Coral Cove Beach got its name from the bay on the eastern side of Samui, between Chaweng Noi and Tongtakian beaches. If you haven’t explored the island thoroughly yet, for easier orientation you can think of Coral Cove as lying between Chaweng and Lamai – beaches you’re certainly familiar with.
Beach Overview
Coral Cove means exactly what it says – a “Coral Bay”. It’s only 580 feets (180 metres) long including massive boulders that hide a small patch of sand from the main beach. The entire 580 feets (180 m) shoreline with a width of 80 feets (25 metres) is covered with coarse reddish sand with coral fragments mixed in. The area behind the boulders has even coarser sand which is unpleasant to walk on barefoot and downright painful under the midday sun.
The sand is loose like at Maenam, making walks difficult and giving you dodgy footing on the steep shoreline slope when entering the water.
Due to its small size and lack of infrastructure, Coral Cove is one of the cleanest and best-kept beaches on Samui. Not even the small stream bed spoils it – this nearly dries up in hot weather but serves as drainage during the wet season downpours. If you’re interested in reading about other spots, I have a brief overview of all Samui beaches to help you choose the right beach.
Swimming
The water at Coral Bay’s shoreline is free of silt and marine debris, very clean. The depth at Coral Cove comes on quickly, so you can’t see with the naked eye what’s on the bottom. The shore drops off rapidly and your feet lose touch with the bottom just three steps from the beach.
It’s nerve-wracking holidaying with children on this beach and it’s best not to let them into the water alone. Because of its depth, Coral Cove doesn’t change during low tides but is subject to high waves especially in windy and stormy weather.
Sunbeds and Shade
Sunbeds are available at nearby hotels but are only for their guests. The abundance of natural shade from palm trees and rocks makes for comfortable DIY holidaying. Most people arrive here on motorbikes with just one towel in the storage compartment.
Beach Photos
Amenities
Coral Cove is located 1.9 miles (3 km) from Chaweng and 2.5 miles (4 km) from Lamai. That’s where you’ll find the nearest signs of civilisation. The Lotus’s hypermarket in Lamai is 3 miles (5 km) from Coral Cove, and the “big three” hypermarkets in Chaweng are 5 miles (8 km) away, about 15-20 minutes by car through Chaweng traffic. Attractions within five minutes of Coral Cove Beach:
- snorkelling;
- Elephant Rock – a cliff hanging over the Ring Road at one of the sharp bends towards Lamai;
- several viewpoints.
There’s a volleyball net on the beach and one small Thai restaurant. If you turn right after reaching the beach, walk through the boulders and a separate patch of beach with coarse sand, you’ll hit a pile of rocks. Just behind them is a hidden, hard-to-reach beach where people rarely appear – a tip for nudists π
Accommodation
Coral Cove is 170 feets (50 metres) from the Ring Road. This distance was enough to fit just one hotel – Coral Cove Chalet 4, which is divided into two types of buildings: resort and chalet, differing in comfort and price. On the other side of the road, the mountain slope begins, and somewhere up there are three more resorts, but there are no private houses in this area.
You’ll find the nearest rental accommodation only in Lamai. If you want to book a hotel here in advance or look for accommodation on other beaches, I have a selection of hotels on Samui with good ratings and reviews.
How to Find the Beach
There’s only one entrance to the beach and getting there is quite straightforward. The main thing is not to go too fast on the stretch of road where there’s a blue Beach Republic sign, visible if you’re coming from Chaweng. You can use as a landmark the patch of roadside trampled by cars and bikes where people leave their parked vehicles.
Directly opposite is the turn-off towards the sea. There’s parking below as well, but it’s small and often filled with cars. Two or three pickups are enough to leave no room to turn around, especially during an influx of scooter visitors.
