"Koh Chang - island in the sun" Ko Chang by Saagar

Why Koh Chang?
My response to this was - the weather! I visited during a season where the Pukhet side would be turbulent and the Siam Bay islands around Koh Samui would be overcast and perhaps rainy. Koh Samui has the best sun record among the islands of Thailand.

There are other reasons why you should visit: the island is part of a huge archipelago that you can explore. The interior of the island has a decent jungle, some of it protected, with interesting wildlife and plants. Toursim has been well developed, perhaps somebody should whisper to the planners that tourism if continuing the same path will be sawing off the branch it sits on. A saturation point has been reached.

All the things you can do in and with warm water and calm seas. I enjoy swimming and snorkelling; the latter is a fairly limited affair on Koh Chang itself, but still fun.
You can enjoy quiet days on this fairly quiet island. If you land in a real resort (e.g. "resort" is sometimes the name for an average hotel in Thailand) you can enjoy all the in-house services and recuperate.
You can go fishing, boating, diving, cruising among the other islands east and southeast of Koh Chang.
Travel around the island to see the communities, there are things to buy, good food to eat, people to meet.
If you want to go partying, there are pockets of resistance to resort tourism, especially on the south-west beaches, in particular the backpackers and post-hippy-style Lonely Beach' southern stretch.
The natural heritage, especially the inland Koh Chang jungles can be visited, best with a guide.
Time will pass well on Koh Chang and you will feel you have gained time...

Toursm has arrived, you an get it here or fly away

Tourism has a huge impact on Koh Chang, and perhaps begining to consume the value of the island's heritage.
Choose your hotel or resort with care; not all "resorts" are resorts and not all "beach hotels" have direct beach access.
There is not a huge selection of things to be bought on Koh Chang, and the settlements are some distance apart, so bring your key things with you. Shops are weak on technology, for instance.
It is not a good island for walking (apart from the jungle hikes that can be real adventures), it is rugged along the shore, and private properties, hotels, quays and the road hugs the shoreline. The single nearly-around-the-island road has no sidewalk/pavement for walkers.

• Pros:Easily accesible, visiting made easy
• Cons:Tourism impact, privatisation of access
• In a nutshell:Nice place to visit, happy to come again