Walking to the Other End of Koh Wai

Feb 25, 2026     Thailand     My Adventures
AKA NOT Getting to Grand Mar (Ao Yai Ma). Yeah sure, there's a path to take you there - ha!
There's not a ton to do on Koh Wai, so since I had already done the sunset path, I figured I would walk to the beach and restaurant at the end; Grand Mar, Ao Yai Ma.

What I thought would be a pleasant walk along that I knew would be a somewhat rustic trail, turned out to be something more along the lines of unpleasant.

Yeah sure I know a good bit of it is because my physical stamina has taken a nosedive since I got sick, but regardless of the reason, I failed at reaching my goal. But what's worse, I didn't entirely enjoy myself.

Today looking back on it, I thought I might try it again. How could it have possibly seemed so bad? If I wear a different shoes and go a little earlier in the day, it should be fine. But I think I best leave that to people of normal health. LoL

I headed off at 1:30, figuring I would get to the restaurant in about 45 minutes and have some lunch then a swim.
As it turns out, it was much further than I thought so it's a good thing I didn't try to reach the end. A friend of mine from the hotel went and it took him an hour and a half each direction! Much further than I had read elsewhere.

He said there were quite a few beaches along the way, multiple abandoned hotels (sad), and only about three bungalows at the end with the restaurant.
You head through the Good Feelings restaurant past all their, um, belongings that may present as piles of rubbish, and down the trail.
The pipes running along the path feed water to the bungalows 10 minutes down the way on the beach. Light bulb lights the way for those brave enough to walk to the restaurant after dark.
The pipes running along the path feed water to the bungalows 10 minutes down the way on the beach. Light bulb lights the way for those brave enough to walk to the restaurant after dark.
The trail has PVC pipes along the side and electrical wires overhead with bulbs every so often. This must be lit at night. Ooh I'm very clever.

20 plus years ago the path was lit because it led to another hotel where Mom and Steve stayed and there was a bat in their bathroom. LoL

I see in the short distance a giant pagoda pavilion out in the water that has definitely been long abandoned. And then further I see day tour snorkel boats. That must be my destination.

The path goes from rocks and dirt, to roots, to rocks and dirt again.

About 10 minutes in I come across five or six bungalows on a nice beach. White sand, turquoise blue water, par for the course here on the island.
I talked to one of the renters and they say it's part of the Good Feelings hotel. Wow, that's a bit of a rough walk to get to the restaurant! At least they have an attached bathroom so if you bring some of your own food you're okay for a bit. 900 baht / night.

It's weird I don't see any evidence of where Mom and Steve's hotel was. It wasn't further than this, was it? No way it could have been. Especially because the end of the beach is a rocky outcrop and there's really no continuance of the path.

So that leads to my next dilema. The bungalow guy said he saw some women clamor over the rocks at the end and said it didn't look very safe but that they didn't return.
At the end of the beach where the Good Feelings bungalows are, you have to climb of these rocks at the end. The path will be evident as soon as you climb up just a little bit.
At the end of the beach where the Good Feelings bungalows are, you have to climb of these rocks at the end. The path will be evident as soon as you climb up just a little bit.
Coming down the rocks from the other direction, the pet follows this blue line down to the Good Feelings beach.
Coming down the rocks from the other direction, the pet follows this blue line down to the Good Feelings beach.
Like an idiot I decided to check behind the bungalows first. I climbed up a steep leafy rocky area that led to nowhere so I had to climb back down. I wasted time and energy on that.

As I was climbing down, praying that my feet didn't slip out from under me, Shelly's voice echoed my head "Don't do anything stupid, we're old now." Yeah, I think this counts. :(

Because it was low tide I ended up walking through the water around the rocky outcrop, the one the women climbed over. Then all of a sudden, aha! I could see the path! Up the rocks I went to get to the path. These are definitely not the best shoes for this.

