Koh Kood Travel Guide: Thailand’s Most Beautiful Island

The sight of palm trees got you feeling a bit nostalgic? Same! Especially these funky looking ones on Koh Kood; our favorite Thai island. Koh Kood was part of an island hopping tour we had put together, and when we didn’t think we would find anything more beautiful than Koh Mak, where we had just come from, we were wrong. The pristine beaches, the relaxed island vibe and the tranquility will never make you want to leave, and this Koh Kood travel guide will help you do exactly that!

While Koh Kood isn’t really a backpackers destination due to the many many resorts, exclusive beaches and the lack of nightlife, it more than makes up for it with everything it does have to offer.

Getting to Koh Kood

Since we came to Koh Kood from Koh Mak, everything was completely stress-free. We told our hotel when and where we wanted to leave, they booked the tickets and dropped us off at the pier. The Boonsiri ferry dropped us off about an hour later, and a drop off at our guesthouse was included. If you’re going from Bangkok to Koh Kood, there are direct buses from Ekkamai station directly to the pier (book early though), or you can take the regular bus to Trat and then a minivan to the pier. The express ferry from Laem Sok will take about 90 minutes. Check schedules here.

Getting around

Taxis are scarce and quite pricey on Koh Kood, a 10 minute ride easily adds up to $10. Your best bet is (of course) a scooter. The roads are long and winding, but not busy. Rental will set you back at about 300 baht per day.

What to do

What else to do but see the turquoise waters and white sands for yourself? These 3 beaches were our favorite:

Ao Phrao Beach

This one was, hands down, the most beautiful beach we had seen. Our guesthouse was 100 meters away from here, and because there are only 2 small resorts by this beach, it was never busy. Whatever time we went, not once did we feel it was crowded. The palm tree lined shore that curves off into the distance is so pretty, especially from the water. Sunset here does not dissapoint!

Nang Yai Beach

A bit of a drive when you’re coming from the southern end of Koh Kood, but worth it! There’s nothing here but crystal waters and a lone fisherman waiting to take your snorkeling.

Ao Noi Resort

This was the only paid beach we decided was worth it. It was not expensive, and has a cute little pier, swings and a fantastic sunset to watch off said pier.

Chasing waterfalls

There are 3 main waterfalls on Koh Kood; Klong Chao, Klong Yai Kee and Huang Nam Keaw. None of them are very hard to reach. Because we visited in dry season, we were a bit unlucky, and where wasn’t much water to fall. But surprise surprise, when we got to Klong Yai Kee mid-morning, there was no one there. We had the entire jungle pool to ourself for about 45 minutes before someone else showed up. Totally worth it!

Go kayaking

A lot of resorts and guesthouses will have kayaks available. Take it up the river and the mangroves, or out to sea. Kayaking along the shore might land you upon some deserted beaches. We brought drinks and snacks and had ourselves a little picknick on one of them! Be careful though, a rough sea will wear you out quickly.

Snorkeling

There’s a lot of decent places to snorkel just off the beaches, especially a bit further up north. If you’d like a take a trip a bit further out, there are many dive shops. Your resort will also be able to help you out!

Where to eat

• Chaiyo Restaurant. A hole in the wall, but it doesn’t get more authentic than this. Really deserves a post on its own!
• The Fisherman Hut for late night live music and cocktails
• Relax House Restaurant. Classic, inexpensive Thai food, so popular you need reservations at least a week in advance.
• Pizza ‘n Pasta if you’re craving western food. Run by Italians

Where to stay

We stayed at Gumm Lonely Club for almost a week. This homestay that’s run by Gumm and his wife Jaeng is the best we’ve come across! They only have 3 rooms, a huge outdoor deck with hammocks and they make the best food. They were incredibly friendly without getting in your space. We paid around $35 for a basic room with fan and shared bathroom.

For the last few days, we stayed at Suan Maprao Resort. We splurged on a little bungalow with aircon and paid about $50 per night with breakfast.

Other decently priced places are:

• Rest Sea Resort: on Ao Phrao beach.
• Koh Kood Resort: by Bang Bao beach
• Neverland Beach resort.

FIND A HOTEL ON KOH KOOD

Koh Kood travel guide: Good to knows

• There are 2 or 3 ATMs on Koh Kood, though we were never able to find all of them. Have cash on hand! Some resorts will allow you to take out cash on your credit card for a fee
• Those funky palm trees in the first picture can be found on Klong Chao Beach!
• You might not always get a helmet with your scooter rental, but do get one. The roads are bendy and hilly

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