The Galaxy Ghost Ship

For years, the Galaxy Ghost Ship has been parked in an inlet on Koh Chang. It was built with the intention of being a floating hotel, but it is now closed and abandoned.

The Galaxy was a genuine ship that had a leak and had to be converted into a hotel. It was once part of a much larger resort that shuttered a few years ago for reasons that are still unknown.

Nobody really knows for certain why the resort and the Galaxy were closed down.

You used to be able to stay on board this hotel during your vacation to the island. It was also reasonably priced! A room would have cost you only 1000 THB per night, according to previous stories.

That wasn’t all, though.

The Galaxy was part of the Koh Chang Grand Lagoona Resort, a much larger luxury resort in the Bay of Ao Bang Bao with multiple artificial lakes, a beautiful beach, and a variety of other types of lodgings to choose from, including timber lodges, bungalows, chalets, and floating houses.

A pool house in the shape of a boat was even available.

So, if you’re stuck for something to do one afternoon, take the opportunity to visit the original Koh Chang ghost ship.

On a motorcycle, ride to Bang Bao Beach on Koh Chang’s far western tip and continue along the small road that runs behind the beach.

Someone will emerge out of nowhere and ask for a 100 THB entrance charge. For this, you get a drink and access to the entire complex, as well as the opportunity to relax on the beach.

While most sun-seekers are happy sipping cocktails on a beach while relaxing on holiday, you’re more likely find me trekking through the overgrowth in my flip flops looking for an abandoned site, courtesy of an internet tip-off, determination and a bit of explorer’s luck.

Now, if I could just get myself a ticket to the island of Koh Chang in Thailand to conquer my latest urbex calling– a giant ghost cruise liner, slowly decaying in the midst of an abandoned paradise resort.

At the very end of an island that takes no more than an hour to cross, cemented to the land of a beautiful deserted beach is The Galaxy, a seven-deck, seventy bedroom ship that belongs to a larger resort which closed down several years ago in circumstances unknown.

Formerly known as the Koh Chang Grand Lagoona Resort, located on Bang Bao Bay (Ao Bang Bao), the rest of the supposed five star resort includes various smaller floating accommodations, including fishing boats and chalets, some in various stages of disrepair and others mysteriously well-maintained.

Once recognized as the most modern floating hotel in Thailand, it supposedly was a Thai billionaire’s vision of what a luxury island resort should look like.

According to this travel blog posted in 2011, to stay on the Galaxy, rooms cost 699 baht per night which would equate to just under $20.

ABC Flash Point News 2023.