Travel Asia Archives

I’m calling this, Motorbike Koh Larn Island. Why? Because FEW people ever experience this terrific little island by motorbike.

Motorbike Koh Larn Island to get these views — You won’t get to see views like this unless you Motorbike Koh Larn Island. This great little island is seriously underrated. From my condo I can get to the Bali Pier in just 15 minutes. Park my bike overnight for 40 baht. Get on the ferry for 30 baht. It’s only a 40 minute ferry ride. In another 15 minutes I’m on my way to tour the entire island on a rental motorbike.

Above is one of many views you get when you Motorbike Koh Larn Island.

Very few Westerners visit Koh Larn Island even though it’s just 5 miles from Pattaya. And if they do very few of them rent a motorbike there. Instead your typical Westerner who visits Pattaya as a tourist goes to beach resorts much farther away. Where they visit places such as Ko Samui, Pkuket, Koh Samet, or Koh Chang.

But Koh Larn’s a great little island. Most visitors there (there’s a lot of Thai, Chinese, Korean, and Russian visitors) follow the rest of the herd as soon as they get onto the Koh Larne main pier. Which is only a 40 minute ride ferry ride from Pattaya to Koh Larn. Then they walk 200 meters from the pier to get on a nearby baht bus. The baht bus takes everyone to a beach and that will be that. But all those sheep never get to see much of the island.

But when you Motorbike Koh Larn Island you can experience all six beaches there and the vistas seen from the seat of a motorcycle are breathtaking.

Fewer people still will actually spend the night in a hotel on Koh Larn. Which most tourists and residents alike view as only an afternoon outing. But when you do, you can get a full two days at some really terrific little beaches which are far superior to Koh Chang’s White Sands Beach. While the salt water swimming is far superior to what you will get at Koh Samet). And you get these two days for the price of a single night in a hotel room.

You just have to Motorbike Koh Larn Island. Because it’s a lot more relaxing than driving a motorcycle around Pattaya and you get to see everything

The modus operandi for getting the best two day outing possible on a single night’s stay in a hotel is.

1. Get down to Pattaya’s Bali Hai pier early. 2. If you have your own motorbike take it and leave it overnight. There’s a car parking building within a hundred yards of the Bali Hai pier. There’s an overnight security guard here. Overnight parking costs just 40 baht. 2. I recommend taking the 9 a.m. ferry to the backside of the island. This will take you to Taiwen Beach. I call it China Beach because it’s mostly Asians who favor this beach. Cost is only 30 baht each way per person on the ferry. 4. Don’t pay for your tickets at the main building. Just pay when you board the ferry.

Lastly once you get off the ferry at Taiwen Beach you will likely be accosted by someone offering to rent you a motorbike. He will typically ask 300 baht for the day. Offer him 500 baht for two days. You are now home free and able to go anywhere you want on the island and on your way before 10 a.m.

To Motorbike Koh Larn Island you can also take the ferry to the main pier on the front side of the island.

Just use the same procedure I outlined above. As for hotels, there’s several choices I can recommend.

There’s Lareena Resort. Lareena Resorts is right next to the main pier that faces Pattaya. I have not stayed here yet, but I’ve looked it over. It is right in town, and it’s next to the Seven Eleven.

I can’t find this resort anywhere on the internet except for on my own web site. To find it you get off at the main pier facing Pattaya. Then start walking to your right through town. It will be around 400-600 meters down and to your right.

You will know the place when you see it. It has its own kind of ambiance. And unlike Xanadu Resort, it’s on the nearside of the island away from the beaches, but at night it offers some great views of Pattaya. And at high tide if you get one of the units in front, the ocean will come right up to your balcony.

But lately we’ve been going to the Xanadu Beach Resort

We last checked into the Xanadu hotel on Samae Beach a little after 10 a.m. where I paid 2500 baht cash. And then we lounged around the beach for most of the day and toured the island by motorbike. The next day we got up early, had the hotel’s free breakfast and then drove down to Nual Beach which is also called Monkey Beach. I got a lot of good swimming time on both beaches both days, plus on the second day over on Nual Beach we found a lot of monkeys to feed and take pictures of.

I urge all of you to also read Traveling Ko Larn Island by motorbike or as a tourist? You will find a lot of my pictures here. And when you see them you will want to visit Koh Larn Island for sure.