Saturday, 1 September 2012

Kai Bae Beach Koh Chang Island, Thailand

Kai Bae Beach is situated towards the south of Klong Prao Beach and boasts almost 2.5 -kilometers stretch of sandy beach. Although, comparing to Kai Bae Beach and Klong Prao Beach, the main road here is much narrower, making it quite a mission to walk freely without having to worry about the oncoming traffic, the beach offers fantastic views of Koh Chang’s neighboring islands such as Koh Yuak, Koh Pli, Koh Man Nok and Koh Man Nai, the latter can be reached by foot during low tide.

The beach is one incredibly stunning bay with just a few bungalows that gave the impression of having your own private section of white sand beach. These days it is a bit more developed and mostly popular with local Thai weekend travelers. In the high season, which start early November and ends on the end of April legions of fans come back year after year, and because of the relentless opening of new establishments there is much choice of entertainment, which has to be above average to survive.

Kai Bae does have the best places to catch the sunset. The islands dotted around in front of the beach enhance that sunset and during low tide it is possible to walk to the island Koh Man Nai from the South end of the beach.

Other times you can reach the island with kayak, which can be rented by most of the resorts on Kai Bae.

Accommodation and food options are offered in abundance, most resorts have pleasant beachside bungalows, swimming pools and finely manicured tropical gardens, some resorts offer terraced beach side restaurants which is of course a good spot for dining.

Kai Bae has become one of the best areas on Koh Chang for those wanting a bit of excitement, nightlife, restaurant options and easy access to tourist services. While not as busy and developed as Haad Sai Khao (White Sand Beach), Kai Bae is upgrading fast. The main street is busy with bars, restaurants and shops, while the town itself is divided by a low, narrow bridge. On either side are clumps of mostly unnamed bars in small bamboo huts from which ladies and lady boys will beckon you to come in from the street before charging about 100 Baht or more for a beer.

There's rarely a footpath, so pedestrians are forced to share the road with the traffic. The town was built on a platform of red clay that turns very muddy after rain and makes getting to the beach a very sticky experience.

During low tide in the morning the water receeds about 50 meters from the string of bungalows along the shore, revealing a moonscape of moss-covered rocks. This is great if you want to wander out and spot the shallow sea life, but means it's not such a nice place to swim later on. From the northern end of the beach it's possible to walk across to an uninhabited island during low-tide.

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