Koh Lan: Island in crisis as Pattaya mayor admits it can't be called paradise!

[JSixpack]

On 1/12/2018 at 10:26 AM, Wake Up said:

The last time I went was December 2016. Take the 30 baht ferry from Pattaya to the island. Take a motorbike to your left and the first beach will be quiet with a few Europeans far away from any Chinese.  Finish with that beach and keeping going and you will see another smaller beach with even less people and beautiful water and beach. Then keep going and you will come across a huge beach with speedboats and thousands of Chinese and other tourists. It is not on the Pattaya side of the island and it is where most of the speed boats dock. You will see lots of food, shops and people —-mainly Chinese tour groups. Worth a walk for a first timer but I am not a crowded Chinese tour group fan. 

Keep heading around the island and you run into another beach not crowded at all. Head back to the main port where you disembarked and you will finish circling the island to some great cool restaurants. If you spend the night then all the crowds leave on the last ferry and you have a quiet evening looking at the lights of Pattaya. I do not know of any nightlife but it may exist. I stay at one of the hotels over the water near the dock or just down the road from the dock. Go on Agoda and look at all the options. The island hotel will give you a map and the beaches have names but I cannot remember beach names. I also walk a lot on the island.  Best to rent a motorbike from your hotel or near your hotel. Worth going to although you will hear some people loudly critical of the island. I don’t understand thier criticism. Maybe they get off at the dock where the Chinese speed boats depart and if that was my only experience with the island I would not like it also. But the rest of the island is quiet and great experience and 30 baht each way for a ferry is nice. And rent a motorbike. It is not Phuket or Pattaya and easy to drive a motorbike on Koh Larn. Have fun 

 

Great post. One question I have is about bicyling on the island. Pleasant & feasible?

 

[maxpower]

Please visit our inland garbage dump, its clearly marked park area on Google Earth or just follow the stink .

 

[Wake Up]

3 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

Great post. One question I have is about bicyling on the island. Pleasant & feasible?

 

Yes the roads are paved and in decent shape. I did not ride a bike but can’t see any reason not to. Had no issues walking or riding a rented motorbike. Night time I am not sure about lighting on the entire road as some areas just are vacant land. I go back to the hotel area and walk before it gets dark. Enjoy 

[Sir Dude]

With a gazillion Indians and Chinese set turn up in increasing numbers over the near to medium term future, then there is nowhere in Thailand that will be able to call itself a paradise soon as they will compromise everything for the short term dollar.

[wakeupplease]

Ah do you remember the days when Europeans and Americans visited, not so much rubbish around then was there. The good days gone for ever, but what comes after the Chinese I wonder can only be aliens as everyone else has been and ain't coming back

[toughlove]

Ah do you remember the days when Europeans and Americans visited, not so much rubbish around then was there. The good days gone for ever, but what comes after the Chinese I wonder can only be aliens as everyone else has been and ain't coming back

20 to 30k visitors a day high season , clearly they keep coming back.

That's going to double in the next 5 years. The authorities need to get on top of the rubbish problem as of yesterday

[Jack100]

Seems ot me every  tourist minister wants to or has to beat the previous years target - this  is just the end result .

 

Hope those quality tourists start showing up soon !

[JSixpack]

14 hours ago, wakeupplease said:

Ah do you remember the days when Europeans and Americans visited, not so much rubbish around then was there.

2

 

What makes you think they no longer visit? But suppose they were Chinese in the old days in such vastly reduced numbers as then. Wouldn't there be less rubbish? Thais are responsible for disposing of the rubbish, BTW.

 

Quote

The good days gone for ever.

 

For whom?

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 4:09 PM, toughlove said:

No offense but I would be suspicious a dude called thai Beach lovers who actually lives in Chiang mai... Chiang mai Charlie would have been a better nic?

Seriously every beach I have been to has toilets so no clue what you mean

If your crapping in the water you need to stop!

