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Pattaya Koh Larn island trip report November 2022
This is my trip report to Koh Larn from Pattaya. It is written for those who might want to venture over to this beautiful island for a day trip or to stay a couple of nights like we did. I travelled with 2 of my Thai friends, as it was one of their birthday’s, hence these chosen dates.
Why Koh Larn? Because you may want to get away from the hustle & bustle of busy Pattaya to stay at some truly beautiful beaches that have transparent blue turquoise clean water with nice white sand. As we know, most of Pattaya, and lesser so, Jomtien beaches have brownish water, consequently making it sometimes difficult to enjoy a true pleasant beach experience that Thailand is known for. Note, that Koh Larn is NOT at the level of beauty of Koh Samui or Phuket – but for only being 20 to 30 minutes away from Pattaya – it is a nice quick and easy substitute for them.
Day ONE – Monday 21 November 2022
We took a Grab taxi from Jomtien over to the Bali Hali Pier in Pattaya. At the pier, there are many offerings for private tours via speed boat (costing thousands of Thai baht) and also transport via speed boat for ฿150 baht per person one way. We opted for the speedboat transportation modality, which takes 20 minutes. Note that if you continue towards the pier you can buy a ฿30 baht one way fare on the ferry boat, which takes 40 to 45 minutes. Note ferry schedule below – there are 2 destinations available – Naban Port which faces Pattaya, and Tawaen Beach which faces west into the Gulf of Thailand.
The speedboat ride was quite enjoyable, as the sea was calm – consequently there were not many bumps. If you find that the sea is rough, then I would suggest that you instead take the ferry. Each of us wore a life vest – including all of the other passengers. After exiting the speedboat onto the floating pier, you will be almost immediately solicited for room rentals, taxis, and motorbike rentals. My 2 Thai friends had already reserved us a place in a 2 unit bungalow that they really liked (from previous trips) because it is isolated and private and still within the Naban village. We walked about 5 to 6 minutes south from the pier (as indicated in the below map) to where my 2 friends were greeted by a friendly Thai lady who acted as the broker for our 2 sleeping accommodations, which included 2 motorbikes (1 per unit). The price was ฿1,500 baht per unit and we always took 2 units – as I like to sleep alone.
This is our first night accommodation. Simple – but nice and very private with a rocky beach front – when the tide is up the balcony is on top of the water and when the tide is out the balcony overlooks the rocks. Nice places to sit on each single balcony with 2 chairs each with a small table, nearby tree with tons of shade and an outdoor table if needed. From the below photo, you can see that the rooms are modest but practical. There was good air-conditioning and normal bathroom with hot water for a shower. The best part was the view of the Pattaya city and Jomtien skylines. For some months now, I can see Koh Larn from where I live in Jomtien and now I can look back to where I live. I have to say that it is very impressive – more so from Koh Larn looking towards Pattaya/Jomtien – especially at night when the entire city is illuminated. Note, there was NO breakfast included in the above mentioned price.
View of Pattaya City and Jomtien from our Koh Larn room balcony – quite impressive.
We unpacked our bags and then headed out to lunch at one of the many roadside cafes on our way to our first beach destination at Hat Nuan beach – which is on the southern tip of Koh Larn. Beach was pleasant and nice, but was not my favorite because when you walk into the water, it quickly gets deep – as there is a drop-off in the sea floor. I prefer a gradual drop off where you can walk out far into the water before it gets deep. At the far end of this beach – towards the rocks – are a group of monkeys. Many tourists were feeding them. I did not attempt to get too close as I saw many Youtube videos where the monkeys will steal something from you (like your mobile phone) and run away. No thanks.
After a couple of hours at Hat Nuan beach, we then drove over to Samae Beach, which is on the western side of the island. The center of the island is dense green with large hills – so the ride from west to east and east to west are breathtaking – as the views from high up are stunning.
Note the following - The roads on Koh Larn are narrow and there are NO cars – only the occasional baht busses that shuttle passengers back and forth between the different beaches. Each way on the baht bus is ฿30 baht for each single ride. Consequently, since there are NO cars – it makes driving on Koh Larn very pleasant, as it is just motorbikes going about – and they tended to drive slowly without any chaos. This is truly a nice experience after the crazy chaos of motorbikes in Pattaya city.
