Koh Larn: Pattaya’s Island Escape
The ferry rounds the headland, Koh Larn slides into view — green hills, white beaches, water the colour of a postcard — and it clicks why locals have been escaping here on weekends for generations. It’s everything the mainland beach isn’t: clear, clean, and properly good-looking.
The Thai name means “Coral Island.” That was truer years ago than it is now — boat traffic and tourist numbers have chewed through the coral — but as an island beach day out, Koh Larn still very much delivers. I’ve done this trip more times than I can count and I still board the ferry on arrival week.
Getting There
Ferry from Bali Hai Pier: Cheapest and easiest. Boats run through the day, more often in the morning. Around 45 minutes. ฿30 one-way. That ticket might be the best value in the Gulf of Thailand.
Speedboat: Plenty of operators do the faster run (15-20 minutes) from Bali Hai Pier and Walking Street. Prices are negotiable, roughly ฿1,000-2,000 for a private charter.
Pre-booked tours: All-inclusive day trips with transfers, snorkelling gear and lunch run about ฿500-1,500 per person.
Return ferries: Read the schedule, then read it again. Last boat back is around 6pm (varies by season). Miss it and you’re staying the night — which isn’t the worst outcome.
The Beaches
Koh Larn has six main beaches, and they’re nothing alike:
Tawaen Beach (Main Beach): The big, developed, busy one. Loungers, restaurants, every water sport going. Loud, festive, and rammed on weekends. Pick this if you want your beach with a side of action.
Tien Beach: Quieter than Tawaen, cleaner water, less mayhem. Easy enough to reach from the ferry pier by motorbike taxi.
Nual Beach: The cleanest on the island by most counts, and a lot quieter. Decent snorkelling off the rocks at either end.
Samae Beach: Long, lovely, and less built-up. Worth the trek to get there.
Sangwan Beach: Small, quiet, mostly boat-access only. For when you want to feel properly off-grid.
Leng Beach: More private, the scuba crowd’s pick thanks to the reef nearby.
Snorkelling
The coral isn’t what it was, but there’s still plenty to see — especially off the quieter beaches. Nual has the best snorkelling straight from the sand. Gear rents from vendors on every beach (฿100-200/day).
If you’re serious about it, the half-day boat trips out to Koh Larn’s outer reef points beat snorkelling off the main beach by a long way.
Water Sports
Tawaen has the full lineup: parasailing (฿300-500), jet skis (฿700/30min), banana boats, paddle boards, glass-bottom boat rides. It’s pricier than the mainland and less negotiable — island logistics, you pay for the boat ride out.
Where to Eat
The restaurants cluster around Tawaen Beach and along the village road. Seafood’s fresh, the grilled fish is the move, and prices sit higher than the mainland but fair for an island. The view restaurants over Tawaen charge a premium that’s worth it once.
Staying Overnight
Staying the night changes everything. The day-trippers pile onto the late ferry, and you’ve got the beach more or less to yourself until the morning boats turn up. A handful of bungalow resorts sit on or near Tawaen Beach.
Reckon on ฿600-2,500/night for basic to mid-range bungalows. Book ahead for weekends and Thai public holidays when it fills up fast.
My tip: even on a day trip, take the first ferry over and the last one back. Best shot at a quiet morning and a full day on the sand — and you get to watch the day-trippers thin out around 4pm, which is when the beach is at its best.
Practical Info
- Ferry operator: Bali Hai Pier has a few operators — stick to the big official ferries for reliability
- Motorbike taxis on the island: You’ll need them to get between beaches — ฿40-80 a trip depending on distance
- ATMs: One on the island, near the pier. Bring cash.
- 7-Eleven: Yes, there’s one. Thailand is nothing if not consistent.
- Mobile coverage: Good signal across most of the island
- Best day to visit: Weekdays are way quieter than weekends. Dodge Thai public holidays if you want room to breathe.
Koh Larn vs Koh Samet vs Hua Hin
People love to argue over which beach makes the best Bangkok escape. Koh Larn beats Pattaya’s main beach easily on water quality. Koh Samet (4-5 hours from Bangkok) is the prettier island overall. But for a day trip from Pattaya specifically, nothing touches Koh Larn for convenience.
If you’re in Pattaya, Koh Larn is basically mandatory. Go.