A 4W-drive or motorbike, and some skillful driving, is a must to access this beach. The "road" is a length of dusty rock and rubble that winds around the islands steep ridges and ascends its folds to a dizzying height. There were many turns at which I held my breath! Rather rudementary attempts have been made to secure parts of the road that have callasped back into the cliff, but given that Long Beach, Koh Chang, Thailand is only home to a few beach bungalows and a restaurant, maybe there isn't yet the monetary incentive.
Being underdeveloped and off the beaten track though, is exactly what gives the beach its appeal. Lonely Beach, another beach on the island, is ironically the more popular of the two. Apart from "David" - a man who tells me he's been at Long Beach for 40 days and whose tan is deeper than the dark brown shorts he's wearing - no one bothers me. (And I think he only talked to me to drum up business for the hand-made trinkets he had hanging from a tree.) 
The Tree House, with its cushions, bamboo-stick bar and chilled-out music is a hippy's paradise. While I sipped on my coconut and wound down to the beat of the house/reggae mix, I looked at the bandana-totting, ankle bead-wearing beach goers around me and couldn't help think that maybe they have the right idea after all. I walked "Long" Beach in about 10 minutes (so it wasn't that long) and passed by the wooden bungalows, set right on the shore's bank with their occupants tanning on the sand, just infront. Some girls even topless! (I've been in Dubai too long now - everything shocks me).
(Trip from Feb 2011)
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