Koh Chang — Sea-View Coffee,
Hilltop Cafés Over the Jungle and Bay

This is the café people think of first on Koh Chang — west-coast spots right by the sea, with beanbags or tables set out to catch the breeze while you sip a coffee and watch the waves. White Sand and Klong Prao are where they cluster thickest. The drinks to order are coconut coffee, an iced americano and cold drinks for the heat. To be straight with you, the coffee ranges from fine to good, but what people come for is the sea view and the evening sky. Best around the hour before sunset.

Koh Chang is a mountainous island, so there are cafés set high on the hills for a jungle-and-bay panorama. Several are up in the Kai Bae valley and the hills around the island, with decks reaching out for a 270-degree view of sea, islands and forest. They suit a mid-morning coffee with a snack, or a sunset from up high. To be straight with you, many sit on very steep roads — riding a scooter up takes care — so if you're not used to steep hills, take a songthaew or hire a car to drive you up.

For people here for the coffee, not just the view, Koh Chang has small slow bars using Thai single-origin beans from Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and the northern hills, brewed as V60 or AeroPress so each cup tastes clear and distinct. Some roast their own on the island. The mood is plain and friendly, and the barista will talk you through the beans and the brew. It's coffee-first, not a fancy view café, and not much dearer than the view spots. Good for a hot filter coffee in the morning before you head out, or a stop mid-day on the west-coast road.

Koh Chang is in the tropics with plenty of coconuts and fruit, and the island's cafés lean right into it. Coconut coffee blends espresso with fresh coconut water or coconut milk for a sweet, creamy, cooling cup — some shops serve it inside a real coconut. There are also iced coffees with fruit, blended coconut drinks, fresh-fruit smoothies and pressed juices. They suit the island's hot, humid air perfectly, and you'll find them in beachfront cafés and at juice stalls all over the island. If you get the chance to sit at a beachfront café as the sun softens, this is the cup to order.

Koh Chang has a fair few long-stay expats, so there are brunch-style cafés and all-day places that pair coffee with food. Menus tend to run from croissants, eggs, toast, salads and burgers to wood-fired pizza and one-plate Thai dishes. They're a spot to settle into for breakfast or lunch, good on a day when you want a full meal with a big coffee. Some sit on the beach to catch the breeze, others in a green garden — an easy, slow-island mood with nowhere you need to be.

If you want a decent cup cheaply before a full day at the beach, Koh Chang has chain coffee like Cafe Amazon at petrol stations and service points, plus fresh coffee from convenience stores. It's a lot lighter on the wallet than a view café, pouring a steady americano, latte and iced drinks. It's a good morning cup before you board a boat for snorkelling, or a top-up mid-day — no need to drive up a hill. Grab it and get straight back to your day.

The drink that suits Koh Chang best — espresso shaken or poured over fresh coconut water or coconut milk for a sweet, creamy, cooling cup. Some shops serve it inside a real coconut so you sip and scoop the flesh as you go; others blend it over ice. It's a cup that fits the island's hot, humid air and a sea view perfectly. If you get the chance to sit at a beachfront café as the sun softens, this is the one to order.

The heart of the island's slow bars — Thai single-origin beans from Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai or the northern hills, hand-brewed as V60 or AeroPress so each cup tastes clear and distinct, from floral and fruity notes to a sweet caramel finish. Some cafés on the island roast their own. Order it hot in the morning before you head out and let the barista point you to a bean — it's the best, most rewarding way to drink coffee on Koh Chang.

On a hot island the cold drinks are the heroes. An iced americano over a full glass of ice is the go-to order for anyone who wants caffeine without the sweetness. Many cafés also do tropical-fruit drinks with mango or passionfruit and fresh-pressed juices, plus iced coffees with fruit and soda. They suit an afternoon when the sun is strong, or a takeaway to drink on the beach — an easy order for a chilled-out island day.

Brunch cafés on Koh Chang tend to have food alongside the coffee — croissants, bread, cake, egg tarts and brunch plates like eggs, avocado toast and one-plate Thai dishes. Some bake their own bread and pastries through the day. Pick what you like to go with a big coffee, sit for a whole breakfast or lunch, and take it slow with a filter coffee or latte in the late morning — an easy island breakfast with nowhere you need to be, good for a relaxed day with nothing much planned.