Koh Kood Island Thailand

While everyone is heading to touristy islands, you could be the one to discover Koh Kood. Stunning white sand beaches, snorkel spots, greenery everywhere and boutique accommodation – it’s an island to add to your Thailand bucket list. I should know, I’ve visited over 25+ islands in 8 years of living in Bangkok! Here’s everything you need to know: where to stay, how to get there, what to eat, and the best quiet beaches and dive spots.

Is Koh Kood worth visiting?

Absolutely. Koh Kood is worth visiting because it has some of the best beaches in Thailand and is a lovely, quiet island, not too far from Bangkok. You can pair visiting Koh Kood with Koh Chang or Koh Mak.

Koh Kood or Koh Kut?

You will see various different spellings of English words in Thai as there is no standardised way of spelling words. Therefore you will sometime see the word for island as ‘ko’ or ‘koh’.

Where is Koh Kood in Thailand?

Koh Kood is an island towards Cambodia, found near Koh Chang and Koh Mak.

Koh Mak vs Koh Kood

I visited both these islands during a one week trip from Bangkok and recommend doing the same. Koh Mak is smaller and has more of a chilled, island vibe. Koh Kood is bigger, has more resorts and stunning beaches.

Where to stay in Koh Kood

Koh Kood has resorts and hotels but few budget hostels so it’s not ideal for those on a tight backpacker budget. I think better if you want midrange or a bit of a splurge!

Midrange Hotels

I stayed at mid-range accommodation and one of the best Koh Kood hotels – Pink Kingaroo Bungalows run by Dick and Wan and would definitely recommend staying there.

I paid approximately 450 baht a night. They have clean, well equipped bungalows surrounded by a lot of nature. There was a mango tree just outside by terrace and I could watch the birds. They also had a super friendly cat who came to visit me most days!

I stayed at the one bedroom chalet and would definitely recommend as it had a kitchenette, fridge and outdoor seating area. Wan cooks a great breakfast (coconut pancakes anyone?) and Dick arranged a scooter for me and even gave me a mini lesson because he knew I was nervous.

My friends stayed at one of Koh Kood’s resorts Sunshine on the Rocks, which is a great Koh Kood beach resort as it has a stunning beach, Ao Phrao beach, just in front of it. This resort is also called Sunshine Koh Kood. I snorkelled there and spotted an octopus! I recommend getting a motorbike as the area is a little far from the more ‘central’ beaches and restaurants.

Luxury Resorts

The best luxury resort on Koh Kood is Soneva Kiri. Fun fact, I actually applied for a job there once and it looks divine! They also have a small airport to fly you in from Bangkok directly to their resort.

If you are looking for 5 star resorts then add this one to your list! I haven’t stayed here myself but would love to one day!

Koh Kood restaurants and bars

A lot of Koh Kood restaurants are on the road near Bangbao beach, also a few restaurants are near Peter Pan resort Koh Kood.

I recommend eating at Black Banana which does yummy Thai food, beers and smoothies.

I also had delicious Italian food at Heaven Sense and recommend their pizza and pasta. I also recommend Pizza and Pasta further in the North across the bridge. Both places are run by Italians which usually guarantees great food!

Ngamkho Restaurant did a really good fried rice and I stopped there on my surface interval when scuba diving nearby.

Kood Vibes Bakery also does yummy bread and sandwiches. Viewpoint Café I would recommend for a drink with an ocean view and the waves just under your dangling feet.

Best beaches in Koh Kood

Some claim that Koh Kood has the best beaches in Thailand…I potentially agree! I went in February so dry season and the sand is white, the water pretty clear and calm.

Ao Phrao Beach Koh Kood – long stretch of beach, where the jungle meets the sand. Lovely and calm when I was there and had a snorkel. Bad visibility but I still spotted an octopus!

Bang Bao Beach – Definitely recommend this beach, a few restaurants and bars to eat and drink on it which is perfect. It’s still very green with white sand and clear water.

Million Beach Koh Kood – Million beach is a smaller beach with two resorts on it. At the time I went it was extremely quiet. It has a little pier and a small rock island nearby which has some decent snorkelling and you can dive a bit deeper. We had the best sunset view here.

Beach in front of Peter Pan resort near the river – lovely long stretch of beach and mangroves nearby, busy in the evening with people taking sunset photos

What to Do in Koh Kood

Visit some of the best beaches in Thailand, experience a quiet island, snorkel some nice reefs, go scuba diving, visit the waterfalls (I did not do this as it was dry season and they will always be better in rainy season!)

Scuba Diving in Koh Kood

I did two scuba dives with Koh Kood divers and really enjoyed the scuba diving experience. The reef was much healthier than I imagined (as someone who has seen a lot of dead and damaged coral reefs in Thailand).

I saw a decent diversity of marine life and spotted the usual tropical fish, nudibranchs and was lucky enough to have a private dive instructor, Jessie!

I strongly recommend diving with Koh Kood Divers as they really tailored the dives to me as an experienced diver.

If you are a beginner scuba diver then why not take an Open Water course to become a qualified scuba diver in less than 4 days? You can learn with PADI or SSI at different dive centres on the island.

Koh Kood Weather

The weather in Thailand is being more unpredictable than usual. Usually we have a dry season from October – April and rainy season from May-September. However, it has still been raining in dry season in Bangkok lately and the same for some of the islands!

I had some great sunshine days in February (dry season) but it still was stormy on one of my diving days which luckily didn’t matter as I was underwater for most of it!

How to Get to Koh Kood from Bangkok

Boonsiri offer a package deal from Khao San or Latkrabang (near Suvarnabhumi airport) which includes a bus ticket to the pier Laem Ngop, ferry ticket from the pier to Koh Kood and it also includes the transfer to your hotel. The cost of getting to Koh Kood was 1000 baht per person.

To find a cheaper ticket you can book a government bus, then pay transfer to the pier and then approx. 400-600 baht for the ferry or speedboat.

From Koh Kood back to Bangkok you can also do the same deal with Boonsiri. The bus journey from Bangkok is approximately 5 hours. Buses do a stop in the middle and have a toilet onboard. They also provide food/snacks and water. The easiest way is to make a booking with 12go Asia in advance.

There is also an airport at Trat which is the nearest airport to Koh Kood. However, I personally feel by the time you have flown it is the same time it takes to get on a bus and it’s better for the environment!

Planning Your Koh Kood Trip?

👉🏾 Book my recommended hotel here
👉🏾 Check out dive trips with Koh Kood Divers
👉🏾get your ferry/bus combo via 12Go