Thailand Ao Noi, a little corner of paradise in Ko Kood Ko Kood, Eastern Provinces, Trat 4.7 (7)This is my first article on the island of Ko Kood (also spelled Ko Kut or Koh Kood) and given the large number of photos, I had to find several topics to avoid overloading everything on a single post. And so I start with the one about our accommodation and especially its location, Ao Noi beach. This is also the first time that I write an article dedicated to a particular place (including a hotel) because it is not in my habits, and no, I was not paid to do it.But the particularity of the place, starting with the beauty of the beach, deserved to dedicate a post to it. Imagine, a very picturesque setting, with a pretty little idyllic bay, covered with white sand and a small jetty specific to the resort which completes this setting to admire the sunset. Seeing the photos I cracked and decided that this would be where we would sleep if we ever visit Ko Kood. Here we go! Summary hide Ao Noi, a private dream beach Pros/Cons of Ao Noi Resort Book Ao Noi Resort and other options How to get to Ko Kood Ao Noi, a private dream beachThe islands south of Trat, an area close to neighboring Cambodia, are part of a region that I particularly like. I can mention in particular Chanthaburi city, which I am particularly fond of, because it is surrounded by mountains and not far from the seaside. Consequently, I regularly explore these regions and took the time to visit some of the islands, which have nothing to envy their more famous sisters in the south of the country.Concretely, I had started by visit Ko Mak, a few years ago, then almost 3 years ago (already!), when the mess with Covid was just beginning, I realized visit Ko Chang. All I had to do was see Ko Kood, which is the 3rd main island in the area (and the 2nd in terms of size). While looking at the different beaches on the island to target where to stay, I came across a 360° image that I put below.From then on, it seemed obvious to me that this was where I wanted to go. I literally fell in love with this view (how could I not!). The problem was that when I looked at the accommodations in the area, I quickly realized that there was simply only one… The beach being privatized, it was the Ao Noi Resort or nothing…Well, when I say privatized, not quite, because by law, all beaches in Thailand are public. A private beach as such is illegal, but the law can easily be circumvented... To obtain this private aspect, resorts, often luxurious, take over such a plot of land that it is virtually impossible to access it by land. And conversely, a hotel obviously has the right to block access to its establishment to the public other than its customers. Some therefore take advantage of this isolation of access to charge entry... This was formerly the case at the Ao Noi Resort, where it was possible for 100 bahts to access the bay. This is apparently no longer possible today, therefore reserved for customers only.Afterwards, if it is not possible to access a beach via the hotel taking up all the space in front, it is technically possible to access it by boat, and the hotel cannot therefore prevent you from disembarking there since the place is public...Pros/Cons of Ao Noi ResortFor the record (I seem to use this phrase quite often!), the resort is, from what I have been told, always managed by a Thai gentleman, now in his seventies. He was the first to set up a hotel on the island, which was then untouched by any tourism. I also got this information from a Frenchman who helps (helped?) the family to continue managing the establishment via the web, while the latter depend a lot on word of mouth and a largely Thai clientele, targeting in particular the French and international public.If I put "aidait", it is because the dedicated site, which was notably in French, is no longer online today (url expired literally two months after our visit...) and its email is no longer active... I leave the link here, in case it ever comes out again https://www.aonoiresortkohkood.comDespite this information and until proven otherwise, the resort is still operational to this day. If I condense the information, here is how we could summarize the Ao Noi Resort.Advantage:Undeniably its beachnice gardenFamily welcomePrivate areaDrawbacks A bit isolatedA little expensiveAgingNot easy to bookProduct Highlights ++ If I go into detail, clearly the bay where the resort is located is magnificent. Lined with coconut trees, with rocks delimiting the two sides of the beach, it is a purely postcard setting. In the middle of the bay, there is a wooden dock with a shelter, a perfect spot to admire the sunset.