Coral Island

Koh Hae, more known as Coral Island, is the most popular of small islands off the southern tip of Phuket. It is a beautiful granite island, 2.5 km length, covered with lush vegetation located just 9 kilometres from the coast. Coral Island has beautiful white sandy beaches surrounded by crystal clear waters and, as its name suggests, stunning shallow coral reefs. There are plenty of fun things to enjoy on the island, with a wide range of water activities to choose from, such as parasailing, canoeing, sea kayaks, jet ski’s and banana boats. In the clear waters around the island you can also enjoy snorkelling and diving. There is good snorkelling almost immediately offshore and if you swim further out you will see plenty of coral, nice rock formations and a lot of marine life. Coral Island receives plenty of visitors throughout the high season, however, it is not always crowded and there are still quiet areas. The island has three beaches, two are on the north side facing Phuket, the smallest and less frequented is on the south side. Long Beach is the most popular, where arrive the majority of day-trip boats. It is an 800-meter long strip of white sand surrounded by crystal clear waters. You can rent sun beds and deckchairs on site, free of charge for visitors in arrival by organized excursions. Along beach there are several bars and restaurants, where is served the free buffet lunch, for day-trip visitors, or a la carte menu for those have reached the island by themselves. The Coral Island Resort is the only overnight accommodation on the island. It is located into the palm trees at the east end of beach. The resort has 64 nice little bungalows close to the beach and its own swimming pool. At Coral Island Resort are also organized one-day diving course, at a cost of about 2,000 THB, which includes a first dive in the pool and then into the sea. Banana Beach is just to the east of Long Beach and is only about half its length. There is a jungle trail that connects the two beaches, about a ten minute walk. Banana Beach is generally much quieter and less crowded than Long Beach. There is a single restaurant and few deckchairs. Its shallow coral reef is an ideal snorkelling spot for novices and children. Freedom Beach is located in quiet bay on the south side of Coral Island. It is a small nice beach never crowed with a single restaurant and a handful of deckchairs.
Get to Coral Island - There are lots of agencies that organize group tours ranging to Coral Island for day trips from Phuket. The majority of these tours include the transfer by minivan from your hotel, the roundtrip by speedboat from Chalong Pier, free deckchair on the beach, lunch buffet, tropical fruit, drinking water, snorkeling equipment, tour guide and insurance. Prices of tours range from 900 to 1,500 THB depending on the company and eventual options chosen. To reach the island individually you can rent a long-tail boat or a speedboat in Rawai Beach or Chalong Bay. Long-tail boat is very characteristic and has a really low cost, from 1000 to 1500 THB for roundtrip, which takes around 25 minute each way. A speedboat will cost around 5,000 THB but is much quicker.Read More