Why so much love for Koh Chang?

I am fussy and spoiled for choice in the land of smiles. Perhaps I am verging on high maintenance (Blame the GF). But fuck, where are the beaches Koh Chang? Oh, there they are, littered along the awful strip of White Sands (think Pattaya complete with Russians and hookers and Russian hookers) and buried beneath the dreadlocked patchouli festation on Lonely/Nature beach. I mean, I had a great time, especially when we went lush for a week at GajaPuri - THAT PLACE WAS PHENOMENAL! But when the budget kicked in we found ourselves in a beachless resort for a few days and then in a boat themed resort complete with an anchored cruise ship-turned hotel (ridiculous, kinda scuzzy, but satisfactory because of the cruise/ghostship). Look, we made our own fun and we made do with what we had and what we wanted to spend, all I am saying is that if you could instead go to Krabi or Ko Phan Ngan or maybe even Phuket, then you prolly should do it. OK, maybe not Phuket. 

But if you love rocky shores and overpriced 1950s beach resorts you will love Koh Chang. Or if you are happy with a little grot for a spot on the beach you will also find some heaven. But if you are of the flash packing variety who needs a little AC with her clean sheets you might want to reconsider the long drive to this far away land - unless you have some dollars to spend. In which case you will check into GajaPuri and never leave! 

You see what I love about the beaches and islands of Thailand is that they were quietly discovered and converted into hippy refuges before they slowly emerged into the flashpacking scene which meant that I could find myself a comfortable (CLEAN, A/C'd, ENSUITED) room for less than 50 bucks that was within spitting distance to the whitest bloody sand you could imagine. Heck, if you are lucky your comfortable room is on the fucking sand. But Chang seems to have been discovered by the resorts. They stole all the beach access. They built behemoth resorts and jacked up their prices but haven't renovated in 50 years. I WANT A HUT WITH A/C, CLEAN SHEETS, CLEAN ENSUITE AND A HAMMOCK. ON THE SAND.  Is this too much to ask for Ko Chang, is it?!?!?

Oh God, I sound like a freaking whiner. And you are thinking that I went to Koh Chang and I hated it. But I didn't. And you are freaking out cos you are already on your way there. Shit, sorry. Relax. It is fine. You'll find roti and squid and beer and sand and crystal clear water and nemo fish. You can avoid the hookers or pay for em. You can buy sarongs and plait your hair. You can get a fake tattoo or a real one. You can buy a bucket with sharing straws and drink it all by yourself. It's the real deal, it's Thailand. It's all there. It's just not as awesome as what you will find elsewhere – it's a long way to go for it not to be awesome. Don't you think?

I mean lucky for me I went with awesome people. So clearly I didn't give a shit about the other stuff.