++ The bungalows are divided into two areas, the most expensive ones are close to the reception area, while others are a little further away at the end of the beach, next to a rocky part. Everything is surrounded by vegetation, and not just coconut trees, which are certainly perfect for the exotic side, but can be problematic. Because I won't draw you a picture, getting a nut on your head can really kill you... The phenomenon is such that the resort anticipates this eventuality by calling on an ally to overcome this problem... A monkey!Of course, animal rights activists wouldn't appreciate the spectacle, but they are trained and still regularly used by Thais to quickly collect coconuts high up in trees. And shortly after our arrival, I was watching this demonstration, explaining to us in passing that they do it regularly to avoid having unexpected accidents of falling on customers.Area of more expensive bungalows.Rocky area near our bungalow.++ The welcome was courteous. After all, it's a small establishment, so not a lot of staff, especially at that time, but that reinforces the feeling of a more family-friendly hotel. Furthermore, when we asked to rent a scooter, they quickly found us our means of transport for the next few days.We are now equipped to explore the island.++ Finally, the last advantage, as I mentioned above, the resort is located on a bay which, in addition to being superb, is mainly accessible to the establishment's guests. This gives a feeling of exclusivity and privilege, like the beaches of luxury hotels, also often privatized in isolated bays.The negative points— While having a beach all to yourself is appealing and tempting, it comes with a drawback. You are isolated. The bay is only accessible via the private road leading to the Ao Noi Resort, so you have to go back to the main road to then move elsewhere, if you can rent scooters (and for that, I refer you to my article about driving in thailand). The hotel also has its own restaurant, but you might quickly want to try other places, which means having to travel by scooter every time.After the isolation remains relative, because you have areas with restaurants not so far away. From the main road, there are several if you go back 500 m to the north, ditto if you go south where you will find some options to eat. But to reach the road in question, it is already about 750 m from the resort. So assuming that you are on foot, it is at least around 2,5 km round trip to eat. After, I reason here like a Thai would, who hates walking to go eat... Let's be realistic, it is still only 15 minutes of walking there, with the return to digest. But the main road at night is not lit and there is especially nothing to see on the sections to follow.The bay is also nice at night.On New Year's Eve, a small party organized mainly for the staff.— Another negative point, directly linked to the next point, it is a bit expensive for this type of standard. Of course, these are bungalows close to the water, but they do not have any particular charm. Especially the interior. From the outside it is still okay, with the small terrace that goes well, there is a good vibe that emerges from it. But the dominance of dark wood inside and the lack of decoration makes them rather ordinary. This would not be so much of a flaw if the site was still well maintained (see below).Our bungalow outside.On the inside.Bathroom from another time.— And we come to the last negative point, even if I think I'm putting it into perspective here, because for the umpteenth time, I remind you that we were in the middle of the covid period. It's already almost a miracle that the resort continued to operate during this time, we can easily understand that maintenance was done to the bare minimum. However, basic things like a clean room and especially a clean bathroom seemed like a minimum to me. The windows of the bungalow were dirty, as were the cords connecting to the water heater, the shower head would need to be changed, and there was dirt on the floor in some corners (probably due to the presence of ants digging tunnels, a classic in bungalows surrounded by vegetation).These are just details, but when you add up, when you pay 2 baht (about €200) for a room, it deserves some attention, given the usual standard in hotels in this price range in Thailand. Even if this rate corresponds to the high season, since outside of it, you would have to pay "only" 60 baht, it is still expensive for the country.When I see proportionally the rooms and the setting of a hotel like the To The Sea The Resort Koh Kood or Koh Kood Resort, there's no comparison. They are a bit more expensive than our bungalow but as a reminder, ours were the least expensive despite the name, VIP Air Con! The new rooms, Villa Sea View and Villa Beachfront, built in hard closer to the main area of the resort and the bay, are therefore at similar prices: 2 and 800 baht respectively in high season (3 and 500 if off season). And if the upgrade undoubtedly brings additional comfort, the comparison with the establishments mentioned remains valid. The Ao Noi Resort lacks "personality".