Siam Beach Review

Here, for all those budget travelers in Thailand, is my review of our stay at Siam Beach on Ko Chang. Siam Beach Resort is located on Lonely Beach, the furthest south of the main beach areas on the island and the one most appealing to the backpacker crowd. There is a row of bungalow operations and hotels of varying caliber. Siam Beach Resort is fortunate to have the nicest stretch of sandy beach on this section of the island – the others have rocky beaches that are not as appealing to a swimming crowd.

The bungalows are beginning to fall apart, possibly due to the turn of attention toward the development of a more upscale hotel on the premises, but they are still a good deal for the price and location. (Those not as interested in a prime beach spot might want to check out Maggie’s Bungalows several hundred meters south of Siam Beach.) Bungalows on the hill have air conditioning, which is necessary after trekking up the steps to reach them. Three of us stayed in one of these, which I thought was a bit crowded. The resort was nice enough to give us an additional mosquito net, however. (Very necessary!)

The beach can’t be beat! Shallow, turquoise, calm waters with views of small islands. The water is incredibly warm and clear. You may be able to see the few fish swimming below you even without goggles. The beach has little shade, but if you grab one of the wooden recliner seats and pull it under the coconut trees you’ll find a little relief from the heat of the sun.

The food at the resort is generally delicious but overpriced. The same menu is found at Siam Huts, a 15 minute walk south along the beach, with lower prices. An even more extensive and affordable menu is at Nature Beach, between the two Siams. Nature Beach is also the place to go for cocktails, and it has the best of the stretch’s nightly barbeques (don’t miss the potatoes or the mackerel!).

The biggest drawback to Lonely Beach was the loud thumpin’ music that began each night around 11pm and continued until 4 or 5 am. Even in our perch high on the hill, AC running, we couldn’t get away from the sound and it made a good night’s sleep nearly impossible. The music seemed to be coming from one of the resorts further south, but it echoed over the water with acoustics I would have preferred in another situation.

Overall, I give Siam Beach a YES. Go there if you want a great beach and relaxed pace.