The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood is a beachfront resort on Bang Bao Bay in Thailand, and I’m staying here right now while I write this review. We came over from Sol Beach on Koh Chang which was actually super easy to get to.
You’ve probably seen the drone videos of this bay, with the hammocks over the water and the swings hanging from the coconut trees. It looks unbelievable from the sky, but what people don’t share with you is what it feels like to be here, or what the hotels are like.
Below I’ll tell you where it’s located, how we got here from Koh Chang and why I booked it as soon as we’d booked our flights. You’ll also learn about the rooms, the food, the beaches nearby, the downsides and whether I’d stay again.
I have to say, this is the most chilled out, relaxed place I think you’ll ever find. The bay is dead flat, you can take a paddleboard or kayak out for free, and the staff went above and beyond for my birthday.
Massages and wine cost a lot more than on Koh Chang, and the mozzies come out at sunset, so have a read of the downsides before you book.
We paid for our stay ourselves so this is not a sponsored post.
See prices and availability at The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood
Where is The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood?
The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood (you’ll also see it called The Beach Natural Koh Kood) is located right on Bang Bao Bay, which some people call Bang Bao Beach. It’s on the west coast of the island, and the beaches on this side face west, so you get beautiful sunsets.
It’s conveniently situated right on the sand, and you can walk over to the other resorts in the same bay and eat at them. Most of them have their own pier going out over the water.
Klong Chao Beach is only a short distance away, and it’s one of the busier beaches on the island which is the only beach really that we weren’t fussed on. There are some shops about a 10 minute walk away, too.
Is Bang Bao a good area to stay in?
If you want to switch off, yes. As we drove across the island from the pier, it felt way more chilled out than Koh Chang, and there wasn’t much traffic at all.
Bang Bao Bay is famous for the bridge and the hammocks in the water, with turquoise, shallow waters so flat it feels more like a lake. Sandbars also appear at low tide as well.
How to get to Koh Kood from Koh Chang
Getting to The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood from Koh Chang is so easy, because you book it on Koh Chang and they organise everything. If you’re still getting to Koh Chang, I’ve written a full guide on how to get to Koh Chang from Bangkok.
There are boats at 9am, 11am and 1pm. We took the 11am, and they picked us up from Sol Beach at 9:30am. The boat takes about an hour, stopping at Koh Mak on the way, and the taxis were waiting when we got in. Typically with the Thais, it’s organised chaos, but it works.
We paid 900 baht each, door to door. Just bear in mind that dropping everyone at their resorts took another hour and a half, and we were the last ones, so we didn’t get to our hotel until about 1:30pm.
How to get to Koh Kood from Bangkok
Koh Kood is about 300km from Bangkok, so the easiest way is to fly to Trat Airport. From there it’s about a 20 minute drive to Laem Sok Pier, where you can catch the Boonsiri ferry, which takes about 30 minutes.
Whichever way you come, have your travel insurance sorted before you set off.
Why we picked The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood
I picked The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood from reading other blogs and reviews, and I booked it as soon as we booked our flights, because I knew this was where I wanted to stay.
Booking that early paid off. We got it for about AU$220 a night, and now that it’s high season, it’s more like AU$400 to AU$600 a night. So if you’ve got your heart set on it, book early.
Arriving at The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood
When we walked into reception at The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood, it’s all tall glass windows up to the ceiling, looking out over a bay that’s almost like a river. It’s dead flat, with these gorgeous trees all around it and well kept vegetation everywhere you look.
I said to Steve, “God, I feel like we’re in Italy or Greece.” And I still think it every morning, when the sun’s glistening on the water.
Check in is from 2pm and check out is by 11am. The rest of the property policies are on the booking page, so have a look before you go.
The rooms at The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood
We stayed for five nights in Greenery 12 which we loved. To be honest, I didn’t expect us to have our own chalet. I thought we would get a room in a building because it was the cheapest room. The bed is massive and comfortable, the bathroom is big and honestly, I couldn’t fault it at all.
The rooms come with air conditioning and a ceiling fan, a hair dryer and a terrace, and there are safety deposit boxes and Wi-Fi so you can stay connected. They do daily housekeeping too literally while we had breakfast every day.
There are 27 villas and cottages, so you’ve got plenty of room options. The Natural Cottage room is the smallest, and then there’s the Beach Villa and the Sense Pool Villa. If you want a private pool, the Tropical Hill Pool Villa and the two-bedroom Tropical Ocean Pool Villa have their own, and a few of the villas have a bathtub as well.
There’s no shared swimming pool, though. The bay is basically the pool here.
The bay, the pier and the hammocks
Out the front of The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood there’s a sandy patch where you can sunbathe, and then a pier going off the resort with sun loungers at the end. There aren’t that many sun loungers to choose from, so I’m not sure how they cater for all guests.
The shallow waters are so calm that they’re perfect for kids, and you can grab a paddleboard for free and float around the bay, and there are kayaks for guests to use as well. It’s got the most amazing energy.
You can walk along to the other resorts’ piers too, and the hammocks over the water and the swings from the coconut trees are for everyone to use. It’s such a stunning beach.
The food at The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood
Breakfast
The breakfast at The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood is amazing, and there’s so much to choose from. It’s a full-on buffet from 7 till 10, with Thai and Western options.
You can make your own noodle soup, and I’ve had the chicken congee every single day. There are loads of Thai dishes, breads, pastries and cereals, and you can sit there all morning and help yourself. It’s a great breakfast.
