At a Glance
- Likely to meet: Tourists, families, couples and few backpackers.
- The Beach: One of the island’s best, excellent at the northern end, giving way to rocks and cliff at the southern end.
- Accommodation: Mainly resorts and hotels but bungalows, huts, guesthouses also available
From 500bt fan rooms up to 10,000bt for the deluxe oceanside villas- 4/5 Star Resorts: KC Grande
- 3/4 Star Resorts: Kacha, Chang Buri, Grand View
- 2/3 Star Resorts: Apple Beachfront, Bamboo, Banpu, Cookies, Grand Lagoon (and Koh Chang Princess), Plaloma, Tops, Chang Cliff
- Small Hotels/Motels: Erawan, The Grand, Du Talay, Keeree Ele, Du Sila, 15 Palms, SP Place
- Bungalows: Sangtawan, Sang Arun, Tantawan, Sai Khao Inn, White Sand Beach Resort, Arunee, A la Maison (formerly Jinda), Chang Life, Para, Cliff View, Private Paradise, Lucky Home
- Backpacker: Independent Bo, Maylamean, Ban_na, Chang, Rock Sand Resort, Pen’s, Palm Garden, Mountain Jungalows, Tuk Tuk, Island Lodge, Sabai Beach Guesthouse, Koh Chang Hut
- Restaurants: Cheap Thai to western, seafood, bbq’s, tables on the beach
- Sun and Soul, Ta- Yay, Lagoon, Sea Bar, Papa il Baffo (Italian), Barbarra, Beach Tango, Alaturka (Turkish), Buffalo Bill’s (Steak and Thai), Babylon (Pizzeria at Kacha Resort) Kapow, Kin Dee, Fresh Catch, Tum Preang Praang
- Coffee Shops: Marin Coffee (2 outlets), TR Coffee, Chuhjai, Sahngad Cafe, Fruit Corner, Le Soleil (at Koh Chang Hut)
- Nightlife: Couple of nightclubs, sports bars, pub, beach bars, zoned beer bars area
- Party: Sabay Bar, Babylon
- Bars: Mac Beach Bar, Some Mao, Tapas Bar, Tiger’s Den, Mansuang, Zap Bar, Wine Fans (outlet)
- Live Music: Some Mao, Oodies, Mansuang, Rock Bar
- Sports: 15 Palms, Bentley’s
- Other: Dive Shop, Internet, Minimarts, Macro Food, Pharmacies, Gyms, ATMs, Banks, Ticket agents, Tattoo, Motorbike Rental, Massage, Cannabis outlets, wine merchants
- Highlights: Beach, easy for everthing with lots of choice
- Lowlights: Developed and touristy
- Thai Name: Hat Sai Khao (hat is beach, sai is sand, khao is white)
At an Island Pace
White Sand Beach is generally split into north and south, with the vast majority of the actual beach at the northern end and the southern section generally held to start at the point where the sand gives way to rocks and the cliffs.
What was once a small village is now a bustling tourist town with one huge luxury resort, other mid range hotels and resorts, smaller bungalow operations, motels and backpacker rooms. Alongside the accommodation, there is a wide array of restaurants, bars, cafes, massage and spas, tattoo artists, clothes and souvenir shops, pharmacies, motorbike rental, ticket agencies, banks and currency exchanges.
White Sand Beach is a popular choice for those that want the standard Thai beach resort holiday. During the day, you can enjoy a terrific stretch of sand, with clear calm waters, whilst in the evening, you can wander along the main street or the beach for something to eat, with the chance to cap things off at one of the nightspots dotted around town later.
It is safe, hassle-free tourism but if that is something you normally steer clear of, then White Sand Beach is probably not your kind of place.
Northern End | Central Area | On the Street | Southern End
The Northern End – White Sand Beach
Crossing over the mountain from Klong Son, the road makes a couple of hard switchback climbs near the National Park Office before it passes the steep incline leading to White Sand Beach Resort and begins its descent into White Sand Beach itself. A viewpoint just before this last stretch offers some great sweeping aerial views of the town, beach and out to sea.
At the foot of the hill at this northern end, the luxury resort KC Grande dominates the immediate surroundings with its buildings on both side of the road and staff lodgings winding back up the hill. A couple of cheaper smaller guesthouses, A La Maison (formerly Jinda), Arunee, Palm Garden Hotel and Mountain Jungalows, mong them, can be found opposite. To the left of the 7-11, one of several to be found in White Sand Beach, a concrete walkway gives public access to the sea.
Taking the walkway down onto the sand brings you out in the middle of the beach, a world apart from the busy Koh Chang street just a few metres away. It’s a wonderful sight, with powder white sand stretching far into the distance in both directions, blue shallow waters ahead and jungle covered cliffs looking down on the northern peninsula.
Backpacker Quarter on the Beach
Walking to the right and north along the beach, you soon stumble upon the backpacker quarter of White Sand Beach. Cheap and cheerful bungalows such as Pen’s, Star Beach, Chang, Ban_na, Independent Bo’s, Rock Sand Resort and Maylamean, are all uniquely built up the cliff face, with their little restaurants at the front. High tide brings the sea right up to the buildings, with you actually needing to walk into Rock Sand, through it and out the other side in order to continue on your way.
A ramschackle beach diner, the bungalows of White Sand Beach Resort, whose steep road entrance you passed when snaking over the mountain and beyond it, an abandoned restaurant, complete the picture at this far northern end.
