Handpicked experience · Pattaya
Pattaya, Thailand
An island named for its coral, where the beach you land on is decided by the monsoon and the drinking water arrives by barge.
Head to Pattaya beach and discover one of Thailand's hidden gems.
Feel the refreshing ocean breeze and admire the scenic views from above as you go parasailing.
Relax in the marvelous scenery and fresh air of Coral Island near Pattaya.
Go snorkeling and swim with the local marine life!
Board a boat and head out to sea, taking in the salty air and the beautiful waters.
A fast crossing that buys a full day on the island
Sheltered bays for swimming and snorkelling straight off the sand
Reefs close enough to reach without a boat
Staff on the beach coordinating the water sports
Family-friendly pacing with no fixed schedule ashore
A seven-hour day trip from Pattaya to Koh Larn by speedboat, with beach time in sheltered bays, a lunch on the sand and water activities run from the shore.
The crossing takes a fraction of the time the public ferry does, which is most of the point: you get a full day on the island rather than half of one spent waiting for a boat. Once there the day is loosely structured — swim, snorkel from the shore, eat, and take up whatever activities you want. Someone will tell you when to be back at the pier; until then the day is yours.
Koh Larn means coral island, and it was named for the fringing reefs in the shallows off its bays rather than for anything on land. Those reefs are still there, close enough to reach by swimming from the sand at several beaches, though they have taken damage over the years from bleaching and from anchors. Thailand has banned several sunscreen chemicals in its marine parks for exactly this reason, and using reef-safe sunscreen here is worth doing whether or not anyone checks.
The island has half a dozen bays facing different directions, and that is not a detail — it decides your day. During the southwest monsoon the west-facing beaches take the swell and go choppy, so boats work the eastern and southern bays instead. If your trip lands somewhere other than the beach you read about, this is why, and the alternative is usually the calmer choice rather than a downgrade.
Koh Larn has almost no fresh water of its own. Drinking water and much of the washing water is brought across from the mainland by barge and tanker, which is why beach showers are basic and why the island's small hotels ask guests not to run taps. It is a useful thing to know before you complain about a rinse-off that lasts thirty seconds.
Wear something on your feet in the water: the shallows have long-spined sea urchins in places, and stepping on one ends your afternoon. The island's roads are steep and the beaches are far apart on foot, so moving between them means a songthaew or a motorbike taxi. Lunch on the beach is included; drinks and anything else you order are not, and a small local charge is sometimes collected on the island itself. Bring cash in small notes.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
Coral island. It was named for the fringing reefs lying in the shallows off its bays, several of which you can still reach by swimming from the beach.
Because the bays face different directions. In the southwest monsoon the west-facing beaches take the swell, so boats use the eastern and southern bays — usually the calmer option rather than a lesser one.
Considerably, and that is the point of the format. The time saved on the crossing becomes time on the island instead of time waiting at a pier.
The island has almost no fresh water of its own — it comes over by barge and tanker. Washing water is genuinely scarce, which is why small hotels ask guests not to run taps.
Yes. Long-spined sea urchins sit in some of the shallows, and standing on one will finish your day at the beach.
Not easily. The roads are steep and the bays are well apart, so moving around the island means a songthaew or a motorbike taxi.
Yes, a beachfront lunch is part of the trip. Drinks and anything ordered beyond it are settled separately.
Yes, in small notes — for drinks, transport around the island and a small local charge that is sometimes collected on arrival.