Koh Chang Bailan Beach Resort

We had actually made reservations at a different hotel and were scrambling to find something for the night. We thought we would try the mecure, but it was all booked up- understandable as it was close to Songkran. We thought we’d stop in to see if they had anything available. We were welcomed with such grace, but we’re warned that the beach was rocky and it might not be what we were looking for. Honestly we were looking for two clean, comfortable rooms that had air conditioning and wifi. They were able to accommodate us. They only had junior suites left- at the back of the property. We were grateful to find anything decent at last notice! We had our first supper that night at the hotel, we were tired from traveling and finding our first reservation was sadly just not up to our standards. I had the shrimp pad Thai. The shrimp was not fresh, but it was still delicious. My Thai brother in law was very happy about the breakfast buffet- unlimit! Not too much options for foreign palates- eggs, fruit, toast. That was fine, I’ve been used to having rice among other things for breakfast while being here. I had toast with pineapple jam and fruit for breakfast. The pineapple jam is amazing! It tastes fresh like it was homemade! The best I’ve had had during my three weeks, and this is our second visit to Thailand. Housekeeping cleaned our room while at breakfast and surprised us because they were so quick and thorough. I didn’t have a chance to leave a tip! There were signs you could leave on your door to request housekeeping and we didn’t put one on. It was a nice surprise. I usually like to tidy up before asking for housekeeping. They did such a wonderful job. In the daylight, I could see that the beach was rocky and not safe for swimming so we went to explore other beaches on the island. You can rent a motorbike which was a nice option, but the roads are quite unlike anything we’ve encountered. I’m glad that I had my Thai brother in law who was a professional driver helping us out! We used the outside showers at the pool after our adventures on the beach. And relaxed in the pool before supper. It was warm! Not a bad thing, just surprising. Beautiful backdrop with mountains behind. We had a meal out in white sands our second night, but third night we ate at the restaurant again. So good! I had shrimp fried rice. The portion wasn’t small, but wasn’t as big as I was used to after being here three weeks. That’s ok I just ordered something else to fill me up. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. My only regret is that it wasn’t our first choice and maybe we could have a bungalow overlooking the water. Regardless, being at the back of the property introduced us to wildlife we haven’t seen anywhere else since our stay - carpenter bees. Google them. They are amazing!