Lunch and dinner
The food at the resort’s restaurant is pretty good otherwise. It’s not Sol Beach, but it’s good Thai food with a wide selection of dinner options, and there’s an on site bar as well. There’s a play area right next to the restaurant, so you can eat while the kids play, and you can walk over to the other resorts in the bay for more dining options.
Hidden Gem Monkey Bar at Siam Beach Resort
The best food we had on Koh Kood was a short walk along the bay, at the Hidden Gem Monkey Bar at Siam Beach Resort, and it was the cheapest too. Two spritzes, two Singha beers, a cashew chicken, a green curry and some garlic bread came to about 1,200 baht, and it felt like real authentic Thai food.
Black Bananas
We’d also heard that Black Bananas has the best Thai food on the island, so we went, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a little family-run Thai restaurant and coffee shop, apparently it’s cash only, and the main street area around it is really pretty.
Happy hour and drinks
They do a 2-for-1 happy hour from 4 to 6pm, which is great. A cocktail like a mojito is about 250 baht, which is less than we paid at Sol Beach or The Retreat.
A bottle of wine is 1,200 baht but don’t buy wine in Thailand! It’s not the best, and Thailand is definitely better for beer and cocktails.
The staff went above and beyond for us
The service at The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood is exceptional. They’ve got such attentive staff, super friendly and really professional, and you can tell they’re happy working here. Real guests say the same in the reviews.
My birthday was during our stay, and they went out of their way for me. In the morning they brought out a little birthday cake and sang happy birthday to me at breakfast.
Steve had also organised with them to set up a beautiful, romantic table for dinner, with a four-course meal. It was so sweet, but it was funny, because after the first course we were so full that we struggled to eat any more. It came to nearly 5,000 baht, which was about AU$200, and when we got back to our room, they’d done a happy birthday display on the bed for me, too.
Facilities and activities at The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood
Alongside the on site restaurant and bar, the resort offers a laundry service, luggage storage and a ticket service for boats and tours. There are BBQ facilities at an extra cost and a shared kitchen too, which is handy if you’re staying a while.
The massage
We had a Thai massage, and it was 700 baht each, which felt like a lot after paying 300 baht on Koh Chang, but it was really good. On Koh Chang they did it with your clothes on, whereas here it was clothes off, and they put tiger balm all over our bodies. My body felt so much better afterwards. I’d definitely recommend it.
Moped hire
You can hire a moped from the resort for 300 baht a day. Steve was worried about having an accident, so at first we got a taxi to the waterfall, which was 1,000 baht for 2 hours and felt like a real rip-off. On our last day we hired a moped and loved it. It was just other tourists on the roads, so we went really slowly and enjoyed the day.
A private boat trip
For my birthday, Steve booked us a private boat for the afternoon with Paradise Divers, who the hotel put him in touch with, for about 6,000 baht. Koh Kood is meant to have some of the clearest water around for snorkelling, but the visibility wasn’t great on the day. Then we had Secret Beach all to ourselves, and on the way back we listened to Bob Marley as the sun came down. It was a really free feeling moment.
What Koh Kood is like
I’ve read Koh Kood called Thailand’s best-kept secret island, and now I can see why. It’s largely untouched by mass tourism, with no big nightlife scene, so it’s peaceful at night, and I’ve read the beaches are far less crowded than islands like Phuket.
The natural beauty is the biggest attraction, with jungle and coconut groves running right down to fine, powdery sand. Each bay has its own feel, and the whole island has such a laid back atmosphere. It feels like a proper hidden gem.
One thing I don’t think many people mention is the rubbish that gets swept in from the sea. We’ve seen it all over the island, and I think it’s to do with the changing tides. It’s a real shame. I wouldn’t be put off by this though for your stay.
When to go, and how long to stay
November to February is the best time to visit Koh Kood for beach weather, and in early November the bay has been dead flat for us. Prices are lower in low season, though, so it’s worth comparing if you’re flexible.
We stayed five nights, and I think that’s a great amount of time. You could do four and still see quite a lot.
My one tip is to get a moped and explore the island on your first day, before you settle in to chill. We made the same mistake on Koh Chang, and when we found Klong Hin and Ao Jak on our last day, we were like, oh, we’d have come here all the time.
The downsides
There are a lot of mozzies at sunset and in the evening, so you’ve got to be really careful. The resort does provide spray, which is great.
Everything costs a bit more on Koh Kood, from the massages (ie 300 Baht on Koh Chang vs 400 Baht in Koh Kood and 700 Baht at our resort) to the wine. That’s fine because of where we are, but it’s worth budgeting for.
The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood is best for
It’s a family resort for people who hate family resorts, and it’s perfect for:
- Couples who want to switch off somewhere chilled out
- Families, with shallow, calm water for kids and a play area by the restaurant
- Anyone celebrating something, because the staff go above and beyond
- Anyone who wants comfortable accommodations right on the bay, with free paddleboards and kayaks
It’s not for you if:
- You want nightlife
- You want a big shared pool
- You want Koh Chang prices for massages and drinks
- If you want loads to do
Would I stay at The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood again?
Yes. I loved this place. It’s honestly a slice of paradise, and I’ve not seen anything like it in Thailand before. It’s been such a comfortable stay, with good food and staff who made my birthday so special.
I’d be interested to see what this bay looks like in 10 years’ time. I’m sure it will look very different, but what a place.
You can also see what it’s like in our reel on Instagram at @itsannieandsteve.
See prices and availability at The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood
If you’re booking a trip to Koh Kood, sort your travel insurance when you book your flights.
Have you been to Koh Kood? Let me know where you stayed in the comments below.
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