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[tab title=”The Details” icon=”icon-entypo-info”]Date: 10 December to 13 December 2014
Where I’ve Been: Koh Kood and Pattaya, Thailand
Where I’ve Stayed: Cozy House, Koh Kood and Kilkenny Guesthouse, Pattaya[/tab]
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I can confirm, without a doubt, that Koh Kood is easily my favourite Thai island I have visited – stunning beaches, lovely waterfalls and very few people. It is quite lovely.
Trat to Koh Kood
I stayed in a night in Trat and got a bus to the harbour and then jumped on boat to Koh Kood (also sometimes spelt as Koh Kut).
Immediately from the people on the boat it was apparent I was going to an island with a slightly different clientele to Ko Phan Ngan, Ko Phi Phi, etc, etc. There weren’t any young backpackers, it was mainly made of slightly older people (like me I guess) and families with young children.
The boat journey there revealed an island covered in lush green vegetation and glorious clear waters, leaving me very excited to get on dry land.
Ko Kood turned out to be larger than I realised. At first I thought I could walk from the harbour into the centre of town, but soon two things became evident:
- At 25km x 12km the island is bigger than I realised
- There is no centre of town – just occasional guesthouses, resorts, restaurants and shops dotted across the island
Wow!
I got dropped off at Cozy House, a guesthouse where I planned to stay that had very good reviews. When I got there they only had 1 room left – an 1,000 baht room (about £20 or $30) – way above the budget I had planned.
However as I couldn’t be bothered to find anywhere else, and in the light of it £20 isn’t that much, I took it. I got a lovely room, with a big double bed, air con, fantastic ensuite, Sky TV and a little patio that over looked a small lake – it was very nice indeed!
On Wednesday I then had a walk around the part of the island I was staying. There was a lovely beach within a minutes two minutes walk of my room, with pristine waters and very few people. I was to find out over the next two days this wasn’t that uncommon in Koh Kood.
The next day I hired a scooter and drove around the island. There is next to no traffic and for long strips it was just me alone with lush green vegetation lining the road, some wonderful views and incredible beaches.
It is hard to explain how lovely the island is, so your best bet is just to look at some of my photos below:
Sunset seeking!
That evening at my guesthouse I met an English girl, Anna, who happens to be on the exact same flight home later this week.
On Friday Anna and I explored more of the island, stopping off at three waterfalls and then going to Sunset Cafe in the evening. Sunset Cafe lived up to its name and we sat back and relaxed with a drink whilst taking in a stunning sunset.
Unfortunately yesterday (Saturday) my little holiday on Koh Kood game to an end. I would highly recommend the island to anyone wanting to get away from the typical party islands and find somewhere more relaxed and with amazing scenery. It is gorgeous.
Arriving in Pattaya
My next stop, for one night, is almost the exact opposite of Koh Kood – I went from Koh Kood to Pattaya to break up the journey or Bangkok and also see the brother of a friend of mine.
Pattaya has a chequered reputation – synonymous with drugs, prostitution and crime – and I was staying slap bang in the middle of it all!
To be honest it was such a quick visit I couldn’t say whether Pattaya deserves its reputation or not. I got there at 7pm, got changed and went straight out to meet my friend had lots of drinks (and also the best kebab I have ever had from a street vendor) and rolled back in at 3am!
Pattaya certainly seems a fun place though – loads of bars and clubs and lots of Westerners. Which is probably why it has its bad reputation…
Now my journey is about to come full circle again as I am on a bus back to Bangkok where I have a couple of nights before flying home.