Also, even though I have my official Thai motorbike driving license – I have not yet started to drive a motorbike in Thailand. I believe that driving one on Koh Larn will help me get over my fear to get started. Consequently, during this trip, I was the 2nd passenger on one of our 2 motorbikes. Going up some of the bigger hills puts a strain on the motorbike – so, if you plan to go 2 persons on a single bike – make sure that you get a motorbike strong enough. For sure, 2 falangs on a single motorbike might not make it up some of the steeper hills. In my case, we were always 1 falang and 1 Thai – and as we know, the Thais don’t weigh much.
Next stop, was Samae Beach. This beach I really liked. During this trip, we visited 5 beaches in total and Samae was tied for my favorite with another beach that we visited on day 2. Samae, has the type of white beach sand that I really like with the gradual decline in the seabed, that allows you to walk out quite far before having to start swimming. The water is a beautiful transparent turquoise color.
After almost arriving to sunset, we drove back to our room to freshen up for our Main Event – the birthday celebration of my Thai friend at the infamous Klom Klom restaurant / bar.
The Klom Klom restaurant / bar is truly an eclectic cool hippy type of place and was an excellent choice to celebrate my friend’s birthday. This was one of my most favorite places in Thailand – something that I would expect to find up in PAI, in northern Thailand. A jazz band was playing during our visit. The food and drinks were very good. The only negative is that the food came from another affiliated place that is across the street – which made the wait for our meal somewhat longer than normal. When I thought that the bill would come, instead the waiters and band played and sang happy birthday for my Thai friend – which was a nice surprise. Even the customers joined into sing. A weird jello birthday dish was served with a lit candle in it (?? Thai tradition ??).
To find this place – see below map – as it is about half way between Naban village and Tawaen Beach. Anybody who lives on Koh Larn knows about this place as it is super famous.
Back home for some more drinks on our balcony to enjoy the illuminated Pattaya skyline.
Day TWO – Tuesday 22 November 2022
We had to switch accommodation locations because one of our 2 bungalow rooms was rented out to another party (surprise snafu). So, we moved north of the main Naban village pier to ธนัชชา รีสอร์ท (Thanatcha Resort). Note from the map below, that this place is VERY close to the main ferry pier and if you remember from the above ferry schedule, the first ferry is at 6:30am bound for Pattaya. It starts blasting its horns for departure at 6:20am. So, I would avoid this place if you do not like to wake up early. Also, it is kind of run down and you can see that it has seen better days. It has a large wooden deck that is tastefully illuminated in the evening with an excellent view of the Pattaya city skyline. Breakfast is included. Price was the same as the previous accommodation, ฿1,500 baht per unit and we took 2 units. This place includes breakfast out on the terrace, which included a Thai kind of rice / chicken soup, toast and marmalades, and eggs sunny side up + coffee.
Our next destination was to go see the BIG giant Buddha up on Buddha hill. What is impressive about this place is that you have an incredible view of almost all of Koh Larn – especially looking down onto the tourist packed Tawaen beach. Furthermore, this is where the paragliders take off and land – it was truly breathtaking to watch all of them as there was at least a dozen of them up in the air above us.
Have any of you tried this paragliding thing? https://www.flykohlarn.com
Driving down into Tawaen Beach, the scene was overwhelming, as the beach was teeming with tourists mainly from India – it was loud and super crowded. I told the guys to continue onwards, and we found a great place to have lunch just before the next beach over, where Tong Lang Beach starts. It was much more quiet and tranquil. I believe that Tawaen Beach is extremely crowded because the main ferry from Pattaya also stops here.
Here is a photo of the tranquil and beautiful Tong Lang Beach, where we relaxed for a couple of hours. It was nice and pleasant – but was still not yet my most favorite beach spot.
Our next stop was Tiennara (Tien Beach). As I mentioned from day one this was also my most favorite beach.
But now after writing this report and reliving the fond memories, this beach is my number one favorite from this Koh Larn trip. Why?
It is a very BIG (long) beach with many variations within the beach, such as lush green canopy overgrowth where there were many places to stay shaded, eat, relax, etc. There are even secluded places to lodge and stay overnight here --> I definitely need to return to sleep in one of them. Have any of you slept in any rooms that are directly at Tien Beach? If so, please share with us the relevant contact information.