The Central Area
Still on the sand but heading the opposite way and south from the concrete walkway, you can walk right to the end of the northern section of White Sands Beach. Along the way, you pass restaurants and bars such as 15 Palms, Sabay Bar, Sun and Soul, Mac Bar, Tapas Bar, Tiger Den, Babarra, Beach Tango and Sea Bar as well as the beach-side entrances (and restaurants) to the larger resorts of Cookies Hotel, Mac Resort, Koh Chang Lagoon Resort , Kacha Resort, Banpu Resort, Bamboo and Apple Beachfront. There are bungalows too at Sangtawan, next door to 15 Palms and at the far end Tantawan and Sang Arun.
Tables and chairs are laid out on the beach by each of these spots, making a great place to break from the sea and sun for lunch or at night, with their low lights and candles, enjoy dinner to the sound of the waves.
At that southern end, you can emerge back onto the main street via another beach walkway by the in-house restaurant of the boutique-style small hotel, Du Talay.
On the Street
At street level, meanwhile, the road of course passes the entrances to these places from their other side, with small shops nestled in among them, selling the usual array of Thai souvenirs, clothes and beach mats.
There are multiple minimarts, travel shops and ticket booths, Oodies with its nightly live music, the bar Some Mao, Marin Coffee, Buffalo Bill’s Steak House, Taste of India, several motels in SP Place, Gold Beach Guesthouse and Baan Saikao, pharmacies, Advice (computers and mobiles), a gym, BB Divers, many cannabis outlets and the police box.
The Erawan, a 35 room hotel with rooftop pool and The Grande, 34 rooms, sit on the mountain side of the road.
Opposite the turning down to Tantawan and its neighbours at Beach Tango, Bamboo, Apple Beachfront and Sea Bar, the street comes alive in the late afternoon and on into the evening, with stands laid out selling little bags of curry, fruit, bbq chicken and and sticky rice, even kebabs. The long running, Italian restaurant, Piatto Ricco, continues to quietly go about its business at the far end.
The entrance to Sea Bar has a small seafood restaurant, Fresh Catch and a bar as its gatekeepers, whilst the huge Findig store sells all manner of luggage, clothes and other souvenirs.
Kacha Resort Area
Just before Kacha Resort, a small road leads inland to another little world of cheap no frills guesthouses, Tuk Tuk, Island Lodge built up the hillside amid the trees and just a short walk to the beach. Pingpong House is at the very end.
Another good value bungalows resort, Sai Khao Inn, is located at the end of the small soi opposite Banpu Resort, with Sahngad Cafe and Camping on the hill above.
The eclectic jewellery, accessories and vintage shop, Peace Moon, Chujai Crafts and Coffee, Marin Coffee, Fruit Corner, TR Coffee, Kapow, Angel Bar, Mansuang, Kin Dee and Papa il Baffo are all streetside. Alina Hotel rounds things off.
Seaside just after Banpu’s summer looking offshoot rooms, the tiny guesthouse Sabai Beach, the small and the boutique style hotel, Du Talay sit either side of the beach access walkway.
The Southern End – White Sand Beach
Shortly after the walkway from the beach, Grand View Resort sits at the start of the rocks and cliffs, which signal the southern end of White Sands Beach. The popular, Tum Preang Praang restaurant sits streetside at the entrance.
Opposite the so called Grand View Plaza houses restaurants along the front – Alaturka, Bella Vita, TR Restaurant, Athithan and the bar Red Monkey, among others. At the rear, Rock Bar provides the nightlife and Koh Chang Muay Thai has its centre – gym and fight nights every Wednesday and Saturday.
The mountain side buildings of Chang Buri Resort sit next door to Makro Food and opposite, you’ll find the main entrance to Chang Buri with its seaside accommodation.
Next up at this southern end, it’s the zoned area for the beer bars – a dense concentration of small open air venues staffed by scantily clad hostesses, which pump out competing loud music fom 18.00 onwards. Babylon Nightclub is at the rear. Krungthai Bank is now the island’s main bank next to yet another 7-11.
Up the Hill and Out of Town
Further up the hill, seaside, are the resorts and bungalows of Plaloma, Koh Chang Hut Hotel (with its Le Soleil Cafe at the top), Cliff View and Top Resort, with its Foodland store and German pub out front. Zap Bar, Keeree ele Hotel, Du Sila (behind the closed Paddy’s Palms), Chang Life and Sea Sun Hotel, sit on the mountain side.
Just along from the pub Bentley’s (formerly The White Elephant), Suvarnabhumi Burapa Co, which lays on microbuses to and from BKK Airport and Pattaya, has its base. Dive Supply, a long established local supplier for all things underwater, is also at the far end and you can grab a bite to eat here too in one of the roadside Issan and cook to order restaurants.
Finally, Chang Cliff Resort, with its ingenious walkway built into the cliffs, is the last resort on the sea side, though Lucky Home and Private Paradise (formely Giant Bungalows) do have cheap acommodation here too.
Various other long stay options are opposite as well as a couple of smaller bungalows operations at Para Resort and Baan Aunrak. A few cheap restaurants and beer bars and a fishing shop complete the picture. Look out too for the specialist wine merchants, Wine Fans, which also has an in-house restaurant.
Ciao Italian, one of Koh Chang’s longest running Italian restaurants, is also found at this end, with Anna’s, the cash and carry store stocking many European foods, located at the top of the hill. Never Give Up Gym is next door.
UPDATED 6th April 26
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