I was searching for the ultimate retreat from Bangkok life. Don’t get me wrong, I love the City of Angels as much as anyone, but sometimes the desire to escape the condensed congestion becomes overwhelming. It was a long weekend (three days) and I wanted to hit the beach, but the options seemed pretty limited: Koh Samet is cute but nothing special, Hua Hin is quiet and rather dull, Pattaya is, well, Pattaya, and anywhere else is just too far. Koh Chang seemed to be the only feasible alternative. It had been a while since I’d been there, but I just had to get out of Bangkok (we all know that feeling, right?).

The journey to Koh Chang is long (about nine hours in all, from bus to boat to taxi, booked through an agent on Khaosan Road for 400 baht round trip). I’ve never stayed at the White Sand resort because something about it really puts me off. It’s heavily developed and full of go-go bars and unsightly buildings. At the moment it is even worse than I had remembered. Driving through revealed an unbelievable number of construction sites. The place looked a mess. Koh Chang is beginning to turn into Koh Samui. It seems that the island’s close proximity to Bangkok has led to this makeover. It’s sad to see so much destruction, but a little past White Sand is Lonely Beach. If you go to Koh Chang this is the place to stay.

Accommodation is basic but cheap. A bungalow will set you back in the region of 200-300 baht, a little more if you want your own bathroom. Treehouse Bungalows and Ice Beach Bungalows are both more than adequate, but everything tends to fill up quickly. I traveled in a group of four and we were only able to get somewhere to stay because we had asked someone on the island to make reservations before we arrived. There were a lot of backpack-clad groups walking around disillusioned, and some people were forced to sleep in the tents that some of the bungalow owners set up just in case.

The beach is easy to reach from all the accommodation. As soon as you set foot on the sand you know you’ve found somewhere peaceful. There are no deckchairs or parasols, no multitude of locals hassling you (just a few friendly island folk) and no banana boats or jet skis. The water is warm and clear, the beach clean and serene. We headed straight for the water as the sun was setting and got a direct view as it disappeared into the horizon, signaling that the evening was beginning.

What’s great about Koh Chang is the people: Everyone is there to relax. There’s none of the consumer nightmare of Koh Samui, none of the tension of Pha-ngan, and none of the madness of Pattaya. It’s a fairly young, open minded crowd that frequent Koh Chang, but there are also a number of families and older travelers. The island has a very communal feel to it. The people are, for the most part, friendly and open-minded.

For some reason, there are vast numbers of Swedish people on Koh Chang. I couldn’t figure out why this was the case, but I don’t think I’d ever seen so many blonde bombshells strolling around the area.

The food is great. If you get a chance, head to the restaurant at the Paradise resort. They serve satisfying meals set in a divine ambiance, hammocks included. The Treehouse is a regular fixture for most people. It’s set near the beach and has been more or less completely hippie-fied. People sit around on the wood-paneled flooring, listening to music, drinking a beer, smoking a joint, and just mellowing-out to the charms of the island. The food is excellent too, and at night it becomes party central.

The restaurants on the beach serve adequate food, with seafood generally being the best option. Everything is cheap, which makes Lonely Beach such a good place to stay. Come nightfall and the beach becomes a hive of activity, with fire shows, several bars playing music, and buckets scattered haphazardly along the seafront. Sangsom is a horrible drink, but when in Rome…

Come 2 a.m. and most people feel compelled to take their clothes off and go swimming. It’s like island tradition or something. Fresh young bodies gallop into the sea, swim around for a bit, and then return to their buckets, shivering and wet.

Other than the obvious, there isn’t a whole lot to do on the island. Hiring a motorbike is an option, but I wouldn’t recommend this unless you are a very good driver. The roads are perilously steep and winding. People fall off a lot, and some of these people die. It pays to have some vigilance on the roads. There are a few waterfalls around, but none of them are really that spectacular.

I stayed with my friends on Koh Chang for two nights. The only real expense was the drinking which will set you back 2-300 baht every time you order a bucket. I met an old friend on the island who had been there for close to four weeks. He had grown a tom Hanks Castaway beard and confessed to not having worn a shirt since he arrived. I think I would struggle to stay on Koh Chang for so long, but for a few days it makes for a pleasing interlude for life in the big city.

Is it the perfect retreat from Bangkok? It comes pretty close. It certainly beats a weekend of sitting in traffic and hanging out at the mall.