Trip report posted over on SGT to Koh Larn - Nov. 2022

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BKKDreamer
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Trip report posted over on SGT to Koh Larn - Nov. 2022

Post by BKKDreamer »

Dear all,

I was in Koh Larn for the first time to celebrate the birthday with one of my Thai friends.
Consequently, I wrote a trip report, which I just posted over on SGT. Below is the related link.

https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showthre ... post293183

I really loved Koh Larn and if any of you know of any accomodations that can be found directly at Tien Beach - please let me know.
I found some cottages that can be rented - but there are only 3 of them. In Google, I see that many people posted pictures of other places that they stayed in at Tiennara / Tien Beach - but these pictures do not reveal the names of these places.

https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showthre ... post293183

Ok, I hope that you all enjoy it - it is long winded - but that is part of my character.

Cheers,
M.
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Gaybutton
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Re: Trip report posted over on SGT to Koh Larn - Nov. 2022

Post by Gaybutton »

Thank you for the post. Of course if you have your own transportation there are plenty of beaches not far from Pattaya that are still relatively pristine. However, Koh Larn is a good alternative. The trick is to go when there are not so many tourists, otherwise the Koh Larn beaches can get very overcrowded.

If you want to swim or snorkel I would go to Koh Larn or one of the other nearby islands where you can still find crystal clear water and coral reefs full of tropical fish. To the best of my knowledge there has never been any shark problems in the Pattaya area, but sometimes box jellyfish come in. Be very careful of them. Their sting is extremely powerful and painful, along with also being poisonous. Check before swimming. If they show up, it is usually between July and November, but they can arrive at any time of year. So far this year there have been no reports of box jellyfish putting in an appearance.

Also, if you see any washed up on the beach, don't step on them. Even then they can still sting.

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Under no circumstances would I recommend swimming at any of the Pattaya beaches. The water is far too polluted and has been that way for years. I have not seen any improvement. Personally, I do not enjoy swimming in filth.
Jun

Re: Trip report posted over on SGT to Koh Larn - Nov. 2022

Post by Jun »

I recently made my long overdue first visit to Ko Larn. [Having firstly read BKKDreamer's post]

I took the 9:00 am ferry, which goes to the Tawaen Beach on the North West. 30 baht.
Walked along Tawaen Beach, which seemed rather busy. The water was a nice clear blue, which you don't see on the mainland.
At the southern end of the beach, I spotted some hidden and neglected steps up the hill. Not shown on google maps, or the map of the island by the pier, but very handy and exactly what I was hoping for.
Attractuons on the hill included the view, a Buddha and some paragliders.
I then made the short walk down to the main Ko Larn settlement on the east side and finally found a good coffee shop. After a coffee and a stroll to the southern end of this village, google maps told me it was just 19 minutes walk to Nual Beach at the southern end of the island, so I continued.
Nual Beach was far more pleasant and reasonably quiet.

I considered having lunch here, but with nothing I really wanted on the menu and prices more than double Pattaya levels, I decided lunch can wait. 800 baht for a pizza ?

I then took a baht bus back to the village, at 30 baht. These all seem to operate from just across the road from the temple.
I swiftly found a restaurant (Love on Sea) with a proper vegetarian section and ordered the tofu Pad Thai for 85 baht, plus a coffee. Something I want to eat for 85 baht beats something I don't want for 800!

I then strolled up to the northern end of the island, checking out beaches on the west and east sides. Followed by an evening coffee at some upmarket place overlooking a beach and a stroll back to the port.

This island is fairly compact. I walked everywhere, except the one baht bus trip already mentioned.

I had packed a a couple of clothing items, toothbrush etc just in case I fancied an overnight stay, but I decided to catch the 18:00 ferry back.

Route map, with minor GPS errors:

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A farang has just thrown himself off the edge of the cliff:

Image

My best photos are on the camera and are staying there until I have access to a PC, due to technical difficulties. It would appear that if I format the camera SD card with the camera, it picks a format that Android cannot read.
BKKDreamer
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Re: Trip report posted over on SGT to Koh Larn - Nov. 2022

Post by BKKDreamer »

Wow Jun.
I am impressed that you walked all of those distances on Koh Larn - especially when you crossed the island from east to west, as there is that big hill. With that heat, I would have passed out and have been very uncomfortable.
The 2 times that I visited, we were constantly on motorbikes - and I found that experience to be quite pleasant, as they drive in a much calmer way in Koh Larn than back in Pattaya.

I am almost ready (psychologically) to rent a motorbike in Koh Larn due to its calmness.

In my 2nd trip report, I wrote about the Nual beach being very expensive - as I found it to be the most "up end" of all of the several beaches that we visited, thus attracting the high end prices.

To date, Tien Beach still remains my number one favorite beach - especially after 5pm, when they let the geese out to roam the almost empty beach - as the day tourists have already left for the last ferries back to Pattaya.

I want to sleep there - as I found out about all of the various lodging options there. As it is remote and secluded there in the night, I think that you would only want to sleep there:

1.) With a romantic partner(s),
2.) A group of 4 to 8 friends.

But not alone there - as it would be too lonely for me, as it is too secluded from the hub-bub back in the main town.
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