Tag:

beaches of Thailand

Beating the crowds in Beating the crowds in Koh Ngai

by Vincent March 27, 2020

written by Vincent

Lying just 15KM away from the Southern tip of Koh Lanta, the tiny island of Koh Ngai is the ideal destination to get away from it all. No motorbikes, no roads, no shops, no nightlife, just a handful of mid-range resorts of and an unforgettable scenery of a white powdery sands lapping azure warm waters all surrounded by a dense tropical jungle. Definitely in my top 5 islands of Thailand for those looking to spend a few days in a tranquil beach getaway.

Most of the dozen or so mid-range resorts you will find offer bungalows along the beach like these at CoCo Cottages

Main Beach

The main beach of this tiny spec of an island offers an idyllic 3 km long uninterrupted strip of sand overlooking the Andaman sea and neighboring Trang islands. Those looking for a picture postcard beach won’t be disappointing here.

I was very pleased to notice there were fewer tourists on Koh Ngai than any of the other other Southern islands I visited

Chilling in a hammock after a refreshing swim at one of the restaurant and bar along the beach

The southern tip beach where the beach chairs are is the best area for swimming due to lack of rocks in the water

Many restaurants along the beach are just simple affairs with a few chairs and tables thrown in

Shallow and crystal clear waters of Paradise beach

Crystal clear water meet white-sandy shores

Trying a little spicy seafood salad here

A family arriving by long tail boat right in front of their resort from one of the neighboring islands

Walking back towards the northern side of Main beach

Entrance to the Koh Ngai Cliff Beach Resort

Entrance to where I was staying at the Koh Ngai Cliff Beach Resort on the northern end of main beach

Getting to your room or the pool can be quite a stiff climb up for those out of shape

But the view from the Koh Ngai Cliff Beach Resort infinity pool onto the Andaman Sea is second to none on the island

A few days in the Southern islands can surely bring up a tan quickly

Kayaking around the Koh Ngai

At around 10 kilometers the full tour of the island requires a bit of paddling and will take you easily half a day, more if you want to enjoy snorkeling along the other beaches and coves of the island. Keep in mind once on you leave main beach there won’t be any bars, restaurants or hotels so pack everything you need with you so you won’t run out mid-way.

Time to rent a kayak to explore the island

You will find many options for renting a kayak along main beach, fare is pretty standard at around 500 baht/day or 100 baht/hour. Don’t forget to bring your Snorkeling gear if you have one or pick up one for 200 baht a day or you will regret not bringing one when you hit Paradise beach in the south abundant with schools of tropical fish.

Boat passing by

Near the Southern end overlooking the island of Koh Maa

Beautiful empty beach south of the island

Approaching the much more secluded Paradise beach or Ao Kuan Tong in the south west of the island.

Taking a little break and having a swim on my private little beach cove

Back on main beach

Think I found my spot for the day to sit back and relax the next few hours

Last meal along the beach before moving onto Koh Lipe early the next day

March 27, 2020 0 comments

Ao Nang

Railay

by Vincent March 22, 2020

written by Vincent

the Railay Peninsula with its towering limestone cliffs surrounded by lush tropical jungle and postcard-worthy stretches of white, sandy beaches is one of Thailand’s most beautiful spots.

Although no longer an insider tip among a few hippy backpackers two decades ago and an exponential increase in the number of Chinese tourists in the last few years, the entire scenery is so stunning that it is hard not to recommend at least a stopover, on anyone’s trip to the South of Thailand.

In order to experience Railay at it’s best and without the hordes of tourists, I highly recommend basing yourself here at least for a day or two instead of Ao Nang since 90% of the people who come to visit, do so on day trips from neighboring Krabi or Phuket island.

Band playing in Black Pearl bar along Railey's walking street

The experience is so different between 5PM to around 10AM that In a way it feels like two completely different places. Everything suddenly becomes so peaceful and the whole place adopts a chilled hippy vibes, Reggae beats drifts out of laid-back bars and the unmistakable smells of marijuana, openly advertised in many of the places fills the air.

Things to do in Railay: Hiking your way up to the Railay East Viewpoint

Getting to the view point requires a 30 minutes moderately easy although sweaty hike up the mountain

Viewpoint offers an impressing view of the Railay peninsula all the way to Tonsai bay

The slippery hike back down

Railay West

The picture perfect beach with long golden stretch of beach engulfed by towering limestone cliffs on either side. This beach in most cases will be your landing point if you are arriving by long tail boat.

Long tail boats usually drop off day trippers right on Railay West at it’s center so it’s not the best area for swimming

The Eastern part of Railay West is probably your best bet for sunbathing or swimming on this beach

Eating at a beachfront restaurant some Thai pineapple fried rice and enjoying the view

Railay West beach in October in low season, less sunshine but cheaper prices a lot less people!

Tonsai Bay

Lesser known than its neighboring Railey West beach and hidden being a cliff, Tonsai Beach also benefits from spectacular limestone cliffs and a beach but with only a small fraction of the tourists. Great place to escape especially in high season when the rest of the Peninsula gets overcrowded.

