Koh Larn (Coral Island)

Koh Larn (also spelt Ko Lan, and nicknamed Coral Island) is the easy island escape from Pattaya — a small island a few kilometres offshore with the clear turquoise water and white sand the main bay lacks. Several beaches ring the island, from busy Tawaen with its watersports and loungers to quieter coves you can reach by songthaew or scooter.

It works brilliantly as a half- or full-day trip: swim, snorkel, eat seafood on the sand, and catch a ferry back before dark.

One practical thing that catches people out: you cannot hire a car on Koh Larn. Getting around is by rented motorbike, by songthaew, or on foot — which is fine, because the island is small, but it does mean arriving with a plan if anyone in the group cannot ride or walk far.

The island has also opened a visitor attraction that sounds unpromising and is genuinely interesting: an exhibit explaining how a tiny island copes with the waste generated by very large numbers of day trippers. Not the reason to come, but a better half hour than you would expect.