Klong Prao Hotels

A collection of 40 or so new, salmon pink bungalows around a freeform pool and seafood restaurant. it doesn't sound too inspiring and, to be honest it isn't. No frills architecture, functional rather than trying to be flashy, but it definitely isn't objectionable.

The bungalows look warm and inviting, they have large glass sliding doors and are spacious enough. With the exception of the bungalows built nearer the roadside they aren't cramped together as much as in some neighbouring resorts. But it's definitely worth paying a bit more to get a beachfront room.

A clean beach is on the doorstep and two small shopping plazas nearby mean you can easily load your mini-bar with regular priced beer and chocolates. The price is pretty good too - not the cheapest but for anyone with cleanliness, ease of access and a family friendly environment Paradise is a safe bet.

In mid-2006 a beautiful new beachfront Spa was built - no doubt because this was pretty much the only resort on the island without one.

Before adding this section of the site, I recommended a dozen or so people to go there when they asked for pointers and I had emails from half of them saying it was just what they were looking for. No excess frills so you won't have a guilt trip if you get sand on the bed, convenient and with a kids playground to keep mommy's darlings occupied while you bake on the beach.

The kind of place that most visitors won't rave about, but they would have no hesitation in recommending to friends as there are no real drawbacks. Book early, as it's frequently full. New pool villas are currently under construction and should open late 2008, early 2009.

"The location is probably the best on the whole island. We had the Deluxe seafront villa and it was excellent. But forget the breakfast and the restaurant."

"We have stayed there three times, everything is great but the service is slow and the food, albeit improved since last year, is still poor. Fortunately there are several restaurants on the beach nearby which are much better."

"It's a gorgeous place and so worth the money! The beach is clean and the pool is very luxurious. Our bungalow had a nice view of the water and was very clean and appealing. The bathroom had a tub and a separate shower which was wonderful. The bed was comfortable and the TV had lots of channels. It was a peaceful, yet exciting place to stay and I highly recommend it."

"The beach is one of the quieter on the island and the resort, which consists of a number of well spaced detached bungalows, boasts an idyllic position. The beach is a sweeping bay of white sand giving great views of some of the smaller islands. The sea is easy to access and isn't too choppy. The best part is the large number of tree hanging adult sized swings which keep many a child at heart happy!"

Room	Low Season 01/06-30/09	High Season 01/10-31/05	Peak Season 15/12-15/01 13/04-16/04	Low Season 01/05-31/10/2008
Superior Garden View	1.900	3.300	4.400	2.050
Superior Beachfront	2.300	4.100	5.100	2.500
Deluxe Garden	2.200	4.100	5.100	2.500
Deluxe Beachfront	4.750	6.700	7.700	4.900

There are some hotels that you go past and for no apparent reason you just can't be bothered going into. This is one of those. I must have driven past a hundred times, looked at the ornamental elephants outside the main archway, peered at the rather odd rock wall near reception and wondered if people booking rooms in the main building ever have a choice whether they stay in the 'road view' rooms or not.

The main building is new, however the bungalows by the beach are from a different era. They have a great beach view and there are deckchairs and a pool right outside your door but they look very dated and run down now. However, they always seem busy so I guess they can't be too bad. If you're visiting over a Thai holiday be prepared for hoards of campers to be sharing the pool & beachfront area as the hotel sets up a tent city of Sudanese refugee camp proportions for Thai tour groups outside the garden bungalows, which are on the opposite side of the road to the beach.

Last year I had a few emails from a few people who've stayed here and to be honest they weren't so complimentary. Two common complaints are toilets that smell like toilets and musty rooms. However, in 2005/06 I had a couple of emails from people who loved the "flintstone's surroundings", simply because it's a total contrast to life at home, and wanted me to know that although the bungalows were old, they were made-up daily and were clean.

This resort won't blow you away but as it's price would suggest, you shouldn't expect too much other than a convenient location and comfortable bed. Consider it if Klong Prao Resort & Paradise Resort are full and you really want to stay at the north end of Klong Prao beach.

"Beautiful hotel directly on the beach, I reserved a deluxe room. A beautiful, large clean room."