To arrive at this paradise, you first park your motorbikes and then walk on this elevated concrete pathway until you arrive onto Tiennara (Tien Beach). It feels different than the other beaches as you feel more isolated and more immersed into the nature with the white powdery beach sand.
Note that walking north (opposite way from which you entered) you will eventually find some red chair lounges. This is where we stayed, and the older owner/manager is most likely gay and one of his sexy younger workers appears to also be gay. He was quite flirty – another reason to return to this beach. On our way into this beach over the elevated concrete walkway, my 2 Thai friends acknowledged a group of fellow gay Thai individuals who were heading back – as they only came for the day. So, perhaps this is the beach more frequented by us gays ?
The sun was starting to set and it was time to drive back to our accommodation to freshen up and to head out to our last dinner on Koh Larn.
The chosen Thai restaurant is, ยกยอ-เกาะล้าน (Lifted Yo - Koh Larn)
https://yokyor-kohlarn.business.site/
which is located on the main road going south from the Naban village that follows the sea shoreline (see below map). It is a somtum type of Thai restaurant and the food was great. It received a 4.3 rating out of 5 maximum in Google.
After dinner, we made a quick stop at 7-Eleven (even on Koh Larn they seem to be almost everywhere) to grab some beers to enjoy our last view of our hotel sea deck illuminated Pattaya / Jomtien city skyline.
We had breakfast in the following morning at our 2nd day hotel and then off to return our motorbikes and join the crowd looking for speedboats back to Pattaya. Again, ฿150 baht per person one way. In about 22 minutes we were already back at the Bali Hali pier in Pattaya. We called a BOLT taxi to take us back to Jomtien.
Would I go back to Koh Larn? MOST definitely – I was truly enchanted with this place and I see that it will take several trips to discover all of the nooks and crannies on this wonderful island – truly an oasis in nature to get away from the craziness of Pattaya city.
What would I change?
1.) To have better control over the accommodations that were chosen – there are tons of them and some are truly amazing.
2.) To get over my anxiety to drive a motorbike in Thailand – as Koh Larn is definitely a tranquil place to overcome this fear.
In closing, I hope that you enjoyed my long trip report. I hope by sharing all of this information with all of you that it will encourage some of you to take advantage of this unique place in Pattaya.
Re: Pattaya Koh Larn island trip report November 2022
Thank you, khap khun mahk, this is a long and very detailed report we do not see that often here. Also from other things as usually seen. Congratulations with the ´wan kheut phuean=birthday friend´ also (and whereas no thing as such is common anywhere in TH, this present as the song +small cake very often happens). And it is clear you had a very happy time together!
Reading in between the lines I understand thus that Pattaya is now also brimming with more tourists.
(btw_ for the few remaining pristine beaches here in TH better go elsewhere as to PHuket/Samui- there are many more smaller and lesser known islands, also much harder to get to as by direct plane).
Re: Pattaya Koh Larn island trip report November 2022
many thanks for an excellent trip report, so good I've decided to broaden my horizons and not limit myself to sex tourism only next time Im in Pattaya.....a few quiet days on this island sounds rejuvenating
Re: Pattaya Koh Larn island trip report November 2022
Thanks for your report.
Did you notice any of the beaches facing away from Pattaya not illuminated at night? I'm looking for a place without artificial light to swim in fluorescent plankton at night. It seems to be everywhere in the Bay of Thailand, even Jomtien, however barely noticeable there for all the light on the beach.
I have been to Koh Larn twice and other than swimming in plankton*, I have little reason to go again. However, it is very popular with local and foreign tourists for what I call "the Notre Dame effect" (because I noticed this when I was working near Paris and visiting Paris frequently). There are hundreds of islands that are comparable to Koh Larn, even better because fewer tourist, but they are not as quickly accessible from Pattaya.
*or the wooden boardwalk over rocks on the beach, and it has been many years since my last visit so a return would be interesting.
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Re: Pattaya Koh Larn island trip report November 2022
Quote:
Originally Posted by
christianpfc
Thanks for your report.
Did you notice any of the beaches facing away from Pattaya not illuminated at night? I'm looking for a place without artificial light to swim in fluorescent plankton at night. It seems to be everywhere in the Bay of Thailand, even Jomtien, however barely noticeable there for all the light on the beach.