— Last but not least, it's complicated to book a room there! Even in normal times, it's not possible to book it via traditional channels like Agoda or Booking, which I use a lot. But with the dedicated site that was managed by this Frenchman, it compensated. However, since the latter has clearly disappeared, it seems that the resort has now chosen to focus mainly on a Thai clientele. From what I understand, it previously mainly hosted groups of Thai tours and seems to be returning to its original source, so it remains essentially possible to book it only using sites in Thai. So, unless you have friends/family who can help you, it might be tricky...Here are two examples if ever:On Koh-Kood.com (all up-to-date price information, in Thai only)On Changtour.net (3 days / 2 nights package)Book Ao Noi Resort and other optionsAs I am stubborn, if like me you feel that the enchanting setting of the Ao Noi Resort is made for you despite its few flaws, I still managed to find a single room available to book on Agoda:VIP Air Con Room at Ao Noi ResortOtherwise in summary, the choice of staying at the Ao Noi Resort depends on what you prioritize, the beach, or the establishment. Knowing that a compromise between the two is largely possible via in particular the options already mentioned above. Apart from the beach, and interesting cheaper options, I can mention:Baan Sangchan (from only €25)Escape Life Koh Kood (from €40)Koh Kood BED's (from €55)How to get to Ko KoodThis article seemed incomplete to me without mentioning the transport to get to the island. And despite its size, the 6th largest island in Thailand behind Ko Phangan (and ahead of Ko Yao Yai), we can only note that it is quite poorly served. Which can also explain why the island remains quite wild (and that's not to displease).If there are 4 ferry companies in total serving the island, the schedules are limited. And for that, another anecdote. While I usually do a minimum of research before going somewhere, I didn't dig into the information any further this time, thinking that it would be similar to Ko Chang, which has ferries running all day. And failing that, I thought I read somewhere that there were some until 15 p.m. (in reality, that's the time of the last departure from the island and back to the mainland!).View of Ko Kood in the distance.I'll tell you right away, there are no more boats after 14:20 p.m. normally. After our almost 5 hours of driving from Bangkok to the Laem Sok pier, the departure point for ferries to Ko Kood, we arrived... at 14:25 p.m.! So it's no surprise at the time that the area seemed strangely quiet, and the locals seemed to tell us that we were arriving too late...This called our whole stay into question and clearly, it would have screwed it up badly! BIG LUCK! We then learned that the last ferry, from the Boonsiri company, was a little late and had not yet left! We bought the express tickets via the counter which was right next to where we were and we could have boarded on time!The catamaran has an interior cabin with air conditioning, and two parts outside. One is at the back of the boat, rather protected from the sun and wind so it was not bad, but the places there are more limited. The other is on the upper floor, without protection, so it is better to have prepared the sun cream. As such, having gone to take a look, it is not that hot because against with the speed, it is windy, I almost lost my glasses which flew away while I turned my head to look around me. Big stroke of luck while I saw them already going into the water, they came to rest against the edge just at the back of the platform, I had to ask the boat staff to get it for me, because it is not accessible like that by myself, in short, be careful at the top if you wear glasses.In addition Boonsiri, who will therefore be our transport not by choice but will nevertheless be our savior, you also have Koh Kood Express (formerly spelled Ko Kut Express), Koh Kood Princess and the latest one, SuperJet Ferry (once known as Star HiSpeed ferry). For all ferries you can either book via their respective official website (see below) or on the DirectFerries website.The quay is so long that a (free) shuttle service takes you to the end to the ferries.Boonsiri FerryOperating since only 2015, they have two ferries available, the newest of which has 288 seats. However, there are only two schedules. The advantage is that they have fairly new catamarans, so the journey, about 40 km, is done in 1 hour.Below you have the timetables valid at High season: October 1st – May 31stLaem Sok to Ko KoodTicket priceStart dateCheck-in600 baht10:4511:45600 baht14:2015:20Ko Kood to Laem SokTicket priceStart dateCheck-in600 baht09:0010:00600 baht12:0013:00En low season, by definition from June 1st to September 30th, there is only one round trip possible, the price remaining unchanged.Laem Sok to Ko KoodTicket priceStart dateCheck-in600 baht13:3014:30Ko Kood to Laem SokTicket priceStart dateCheck-in600 baht09:0010:15Before the pandemic there was a shuttle service between Ko Chang, Ko Mak and Ko