"Overall are good services , bungalow was near by the beach, nice and friendly personel , only they cannot communicate English well enough !! For the hotel room , it would be nice if they would provide mosquito-net for the door to prevent mosquitoes fly into the room."

"At check-in, there had been made a mistake by the hotel staff. The manager (worst staff member of all) had the arrogance to laugh in our face and claim that we had to sort this out ourselves with our travel agent, this was on Xmas eve, and pay for the additional cost ourselves!"

In mid-2005 the older lagoonside bungalows were knocked down and replaced with nice, modern spacious replacements. Definitely a big improvement on the stuffy, rundown predecessors. ll building work finished in mid-2006 Nearby, the newer VIP rooms (Anyone with a credit card is a VIP here) are the choice of most foreign guests, clean & comfortable with excellent sea & beach views. Not luxurious but generic 2 - 3 star quality with the basic conveniences you'd expect.

The small pool overlooks the beach and there's a grassy area nearby which makes a good sunbathing spot at high tide. The beach outside is very quiet - good for kids and in the evening it's easy to walk along it to find other beachfront restaurants, in fact a couple of people have recommended the hotel BBQ to me. There's nothing of any real interest roadside, but a 10 minute walk along the road will bring you to a couple of shopping plazas just past Paradise Resort (mentioned above). Just watch out for the traffic, there are no pavements.

This resort is very popular with Thai companies as a venue for staff outings - especially on the fringes of high season. The only plus from this fact is that this adds to the possibility that they do have a good, well priced restaurant as Thais are very fussy when it comes to a feed. Other facilities include a convenient, well stocked, but overpriced mini-mart and an air-conditioned mini-gym so fitness freaks can queue to run on the solitary treadmill instead of on the beach in the fresh air.

A good choice, especially if views and being a stone's throw from the sand are more important to you than staying in a luxurious room. Also a good choice for families as there's a couple of hundred metres of beach frontage for the kids to play on with no stones or strong currents. But not a place to get away from it all or if you want to avoid families. Watch out for the sun lounger wars that break out in high season due to lack of sunloungers by the pool. The new bungalows will definitely give Paradise Resort some competition for the title of the best place to stay in the area.

"Nice and big VIP rooms with excellent sea views. Very beautiful pool and garden. However, it seems the Hotel has no management, no maintenance to anything. "

"Great value for money - medium priced resort but better than average facilities."

"The hotel is situated in the middle of a long beach which shelves gently into the sea. It is a package-holiday resort with more than 120 rooms. The sea view chalets are large and pleasant but unfortunately a service road separates the accommodation from the beach. The hotel does not appear to be well managed, i.e. inadequate supply of beach towels, insufficient loungers, grubby plastic furniture in the restaurants"

"Excellent rooms that were new and clean, staff helpful and polite, a quiet resort ideal for families. We would return again without doubt."

"Great. Would go back to this resort any time. There was a slight problem with lack of information. Anything you want know you have to ask for or find out yourself. "

"An excellent resort, very good rooms. We stayed in the VIP 1, and it was fantastic, located on the beach itself and a fantastic view. The staff was fantastic, the massages offered and the food was all very good as well."

A very new resort, it opened in late 2004. Superb rooms and attention to detail, well landscaped gardens, loads of twinkling lights illuminating the trees at night, an average buffet breakfast and is located nowhere near the beach. Got to read the small print with this one, the address is given as Klong Prao beach, heck they even have a private beach . . . but it's a 10 minute drive from the hotel!! (Ooops . . .forgot to mention that in any of the adverts.)

If you have your own transport - it's great. If you aren't really a beach bunny and are happy with panoramic mountain views - it's great. If you're visiting in low season and can get one of the cheap rooms - from US$25 a night, it's an absolute bargain.

But if you're coming to the island in order to be able to roll out of bed and stagger down to the beach for a morning dip - forget it. The pool's lovely but to get to the beach you need to hop in their pick-up truck and head down the road about 3 kilometres. Fine if you're in no rush, but a major hassle if you leave your sunscreen in your room and need to go back to get it.