I would be suspicious a dude called thai Beach lovers who actually lives in Chiang mai..

55555555555555555555

I have been that user name since I first started on TVF and I was at the beaches a lot back then. 

I see no reason to change it just for you.

[thaibeachlovers]

16 hours ago, toughlove said:

20 to 30k visitors a day high season , clearly they keep coming back.

That's going to double in the next 5 years. The authorities need to get on top of the rubbish problem as of yesterday

It's going to be tough then.

On the one hand don't hold your breath waiting, and on the other you'll need to hold your nose because of the stench. 

 

[toughlove]

It's going to be tough then.

On the one hand don't hold your breath waiting, and on the other you'll need to hold your nose because of the stench. 

 

According to Wikipedia koh larn has 30 tonnes of rubbish per day and they move 20 tonnes a day on shore.

 

You would think they could get another barge. For the other 10 tonnes

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Lan

[dfdgfdfdgs]

There are too many tourists in Thailand and unless you are going to start limiting numbers of tourists entering the country, you just have to accept it.  So then it becomes a matter of sacrificing some locations for the good of the rest.  Koh Larn is a dump, as is Pattaya and most of Phuket and Samui.  The Russians and the Chinese seem happy to spend their time there, so let them.  The rest of us can go to the closest things left to paradise; Koh Kood, Laem Son, the Trang islands, Koh Phratong, Koh Jum etc.

[Pattaya46]

On ‎13‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 12:19 PM, JSixpack said:

Great post. One question I have is about bicyling on the island. Pleasant & feasible?

I would say dangerous 

The roads are tortuous  and not that large, and many bahtbus or motorbikes drive way too fast for this kind on road, so you have to be really prudent if you want walk or bicycle along them.... IMHO.

[toughlove]

There are too many tourists in Thailand and unless you are going to start limiting numbers of tourists entering the country, you just have to accept it.  So then it becomes a matter of sacrificing some locations for the good of the rest.  Koh Larn is a dump, as is Pattaya and most of Phuket and Samui.  The Russians and the Chinese seem happy to spend their time there, so let them.  The rest of us can go to the closest things left to paradise; Koh Kood, Laem Son, the Trang islands, Koh Phratong, Koh Jum etc.

For the Russians and Chinese and locals koh larn is close. Nobody saying it's a tropical unspoilt paradise but it's a thousand times better than jomtien and Pattaya beach

I will have to check out those islands you posted for a trip sometime.

[dfdgfdfdgs]

7 minutes ago, toughlove said:

You would think they could get another barge. For the other 10 tonnes

 

But that would involve the garbage collectors scrambling about on their hands and knees picking up 10 tonnes of loose rubbish that's fallen from the bins because of wind/dogs/the bins aren't emptied often enough/there are no bins in the first place.

 

Walking around Koh Larn you can count one public bin, outside the 7 11.  That's for the entire island.  Where are tourists supposed to put their trash?

[Pattaya46]

8 minutes ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

Where are tourists supposed to put their trash?

 

They should keep their trash with them and bring them back to Pattaya

where they could throw them in their hotel bin or any other city bin.

[Wake Up]

2 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

I would say dangerous 

The roads are tortuous  and not that large, and many bahtbus or motorbikes drive way too fast for this kind on road, so you have to be really prudent if you want walk or bicycle along them.... IMHO.

Maybe if you are in the port area or Chinese beach area which is less than 5 percent of the island. The other 95 percent of the road has some motorbikes but nothing near excessive. Can ride a bike and see no bahtbus for most of the island. 

[toughlove]

I would say dangerous 
The roads are tortuous  and not that large, and many bahtbus or motorbikes drive way too fast for this kind on road, so you have to be really prudent if you want walk or bicycle along them.... IMHO.

One of the safest places I know of. It's the only place I ride a motorbike because there are no cars apart from the odd baht bus. I have never had a problem avoiding pedestrians

However I wouldn't ride a bycicle, there are some extremely hilly terrain and motorcycle is far better suited.

