Lonely Beach, Koh Chang

*This is an archived post from the first iteration of this website from 2014, and as such may not represent the editorial standards of Europe Is Our Playground, but as it’s popular, we wanted to ensure those who love it can still access it.

It wasn’t so long ago that Lonely Beach on Koh Chang in Thailand was still a thing of whispers. A hike over a mountain was needed to reach the beach before the connecting roads were built in the late ’90s but even today the ramshackle huts that the beach was known for are still in place, tilting over the sands in the direction of the sea.

A group of us, who had met on the way out of Bangkok, originally went there on the advice of a long-term traveller called Stephen who had once lived (stayed and forgotten to leave) on the beach, and when we arrived we found an empty unkempt stretch of sand with a fringe of palms. It was just getting into the rainy season but the weather was perfect with blue skies, warm waters and heat. So much heat. I intended to stay for a day or two but somehow I managed to stay for a week before heading back to the mainland to watch Bodyslam (a Thai Rock band) play somewhere close to Chiang Rai.

I read recently that Koh Chang is now synonymous with parties and the usual stuff that goes along with a beach getting more and more popular: more resorts and more bars etc., though there was surprisingly little when I last visited.  The road section of the beach was half closed down (for sale signs and broken coconut shells everywhere) and the few restaurants served only a small collection of dishes. 

The atmosphere on Lonely Beach was exactly what people used to travel to Thailand for. It was mostly serene and quiet, even the Treehouse Bar which overlooked the water and served a good shisha was relatively empty each night. I have fond memories of drinking to a soundtrack of The Cure and views of the endless azures, with some random backpackers and new friends who needed schooling in the joys of Robert Smith and co. The rest of my memories from Lonely Beach play out in my mind as a beautiful collage of dreamy waters, lush jungles, deep blue seas, and long nights lost to a haze of smoke and vodka, imbibed under a glittering canvas of stars, that for those few nights it was just so perfectly wonderful.