At a Glance
- Likely to meet: Couples, some families, travellers.
- The Beach: No sand beach, small pebbles, rocky, rough red sand but good snorkeling.
- Accommodation: Small boutique resorts, pool villas, bungalow set-ups, and guesthouses.
300bt fan rooms to 3,500bt for family bungalows and up to 30,000bt+ for the 12 person villa.- Resorts: Baan Ton Rak, Pennys, Privilege, Keereeta, Khai Mook
- Villas: Villa Inspiration, Koh Chang Luxury Pool Villas, The Elegance Pool Villas, Pearl Luxury Pool Villas, Villa Marco, Supphatra House, Jungle Queen
- Bungalows/Guesthouses: Saffron, 7 Senses, TP Huts, Macura, Malee Garden, Elephant and Castle, 595 Hostel
- Camping: Kai Mook Camping and others
- Restaurants: Chic coffee house, vegetarian, Thai food courts.
- Saffron on the Sea, Sao’s on the Beach, Everflow, Jae Poh-Rah, Little European
- Nightlife: Limited…to say the least
- Bar: Crazy Mojitos, Sunset Club, PJ Bar (both by the sea)
- Other: Big C Post Office, ATMs, cannabis shop (Sanae’s Buds), Aliphat (general store)
- Highlights: Snorkeling, Shopping, Camping, peace and quiet.
- Lowlights: The actual beach.
- Thai Name: Hat Khai Mook (hat is beach, khai mook is pearl).
At an Island Pace – Pearl Beach
Pearl Beach (Hat Kai Mook) is the first area you hit having left the last vestiges of White Sand Beach. It is very easy to pass through it without noticing its presence, yet Pearl Beach does have much to offer in a quiet understated way.
The beach is small rounded pebbles but what it lacks in sand, it makes up for in snorkeling, with some of the best spots along the whole of the west coast, just offshore. The resorts are generally small and friendly affairs, there’s an enclave of very decent pool villas for rent and even some camping grounds.
Overall, with your own transport, it can make a very good base, laid back and away from it all, with no need to venture out, but close enough to White Sand Beach, should something a bit more touristy be desired.
The Northern End – Pearl Beach
Coming out from White Sand Beach, Pearl Beach starts at the bend by the little inland street, leading up to 7 Senses, Macura Resort and TP Huts – each good value budget resorts, clustered together in quiet gardens. Jungle Queen also offers long stay appartments here with a swimming pool. Little Europe Restaurant is on the corner as you turn in, Crazy Mojitos on the hill above.
Continue on, Baan Ton Rak, a small boutique hotel of rooms, pool and family villa, is hidden away behind its retaining wall. Malee Resort, another collection of bungalows and cheap rooms sits next door, with the English run bungalows of Elephant and Castle on the hill above.
Across the road, you’ll spot the entrance to the backpacker bungalows Ban_na and look out too for the tiny Sanaes Buds, a cafe and cannabis outlet.
Next door to Sanae’s, the area has developed into a ocean-side camping grounds combined with a small food court. The camping allows for either staying in a tiny stilted bamboo hut or for pitching a tent – parking, electricity and bathrooms are all on site.
Down by the sea, the Thai hippie style, PJ Bar and Sao’s On the Beach (restaurant and bar) sit at one end and the German run Sunset Club at the far end. Tastory has closed down.
Meanwhile, the food court currently offers seafood, Thai and an Indian but occupancy here will no doubt ebb and flow depending on the tourist season. There’s a Muay Thai training club too.
Back on the main road, next door to Malee Garden, shortly after the 595 Hostel, Big C Superstore, dominates the far end of the village.
The Southern End – Pearl Beach
Back on the ocean side, other little streets take you down to the holiday let Villa Inspiration, the now closed Koh Chang Resortel, uniquely boasting an Olympic sized swimming pool and to Koh Chang Privilege, a dependable and nicely spaced out bungalows resort, popular with Thai weekenders – it too has a Muay Thai gym on the corner too.
Along the front of them, roadside, the original Pearl Beach food court has less choices than before but is still popular.
Soi 1 to Soi 2
You’ll find older boutique resort, Keereeta, on the corner of Kai Mook 1, a narrow speed-bumped street which runs past the motel of Koh Chang Budget Rooms, Supphatra House and the small complex of Villa Marco (Davide, Matteo and Tippawan) before reaching the excellent restaurant and bungalows of Saffron on the Sea.
There is no shortage of other choices along this small stretch of shoreline with Khai Mook Resort, a bigger operation next door, the tiny Paradise Palms and the well reviewed Pennys Resort. At the very end of the track, Iyara Resort (the landowners) have a villa development under slow construction
When the tide is out, you can walk back straight along the rocks and pebbles across the resorts’ fronts to re-emerge at Ban_na.
A second small soi, Kai Mook 2 runs from the back of Khai Mook Resort back up to the main road, passing a compact collection of competing holiday rent villas – Koh Chang Luxury Pool Villas, their neighbour but unconnected Pearl Luxury Pool Villas and behind them, also not connected to the other two, The Elegance Pool Villas. A coffee shop (usually closed), the vegan Everflow cafe and the NT (National Telecom, internet) head office complete the picture.
The Far End
The soi ends opposite Big C with the Honda motorbike shop and a furniture shop on one side.
Koh Chang’s main post office is also a few meters along in this stretch of buildings, which include a couple of restaurants – Jae Poh-Rah is the the stand-out choice. You’ll also find a couple of camping spots down the little lanes too.
Lastly, as you head out of Pearl Beach, you’ll spot a handful of green bungalows, House and Home Resort, mainly for long stay rent tiered up the slope and opposite, Aliphat, an Aladdin’s Cave Thai store.
UPDATED April 26
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