SOUTHEAST ASIA 2024—MARCH 10-13, KOH CHANG

MARCH 10:  It took what seemed like forever to get to Koh Chang, a gorgeous island off the southeast coast of Thailand:  first, a 10:55 morning flight from Phnom Penh to Bangkok, where we picked up a connecting flight at 16:15 to Trat on the mainland, and from Trat by van to the ferry landing and then on to Koh Chang, where we were met by yet another van that brought us directly to Sylvan, our hotel.  It was a long day, but the journey was soon eclipsed by the beauty of our luxurious surroundings.

We had booked a pool villa at the suggestion of our Berlin neighbors, who had spent almost a week at Sylvan.  It was without a doubt the nicest accommodation of our trip.   

The ultra-modern pool villa had a deck up a few stairs from the ground level, with an expansive view of the ocean.   

From the ground level, we descended a stair down one floor to the entry, and alongside the stair ran a water feature that continued right into and through the villa and out again into the private pool.  

 Once inside the villa, we found a large living room, 

a bar area with sink and Nespresso machine, 

a large bedroom facing the private pool and the ocean beyond, 

and a dressing room/bathroom suite with separate shower and Japanese soaking tub areas.  

  

Between the bedroom and the bath was a glass walkway that spanned the water feature.  It reminded us of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pennsylvania masterpiece, Falling Water.

The grounds were lush with tropical plants—torch ginger,

pink philodendron,

heliconia rostrata,

and heliconia chartacea Lane x Barreiros (Yes, I discovered Google lens!). 

After unpacking, we had a drink and dinner at one of the restaurants, this one located on a patio in one of the gardens. The sun setting over the water was a postcard.

MARCH 11:  Breakfast was served on the terrace, from which we had a sea view out to an island.  A monkey begged for food; we did not oblige.  (We had been advised to keep our patio doors locked, not just shut.  These monkeys are clever.)  Palm trees swooshed in the gentle breeze.  It was spectacular.

After breakfast, we rented a scooter so we could visit a bit of the island (wink wink nod nod).  

The roads were very narrow and extremely hilly, as in maybe 45° hilly.  Back at the Sylvan, we walked the grounds, had lunch, enjoyed a dip in the pool, and generally worked on our dolce fa’ niente.   

That night we found a funky hippie cocktail bar called the Beautiful Bar a few miles down the road and had dinner at the Coco Bar Restaurant, also recommended by our Berlin neighbors.

MARCH 12:  Yet another day of serious lounging in paradise.   

That evening we returned to find the Beautiful Bar closed, but the Monkey Bar was open across the street (that would be the only street in this “village”).  We grabbed a parasol drink there and took in the sun setting over the water. 

Big believers in the twin maxims, “Why reinvent the wheel?” and “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” we went back to the Coco Bar Restaurant, where we shared a platter of grilled fish, prawns, and scallops. 

MARCH 13:  A few days on Koh Chang proved to be very relaxing as only a beach veg-out vacation can be.  We could have stayed a week, but we had a 9:30 a.m. ferry to catch and then Bangkok to see!   

Keep it real!

Marilyn (another proud Childless Cat Lady)