Weekends at Koh Larn (Larn Island)

Weekends away at Koh Larn 

Koh Larn or Larn island is just a wonderful little island in the Gulf of Thailand. It is located approximately 7km off the coast of Pattaya Beach of which is just about two hours drive from Bangkok. The Island is about 4km long and about 2km wide and has about a thousand residents most of whom live in the main village called "Naban". Most of the people that live at Koh Larn, are also work and go to school which located on the island. Any of the everyday necessities are including a police force and a small medical facility. There are six beaches on the island that boast white sand and clear blue water that include Naban Village and Pier. Koh Larn is a lush green tropical island which has an abundant amount of rainfall each year during monsoon. The terrain is mostly mountainous which is covered in most part with heavy vegetation, jungle if you will. Monkeys naturally inhabit the island as well as other wildlife. Infrastructure on Koh Larn in most part consist of narrow roadways covered with brick pavers, you just need to be more careful when you drive the motorbike. Renting a motorbike is the best way to get around on Koh Larn, the cost is around 150-200 baht per day.

On Island;

TAWAEN Beach: 
The biggest and busiest beach on Koh Larn,  there are a lot of restaurants,  some shops, all activities are available. It's a bit crowded for some tastes, but some people may  like that The water is beautiful,   and some boats go directly to the beach,  where there is  a  boat dock, making it easily accessible. 

SAMAE Beach:

Samae Beach considered the prettiest beach,  somewhat more up scale / upmarket than the other beaches.  Nice selection  of  quality  restaurants.  The beach is big but doesn't seem that crowded. There  are two places that offer  bungalows, including one of them  that  has air conditioned rooms  (Local #No name),  no signs there,  but don't  expect to get a room on the weekends,  they will be full.  They  are very simple  accommodations but acceptable.  They are  not directly beach front, but  maybe  3 minutes walk.  There might be camping here too. These are on the far end of the beach, (if you arrive by bus or motorbike, all the way to your right if you arrive by boat, as you face the beach from the water, all the way to your left). This beach has better quality shopping and better restaurants, weekends are busy. 

TIEN Beach:

Tien Beach is a mid sized beach here on the island.  In as far as blue ocean and white sand beach this is the best.  This  beach has many restaurants and souvenir shops  that are a bit more up scale than at the other beaches, but still, has the flavour of Thailand. Tien Beach is  a  year round  beach, with  a  bit  fluctuation  of  tourist  from  season  to  season.  The atmosphere here,  are very relaxed and quiet.  The  tourist  that visit this beach  seem  to come in smaller groups and there are for not as much chatter that you would find amongst larger groups. Tien Beach is accessible by speedboat, charter and local taxi. 

NAUL Beach: 

On the far end of the island, very quiet, only a handful of people. This is another nice beach on Koh Larn. Naul beach is a mid sized beach but has the most coconut trees of any other beach on the island. This beach seems to be very seasonal in as far as tourist and sometimes it can be almost deserted in off season. If a deserted beach is what you like then you might try here first, off season occurs between April and late October. If you come here during this time you should bring your own stuff like towels to lay out on and some drinks and food. Koh Larn Resort is located here but sometimes it is hard to find  any of the staff here to accommodate your needs so be prepared. From Naban Village, take the Tuk Tuk - Songtaew; 30 Baht per person to get here.

TONGLANG Beach: 

Tonglang beachis a mid sized beach. The stretch of sand here is narrower here  than  the other beaches, but there still is plenty of area to stretch out on. Tonglang beach is accessible by boat there are no roads to this beach. 

Activities:

There are many activities here for visitors to enjoy, some include parasailing, snorkelling, jet ski, banana boat, swimming in tropical waters, and there is eve a shooting range located here. The island is mountainous there are also some spectacular views for those that like to take a few snapshots. Koh Larn is also very suited for bicycling and hiking, many bicycling events have been held here. Many movie production companies have used the island for movie shoots. There are many accommodations that will make you feel right at home. Then there are the places to eat many right on the beach, serving up fresh, catch of the day seafood. Many visitors come to stay their entire vacation on Koh Larn and return year after year, kind of a home away from home for some. 

Getting here:

There are many ways to get to Koh Larn; first you need to get to the "Bali Hai Pier" where the ferry boat is docked.

Bali Hai Pier is about 2 hours drive from Bangkok. This will take you all the way to Pattaya. You can catch a taxi to the pier for around 1300-1500 baht. 

By Minivan; you can take the minivan from The Victory Monument, it's 100 baht to get to Bali Hai Pier. 

Once you get to the pier, take the ferry which is located straight out at the end of the pier just on the right side. The fare for Koh Larn ferry is only 30 baht per person for each way. If someone asks you to pay more than 30 baht then you are probably not at the right boat. 

Koh Larn ferry go to Naban Port, which is the main village where most people that live on the island have their homes. Naban also has the majority of resorts for those who want to stay for a few nights on island.