We have been slowly moving up the Malay Peninsula since we landed in Singapore on January 19. From Singapore we moved north through Peninsular Malaysia, then did some island hopping in Malaysia before taking a ferry to Thailand.
We had originally planned to stay in Krabi, Thailand. I had fallen in love with that town and its beaches 15 years ago when I went on a three-month backpacking trip. From what I’ve read online, it seems that Krabi and Ao Nang are quite the tourist hotspot these days. So, I made Koh Lanta our destination instead. Everyone in Facebook travel groups had great things to say about Lanta and it was actually a little more direct on the ferry route from Langkawi.
I booked a two bedroom apartment through Airbnb in a pretty central location on the island and for a decent price. I scheduled a taxi pick up from the pier but our boat was quite late and we stood around for awhile as everything closed up around us. Eventually a songthaew pulled up for us and we loaded in with all our bags. Oh how I missed the open air trucks from this area! Imagine a pick-up truck where the back has been outfitted with benches and a canopy, and often lights and music. It’s such an efficient way to transport people and their luggage!
The Apartment
Our apartment ended up being just fine. Most importantly it was clean and had working air-conditioning. The listing showed two king size beds but in reality it was one king and one queen. Awkward! We gave the larger bed and room to Corey’s parents. Their vacation was finally ending, so good to finish on a nice note.
The amenities around our rental were great! There was a large pool and private beach access.
We were also close to restaurants and there was an on-site concierge that booked everything for us: scooter rentals, beach massages, cooking class, and a Muay Thai match.
The Island
Koh Lanta far exceeded my expectations! The vibe was laid back and filled with natural beauty. The beaches were gorgeous and the water was warm and clear. The island is only about 19 miles long and 4 wide, and the west coast is made up of 11 stunning beaches. I cannot wait to vacation in Lanta again one day in the future.
We stayed on Koh Lanta for 8 nights and the time zoomed by so quickly.
Speaking of zooming…Corey surprised himself and rented a scooter. We zipped around the island exploring long stretches of sandy beaches, deserted hotels, and lookout points.
Old Town
We spent a half day exploring Lanta’s old town neighborhood. We drove our scooters over the hill and joined Linda and Dale for a delicious western breakfast at Grandma’s House. We then walked the main road and spent a few hours souvenir shopping. There were a lot of funky shops and cafes along the road.
We also walked along the pier and back. It was a lovely spot to take in the vistas of nearby islands on the east coast and the coastline surrounding Old Town. There are some homes built around the old port and it was neat to check out the neighborhood.
After Corey’s parents headed back to the west side of the island, Corey and I hopped back on our bikes and headed south to explore…and grab Baja-style fish tacos! It was a little spendy for us but the flavors and quality were worth it. Man, I had been craving Mexican food. I love Thai food and flavors, but after being on the road for awhile, tacos really hit the spot.
Continuing down the east side of the island, we drove another 20 minutes until the road became more primitive and then ended at Pirate Beach, which abuts a national park on the southern end of the island. Here we found a mostly-abandoned, quirky jungle beach treehouse hotel. It’s so strange that it’s a must visit!! (The facility was known as Pirates Paradise. When we visited there were some occupants but most of the facilities had fallen into disrepair. The bars were closed but there was a cooler of beer being sold on the honor system!)
There is also a 1,000 year old tree only a short hike from the abandoned hotel. After driving it felt nice to stretch our legs by walking through the jungle. (They ask for a small donation to cover the trail maintenance costs.)
We then cruised back home on our scooters to make sure that we were home before sunset. The roads are dark and we did not want to drive at night, plus we wanted to catch the stunning sunset at the beach where we were staying!
Muay Thai
Corey was so excited to see Thai-style boxing live! It is an intense sport with lots of kicking.
We bought the VIP experience for around $35 USD/ticket. It included ringside seats and round-trip transportation in a songthaew.
Koh Lanta has at least two Muay Thai stadiums. The event we saw was at Klong Dao Stadium, aka New Coconut Stadium. Stadium is a bit of a reach: the facility looks to be a training center during the day but it had seats and bleachers and could hold a few hundred spectators.
Events happen throughout the week, and you will know this because there are not only posters throughout the island, there are trucks that drive around advertising the upcoming events on a loudspeaker. With a ride included, this is a great and inexpensive way to experience Thai boxing.
Cooking Class
As a family we all enrolled in a Thai cooking class. There are several cooking schools on the island and Corey’s mom, Linda, made the great decision to select a class at Lanta Thai Cookery School that included a walk through the local market. This guided tour helped to identify some of the items that we have only seen in cooked form, or that are not typically available in the United States (such as water spinach).
We made several delicious dishes! The participants choose four items out of a list of ten, and our menu included tom yam soup, chicken with cashew nuts, penang curry, and pad thai. It was such a fun day and a highly recommended activity while staying in Thailand!
Snorkel Koh Haa & Koh Rok
Lanta’s tourist fleet offers a number of different tours, although all of the vendors and operators seem to be selling the same sets of tours. You show up at the pier and somehow you are sorted onto the right boat. We chose the “two island” tour as we had read that it would offer more snorkeling time.
This boat trip was actually a lowlight of our travels. More than that, it was a harrowing experience in which Corey, Linda, and I were all self-analyzing our survival swimming skills throughout the journey, just in case the boat split apart in the heavy surf.
