Koh Larn (Coral Island)

Everything leaves from Bali Hai Pier at the southern end of Walking Street. The public ferry is the bargain at about 40 THB each way, taking roughly 45 minutes to Na Baan, the island’s village pier, with some sailings going straight to Tawaen Beach; buy at the ticket booths on the pier, not from the touts outside. Shared speedboats cut the crossing to 15–20 minutes for around 150–300 THB per person and drop you on Tawaen, which is convenient but puts you on the busiest sand. Packaged day trips with hotel pickup, lunch and a snorkelling stop start around 650 THB and take the planning out of it; our Koh Larn day trip page compares them. Whichever way you cross, check the time of the last boat back before you walk off the pier, because missing it means paying for a private speedboat or sleeping on the island.

Tawaen is the long beach on the north coast where the speedboats land: rows of loungers, jet skis and parasailing, Thai lunch restaurants and the most people. It is fine for a quick swim but it is the island at its least relaxing. Tien, a short songthaew ride south, is the sensible middle ground, with similar facilities and half the crowd. Samae on the west coast has the whitest sand and the best sunsets, and stays calm even in high season. Nual, in the south-east, is the quiet one, with a small reef for snorkelling from the shore and a handful of restaurants. Thong Lang and Ta Yai are small coves worth a stop if you have a motorbike. For families, Tien or Samae; for snorkelling, Nual or Thong Lang; for water sports, Tawaen.

Koh Larn is about 4 km long and the roads are concrete, so getting between beaches is easy. Songthaews wait at Na Baan pier and at Tawaen and charge 20–50 THB per person depending on the distance; they leave when reasonably full. Motorbike taxis go immediately for around 100 THB a trip. Renting a motorbike for the day costs 250–350 THB at the pier or in the village and lets you reach every beach plus the windmill viewpoint and the hilltop temple, but the roads to the viewpoint and Nual are steep, so ride only if you are already comfortable on a scooter. Walking from Na Baan to Tawaen takes about 25 minutes and is pleasant early in the day.

Expect 50–100 THB for a lounger and umbrella, 50 THB for a locker, 40–50 THB for a freshwater shower and 10 THB for toilets. Restaurants on every beach serve Thai food at 80–200 THB a dish, roughly double mainland prices but not outrageous. Bring cash: there are ATMs in Na Baan village but none on the beaches, and most vendors do not take cards. Reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes for the rocky edges of Nual and Thong Lang, and your own snorkel mask if you have one will all earn their place in the bag.

A day trip covers one or two beaches comfortably. Staying a night turns the island into a different place: the day-trippers leave on the 17:00–18:00 boats, the beaches empty, and the village night market and the sunset at Samae are yours. Guesthouses run from about 800 THB for a fan room to 2,500 THB and up for air-conditioned sea-view rooms, and book out at weekends when Bangkok visitors arrive. Our Koh Larn overnight guide covers where to stay and how to time the boats.