[Wake Up]

I am starting to understand the critics of Koh Larn now. They arrive at port and stay within 2 block area or they land at the Chinese beach and never leave the area. To me that is a very small piece of Koh Larn. 

 

They are scared to death of Thailand and motorbike rental. They don’t like to walk.  

 

I avoid  the Chinese beach as I have seen it and walked it. Some may like it but it is crowded and busy too much for me and the water is not clean.

 

I like the port area and it is not too busy for me. I rent a motorbike and walk with no fear of traffic or people except maybe a little in the curve road parts of the port area.

 

I am not a big bike rider. But if I was I would love to ride a bike around the entire island. Instead I like to motorbike and swim at three different beaches. and walk and stay a few night in the hotels. Hard to believe Pattaya is just across the water. 

[dfdgfdfdgs]

Some of Koh Larn is nicer, agreed, but it's a struggle to call any of it nice, at least relative to other places in Thailand.  Koh Larn on the scale of Thai islands rates somewhere around a 2 or 3 out of 10.

[DrTuner]

Ban Chinese and Russians and it's solved. Used to be a nice place before the invasions.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 3:04 AM, dfdgfdfdgs said:

Some of Koh Larn is nicer, agreed, but it's a struggle to call any of it nice, at least relative to other places in Thailand.  Koh Larn on the scale of Thai islands rates somewhere around a 2 or 3 out of 10.

IMO 3 is too generous. 1 or 2.

There is just no comparison to islands like Phangan ( except Had Rin, which is as big a hole as Larn ).

[toughlove]

IMO 3 is too generous. 1 or 2. There is just no comparison to islands like Phangan ( except Had Rin, which is as big a hole as Larn ). 

 

tens of thousands tourists a day flocking to a one star island ? LMAO! Your starting to do what all jaded expats do after being forced to relocate from Thailand or in your case to chiang mai

 

How's life in deathly boring chaing mai treating you how many stars? [emoji23]. Come back to Pattaya dude your heart is right here [emoji3]

 

 

 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, toughlove said:

30,000 tourists a day flocking to a one star beach? LMAO!

Your starting to do what all jaded expats do after being forced to relocate from Thailand or in your case chiang mai

How's life in deathly boring chaing mai treating you how many stars? . Come back to Pattaya dude your heart is right here

? I laud Phangan ( which you may not know is an island in Thailand ), and you scorn me for living in Chiang Mai!

 

If you think that Larn is worth more than 2 stars, you obviously haven't been anywhere better.

 

Pattaya, I'd love to be there, but sometimes life just isn't what we want it to be.

[toughlove]

? I laud Phangan ( which you may not know is an island in Thailand ), and you scorn me for living in Chiang Mai!

 

If you think that Larn is worth more than 2 stars, you obviously haven't been anywhere better.

 

Pattaya, I'd love to be there, but sometimes life just isn't what we want it to be.

Something bitter about your many posts on koh larn. I mean, we get it no need for twenty bash posts.

 

Strange though I guess you forgot you posted you liked the smaller beaches there.

 

Like you I go there because it's 30 mins away and 30 baht as opposed to 10k min for 5 star islands but you knew that already

 

Again it points to jaded expat forced away. Never mind Chiang mai is wonderful if you like beer bar grannies and tucked in at 9pm

 

Enjoy! [emoji3] I will enjoy the topless g string barbie dolls over on that shit island and you know exactly what I'm talking about [emoji23]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[toughlove]

@ thai Beach lovers.. Nasty 1 star beaches dude just nasty [emoji16]

 

 

[toughlove]

Yuk [emoji3]

[toughlove]

My eyes hurt [emoji23]

[maxpower]

[toughlove]

Yep as mentioned in many posts avoid "China Beach" Unless of course you are into that sort of thing but hey its an open forum, each to their own