The wind was blowing and the waves transformed from chop to large swells. Looking back, I do not think boats should have been making trips on that day. Since I am writing this now, you can assume we survived. Here’s how the day went.
We made four snorkel stops throughout the day. The water conditions at the first stop were too rough, so we sailed around to a cove to find calmer waters. We all jumped out and enjoyed looking at fish and coral. The next stop was not too far away and was my favorite swimming stop. So many types of fish swimming around. It was great to just float and see all the fishy activity happening right under the surface.
The third stop was on the other side of Koh Rok, which was one of the prettiest beaches I’ve ever visited. I’m a total beach snob so this is a huge compliment!! As you can see below, the sand was white, soft, and silty. The water was warm and though a little murky, I could still see fish around. Koh Rok is uninhabited, so the only locals around were the fish!
This is also where we were served a tasty Thai lunch. Some boat trips have offered only sad sandwiches, so it was good to have a buffet of local food.
After leaving tropical paradise we travelled to the last stop for the day, Koh Haa (aka Ko Ha). In Thai, it means five islands. It took us about 60-90 minutes to make the distance but it felt like eternity. As the islands grew from pin pricks to large rocks in my sightline, I got more excited to touch land again. We were riding in the bow with two Swedish men who were also clutching their life jackets. As the waves crashed against the boat, the bow would rise up several feet and then slam down with a slap of water to the face. At times it felt like someone was throwing a bucket of water on me. At one point, the boat’s nose appeared to point straight down as we crested a wave, causing all of us to grab our stuff and also try to hold onto the boat. I have no photos from this part of the journey as we were literally holding on the best we could!
We finally reached Koh Haa and the captain let us know that the water was too rough. No shit, capitán! The swells were easily six feet…not ideal for snorkeling. Here’s a picture of what it is supposed to be like. We could not even see the famed white, sandy beach, just lots of waves splashing all around.
Our boat maneuvered around the large rocks to find some shelter. There were a few other boats nearby as it is a popular snorkel and dive location. It worked well enough and I enjoyed snorkeling in the deeper water. There were plenty of fish and starfish to examine. The way back was again rough and all I wanted was to get home safely. And when you are on a boat, there is really only one way to do that. So we gritted our teeth and held on tight. Our group in front was pretty unnerved, so I told a smorgasbord of animal stories the entire way to distract everyone (including myself) from the agonizing boat journey. It worked! And we eventually made it back to the pier in one piece.
The Beaches
There is no shortage of long stretches of sand in Koh Lanta. Some beaches have to be shared with monkeys, others shared with fellow tourists, and some with nobody!
Klong Nin
The farther south you travel, the less visited the beaches are. In some places you can just park your scooter on the side of the road and take a few steps in to reach the water! I can’t wait to go back and check them all out!
My favorite beach in Lanta is Klong Nin, hands down. There were several hotels and cafes along the beach but it was not overcrowded.
There were few rocks scatted around but the sand was otherwise clean. A large portion of the beach was quiet without people or buildings. This long stretch of sand provides both tranquility and a hip happy hour scene.
Bakantiang Beach
We also explored a very quiet beach farther south, Bakantiang. It is also on the west side of the island, just south of Bamboo Bay. It is another large stretch of sand that is less developed than the beaches north of it. There was one beach café that offered shade, food, and cold drinks. Their prices were high for Thai standards but that’s what happens with no other competition!
The cliffs nearby were littered with fancy bungalows and beautiful houses, so it was not isolated, but it was quiet.
Coconut Bay
We also spent several evenings on our own private beach enjoying the sunset. Okay, it was not actually private but it was only accessible by the steep driveway off the main road, so only folks staying in our complex were there to enjoy the rocky cove. The tide was usually low in the evenings and all the rocks would become visible. It was a nice place to unwind, feel peace and thankfulness for being in such a wonderful part of the world.
Long Beach
We visited Long Beach once which was for dinner, drinks, and a fire show. It is also a long sandy beach that is both busier and longer than the beaches described above (thus the name). We enjoyed our last night out as a foursome. This was Linda and Dale’s final evening of their three-month Pacific adventure with us.
The fire show was excellent! The bar running it had invited their fire-juggling friends from Phuket and a scrum of men threw fire around like beach balls and jump ropes. I love a good fire show!
Dynamic Duos
After a week in Koh Lanta, the fabulous foursome split back into our dynamic duos. Dale and Linda made the long journey back home to Tacoma, Washington, USA. Dale and Linda joined us on our sabbatical for 11 weeks, traveling through 6 countries, and experiencing countless “once in a lifetime” events. At times our travel was exhilarating, challenging, and hilarious. It was also such an invaluable time together literally through blood, sweat, lots of sweat, and some tears.
Corey and I also made a longish journey to Koh Samui, via Surat Thani. It took us about five hours via private van to drive off of Koh Lanta, northeast across the entire peninsula, to the town of Surat Thani. The southern part of mainland Thailand is the northern portion of the Malay Peninsula. It gets skinny and is dotted with islands on either coast. I used to live in Phuket and have travelled a fair amount around the west coast. I had never visited the Thai east coast or the islands off that coast, so I was very excited to explore new places. Plus, we got to spend time with old friends! That’s right – we jumped back into a fantastic foursome for about a week. More about Koh Samui in our next post!
