T 087 005 8575,
W iamkohchang.com. Peaceful, scenic and unusual, this
converted fishing family's house is built on stilts over the
wide, attractive khlong at the end of a walkway through the
mangroves. Run by the British author of the best Ko Chang
website, it has just five comfortable a/c rooms with good
hot-water bathrooms, plus decks for soaking up views of the
khlongside village, but no restaurant. You can borrow k ayaks
and it's a couple of minutes' walk to the beach. Double B900
Porn At the southern end of the beach, Hat Kai Bae T 080
613 9266 (no advance reservations). The most famous of
the dwindling number of budget accommodation options
on Hat Kai Bae has scores of fan bungalows in various
styles, well spaced out under the trees along a huge
expanse of the shorefront. The cheapest are concrete huts
with cold showers at the back. Also has a great two-storey
restaurant and bar on the beach. Double B600

GETTING AROUND
A paved road, precipitously steep in places, runs almost all
the way round the island, served - between Tha Dan Kao
and Bang Bao - by frequent public songthaews; you can
also rent cars and motorbikes on most beaches.

INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information The free maps and guides
published by Whitesands Publications ( W koh-chang
-guide.com) are a handy source of information, but for
better insights and advice, check out W iamkohchang
.com, compiled by a Ko Chang resident.