I have been to Koh Larn twice and other than swimming in plankton*,
*or the wooden boardwalk over rocks on the beach, and it has been many years since my last visit so a return would be interesting.
Hi Christian,
Of the 5 beaches that I visited - only the Tien Beach would be in my opinion the least illuminated because:
- it is the most remote from the road,
- I could only find 1 single place for accommodation on the beach at the Tiennara Koh Larn Resort and that consisted of 3 bungalows that are hidden under the trees and not visible from the beach (see contact info below perhaps you could ask your question to their email and or LINE),
- the other place for lodging - in an old ship is now supposedly closed (see photo below) - this ship is found in the extreme north part of the Tien Beach.
Consequently, the only light that could be seen is the back of a giant Sea Ray Stingray beach hotel structure that can be seen off in the distance on the most southern part of Tien Beach. This Sea Ray Stingray beach hotel is physically on the Samae Beach - southern most part up on a hill and consequently, the back side is visible from Tien Beach.
Christian - there were NO noticeable wooden boardwalks at Tien Beach - as the only visible boardwalk is made out of concrete at the southern most entry point of Tien Beach.
However, I note that some of the beach establishments where you can rent a beach chair also rented plastic transparent canoes - and perhaps this would be the BEST way to see the bioluminescent planktons - which I also would truly enjoy to see.
I hope this helps - I am also going to contact the Tiennara resort to see what additional information that I can find.
If you find out additional information please post it here.
Thanks,
M.
Blue Boat Bungalow (abandoned) Attachment 12861
Tiennara Resort Info page Attachment 12862
Sea Ray Stingray looking hotel at Samae beach where the backside is visible on Tien beach Attachment 12863
Re: Pattaya Koh Larn island trip report November 2022
latintopxxx wrote: "many thanks for an excellent trip report, so good I've decided to broaden my horizons and not limit myself to sex tourism only next time Im in Pattaya.....a few quiet days on this island sounds rejuvenating"
you welcome.
perhaps you could bring your favorite guy or guys over with you.
or, you can order in via one of the dating apps - where the guy de jour takes the ferry and/or speedboat over to stay with you for the day and/or night.....
Remember that I spotted some gay activity over at Tien Beach at the beach establishment with the red chairs - one of the beach chair worker guys was very cute and interested....
Re: Pattaya Koh Larn island trip report November 2022
The wooden walkway I have in mind is on the southern end of Samae Beach, on google maps "Wooden Walkway" and "เนินชมวิวหาดแสม ".
Canoe with clear bottom would work, but I just went for swimming in the sea (at night 10 pm, at a place with the least possible artificial light) and that is cheaper and independent from the boat service provider. I just checked South Pattaya Beach: plenty of fluorescent plankton, you just can't see it there on the beach.
There is a google maps entry "Koh Larn Garbage Dump บ่อขยะเกาะล้าน" which was the highlight of my last trip to Koh Larn (about 5 years ago, at that time I didn't know about fluorescent plankton).
Re: Pattaya Koh Larn island trip report November 2022
swimming in the sea at night freaks me ouyt, maybe ive watched too mary horror movies with titles like "monsters of the deep"...
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Re: Pattaya Koh Larn island trip report November 2022
Yesterday 03 Feb 2023, I just returned from my second trip to Koh Larn.
I won't repeat any of the above details - as this second trip was an 80% repeat of the November 2022 trip.
However, I will document below, additional details (as many of you requested) and an additional beach that we went to visit.
On the first day, we returned to my still favorite beach, Tien Beach, where I was able to get additional lodging information which I can share with all of you now.
There are 4 places for lodging that exist on Tien Beach - of which 1 is closed and out of business - a 2 floor wooden motel like structure. The other 3 are open - of which, 2 are owned by the HardTien restaurant, which are the 2 pirate looking ships that are situated on the northern most part of Tien beach, and the 8 rooms, which are above the HardTien restaurant. And lastly, as reported above at the beginning of this post, there are the 3 lovely bungalows available at:
https://www.facebook.com/tiennara.kohlarn/
and to make a booking: https://reservation.roomscope.com/1694/en
--> Note that these 3 bungalows (listed above) are the MOST expensive - at 4,500 baht per night.
