Koh Kwang Beach is the lesser-populated stretch past the bridge north of Khlong Muang Beach in Krabi. A few Koh Kwang hotels will claim to be at Khlong Muang Beach (like White Sand, Mukrada House and the Sofitel Phokeethra) but are actually on Koh Kwang, which is further from the town centre and all the restaurants. With the aquamarine waters and view of Hong Island, Koh Kwang Beach is a worthwhile option for anyone staying in the Khlong Muang area.
How To Get to Koh Kwang Beach
Koh Kwang Beach is between Khlong Muang Beach and Laem Bong Beach. The 7-Eleven on Klong Mung Road marks the boundary to the south, while the Koh Kwang Pier to the north marks the end of it.
There are no buses or public transport to Koh Kwang Beach. You’ll have to drive, take a scooter, or use ridesharing apps like Grab, Bolt, or inDrive. Grab and Bolt have a cashless payment option and the benefit of knowing the price before you book. Bolt was typically cheaper in our experience. InDrive works on a system where you offer what you’re willing to pay, and a driver will accept. There is free street parking at the beach.
Facilities at Koh Kwang Beach
The shack across from the beachside Thai restaurant (next to White Sand Cafe) offers a toilet for 5 Baht and a shower for 10 Baht. The doors were padlocked, and no one was monitoring the shack. However, if you go to the restaurant across the street and ask, they’ll know who to fetch to unlock the doors for you. Of course, if you patronise any of the restaurants below (two of which are attached to hotels), they’ll let you use their facilities for free.
Restaurants at Koh Kwang Beach
There are three beachside restaurants at Koh Kwang Beach. I’m pretty sure all three are halal. That means no pork and, more importantly, no alcohol. If you want to enjoy a beer on the beach, remember to buy some at the 7-Eleven down the road.
Rim Lay Noodles/Noodles by the Sea (Mukrada House Cafe)
The first restaurant is Mukrada House Hometel’s beach cafe, serving Thai dishes and fruit smoothies. If you want to laze on the beach sipping on a fresh coconut (60 Baht), this is the place to go.
Click on menu pictures to enlarge
Thai Grill Restaurant
Next to it is a small restaurant specialising in grilled meat. The barbecue beside the road with sizzling chicken breast and whole fish intrigued me every time I walked by.
White Sand Cafe
The White Sand Cafe at the end has the most pleasant ambience and a foreigner-friendly menu with burgers, pizza, and the safest Thai dishes. This cafe had the best selection of drinks, in my opinion. However, service was slow, especially when sitting in the area with the canvas loungers.
Water & Sand at Koh Kwang Beach
The beach is rather pristine, considering Koh Kwang doesn’t seem to be maintained. There’s barely any garbage on the fine white sand. The only debris is natural, like fallen leaves and wood chips. The beach isn’t pebbly or filled with sharp shells, so we didn’t need water shoes to swim. The waves and currents were gentle and manageable all day, perfect for casual swimming.
Beach Area
Koh Kwang is a much quieter beach than Khlong Muang. There are only three small restaurants on the strip, and none play music. Sea-Doos, jet-skiing, parasailing and other typical beach activities aren’t a thing here. There’s only the peaceful sound of the waves and the occasional whirr of a boat going by. Oh, and all of the cars driving past on the road.
There are no public loungers at Koh Kwang beach. The only lounge chairs are at the Mukrada House Hometel and the Sofitel Krabi, and they are clearly for hotel guests only. I’m not sure about the Sofitel, but Mukrada has their cafe right next to the loungers, so you probably can’t get away with just taking one. However, Mukrada might let you use one if you order something from the cafe. If you’re content to just lay on the sand, there are shaded patches where you can put your towel down.
Unlike some other beaches in Thailand, no one will bother you at Koh Kwang Beach. No local vendors were strolling the beach trying to sell junk. There weren’t even any boatmen calling out to sell tours – they all have a kiosk on the main road. I found this to be a welcome reprieve from Phuket, where it feels like I had to turn down peddlers every twenty minutes.
All of the beachgoers are guests at the nearby small hotels. Koh Kwang is a safe beach where you can leave your stuff on the beach while swimming with little worry. No macaques are around either, so you can have snacks out unattended, too. When the day cools down and the tourists head back inside, the locals come to the beach. In the evening, Thai families and couples have picnics on the sand.
Saturday Worthy?
I enjoyed Koh Kwang Beach so much that it might bump Langkawi as our go-to beach vacation destination. Although the beach hotels are not on the beach, they are just on the other side of the road. Popping back to the room to use the bathroom or grab a beer was no big deal and took less than a minute. We frequently walked from our room to the beach in only our swimwear and no shoes. The three restaurants are okay for a drink or a snack but not a real mealtime option. It’s a pleasant walk along the beach to all the bars and restaurants at Khlong Muang that I didn’t mind doing every day.
I would pick Koh Kwang over Tubkaek Beach. Although Tubkaek has an arguably nicer view of the islands, it’s a shallow shore. At low tide, you have to walk out forever to get to deep enough water, and the beach is unpicturesque with stretches of mucky sand.
Koh Kwang is in a sweet spot where it’s far enough away from the bustle of Khlong Muang Beach yet close enough to walk to book a tour, visit a bar, or grab supplies at 7-Eleven. It’s about a ten-minute walk from Koh Kwang’s three beachside cafes to the hub of beach restaurants at Khlong Muang (O2 Bar, Gina Pasta). If you want to be close to the action but have a quiet beach, Koh Kwang is the one.
