Koh Chang is part of an archipelago of about fifty islands, most of which are part of “Mu Ko Chang National Park”, a protected marine national park of about 650 sqkm.

Koh Chang is the largest island in the archipelago, the most populous and the most touristic and also the one whose development is the most advanced, with many real estate projects and many new developments every year, as you can see on our website.

The other two main islands in the national park are Koh Mak and Koh Kut.

Koh Mak Island

Koh Mak is a small island of about 15 sqkm., located a little less than 50 km from the mainland.

 

 

 

Koh Mak is very different from Koh Chang as it is still underdeveloped when it comes to tourism.

Even though there are some successful real estate projects in Koh Mak (villas, resorts), the island is still preserved and passes under the radar of mass tourism and unthoughtful development.

Let’s be clear: Koh Chang is a fabulous island and we love it ! but Koh Mak is a true paradise on Earth – the calm, the heavenly landscapes, and the serenity that reign there have no common measure.

Its limited size and flat relief allow you to bicycle around the island within a day. Koh Mak – in contrast with Koh Chang : steep and mountainous – lends itself to transport by bicycle, by foot or electric car. The lack of cars makes it a haven of tranquility (only one monthly ferry allows car transportation from the mainland). The island features beaches with crystal clear turquoise water and incredible views of the surrounding islands.

All in all, the island is a perfect place to spend a family / couple holiday stay. But it won’t be ideal for all : unlike Koh Chang, there are very few parties and the night life of Koh Mak is almost nonexistent – no fuss, no sound, only a few bars. Extinguishing fires at midnight !

Koh Mak’s small population (about 600 people) is keeping a very close eye on the preservation of this serenity and the population manages the island locally : there are frequent local elections where only native people can vote and ecology / eco-responsible development matters are always on the table.

The island is open to foreigners, tourists and expatriates (about 700 beds can welcome tourists) – many foreigners have developed shops and business in Koh Mak, but certain conditions must be respected. For example, some have tried to open night bars or girl bars in Koh Mak but local families have never accepted this direction. Koh Mak population make a point of honor to keep the island as it is now.

However, even though the island is not affected by mass tourism, it enjoys sufficient development and does not depend on the continent or on Koh Chang : its medical center, its school, its temple, some handfuls of resorts (around 45) and restaurants and various activities related to nature and the sea (diving, hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, etc ..) are more than enough to accommodate tourists who are in the quest of another Thailand.

There are 2 main areas, in Koh Mak, both on the west coast, attached to the 2 main beaches of the island :
– Ao Kao, in the south west coast, is the most popular beach, with about fifteen hotels / resort. The beach is 5 km long : longer than the longest beach of Koh Chang.
– Ao Suan Yai, on the North West coast with only a a few resorts sharing long stretches of the sandy beach.

There are also other more isolated areas and villages on the island, as you can see on the map below :

 

But the point of this page is not to present the island, as there are already many good websites doing it much better than us, with complete information and advice :


Real Estate in Koh Mak

In early 2019, Dee One Property’s team went to Koh Mak for prospection and for meeting some local owners wishing to sell their properties. We were well received and the local families understood that our intention was not to denature Koh Mak. Our mission is to centralize offers and demands of Real Estate market in the area, to make potential buyers and existing sellers to meet each other, not to interfere with local governance, even less to sell the island to mass tourism.

Unlike Koh Chang where 90% of the island’s surface is protected by strict laws that forbids development and private ownership (which is a chance for the island), Koh Mak is entirely composed of private lands, which can therefore be exchanged, bought, sold, owned and developed. The island is besides the biggest entirely private island of Thailand.

Many good lands and properties with Chanote title deeds are for sale in Koh Mak, sometimes with direct beach fronts or sea view (the near totality of the island has sea view though).

We will list some of the most interesting properties below. For a complete list you can consult this page : Properties for Sale in Koh Mak

With only a small part in Koh Chang, there are still a lot of  Chanote land for sale with moderate sizes, near the beaches, ready to build. Usually these lands are perfect for residential projects (villas, condos) or small bungalows / resorts.

 

For example :

As you can see the average price of small lands in Koh Mak (~3 M. / Rai) is much lower than in Koh Chang.

Some villas are available as well, with competitive prices :

Better still ! Very large beachfront and large direct beachfront lots are available for sale and operational for large real estate projects. Once again, the prices are lower than in Koh Chang. Much lower ! Beware, however, locals will never accept large hotels and projects that would go against the local mentality we described earlier :

At last, some existing businesses with excellent reputation are also on the market, like this resort + land for sale :

 

In the future, Koh Mak will develop. Take it for granted.

However, thanks to a strong and mindful local attitude and way of seeing the future, the island will never know (we hope so) an unthoughtful development like other places in Thailand. Whereas it can be seen as a sort of curb to economic growth, we believe it’s a chance for Koh Mak to stay the true and unbelievably beautiful paradise it is nowadays.

Here lies a true balance between development and preservation – Koh Chang could benefit from Koh Mak population’s experience and take Koh Mak as a development model. We hope to be part of this in the near future.

Contact us for any enquiry about the island.