Most Peaceful & Beautiful Island in Thailand - Koh Mak Low Season

Music Tracks: Twilight Streets & Dream Walking (Original Mix) by Dhruva Aliman - Amazon - https://amzn.to/2B9tGa7 - Apple - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dhruva-aliman/363563637- Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XiFCr9iBKE6Cupltgnlet - Bandcamp - https://dhruvaaliman.bandcamp.com/album/road-of-fortunes - http://www.dhruvaaliman.com/ - https://www.instagram.com/dhruvaaliman/ ... Koh Mak, an island to the south of Koh Chang, is definitely worth a visit if you plan on exploring this part of Thailand during your holiday. It is a mid-size island which is becoming increasingly popular with couples and families due to its deserted beaches and lack beer bars and ugly concrete block hotels. It’s a haven for people who want to avoid the bright lights and over development of larger islands but still want more than just a basic beach hut.

Over 15 years ago, The Sunday Times chose Koh Mak as one of their Top Undiscovered Islands and five years ago the New York Times ran an article on finding ‘Old Thailand’ on Koh Mak. That is slowly changing as more visitors and more development come to the island.

Koh Mak is a relatively small, island, far more the typical desert island model than the mountainous Koh Chang and Koh Kood. It lies approximately 20 kilometres south of Koh Chang and covers an area of 16 square kilometres. It’s roughly 10km wide and 5km from north to south. So it’s too big to walk around, but easy to see by bicycle or scooter.

Bicycles are fast becoming the preferred means of travel on the island. In part due to the lack of hills and relatively short distances but also because there isn’t a car ferry to Koh Mak. So there’s very little traffic on the island. This also ties in with the islanders initiatives to be known as an eco-friendly ‘green’ island. But if cycling in 30C heat isn’t your idea of a relaxing holidays, automatic scooters can be rented everywhere for 300 Baht / 24 hours. In addition, more resorts now offer electric golf cart rental for guests.

And as most development is limited to the western side of the island, no matter where you stay you are usually within a walking or cycling distance of wherever you want to go . . . which is just as well as you can’t expect much in the way of public transport. Although there are a handful of pick up truck taxis on the island now which charge 50 Baht/person pretty much regardless of where you want to go.

There aren’t any rivers on Koh Mak, therefore it’s a very arid island which also lacks the jungle clad mountains of Koh Chang and Koh Kood. So it has a different vibe. It is a still a working island covered predominantly by coconut groves and rubber plantations which account for 90% of the scenery on the island. So don’t expect much jungle. On the plus side the quiet concrete and dirt roads are very shady and it’s an island that’s ideal to explore by mountain bike.

There are two villages on Koh Mak, ‘Baan Ao Nid’ on the Southeastern coast is home to around 50 families plus the island’s school, temple and clinic and ‘Ban Laem Son’ which lies in the northwest corner of the island away from virtually all of the tourist development. Elsewhere you will find small hamlets of a few homes clustered in areas on the eastern shores.

Note that there’s only one ATM on the island and you can’t guarantee that will be working or will have cash in it. There are numerous currency exchanges though, and large resorts will give cash advances on credit cards for 3 – 5% commission.

As far as health goes, there’s a local clinic in the centre of the island and Bangkok Hospital Group recently opened an expensive, but fully equipped, private clinic on Ao Kao beach. It’s a bit pricey, but if you have medical insurance, go there.

As most resorts are relatively small and there is plenty of undeveloped beachfront land, you’re in no danger of feeling as though you are on a busy, touristy island even in peak season. It is still easy to wander off and find a few hundred metres of beach to yourself.

In the northwest of the island, Suan Yai Beach, offers sun worshipper’s the chance to toast themselves along a 2 kilometre stretch of white sand beach. For a good photo opportunity, head up the ridge at the western end of the beach, to Islanda Resort. Here you can enjoy an amazing, panoramic along the length of the beach and north towards Koh Wai and Koh Chang.

From Islanda it’s only 5 minutes walk to the southwestern shore of the island where you’ll find Ao Kao beach, the western stretch of which is the most developed area on the island which small resorts lining the beach and an increasing number of small cafes and restaurants on the main road which runs along the rear of the resorts. This is the busiest area of the island and it is where many visitors head for dinner or a night out.

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