As the crow flies the resort is probably only around 500 metres from the beach, but there's a river estuary in the way. A regular sight are well dressed middle aged couples, often in similar outfits - beige safari shorts, white polo shirts, socks and sandals - who've wandered down the side road next to Ramayana hoping to find a shortcut, standing hands on hips on the opposite side of the river from our house wearing an expression that seems to imply they were expecting it to be easy to stroll to the sand. The detour means a 3km walk to the beach. Something worth thinking about if you have kids in tow or if you plan on paying around US$100 a night during high season for a room and expect to be on the beach.

The private beach area has a bar and restaurant area and friendly staff are on hand to maneuver sun loungers into position. But it's a bit sad, truckloads of sand have been tipped over a walled off patch of land adjacent to the actual, i.e. public, beach. Thus creating an artificial beach with little appeal. Far better to walk north along the beach from here, towards Tropicana, and sit at one of the cheap beach bars.

"Beautiful resort with attentive staff, but far from the beach and shops. You can't walk to any place nearby to eat or shop."

"Nice restaurant and good breakfast. If you like to stay in the hotel and by the pool, this is a good hotel but if you would like to get around I would choose another hotel."

"I have stayed here twice. My opinion is this resort needs foreign tourists at times when the rates are to high for the locals, then they are welcome. But if you visit the resort at low season, where the Thai cans pay the rates, the foreigners are not very welcome."

You can tell it's going to be expensive because it has one of those mysterious south-east Asian hotel names which exudes luxury with a hint at holistic, back to nature living. (But when the spa is called 'Aar Spa' you know they've taken the 'double a' novelty as far as it will go. How many Brits are going to pronounce this as 'Arse Spa'?) White washed walls? Old wood? Thatched roofs? Visible brickwork? - Aana's got the lot.

We have watched this hotel being built as the villas and restaurant are directly opposite our humble, but far, far cheaper guesthouse - which lies on the opposite bank of the river. The villas look beautiful, they're built high up on stilts and hug a small hillside. Some overlook the river estuary and have sunset views, others face the mountainous inland and have sunrise views. Mature trees and tropical plants in abundance provide natural shade and also provide a home to numerous bugs & frogs which can be quite vocal during rainy times. Raised wooden walkways connect the rooms, adding to the jungle feel.

Great panoramic views can also be had from the pool and bar and you'll be eating breakfast in a large wooden restaurant on the banks of the river. As with Ramayana (above) you can't walk to the beach. However, Aana get round this with a private boat service - using old fashioned river boats paddled by a staff member to ferry guests a couple of hundred metres down the river to the beach at the mouth of the estuary.

This will be one of the the most expensive hotels on the island during high season with villas costing over US$200 / night (to walk-in guests) and regular hotel rooms going for well over $US100. The hotel rooms are yet to be completed but the builders should have done their job by the start of high season in November/December. A large chunk of mangrove and river estuary was filled in to make the site for the hotel rooms but it's a sad day when well connected property developers can't do what they want with the riverbank in order to improve on nature's idea of beauty.

There are two restaurants within walking distance, Iyara Seafood, which is 5 minutes walk away also on the estuary banks and Phu Talay, only 100 metres from Aana, which just opened in April '06 but already has a reputation for serving far better & far cheaper food that Aana's Cinnamon Restaurant serves up. There are no bars or shops of any kind nearby. No blights on the landscape and no chance of any visitors from other resorts walking past your pool or disturbing the quiet ambience. Therefore, this is more a place for those who want to escape from all the hassles of the real world and be looked after and, as such, are happy to have tours and activities etc arranged for them by the hotel - rather than families or couples who like to do things for themselves whilst on holiday. Renting motorbike is a good idea if you stay here.

But . . . . if you want to eat in small local places, be able to walk onto the beach anytime of the day or night and generally have a choice of stuff to see and do within easy walking distance then you'd be better off elsewhere - the nearby Panviman or Tropicana resorts, for example.

