Koh Si Chang, Thailand

What's the closest island (with a decent beach) to Bangkok? Koh Samet? Nope. Coral Island? Nope. Koh Larn? Nah. It's the little known island of Koh Si Chang, directly south of eastern Bangkok as the crow flies. To get to the pier in Si Racha is just a quick one hour drive from where we live (just off Ramkhamhaeng Road) - a whole one and a half hours shorter than the usual drive for weekenders in Bangkok going to Koh Samet. We stayed at Si Chang View Resort but don't expect a view - there isn't one. Not unless you walk out your bungalow, through the reception and then down a lane. It's also a tad overpriced and we found it almost impossible to find anywhere online that advertised a room next to the beach. Why, then, is it relatively unknown and therefore quieter and more expensive than Koh Samet? The only reason we could think of is the fact that the island is slap-bang in the cargo shipping route into Bangkok and receives hardly any visitors. You are constantly surrounded by colossal vessels, monsters of the sea that don't seem to move anywhere. The thing is, take these ships away, and you have a beautiful, relatively untouched island with it's own individual charm and a pretty decent beach or two. If you're a couple and you want to get away from Bangkok for the weekend for some cuddle-time, we recommend this place. Leave Koh Samet for the big parties. 

They have their own tuk-tuk's...

To the night market...

We hired a motorbike for the day and explored. Absolutely no traffic, blue skies, bring it. Here you can see the cargo ships in the distance...

And we finally found the beach.

Massage? Bottle of beer? Food? Yep.

We were surprised to find a coral beach here but we were even more surprised to see reef sharks swimming right up to the shore.

We came to the beach two days in a row, it's a lovely little bay that doesn't seem to be overcrowded at any time. 

On the ferry back to Si Racha pier. 

The driver turned up late.

We're coming back. Definitely.