Kood, with the introduction of a 2nd catamaran in the fleet, but to date (end of 2022) it has not yet been put back into service.The ferry is free for children under 5 years old.All the information on their website: https://boonsiriferry.com/enBoonsiri's catamaran.Ao Salad pier upon arrival at Ko Kood.Koh Kood ExpressFormerly operating under the name Siriwhite Speedboat, they were bought and renamed Ko Kut Express in 2015. Originally, they used classic "speedboats" (not exceeding thirty passengers) and switched to the larger (140 seats), more stable catamaran in 2019. As usual with other companies, the ticket price includes drop-off at your hotel via the songthaews present on arrival.Ticket price that has recently aligned with competitors, going from 350 to 500 baht. They have kept a speedboat service whose first priority is to arrive first on the island, and they are the last to leave. This small advantage is paid for since the price is slightly higher, going to 600 baht in this case. In all cases, it is free for children under 4 years old, if they make the journey on the lap of a parent…Below you have the timetables valid at High season: October 7 – May 15, so you will notice a slight variation depending on the companies on the high/low season dates.Laem Sok to Koh KoodBoatTicket priceStart dateCheck-inKoh Kood Express Speedboat600 baht10:0011:00Koh Kood Express *500 baht11:3012:45Koh Kood Express500 baht13:3014:45Ko Kood to Laem SokBoatTicket priceStart dateCheck-inKoh Kood Express *500 baht09:3010:45Koh Kood Express500 baht11:3012:45Koh Kood Express Speedboat600 baht15:0016:00* This service goes via Ko Mak. Tickets from Ko Kood to Ko Mak then cost 450 baht. Similarly from Ko Mak to Laem Sok it is also 450 baht.En low season, May 16 to October 6, there is also only one round trip per day. However, the speedboat also operates on public holidays.Laem Sok to Koh KoodBoatTicket priceStart dateCheck-inKoh Kood Express500 baht13:0014:00Ko Kood to Laem SokBoatTicket priceStart dateCheck-inKoh Kood Express500 baht10:0011:30* Same, not a direct route since this service goes via Ko Mak.If there is a pseudo "official" site, it has not been updated since the pandemic and it is mostly only in Thai, but hey, I'll put it there anyway in case: https://ferry-service-67.business.site/.There is also this site, in English, but I am not sure of the official nature of the latter, it is however up to date concerning timetables and prices: https://www.kokutexpress.in.thThe Koh Kood Express boat at the dock.Koh Kood PrincessIt was the first company to establish a speedboat service between the mainland and the island, as early as 2002, adding a larger boat the following year, then operating under the name Ninmangkorn Express Boat. The current vessel, with a capacity of 300 passengers, is aptly called the Koh Kood Princess, giving its current name to the company using this new 33 m boat since 2012.The timetables are valid all year round with only one return trip per day. This is the only one that has officially remained at the "old" rate for the moment, but logically should not remain so, so don't be surprised if you arrive at the counter one day and see 500 baht displayed like the others.Laem Sok to Ko KoodTicket priceStart dateCheck-in350 baht12:3013:30Ko Kood to Laem SokTicket priceStart dateCheck-in350 baht10:0011:15Free for children under 4 years old. Children between 4 and 9 years old benefit from a 50% discount on the ticket price and it is full price from 10 years old.All the information on their website: http://www.kohkoodprincess.com/enSuperJet FerryCreated in late 2018 under the name Star HiSpeed ferry, it was only in its test phase when it changed owners and name in the middle of the following year, becoming SuperJet Ferry. No luck for them, however, because the following year, bam, pandemic. And since then, the company's website, https://www.superjetferry.com, no longer seems operational, nor does their Facebook page, so not sure they will reappear...If ever, I put the information, namely that they had the same system as the Koh Kood Princess, namely a single daily boat (here a large one of 42 m with a capacity of more than 330 passengers) sailing all year round. Its main advantage was to be the fastest, making the connection in only 45 minutes.Laem Sok to Ko KoodTicket priceStart dateCheck-in500 baht12:4513:30Ko Kood to Laem SokTicket priceStart dateCheck-in500 baht11:0011:45Same principle as the others, it was free for children under 4 and half price for those between 4 and 9 years old.Their website no longer appears to be operational but here it is if it comes back: https://www.superjetferry.com/Did you like the article? share on Pinterest! Did you like the article? Vote on the article Note globale 4.7 / 5. Number of votes: 7 No votes yet. Be the first to rate this article! Did you like the article? Follow me on social media Heart-stopper Île Sea and beaches Where to stay 0 0 Roman 13/12/2022