"I loved this place, beautiful surroundings away from the hustle and bustle and a super beach which you canoe to. Wouldn't recommend the villa as they are overpriced and feel smaller than the standard rooms. Staff were friendly but didn't speak much English. Would recommend if you're not fussed about meals, mosquitoes and speaking much English!"

"This is a natural place - there a few insects that make there way in; you are in a jungle and the doors don't seal. The resort is on raised decks that keep most of this to a minimum. This is not a place for kids - but really a natural place for adults to relax."

"Off season prices are reasonable and worth of the money. The room was absolutely fabulous and the service was excellent."

"My kids still bear the scars of the swimming pool with its sharp rough hewn stone lining. Nowhere to go, no access to the beach, no taxis, no buses, you're stuck here with kids."

"The staff are friendly and helpful, room service good. The restaurant is only so so, and some people won't like the poor beach access."

Smack in the middle of Klong Prao beach - about 2 minutes walk from our house. Five star prices but it looks the part. The large bungalows, each containing 3 or 4 rooms, look like mini-Thai temples - especially the red tiled roofs. The entrance is a bit of a let down though, especially if you're used to, or expecting, grandeur. My Dad thought it reminded him of a WW2 prison camp entrance - a bit too 'Bridge over the river Kwai' for his liking. This feeling intensified when the guards - sorry, staff, repeatedly questioned him & my Mum about where they were going when they walked out without an escort of any kind.

Fair enough, I'm sure the staff didn't want to lose any guests in the wilds of Klong Prao, but they could tone it down a bit. The cloying politeness grates after a while. Walk down a path and any staff within a 5 metre radius leap out of your way as though you were a typhoid carrier. The rooms are spot on too, with a big bath that has plenty of room for two. "I could do with one of them to bath the dog in" was my first, totally unromantic, thought.

Evening meals in the restaurant are very pricey for what you get and, from my own experience are nowhere near 4 star standard. Fortunately, the buffet breakfast should keep you going from morning till evening. (Do what sensible guests do and eat at either 'Nune & Ja' restaurant or Barracuda Beach bar - both located only a few metres along the beach.) The pool is a stone's throw from the quiet beach and the relative compactness of the resort means that you can't lose your kids or elderly relatives anywhere . . . unless you really try hard.

The resort has a policy of recruiting staff from local villages where ever possible, unlike many other resorts that hire cheaper labour from the north of Thailand. In addition, the Thai owner's family treat the staff with far more friendliness and respect than I've seen in other posh hotels. A good choice for couples and families in need of coziness with a conscience.

But the deciding factor for most people would be the location, as it's very quiet - maybe too quiet for some. It's 15 minutes walk to the main road, along a dirt track which is unlit at night. (But cheap beer and good food can be had at the small, friendly 'Barracuda' beach bar less than 100 metres away from the hotel and you can walk down the beach a couple of kilometres to eat at various other resorts.)

"Nice hotel... rooms are very well furnished, good size and the bathroom is a dream. Hotel is well looked after and so were we, staff are very attentive and helpful can't fault them at all. Only couple of negative points - Restaurant was very over priced for what you get as was also room service and laundry service."

"We had a great stay at the Panviman Koh Chang Resort. It is a well appointed resort in a beautiful setting and a true hideaway."

"The only thing that let it down was the restaurant, which was fine for breakfast but completely lacking in ambience in the evening, with harsh lighting, overpriced food & poor music. The answer is to go 50m along the beach to a place called Barracuda, where you will get a great welcome & great food at great prices."

Room	High season 1/11-31/5	Low season 1/6-31/10/2008	Extra bed
Deluxe	5.500	3.300	1.000

The interior of the rooms are great. Big, white bungalow rooms with nice sunken baths - some with outdoor bathrooms. But there's something about the place that gives you the impression it isn't as good as it could be. Too many small complaints from guests and small businesses on the island who work with the resort.

As the resort occupies a strip of land between Tropicana Resort and a deserted construction site. So there are no issues with noisy neighbours. The restaurant is an extremely pleasant place with good views over the pool & beach but it's a bit on the small side so I'm sure it'd get a bit crowded around breakfast time in high season.

