Introduction
Koh Jum is a beautiful island off the West coast of Thailand, in the Krabi region. If you want to get away from it all to lounge on a quiet beach, Koh Jum is an excellent choice. It has been somewhat overlooked by tourists, perhaps because its beaches are not quite as pristine as its neighbouring islands Ko Phi-Phi and Ko Lanta. To be fair, the beaches on Koh Jum are rockier, but don't let that put you off. They are still beautiful, you can do some great swimming and snorkelling and you hardly have to share the beach with anyone else. There really isn't much to do here, but that is kind of the point. It's one of the most relaxing places you will ever find.
Map of the Island
Where To Stay in Koh Jum
There are six main beaches located along the Western coast of the island, each with a number of resorts to choose from. From North to South they are:
Coconut Beach: a beautiful, untouched corner of the island where you can really feel like a castaway.
North Beach: quite rocky and secluded. Very basic accommodation can be found here if you're on a tight budget.
Ting Rai Beach: can fell like a private beach as a couple of high end resorts are located here. Amazing views of Phang Nga Bay can be seen.
Ao Si Beach: small and beautiful, with amazing sunsets. Slightly difficult to access but worth it for one of the most picturesque parts of the island. With Jungle Hill, one of the most well established and popular accommodation options, and the Sun Smile resort located here, Ao Si is definitely worth considering.
Golden Pearl Beach: the most popular beach on the island, and with good reason. Less rocky than most other beaches, good accommodation options and the best beach bar in the world, FU Bar. Despite being the most popular beach, you still might have the whole thing to yourself at times.
Andaman Beach: essentially, this is just the bottom half of golden pearl beach; they are connected. Some cheaper options here. Popular with families.
Accommodation Recommendation
Golden Pearl Beach Resort
Located on a perfect stretch of Golden Pearl Beach, this is our top pick for the island. There is a restaurant on site that does a good range of Thai dishes as well as some Western food. There is a wide range of accommodation options, from 450B (£11) for the most basic bungalows, up to 2000B (£50) for an A/C bungalow right on the beach. We treated ourselves here and we didn't regret it. Our bungalow was spacious, clean and less than a stones throw from the sea. The bathrooms are quite cool too, as they are sort of outdoor. It's still private, no one can see you, but they're open aired so it really feels like you're having a shower outside surrounded by palm trees. Also, the staff were really nice, and the main bonus is that the resort is home to the best beach bar in the world where you can pull up a stool and knock back a few cocktails to the sound of reggae music and the waves. Be aware, Golden Pearl isn't on booking.com, so you might have to email them to book it.
goldenpearlbeach.resort@gmail.com
Alternatives:
Jungle Hill Beach Bungalow, just north of Golden Pearl on Ao Si beach. Cool, friendly place to stay with stunning views. From 600B (£15) for basic bungalow in the gardens, up to 2500B (£60) for a deluxe beachfront bungalow.
Koh Jum Freedom Resort, right on the Southern tip of the island. Good for a quiet getaway. From 1500B (£36) for a double room with sea view, to 3500B (£85) for a super cool beach bungalow built around a rock.
Koh Jum Delight Beach: bang in the centre of Andaman Beach, this is a favourite for family trips. From 1500B (£36) for a basic fan room, to 4500B (£110) for a family beach front villa.
What To Do in Koh Jum
There isn't much in the way of organised activities on Koh Jum. It's a place for relaxing, drinking cocktails on the beach and swimming. However, most resorts will rent out scooters or bicycles if you want to get out and explore the island. There is a track that runs north-south, and you will see some amazing scenery along the way. You can do snorkeling on most beaches. Koh Jum is rocky, so you need to be a bit careful not to scratch your legs in some parts, but the rocks also mean you can see lots of tropical fish and do some fun rockpooling when the tide goes out. If you're really feeling restless and want to have a bit of an adventure, you could do a day trip to some of the nearby islands such as Phi Phi, Bamboo Island, Chicken Island and the incredibly beautiful Koh Poda.
Where To Eat & Drink in Koh Jum
Golden Pearl
One of the best reasons to stay at Golden Pearl Beach Resort is the restaurant, which offers some of the better food on the island. There is quite an extensive menu of seafood, traditional Thai food and some standard Western dishes. In high season they have regular seafood barbecues.
Rosa's Hong Yog
This simple cafe is a real treat and the lady who runs it, Rosa, is funny and friendly. They do a full menu, but the best time to come here is for breakfast. The omelettes with fried potato (a bit like a Spanish tortilla) are absolutely delicious, as were the blueberry pancakes. It is super cheap too. You'll find it just off the main road between Golden Pearl and Ao Si beach.
Koh Jum Seafood Restaurant
This is a Koh Jum institution. It's found in the main village, Baan Koh Jum, in the South-East corner of the island. It is the oldest restaurant on the island and not only offers excellent fresh seafood, but also impressive views over the mangroves where you can watch local fisherman catching tomorrow's dinner.
Halal Food Restaurant
I haven't actually got around to eating here yet, but I have only heard good things so I included it anyway. Many have reported that it's the best place to eat on the island. It's up on the main road, behind Magic Beach.
Rim Tang Restaurant & Cooking School
Also located in the small village of Baan Koh Jum, this funky restaurant offers up tasty Thai and Western food. The Thai curries are especially tasty. If you're feeling short of activities on the island, you could head to Rim Tang to do a cooking class.
Drinking
There isn't really any bars so to speak of on Koh Jum, but there are plenty of little beach bars:
FU Bar is the pick of the bunch. Cracking cocktails, a great atmosphere and good music.
Rock Bar, just around the corner, is a nice spot to grab a beer, and a cushion for the floor, to sit and watch the sunset.
Loma Bar on Magic Beach has long been a favourite on the island. Good music and cold beer on one of the most picturesque beaches. (Loma bar has now changed its name to Same Same Loma Bar).
Stone Bar is just a bit further up magic beach from Loma. A typical reggae beach bar, with regular live music and fire shows.
How To Get To/From
As you would expect, there is no airport on Koh Jum. However, there is an airport in nearby Krabi and most resorts will happily arrange transport for you from there, for a small fee. This will involve a driver picking you up at the airport and taking you to Klong Jilad pier, where you'll be put on a tiny little ferry (probably packed with supplies for the island). That will get you to the pier in Baan Koh Jum, where someone from your resort should be waiting to pick you up. In our case we had a boy who couldn't have been older than 12 on a little sidecar-style tuk tuk that could only turn left! A little bit of a shock, but the roads are so quiet and you're never going to be going far.
To head back out, you can either go the same way back to Krabi, or if you're heading straight to nearby island like Lanta or Phi Phi, your resort will be able to arrange a ferry. This will involve you getting a longtail boat out from your resort (usually included in the price) to meet the ferry in open water. Again, a little bit scary but these guys know what they're doing.
A word of warning- the ferries all stop in the rainy season and Koh Jum pretty much shuts down, in a tourism sense, from the end of April until November.