Majestic Limestone cliff of the Tonsai bay

Laid-back vibe of Tosai bay at low tide with it’s imposing limestone cliffs surrounded by lush jungle

Long tail boats sit idle, awaiting for customers to neighboring beaches

Tonsai bay seen from it’s viewpoint at high tide on the western end is also very popular with rock climbers

Closer look at the Tonsai beachfront

At high tide, you can hike to Tonsai bay by following the path that goes above the small cliff from Railay West

Pathway at low tide around to Railay West

At low tide, all you need to do is wade your way around the base of the rock

Phra Nang Beach

The most stunning beach of the Railay peninsula hands-down, currently listed at #15 of the 25 best beaches of Asia according to TripAdvisor. Perfect mix of Beautiful soft sand, calm clear water, rugged limestone karts and tropical wildlife in the form of various types of monkeys roaming around or living in the trees just beyond the beach. Best enjoyed in the morning before the day tour crowds arrive at 10am and sunset when they all have left.

Sunset along Phra Nang Beach

Phra Nang Beachfront after the departure of day-trippers

Many types of monkeys live on and around the the beach

Last day trip boats along Phra Nang Beach

Fertility shrine in small cave at the end of Phra Nang beach

Where to Stay in Railay

Railay Phutawan Resort

Perfect hideaway in the jungle away from the crowds, The views from the infinity pool and bar surrounded by the cliffs are simply beautiful. Great place to cool off and sit back cocktail in hand after a long day exploring the area.

Arriving at the resort after a 10-15 minutes walk from Railay West, expect to see lots of monkey on the road up or down

The view from the pool looking onto the sea and rock climbers going up the cliffs is pretty amazing

My lovely little Superior Bungalow wrapped by Lush tropical gardens

Inside my Superior Cottage at Railay Phutawan Resort

Well kept bedroom found inside inside the cottage

View of the Railay Phutawan Resort grounds

Surroundings of the Railay Phutawan Resort

March 22, 2020 0 comments

Ko Phi Phi

Koh Phi Phi Islands

by Vincent February 17, 2010

written by Vincent

After a day spent on Phuket’s Karon beach recovering from a substantial hangover due to four days of partying during the Thai New Year celebrations in Bangkok I headed early in the morning for the short boat journey to the Phi Phi (pronounced ‘pee pee’) islands. With just a few days left to spend in Thailand before moving onto Indonesia I definitely had to give a try at one of those mythical Thai tropical island of the Andaman coast so I decided to play it safe and choose the most talked about for it’s unparalleled natural beauty as a destination.

The two main islands of this protected marine reserve are uninhabited Koh Phi Phi Lei, the one that put firmly it on the mass tourism trail overnight when the movie “the Beach” with Leonardo Di Caprio was filmed on location and Koh Phi Phi Don, where the ferry will drop you off and the only one where accommodations and (over)development is authorized.

While the ferry slowly approached Koh Phi Phi Don the first impressions were all but disappointing as the first glimpses revealed long stretches of white sand beaches where vivid turquoise waters gave way to massive Limestone cliffs surrounded by miles of trackless forest on each side of the island. Immediately comparisons with El Nido in the Philippines came to mind as both share similarities. While Koh Phi Phi Don is set on a much more grandiose scale it lacks the variety and virgin state of the surrounding islands in the Bacuit Bay.

If it wasn’t for that thin and long strip of sand that make up the central and busiest portion of the island Phi Phi Don would actually be made up of two islands with the bays Ao Loh Dalum located north and Ao Loh Dalum south. The water itself at Ao Loh Dalum beach is almost impracticable due to the incessant flow of ferries and long tail boats coming and going leaving but Ao Loh Dalum really accessible for a swimming.

But since 80 to 90% of the Phi Phi Don’s accommodations are around this central portion of the island in the Tonsai Village the place can get a bit claustrophobic and packed so you might want to escape a bit further down southwest to Had Yao or “Long Beach” which is considered the best with the softest and finest white sand. Further North on the East coast as location gets more remote things calm down and become much more peaceful.

I definitely had a love-hate relationship with Koh Phi Phi and ultimately whether you like it or not will depends on your idea of what good times on an island in paradise is. Being one of the prominent destinations on the Southeast Asia backpacker trail, expect to be surrounded by hundreds of other Caucasian foreigners (mostly in their early 20’s) enjoying the bars and all night parties as much as beaches and water-sports. While there still is a chance for you to get a moment alone on Phi Phi, it’s not easy… This by all means is by Southeast Asian standards, as it’s still but a tiny fraction of what you’d get in the most sought after beach destinations in Europe.

Though on average expensive compared to the rest of Thailand it’s still much much cheaper than similar premier island destinations around the globe. Good luck finding a decent room on the French Riviera in or Hawaii for fifteen dollars a night.

Pictures of Koh Phi Phi

How to get to Phi Phi islands by boat

From Phuket: A one way ticket will set you back 300 baht and the ferry leaves Phuket at 08h30, 13h30 & 14h30 taking just about 90 minutes. From Phi Phi back to Phuket the ferry leaves at 09h00 & 14h30.

Krabi: A one way ticket will set you back 300 baht and the ferry leaves Krabi at 10h00 & 15h00 taking just about 90 minutes. The port itself where the ferry leaves is around 5km from the town of Krabi so just arrange pickup with your hotel in Krabi. From Phi Phi back to Phuket the ferry leaves 08h00, 10h00 & 14:30.

Ao Nang: A one way ticket will set you back 350 baht and the ferry leaves Ao Nang at 09h00 taking an hour. From Phi Phi back to Phuket the ferry leaves at 15h30.

Ko Lanta: A one way ticket will set you back 350 baht and the ferry leaves Phuket at 08h30 & 13h00 (only during high season) taking just about 90 minutes. From Phi Phi back to Phuket the ferry leaves at 11h30, 14h00 & 15h00.

most beautiful tropical islands

February 17, 2010 0 comments