The design of the bungalows looks a little odd - the overlarge roof gives them a top heavy appearance, but unless your an architecture buff you should be able to live with that. Less pleasing on the eye is the rear of the resort, where no effort has been made to tidy the place up - if you do stay here, make sure you notice how well manicured and clean the entrance to Tropicana is in comparison.

'Could, and should, do better' is the report card for everything but the interior of the rooms; beautiful, but compact ,pool area and the sea views.

You're guaranteed a new, comfortable, well appointed room that's for sure but if you experience little, niggly problems don't be surprised. To register complaints', just make your way over to the hotel reception, which occupies a small room no bigger than your average bathroom, and wait outside until the family checking in have exited and there's room for you to enter.

"The bungalows are fairly tightly packed throughout the gardens and are nice enough inside. Our room was cleaned well each day and the air con worked well enough if a little noisy. The pool area is pleasant. It is a good place to chill for a few days."

"Breakfast was just acceptable. We had one lunch and one evening meal in the restaurant. Both meals were by the far the worst we had on the island. The wrong meals arrived, they were poor quality and very expensive."

"Food at the hotel was OK but service sometimes painfully slow and hard work at times getting a drink. However, there are several other good restaurants, cafes and bars within walking distance."

"Would definitely recommend for couples. Only one disappointment, we booked to go there because of the spa, which they don't actually have."

Room	High Season 1/11-15/12 15/1-30/4	Peak Season 16/12-14/1	Low Season 1/5-31/10/2008	Extra bed
Deluxe	3.900	5.000	2.150	1.000
Ocean Deluxe	5.000	6.000	2.950	1.000
Beachfront	6.100	7.200	3.800	1.000

If you're looking for the best beachfront resort on Koh Chang, look no further. It isn't cheap, but you wouldn't expect it to be. However, most rooms are larger, brighter and cheaper than those at it's near neighbours Barali & Panviman. (And the rooms are nicer than anything you'll find at the nearby Amari Resort) When you walk past Barali and Tropicana the latter's guests look happier, and as though they're having more fun. Maybe it's a different type of guest, maybe it's the hotel atmosphere, I don't know but it's the impression I got when I first saw the hotels and still have now as I often walk the dog on the beach here.

Balinese design, large bungalows with thatched roofs; huge bright, airy rooms some with indoor & outdoor bathrooms; well thought out garden layout; freeform pool; good - but obviously pricey restaurant; friendly & efficient staff; only 5 minutes walk to cheap local eateries, minimarts etc. That should be enough reasons for staying here.

However, the beach is a bit of a letdown as it's often covered with dead coral and stones at low tide. The staff clean it every morning and unlike some hotels, debris is carted away rather than just swept around the side of the hotel and onto empty land. But a nicer, sandier stretch is only a couple of minutes walk away.

There's no real reason to pay extra for the beachfront rooms as they aren't actually on the beach - but behind the pool and also near the restaurant. So, they're often noisier and less private than the cheaper Garden rooms which are only 50 metres or so back from the beach but are more secluded.

This is one of the few hotels that everyone who stays there seems to like. The only negative comments seem to apply to the service or rather lack of it. Staff are friendly enough, as they are in every Thai hotel, but sometimes you need more than a smile, you need an answer to a question or practical help. Employing more than two people who actually understand English well enough to reply to the question that was asked would be a very good idea - as complaints about misunderstandings or lack of action from staff seem quite common.

"Most of the hotel guests ate on the main road in small eateries. Staff do not speak very good English - so problems with communication, rooms good however."

"Front desk staff can really only understand English if you are in front of them but everyone is always eager to please. Spa treatments are incredibly good value. Food & drinks excellent and again exceptional value for a hotel of this standard."

"The hotel itself is beautiful, also the bungalows, but the service isn't OK for that kind of hotel and for this price level."

Rooms	High Season 01/11-30/04	Peak Season 24/12-02/01	Low Season 01/05-31/10/2008
Superior	4.600	6.800	3.200
Deluxe	5.400	7.800	4.000
Suite	6.500	8.900	5.400

This is probably the most originally designed resort on the island and so wont be to everyone's taste. But if you're tired of your Thai resorts all looking like boring concrete blocks or being of a generic modern tropical Thai style and looking for something a little different then it's worth checking out.