I started to turn to the right to at least see where the path came out on the side where I couldn't find it, but what's the point? Fuck it, I've come this far I'm going to keep going. If the tide comes in I might be screwed. And the way I panic over water this might be a bad idea.

At this point the path, if you can call it that, is just wet rocks. Crap, my sandals decided they are not meant for this at all. Both of them turned sideways on my feet! Omg. Only one scrape on my foot, not bad. WTF am I doing? :( This is not what I thought it was going to be.
LMAO This is the first time my z sandals have failed me so far. They both turned completely sideways on my feet! At this point I really wondering if I should be doing this.
LMAO This is the first time my z sandals have failed me so far. They both turned completely sideways on my feet! At this point I really wondering if I should be doing this.
One small cut on my foot, not bad
One small cut on my foot, not bad
But I see bungalows up ahead. Turns out they are the abandoned ones to go along with the pavilion. Maybe these are the ones where Mom and Steve stayed in the path used to be better to find. Who knows. Seeing stuff like this always makes me want to rehab one of them and live in it. There's a Thai guy eating in the restaurant. He points at the roof and says something. "New" ? Or is it a Thai word I don't understand. The sign says Koh Wai Green Resort but I think that's the old name.

After the rocky outcropping is where a lot of the plastic and garbage starts. A few places it looks like someone has tried to rake it up, but to no avail. It's not bad at Koh Wai Green itself but meh, the other beaches are better.

There are kayaks for rent out front and one or two of the bungalows look habitable. Hmmm. Yeah "hmmm" is about all the energy I have for that at the moment.
This is at the abandoned hotel. Not completely abandoned
This is at the abandoned hotel. Not completely abandoned
By now I'm quite hot and tired and my legs are not feeling it. Unfortunately I can't go any further. I'm a little disappointed in myself. A lot disappointed in myself. I've gone about half an hour but that includes part of the time I wasted going up the steep incline looking for the path. It's probably another 15 minutes to my destination where I could stop and swim and eat at the restaurant.

Nope, I need to turn around. Good thing too because my quads are now telling me that they are about to give out. If I don't get back soon I won't be moving at all. Damn. Mitochondrial damage and lack of ATP production (or whatever the fuck) sucks.

I could use a break so I stopped at the Good Feeling bungalow beach and went for a snorkel. Oh, the water was so cool and nice. Super shallow but it was enough to see some fish and have a nice little rest.

10 minutes to get home from there. I took a shower, got dried off (which doesn't last long of course because soon I'm soon dripping in sweat, but hey, I'll take it for a minute), and went straight to the restaurant for something to eat. I'm starving now at 3:30 p.m.
Ahhh, sustenance. Delicious vegetable fried rice never tasted so good
Ahhh, sustenance. Delicious vegetable fried rice never tasted so good
Haven't had my little guilty pleasure in a while. Fanta orange. Can I claim that my blood sugar feels a little low??
Haven't had my little guilty pleasure in a while. Fanta orange. Can I claim that my blood sugar feels a little low??

0 Comments

Submit Your Comment
Thank you! Your comment has been received. :) It will be posted as soon as I get a chance to read it first.
Sorry, don't know what happened. Try later :(
Your email will not be shared or spammed in any way. It is only as extra assurance that you are a real person! ;) Leslie's Travel Snacks reserves the right to delete any comment that is abusive, self-promoting, nonconstructive, mean, or otherwise not in the spirit of this website.
 
Hi, I'm Leslie! I hope to inspire you to budget travel on as little as $30/day, lend a few travel tips, share some real stories, and give useful information on the places I've been
... the type of information that I search for before I travel to a place.
AmélieBoutik  Short Sleeve Bolero

AmélieBoutik Short Sleeve Bolero

This SS open front bolero cropped cardigan shrug is just enough to turn a tank top into a more modest shoulders-covered top. Expands your travel wardrobe without taking up space.

Shop This my recommended gear, not an ad #affiliatelink