Below is the business card from the owner of the HardTien. Rooms are 1,800 baht per night - on the steep side - but you are on one of the most beautiful beaches of Koh Larn which is in a secluded and remote part of the island - thus making it extra special and subject to premium pricing.
The owner mentioned to us that you can be picked up by one of their private speed boats from the Bali Hai pier in Pattaya and brought directly to Tien Beach (1,800 baht one way). The price is too much in my opinion. Better to take the normal ferry for 30 baht (one way) and then the bahtbus for 30 baht (one way) or via any of the Bali Hai pier normal speedboats for 150 baht (one way), and then take the bahtbus or rent a motor bike to get to Tien beach.
Attachment 12921
The below HardTien facebook page displays the photos of BOTH the pirate ship rooms (more rugged but more private if you want to have a party and be more intimate) and the rooms that are immediately above the restaurant. These rooms are more "luxurious" - modern than the pirate ship rooms.
https://ne-np.facebook.com/people/หา...762/?sk=photos
I've decided that in the future I will organize an event here with many Thai friends - as I want to spend 2 nights on this fantastic remote beach - to see it in all of its natural glory after the last tourist boats and ferries have all returned back to Pattaya.
This Youtuber posted the below video about this place which truly helps to appreciate why I like it so much.
https://youtu.be/TALnWYRSDqQ
Attachment 12926
Another new discovery that we made at the Tien beach was back in the forest that is behind the beach is a place called, "Goose Beach" and in this large area are the wonderful geese that are let loose onto the main beach once the day trippers have started to return to Pattaya. As we could stay late on the beach, we had the privilege of seeing these geese run around the beach.
Attachment 12922
Our lodging for the 2 nights was in the southern part of Na Baan - the main port village of Koh Larn - at the same place we stayed back in November 2022.
Ban Lung Khao - Green Bungalow on the sea rental contact details:
https://www.facebook.com/people/บ้าน...ibextid=ZbWKwL
Attachment 12923
We spent 2 lovely nights here. Bungalow is on concrete stilts above the rocky coast with a direct view onto the Pattaya / Jomtien skyline across the sea.
The additional beach that we visited this trip, was the Ta-Yai beach, which is at the extreme northern part of Koh Larn, with a direct view onto Ko Sak island.
Attachment 12924
https://www.facebook.com/tayaibeachclub
This beach was very nice but very small and very crowded. In fact, ALL of the beach chairs were already occupied as we arrived around 12 noon. So, I guess you need to arrive early to get good seating. This is mainly a falang beach - as it is serviced by the Ta-Yai Beach club with typical falang/western beach service.
Consequently, we did not stay long. We walked to the farthest northern point - beyond the beach chairs - which was very picturesque, where many people were making instagram photos. Unfortunately, one of my 2 Thai friends slipped on the rocks and cut open his foot so we had to wrap it up as best as we could and then head back into the main Na Baan town to go to the main hospital where they treated it - which put a damper onto our 2nd day activities. After the hospital visit, we drove over to the Samae beach and hung out at that beach for the remainder of the afternoon.
In addition, we discovered a NEW restaurant that we tried on our first night - which was Racha Buffet, which is next to the One More club on the main road heading south out of the Na Baan port village.
https://www.facebook.com/people/บุฟเ...0066811082230/
This was a NEW concept for me. It is like the MK restaurants Hotpot concept but instead is a BBQ buffet type of restaurant. The front of the place is a HUGE selection of fresh caught seafood and vegetables and eggs, which you select for yourself and place in plastic containers and bring back to your table and you cook them on these very hot BBQ coal fired clay type of ovens. Koh Larn was full of these types of restaurants where the prices were from 280 baht to 299 baht for All-You-Can-Eat!!! Truly a bargain and a fun experience.
Attachment 12925
For our second night restaurant, we returned to the Klom Klom restaurant mentioned at the beginning of this trip report thread. Again, there was a live concert, great food and fancy mixed cocktails. Fun was definitely had by us.
https://www.facebook.com/people/กลมก...ibextid=ZbWKwL
Ok, this concludes this trip report. Hopefully, it includes the additional information that was asked by many of you that I could only obtain by visiting this wonderful place again.