The Dewa is located only 100 metres from the Amari Emerald Cove at the southern end of Klong Prao beach, it's around 2 minutes walk to the main road where there are a few small eateries and various shops. Kai Bae village is within walking distance or 1 minute on a pick up truck taxi.

The Dewa opened in September 2007 and so you wont find many, if any reviews online. Most accommodation is in double or twin hotel rooms, some of which have interlocking doors and so are suitable for large families.

All bathrooms in the Deluxe rooms have glass partitions that look from the bedroom area into the bathroom. These can be opened, closed or covered by curtains - depending on the level of modesty required. Most Deluxe rooms don't have sea views, they look out onto the pool. The pool is very large and is black tiled - surrounding the pool is a sun deck, but from the pool itself you cant see the sea.

The Villa rooms are circular and are located near the beach. One criticism is that the balconies face each other and so aren't as private as they could be. But if you're the sociable type then it should be no problem.

There are also two beachfront suites. These comprise a lower living area and upstairs bedroom area and have uninterrupted sea views. The type of room you'd book if you were on honeymoon or celebrating a special occasion.

Rooms	High Season 01/11-23/12 08/01-30/04	Peak Season 24/12-07/01	Low Season 01/05-31/10/2008
Deluxe	4,650	6,400	3,200
Villa	6,350	7,950	4.350

I met the manager of VJ Hotel in late 2005 when I visited to write a story about the soon-to-open hotel for a local tourist magazine, so I was given a tour and got to know a bit about the place. The location is great, right on the beach at the very southern end of Klong Prao beach - neighbours are the Amari on the left and the private 'beach' area of Ramayana Resort on the right. Out front is a clean, quiet expanse of sandy beach. Souvenirs, ATMs, and food can be found less that 5 minutes walk away on the main road where a whole host of new shop units have opened up - these also include a private clinic, dentist and three opticians.

When I saw the hotel being built I thought it looked more like a condominium building as the accommodation is in two low rise blocks which run away from the beach towards the road - meaning that although every room has a balcony, only a few have full on views of the sea. Inside you can tell it's been designed by someone with a love of shiny floor tiles - they're everywhere - easy to clean but you'll have to be careful if you've got wet feet as they can be very slippery.

The rooms have all the facilities you need - satellite TV, fridge, hot water - it's just that the styling isn't in the same class as some of the more upscale new hotels. On the plus side - it's the kind of place that you don't mind getting a bit messy, so good for kids or anyone one who just needs a comfortable room to sleep in and plans to be on the beach all day. (The problem with super luxurious rooms is that you always feel guilty if you get sand in the room or leave the bed sheets in a crumpled heap - no such feelings in simpler rooms.)

Other things I liked . . . the teak wood lobby, spa and restaurant, all very nice as I like the traditional northern Thai style wooden buildings. It's bit of a shame that the rest of the hotel isn't built in a similar style. Add to that simple rectangular pool adjacent to the beach and you've got a brand new hotel that offers (for Koh Chang) good value for money.

The cheapest room now is under 2,000 baht/night in high season and to be honest, given the layout of the hotel, there's no real need to pay the extra for a sea view room - especially as it'll be nighttime most of the time you're actually in it and the beachfront restaurant makes a far nicer place to sit and watch the sunset.

So, other than being designed with no flair or elegance, there are no real downsides other than you'll have to mingle on the beach with your rich neighbours staying at the Amari and the new ultra stylish Dewa boutique resort. Probably the best value beachfront rooms on the island.

"Nice clean room, nice big bathroom. Friendly staff, good food. Beautiful beach right on your doorstep. What more do you want."

"Not the most luxurious hotel we've stayed in but value-wise, one of the best."

"Quiet location, but there are a handful of little local little restaurants by the roadside."

Room	Low season 01/05-31/10	High season 01/11-30/04	Peak season 15/12-15/01	Low season 01/05-31/10
Superior Hotel	1.500	1.950	2.500	1.450
Superior Sea View	2.000	2.800	3.300	1.850

Nice name, probably chosen as 'Amari small bay at the end of Klong Prao beach' doesn't have the same ring to it. But the beach has been tidied up considerably and is a nice enough spot with great views out to the islands just offshore. But not as nice a beach as at Panviman Resort or Koh Chang Paradise for example.

Pedantic quibbles aside . . almost . . . 'Breezes lounge bar' ?? Dear-oh-dear, a name straight out of the 1988 edition of 'Dire names for suburban yuppie wine bars'.

One the plus side, Amari are a very well known, well managed Thai hotel chain, you know what you'll be getting before you get it. A large, package tour hotel with well trained staff, toned down Thai food to suit western palates, generic but very comfortable, well-appointed rooms and umpteen well-trained staff at your beck and call. It's not fair to say it's the 'McDonald's' of Koh Chang hotels, but if you like to visit the local 'Starbucks' wherever you travel, then the Amari will suit you as far as accommodation goes.

The pool is huge - Olympic size - and it needs to be to fit guests from 160 rooms around it as there isn't much room on the beach outside. The beach shoreline has been tidied up and now looks far better than it did prior to this resort opening, more sand has been trucked in to increase the charm. Activity wise, the hotel can arrange all manner of trips and tours and have a dive centre in house. Trying to avoid being press ganged into joining in the obligatory fun will be more of a problem than having a lack of things to do. The in-house Spa is by all accounts excellent, which is should be for the prices that are charged.

Sharing 'Emerald Cove', are three resorts that mainly cater to the Thai 'bring the family in a pick-up truck and cram yourselves into a small dark AC room crowd' i.e. extended Thai families. As such, you'll find cheaper, more authentic Thai food at Chokdee & Magic Resort restaurants, both only a couple of minutes walk away along the beach. Next door, the newly opened VJ Hotel, has a very nice teak wood restaurant, built in the traditional Thai style, on the beach.

The location - smack in the centre of the west coast means that getting anywhere on the touristy side of the island doesn't involve any journeys by local transport over 15 - 20 minutes or so. There are the usual beachwear and tailors shops by the roadside along with a tour agency or two, three opticians, a dentist and a private clinic where you can get minor plastic surgery should you so wish, and of course the obligatory half dozen tailors shops.

The attractions of Kai Bae are only a 15 minute walk away. If you're walking along the road to Kai Bae, take a flashlight at night and be careful if you have small kids as part of the road - where you pass Cliff Beach and Chang Park hotels is very narrow (there are no pavements) and most vehicle owners on the island don't have a reputation for responsible driving.

For a real Thai breakfast head out of the main entrance to the roadside where you'll see a 'khao gaeng' (rice and Thai curry) restaurant on your left. 30 baht buys you a plate of rice, two unrecognisable but spicy toppings and plenty of stares from local patrons. They have a menu in (a kind of) English.

So, if you want your home comforts, want a 'brand name' hotel, want good service and are willing to pay a premium for these then the Amari is the best choice on Koh Chang. But, in keeping with hotels worldwide which are part of larger chains, it doesn't have any real individual charm.

"This is a nice 5-Star hotel with luxury rooms (see the bathrooms!), a large pool + very attentive service. The only minus: the beach at the hotel could be better."

"On the downside, the beach isn't that great when you are on it. It's very small and when in the crystal blue water it has a bit of a muddy feel underfoot. There's also not that much nightlife in the immediate vicinity."

"The room was luxurious, the pool area was amazing, breakfast was excellent and the staff were brilliant. The resort restaurants were relatively expensive when compared to the rest of the island."

"The Amari was a lovely hotel, it was fairly quiet at the time we visited so the staff were a little over-attentive. But all in all no complaints whatsoever."

"The view from poolside out to sea is fantastic and the view from the sea to the hotel and the forest covered mountains is great too."

Room	Low Season 16/4-31/10	High Season 1/11-23/12 11/1-15/4	Peak Season 24/12-10/1	Extra bed
Superior	4.100	6.100	8.100	1.500
Deluxe	5.500	7.500	9.500	1.500

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